1990 G154- rear pto Questions

   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #1  
S

shawnmd

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Jan 12, 2011
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Tractor
2009 JD LA145
I have a 2 acre property with only 2 large trees and one barn, with a rather long driveway. I had an deere la145 with front blower for removing snow, and mid mount mower for mowing. I also haul 12 cord of wood to my house with it every year. Needless to say, tractor isn't made for what I am doing. I've already had trans out twice.

Anyway, I am looking at a 1990 Bolens Iseki G154 in mint condition. It has a Bolens front plow, which would be good for my driveway. However, it doesn't have a mid mount mower. I figure it would be easier to find a rear finish mower, so I would probably go that route. That being said, I am worried about how the mower would work with the G154's transmission style pto. My understanding is that as soon as you press the clutch (to slow or reverse) the rear pto will stop. Is this an issue when mowing? anyone have experience using a finish mower on this unit?
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #2  
The G154 will be an improvement over the LA145 for sure. However, you may want to consider an even larger tractor depending on how much of the "12 cord of wood" you haul at one time or if you need it to pull heavy logs. I have a 12' dump trailer that weighs around 2300 lbs. and a cord of wood, depending on how dry it is, could add up to another 4-5000 lbs. and I wouldn't regularly rely on a G154 to handle that. It will have no problem pulling it and the transmission should hold up just fine. However, pulling that kind of weight with a relatively light tractor as the G154 leads to other problems like trying to stop it quickly if need be and if there is any uneven ground you might find the trailer being in control rather than your tractor. Of course, if you're handling that much wood now with the LA145 then I can only assume it's in much smaller loads so you should be fine.

Yes, the PTO is disengaged from the engine when you push the clutch pedal in. However, the mower will not immediately stop so I wouldn't think it would be that big of an issue. I don't have a finish mower but do have a bush hog and it is not an issue.

The G154 is a reliable and good value tractor. I don't think you'd be disappointed with it for replacing the LA145. It has stiffer ride, but you'll get used to it.
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #4  
4wd helps immensely with backing up trailers. That, and the fact the G154 is diesel is worth the switch alone (i.e. no carburetor problems.) Of course, I would also recommend a Yanmar, Mitsubishi, Kubota, Satoh, etc. of the same style as the Bolens.
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Howhard is it to get parts for these Iseki's now a days?
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #6  
It can be hard depending on what you need. Driveline parts will need to be sourced used but at least currently they can be. Engine components don't seem too bad at the moment. If you maintain oil levels/condition, filters, and keep it away from abuse you shouldn't have an issue which is generally true for most things. I accidently rolled my TX1300F on its side a couple weeks ago while it was running (long story - I wasn't on it or anyone else.) Flipped it back up and only had a bent flange where the muffler attached which only required bending back. So even with abuse they tend to take things fairly well. But yes, if you do happen to need a driveshaft it can be hard to find.
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #7  
shawnmd said:
I have a 2 acre property with only 2 large trees and one barn, with a rather long driveway. I had an deere la145 with front blower for removing snow, and mid mount mower for mowing. I also haul 12 cord of wood to my house with it every year. Needless to say, tractor isn't made for what I am doing. I've already had trans out twice.

Anyway, I am looking at a 1990 Bolens Iseki G154 in mint condition. It has a Bolens front plow, which would be good for my driveway. However, it doesn't have a mid mount mower. I figure it would be easier to find a rear finish mower, so I would probably go that route. That being said, I am worried about how the mower would work with the G154's transmission style pto. My understanding is that as soon as you press the clutch (to slow or reverse) the rear pto will stop. Is this an issue when mowing? anyone have experience using a finish mower on this unit?
Click to expand...

Yes, the PTO will shut down pretty quick on a finish mower. It does not have the rotating mass a brush hog does. I don't think that will be a problem. You will adjust. The 154 is a solid tractor. I worked on quite a few of them in that period. The dealership I worked at sold hundreds of them. The only failures I can think of were FEL related. Even then, operating it beyond its intended use could have been the main problem.
That and poor maintenance, which applies to any model.
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #8  
I have 2 G152 Bolens tractors. They are excellent machines. Thankfully I have needed very few parts over the years but recognize today it will take a bit of looking. These tractors were also made for Massey Ferguson and White, just different color paint, although the mower deck for the Massey was an improvement over the Bolens. White must have contracted with Bolens for their mower.

One of my machines has the factory belly mower and I have a Woods 3 PT finish on the other. No problems with the rear mower other than it is not a live PTO and when you push in the clutch the mower stops as you stated. If you are doing longer runs and do not do a lot of start/stop it works super. Best of luck with your decision!
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions
  • Thread Starter
#9  
how would this tractor compare to a massey ferguson 1010 gear 4x4? Also, am looking at one of those. As far as reliability and ease of finding parts.
 
   / 1990 G154- rear pto Questions #10  
Bolens were made by Iseki whom is still in business, the 1010 Massey was made by another company, Toyosha or something like that if memory serves. Have no idea if they still make tractors. I suspect capabilities to be similar. No idea on parts.
 
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