F525 front mount mower

bigtiller · Oct 31, 2022

Craigs list has one for sale. It has 700 hours, was new in 2001 and in the pics it looks ruff but not embarrassing. I'd be a proud owner if I had it.

How close to the end of life is it, compared to all the others out there?

4570Man · Oct 31, 2022

I have one sitting in a shed. It’s a pretty durable mower but the biggest downside is the traction is horrible. People hate on zero turn traction but this thing is far worse.

tomplum · Oct 31, 2022

This is one of those things that have a narrow following of people who love them. I'm not one of them and they don't come in my door. I'd say if you're looking for a new adventure, maybe go for it. Looking for a turn key and easy care? This isn't it.

Cycledude · Nov 1, 2022

I bought a brandnew F525 back in about 1991, liked it a lot but by the time it reached 700 hours the engine was leaking a lot of oil, talked to a couple John Deere dealers about fixing it and they said junk it because the labor to fix it would cost more than the mower was worth. I sold it to a friend that fixed it himself and he is still using it.
One of my brothers bought a new one about 1993 and his lasted 1,500 hours before the same thing happened to his.
Agree The traction wasn’t very good but that rarely caused me any real trouble, just don’t try climbing steep hills when the grass is wet.
It has a Kawasaki engine that uses the same regular motor oil to run the hydrostatic wheel drive. I am unaware of any other engine hydro system that is designed to work like that.

bigtiller · Nov 2, 2022

Thanks guys, that helped a lot in deciding to let someone else own it.

I wanted to buy one when they first came out. They were such a hot item my dealer could only get one, and he wanted to keep it for a month as a display model.

TCSavage · Nov 3, 2022

bigtiller said:
Thanks guys, that helped a lot in deciding to let someone else own it.

I wanted to buy one when they first came out. They were such a hot item my dealer could only get one, and he wanted to keep it for a month as a display model.

A F725 is a great little mower if you want a front mount.