The tractor is a 2007 with 265 hours on it that I bought new. I always follow all the recommended maintenance in the owner's manual, but the zerk fittings on the main driveshaft are not pictured or mentioned in the manual, so the u-joint closest to the engine had never been greased, I did not know it was there to grease it. The u-joint at the transmission side I had been greasing, since I saw it when I was under the tractor. It had started making a rattling noise like something was loose when first starting to move, so that is what started me looking. With a flashlight, I managed to see the u-joint in question, and determined that is what was making the noise. Once I figured out how to access it, thanks to this forum, I determined that the u-joint was definitely the problem. I was unsure how to disassemble the drive shaft assembly without a shop maual, so contacted my dealer this morning. They told me their manual says the entire shaft needs replaced, cannot just replace the bad u-joint, although it looks to me like it could be disassembled. They are going to pick it up this week to get a better look in the shop of what the repair may entail, and let me know. I would try this myself, but not knowing exactly what is required to get it apart and back together, decided to let them look at it. They did tell me that the driveshaft itself is about a $636 dollar part. I also told them that since the manual never mentions this u-joint as needing grease, I thought JD should help some on an obvious design flaw since this is so hard to reach without taking the console apart to find an access panel. the dealer said he would present it to the regional manger, but with it being several years out of warranty and with the hours it had on it not to get my hopes up. This is the first problem I have had with the tractor since I bought it, and have really enjoyed it. We mow about 2 acres, use the bucket some, and have a PTO Trac Vac to pick up leaves in the fall.
