JD D100 series

[RayFromOntario]

Did some research to check on the transmission used on the D120, I found that the D120 uses the TuffTorq T40 transmission. The D160 or D165? and larger (through the x304) use the TuffTorq K46. The K46 is the transmission that alot of us have had problems with. I have no experience with the T40 transmission so I have no opinion on it.

Thanks, I appreciate the input. The D120 is sounding better by the minute. :cool2:

 

[jinman]

. . .Could you elaborate on what spindles you are talking about. Not sure I follow exactly.

Ray, the spindles are the mounts for the blades. The blades bolt to the spindle on the bottom side and they have a pulley on top where the belt drives from the engine's PTO. These spindles have a grease zerk on the side (on topside of the deck) so you can grease them. You want to put probably 6 to 8 pumps of a grease gun into these spindles for every 10 hours of mower use. The Owner's Manual says every 25 hours I think, but I have found they come from the factory with too little grease and you need to "load" them initially and keep them greased. They are very inexpensive to buy, but a pain to replace if they go out. Don't worry about overgreasing. The grease just oozes out the bottom side by the blades and works like a dam to keep out dirt.

The idler pulleys are flat pulleys that direct the belts to the spindles. One of them is about 5-1/2" in diameter and is mounted on an arm with a spring to hold tension on the belt so it doesn't fly off when the PTO is engaged. The idlers have extremely cheap bearings. The whole pulley is only about $8 to $11 each depending on size. On my LA145 that has a 48" Edge Cutting System deck, I've replaced all these idlers one time and some twice because the bearings dry out and the pulleys start to bind up. If they freeze up and quit moving, you will burn up your belt. My dealer told me spindles and idler pulleys are the most replaced items on these decks in their mower shop.

. . .Here's a question, I know this is a no no, but is there any way to disable the (RIO) button, which would allow me to mow in reverse without pressing it down each time.

Ray, bypassing he RIO switch is a snap. Open your hood and look up under the dash. You can see the RIO switch back side. It has two spade connectors. Simply pull off the spade connectors and put a jumper wire between them. Just let them hang with the jumper and don't reconnect to the switch. The jumper simulates having the RIO switch pressed all the time and you can mow forward and backward with no more hassle. If you ever want to hook the RIO switch back up, just pull the jumper and hook up the wires. It doesn't matter what terminal you put which wire because the switch just shorts between them like your jumper did.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Ray, bypassing he RIO switch is a snap. Open your hood and look up under the dash. You can see the RIO switch back side. It has two spade connectors. Simply pull off the spade connectors and put a jumper wire between them. Just let them hang with the jumper and don't reconnect to the switch. The jumper simulates having the RIO switch pressed all the time and you can mow forward and backward with no more hassle. If you ever want to hook the RIO switch back up, just pull the jumper and hook up the wires. It doesn't matter what terminal you put which wire because the switch just shorts between them like your jumper did.

Gee thanks soooo much for this valuable info Jim. I'll definitely be taking a close look at the spindles and pulleys.
Now please don't laugh, but what the heck is a "jumper wire" ???? I can see the the spade connectors on the underside of the dash for the RIO, but I don't have a clue on how to do the jumper wire thing. However, I'm willing to give it a try if you can explain in detail the procedure to do it. Sorry for sounding so stupid, I'm just new to this. However, if others have done it, I'm sure I can too, once I understand it.
Thanks again so much for your help. I owe ya. :drink:

 

[jenkinsph]

Simply connect the two wire terminals together and insulate them. There are terminals which are piggy backed which would make this very easy to do.
If nothing else a 3/4" long strip x 1/4" wide strip of sheet metal to insert between the wire terminals would act as the jumper above.


Please make sure children, pets and bystanders are kept away from the mower when in use.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Simply connect the two wire terminals together and insulate them. There are terminals which are piggy backed which would make this very easy to do.
If nothing else a 3/4" long strip x 1/4" wide strip of sheet metal to insert between the wire terminals would act as the jumper above.


Please make sure children, pets and bystanders are kept away from the mower when in use.

