weathda
Silver Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2010
- Messages
- 235
- Location
- Alabama
- Tractor
- Farmtrac 665DTC, Kubota L2550, John Deere 310SE, Dresser 175C
Just moved to a new homeplace this year with increased mowing acreage. My Home Depot John Deere L120 w/ 48" deck served well for our residential yard. But this season on our new rural property we've more than doubled the hours of our normal season. Although it's still running fine, I'm not sure how much longer it will last. Been wanting to get a zero-turn, but just can't let go of the cash for the commercial mower I want. Was hoping to get by for a few more years with the L120.
Sunday night before bed, I see a classified ad on nextdoor.com. Lady less than a mile away is selling her JD 425 for $1500. Only has one picture, but her description is intriguing. Well maintained, All-Wheel Steering, 60" deck and wheel weights. My gears start turning and I think if I could use this for 5+ years to get me by till I get the zero-turn I want, this might be worth it. I could sell the L120 while it is in good working order.
So I call her and go look at it yesterday. Cosmetically, it's in good shape. Has a few maybe minor problems. Battery leaking acid out the terminals. She pulled it out before I got there and she went to turn on the deck and the belt jumped off. I check the pulleys while I was there and the left side pulley was wobbly. She didn't know how to check the hours. It had 732 hours on it. She just had it serviced every season for $150. The spindles looked bone dry. Said she'd never greased them. Surprisingly, everything was very tight aside from the one pulley. The engine had normal dirty oil seepage, but ran very smooth and quiet. It was full of clear oil. I was shocked at how different this mower felt and sounded compared to my L120.
I told her I would think about it and went home to talk it over with wifey. She encouraged me to get it if I wanted a project. So is $1500 a good price? I might go back today and buy it.
Sunday night before bed, I see a classified ad on nextdoor.com. Lady less than a mile away is selling her JD 425 for $1500. Only has one picture, but her description is intriguing. Well maintained, All-Wheel Steering, 60" deck and wheel weights. My gears start turning and I think if I could use this for 5+ years to get me by till I get the zero-turn I want, this might be worth it. I could sell the L120 while it is in good working order.
So I call her and go look at it yesterday. Cosmetically, it's in good shape. Has a few maybe minor problems. Battery leaking acid out the terminals. She pulled it out before I got there and she went to turn on the deck and the belt jumped off. I check the pulleys while I was there and the left side pulley was wobbly. She didn't know how to check the hours. It had 732 hours on it. She just had it serviced every season for $150. The spindles looked bone dry. Said she'd never greased them. Surprisingly, everything was very tight aside from the one pulley. The engine had normal dirty oil seepage, but ran very smooth and quiet. It was full of clear oil. I was shocked at how different this mower felt and sounded compared to my L120.
I told her I would think about it and went home to talk it over with wifey. She encouraged me to get it if I wanted a project. So is $1500 a good price? I might go back today and buy it.