Buying advice

[Grant1994]

Here I my situation I had a John Deere riding mower that I purchased from HD about 8 years ago and have always had problems with it draining battery's. I took this one to my local mechanic who told me it would cost half the price of the tractor to just correct the wiring. So stupidly I went back to home depot and bought a cub cadet lawn tractor. The third time using the cub I went to hit the brake to stop it so I could clean it off and when I pressed the brake the tractor accelerated. I then put it in neutral and pressed the brake an again it accelerated at that point I was rolling down my driveway headed for a street(luckily I had the wagon on which went crooked and stopped the tractor) when I called cub cadet they told me to take it to the local dealer. However I don't want this tractor back even if it is fixed because my yard has a lot if slopes and I am afraid if it happening again. My question here is my local mechanic sells used equipment as well and the other day when I drove by his shop I noticed he had scag zero turn ride on, and a John Deere stand on mower. Both are commercial. What would be a good price for these tractors and is it wise to but used? Any advice anyone has about this situation and wht to do would be great. Also are the tractors sold at home depot really knock offs?

Thanks so much!

 

[JimRB]

Scag is not a model but a brand. They have a wide range from not cheap to expensive. They also have a reputation for quality products. 2011 Scag Turf Tiger 28HP CAT Diesel Zero-Turn Mower - 72in. Deck | Robinson Outdoors
I have read that the mowers HD sells are made by MTD. Not sure if that is true but the quality of a HD mower might not be the same as one you get from a JD or Cub dealer. Both JD and Cub have low end to high end products.
I buy lots of used things. Sometimes it is a good thing. My weed wacker was already 10 years old when I got it and it keeps working 10 years later. Same for my current truck, Honda lawn mower, bicycles, saws and other stuff. Used is not worn out and quality stuff might never get worn out by the occasional homeowner use.

 

[Grant1994]

Okay thanks I'm not to sure about this stuff because the only tractors I've dealt with are from home depot. Another question I have is can you tow a small pull cart with a zero turn mower because I have found mine to come in handy for many things from moving wood to the porch for the woodstove and also moving mulch to the different garden beds around the yard?

 

[MMagis]

You have two mowers already, with very minor issues. Re-wire the whole JD? That’s sounds a bit extreme. Worst case scenario, hook up a battery switch and turn it off each time you park it. Best case scenario, find what’s causing the drain and fix it. I have my doubts that the CC actually has any problems. No mower can accelerate when you press the brake, they just can’t. What I suspect happened is you were on a steep slope and the wheels lost traction and you slid down the hill. It’s unnerving, but it can happen with any mower or tractor. I don’t think buying another mower is the answer. The box store John Deere mowers aren’t knock offs, but they aren’t built to the quality that you’ll find at a dealer.

 

[GeneralEclectic]

It would be helpful if you posted the model numbers of these mowers.

Did you ever replace the battery in the one that "drains the battery"?

Do you remove the key when you shut it down? Did you add any electrical accessories?

The strange thing about this is that there aren't many, if any, electrical loads on a lower-end mower/tractor:
> Headlights: Well, if they were on and draining the battery, it would be pretty obvious.
> Hour meter: your mower from HD probably doesn't have one.
> Electric fuel pump: ditto
> Electric PTO clutch: ditto. Your blade engagement is probably by mechanical linkage to an idler.
> Engine electrical: if it was a problem with the starter or starter relay, you'd see that immediately and it would drain the battery in an hour if it didn't burn itself up in the process. The ignition system is self-energizing, so that can't explain it.
You don't say whether this is hydro or gear drive, but that doesn't especially matter since neither has a connection into the electrical system.

If I had to make a WAG, I'd say that the generator or voltage regulator on the engine is bad and the battery isn't being charged as it should be. You think it's a mystery drain on the battery because at some point you go to start it and the battery is dead, not because it was drained, but because it wasn't charged.

I think you ought to get yourself an inexpensive DMM and measure the voltage on the battery when the engine is running at normal operating speed. If it's under approximately 13.5 to 13.8 V, then the problem is charging, not a phantom load.

====

For the life of me, I can't picture a typical big-box lawn mower tractor accelerating when the brake is applied. The mechanics of brake and clutch are separated in gear drive systems and "isolated" in hydro systems (pushing on the brake disengages power to the transaxle). If there was some unusual cause of a problem, such as a piece of debris lodged in exactly the wrong place that somehow causes the clutch to engage when it shouldn't, it ought to be obvious with a cursory inspection. Run it up on ramps if you can and stick your head under there to see if there's anything lodged anywhere around the drive and brake belts and linkages that shouldn't be there.

I suggest that you put the tractor in a safe unobstructed location and then get a friend or neighbor to exercise the drive and brake systems. See if someone else can duplicate the problem, while being prepared to kill the engine if something unexpected really does happen.

 

[Grant1994]

Again I don't know much about this I'm going off what my mechanic told me. And as to the cub it really foes happen we took it out to my street an tried it....the street is perfectly flat and what happens is when I press the brake the gas pedal also goes down. To even start the tractor I have to hol the gas pedal back an my brother has to press the brake pedal down just to start it. When I looked under the tractor there is one bar connected to both the gas an brake pedal so I'm not sure if that's it or what

 

[GeneralEclectic]

Well, that makes NO sense at all. Is this thing still under warranty? If so, demand that they fix it, which ought to be easy if the problem is this easily reproduced.

Clearly, if the brake and "gas" pedal are interacting, something is definitely amiss.

 

[Mousefield]

Well, that makes NO sense at all. Is this thing still under warranty? If so, demand that they fix it, which ought to be easy if the problem is this easily reproduced.

Clearly, if the brake and "gas" pedal are interacting, something is definitely amiss.

I agree, take it back and either they fix it or they should replace the tractor or give you your money back. You do not want to use a piece of machinery that could KILL you because it is not operating properly.

 

[bp fick]

I'll stop by and pick up that Deere that doesn't hold the charge. You don't want that thing cluttering up your garage anymore, really. Tomorrow? Say about 6 pm good for you?

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/craftsman-sears/213135-fixing-my-wifes-new-yard.html

Here's my thread of very recent past. These things are mostly all fixable, in the right hands.

 

[gardencarer]

You made a mistake. You should have got the old one repaired. Anyways go to company lab and demand the service as it would be under warranty.

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