But to connect the wires together, I'd have to cut off the spade tips..right ?
Kids have all flown the coop, and no animals (except for neighbors cat at times...DOH !) Plus I never cut the grass when my grand kids are here. Still, I welcome the warning and heads up.
Thanks.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Ok, I've checked under the dash of the tractor, and I'm noticing that there are 2 places in line where the black and white wires are connected to the RIO switch. One is right under the RIO switch, the other is about 6 or 8 inches away. So do I cut off the black and white wires from the closet spaded switch or the furthest ? And once I cut them, are you saying I should just connect the black and white wires together ?
Once again, sorry for being so dumb about this, but I just want to make sure I cut the wires properly, and that I can reattach them if need be down the road.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Problem solved. I cut out a piece of sheet metal, from an old duct pipe, cut to the size you mentioned, and made a U shape of it, plugged it into the spade plug...and Voila ... Works great !!!! No wires to cut, and I just taped it all up and now I'm good to go. Now I can cut backwards without having to press the annoying RIO button each time. At least now I can turn around and see if there is anything behind me while I mow backwards. So now I know how to make a jumper. :cool2: Thanks for the all the help guys. :thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

Sorry I didn't get back earlier, but in a way this worked out much better. When you were talking about cutting the connectors off, I was sayin', "No! No! No!" to myself. Then I read your last post and breathed a sigh of relief. You did just the right thing. Well done!:thumbsup:

BTW: Auto parts stores, Tractor Supply, and even Walmart have terminals in their automotive section. You can buy crimp-on spade male and female connectors. If you had a short 2" piece of wire with the insulation stripped off about 1/4" on each end. You put each end of the wire into the crimp socket of a couple of connectors and squeeze with a big pair of regular pliers or a pair of Visegrip pliers. A crimp tool is better, but Visegrips work great in a pinch.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Sorry I didn't get back earlier, but in a way this worked out much better. When you were talking about cutting the connectors off, I was sayin', "No! No! No!" to myself. Then I read your last post and breathed a sigh of relief. You did just the right thing. Well done!:thumbsup:

BTW: Auto parts stores, Tractor Supply, and even Walmart have terminals in their automotive section. You can buy crimp-on spade male and female connectors. If you had a short 2" piece of wire with the insulation stripped off about 1/4" on each end. You put each end of the wire into the crimp socket of a couple of connectors and squeeze with a big pair of regular pliers or a pair of Visegrip pliers. A crimp tool is better, but Visegrips work great in a pinch.

Yah, I realize that now. I didn't have any crimp-on spade terminals, so when I read your response on the sheet metal jumper, it all made sense, and I realized I didn't have to cut any wires to get this done. I had a nice piece of insulated wire but like I said, no crimp-ons, so.....however, I will buy some now, and maybe I'll get to use them for some other application someday.
Thanks again for your help and patience.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Here's another question for you. As you know I have a digital hourly timer on my D120. Come time for winter storage, I'll probably do like I did with my old 160, and remove the battery, and store indoors over the winter and give it a periodic trickle charge once a month, until spring arrives, then put it back into the tractor when it's time to start mowing again. So, by removing the battery from the tractor, will that not erase what my actual accumulated hours on the tractor ?
Thanks.
Ray

 

[jenkinsph]

It shouldn't make any difference, but storing the battery and trickle charging once a month is a good idea.

Glad the sheetmetal worked for you and be safe out there.

 

[RayFromOntario]

It shouldn't make any difference, but storing the battery and trickle charging once a month is a good idea.

Glad the sheetmetal worked for you and be safe out there.

Thanks Steve. So you're saying that if I disconnect and remove the battery this winter for 5 months, and reinstall it come Spring, the hourly timer will continue from where it left off ??? Wish my digital watch did that. Interesting.

 

[jinman]

Ray, have you done a thorough reading of your Operator's Manual? I'm more than happy to answer simple questions like your last one, but I'm concerned that you have not read the whole manual. My manual states, "Hour meter cannot be reset." That means it totalizes the hours and there is nothing you can do to reset it to zero. If you could do that by disconnecting the battery, they would not say it cannot be reset. You are safe to disconnect your battery during winter and also protected if you battery ever fails and you have to replace it. The meter will continue to show the correct hours. I replaced my battery this year when it became weak. My hour meter shows 130 hours as it should.

