Well I got tired of looking Picked up the JD 317 today and actually found it to be in nicer shape then shown in the craigslist add. Way to wet, dank and dark for more pictures today, but here is a quick shot from the gas station where I waited for an hour for a crazy storm to pass (u can see the rain in the background);
The good news is I got him down to $575 and he threw in an extra set of turf tires and a full tank of gas Thanks for all for your help!
Looks good, whats under the hood??? Those were originaly equipted with the notorious KT17 series 1 in them. They lacked presurized oil to the main rod journels and would starve them on any side hill mowing/use. Resulting in a loud bang! Most were repowered with either an Onan or Series 2 KT17 while under warrenty by John Deere. If its still a Series 1, just keep it on flat ground and watch the oil level like a hawk. They are farily easy to repower with a newer motor when the time comes. Thats a true garden tractor, the little 111 was just a Lawn Tractor and nothing more. That 317 can have the rear (integral hitch) lift hitch to handle rear blades, moldboard plows ect. You will need wheel weights or you can have the tires loaded with weight such as Rim Guard at the local farm tractor ag-way. Check out Weekend Freedom Machines they are just for the lawn and garden side of JD, free to join and post. Probably your best way to locate a snowthrower for that model. It will be a model 49 single stage with either a short chute or a tall chute on it. Excellent thrower, just keep the rpm's up and use the creeping ablity of the hydrostat drive to vary your ground speed to keep the auger full, but not bog it down. Hydros are great for snowblower work. Next best thing is one of the older 110/200 series with the variator drive. Cheers Mike
Picked up the JD 317 today and actually found it to be in nicer shape then shown in the craigslist add. Way to wet, dank and dark for more pictures today, but here is a quick shot from the gas station where I waited for an hour for a crazy storm to pass (u can see the rain in the background);