 

[RayFromOntario]

Ray, have you done a thorough reading of your Operator's Manual? I'm more than happy to answer simple questions like your last one, but I'm concerned that you have not read the whole manual. My manual states, "Hour meter cannot be reset." That means it totalizes the hours and there is nothing you can do to reset it to zero. If you could do that by disconnecting the battery, they would not say it cannot be reset. You are safe to disconnect your battery during winter and also protected if you battery ever fails and you have to replace it. The meter will continue to show the correct hours. I replaced my battery this year when it became weak. My hour meter shows 130 hours as it should.

You're absolutely correct....my bad. I will definitely read the owners manual 'thoroughly' before asking any more stupid questions. Thanks for the headsup.:thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

You're absolutely correct....my bad. I will definitely read the owners manual 'thoroughly' before asking any more stupid questions. Thanks for the headsup.:thumbsup:

Not a stupid question at all, but it just happens to be one that is answered in your manual. I keep my manual in a bookshelf right beside my computer. When I find a part number or a 3rd party filter number, I make notes in my manual so I don't have to search again. In the process of doing all of this, I read and re-read sections of the manual and still run across things I had never noticed before. Maybe I'm a techie nerd, but I enjoy reading well-written manuals and understanding every part of something I own. I try to not only read operator's manuals, but I buy a maintenance manual for every piece of equipment I own. Everytime I answer a question for myself and especially if I answer a question for someone else, I have to learn details and express them in text. Doing that just kinda burns the facts into my brain and I remember them better.

So don't beat yourself up for not reading a manual. But if you do it, you'll probably have a lot more respect for that manual and maybe not misplace it like so many people do. BTW: In the very back of your manual (after the Index) is a section called "Getting Quality Service" or something similar. It has a table of JD part numbers of common maintenance items like blades, filters, belts, etc. and also maintenance kits. Good info like this is exactly why I bought a John Deere. :thumbsup:

 

[RayFromOntario]

Thanks again Jim. I too keep my manual near my pc, or in my workshop..heck, I also use it in the bathroom (library) ahem !
Here's something I didn't find in manual, do you know where I can get cross reference oil filters I can use on my tractor ? The closest Deere store is about an hour away from me, so if I could find some cross referenced oil filters here in town, it would save be a bit of grief.

 

[jinman]

Here's something I didn't find in manual, do you know where I can get cross reference oil filters I can use on my tractor ? The closest Deere store is about an hour away from me, so if I could find some cross referenced oil filters here in town, it would save be a bit of grief.

Most likely you use Deere no. GY20577. If so, the Fram filter number is PH8170.

 

[qball49]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and first time owner of JD D110 2011 model. Currently, the tractor has 3-in-1 blade which is doing fine. However, I don't use bagging and want to mulch. According to the user manual, they recommend the mulching blade kit along with mulch cover. Do I really need the mulching blade or I can use the 3-in-1 blade along with mulch cover? Otherwise, I really enjoy and like my JD D110 so far.

Thanks

 

[jhonb]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and first time owner of JD D110 2011 model. Currently, the tractor has 3-in-1 blade which is doing fine. However, I don't use bagging and want to mulch. According to the user manual, they recommend the mulching blade kit along with mulch cover. Do I really need the mulching blade or I can use the 3-in-1 blade along with mulch cover? Otherwise, I really enjoy and like my JD D110 so far.

Thanks

I used the 3 in 1 blade for 4 seasons. Last fall I put on a bagging blade because I bag my leaves. There was a 900% improvement in shoot clogs. For bagging, I would strongly recommend the bagging blades.

But you asked about the mulching blades.

This spring, I switched to the mulching blades and the mulch kit. (A large curved piece of plastic that blocks the discharge area of the deck.) I started to get a streaking problem. (where lines of grass were not mowed.) I took off the mulch kit, but left the mulch blades on, and the problem disappeared. I removed the mulch kit because I have read that other people have had this problem and that is what caused it. To be honest, I don't see any difference in the results with either blade, or with or without the mulch kit. Other than the streaking issue.
I guess I thought that because I was so happy with better performance of the lift blades, I would be just as happy with the mulch blades. But that was not true.

so if your happy with your cut, and grass the blades disappear into your sod, I would say save your money and don't do it.

 

[qball49]

JhonB - thank you for quick reply. I will install the mulching blade this week and see what it can do. I bought mulching blades along with mulch cover. Since most users not satisfied with the mulch cover, I may go ahead and return it.

Is JD D110 good tractor? It is my 1st riding-mower and like it alot so far.