Is this the place to talk about a John Deere 425?

[Degnol]

I love this little tractor. With normal maintainence it has run like a top. 650 hours on it and I broke the camshaft gear! Mine is a '97, considered "early production" and they came with a composite gear. Now they replace with a steel gear.....sounds like a good idea to me
I have no idea if 650 well-maintained hours are a lot or not. Should I spend the dough to fix it or replace the whole engine? I can buy a replacement motor for about $1700 delivered. Have not asked what the repair will cost. But I can probably swap in a whole new motor.


Ed

 

[Mace]

find out how much the fix is. 650 is not a hell of a lot of hours..

81 8 hr work days..

Don't seem like much to me.

 

[Degnol]

Just got off the phone with them and total will be about $850. Cam, lifters, they recommend a new waterpump(?) etc, etc and about 7 hours labor at $60 per.
It is an AWS and I have a blade for it and a 54" deck. Replacing just the tractor used even would be probably 5-6K.
Thanks Jason, you just never know who's out there!

Ed

 

[grant5127]

I love this little tractor. With normal maintainence it has run like a top. 650 hours on it and I broke the camshaft gear! Mine is a '97, considered "early production" and they came with a composite gear. Now they replace with a steel gear.....sounds like a good idea to me
I have no idea if 650 well-maintained hours are a lot or not. Should I spend the dough to fix it or replace the whole engine? I can buy a replacement motor for about $1700 delivered. Have not asked what the repair will cost. But I can probably swap in a whole new motor.


Ed

You got the 20HP Kawasaki ?

 

[Degnol]

You got the 20HP Kawasaki ?

Ja, the Kawasaki. Touted as a good motor and up until now I haven't had any problems with it. Plastic cam gears......WTF?


Ed

 

[grant5127]

This was major problem with the 425-445 tractors using the 20-22hp Kawasaki engines... at one time there was a campaign out on them, but I think it ended in ' 00 the plastic gear usually lasted 800hrs. You have low hrs. for the tractor to be this old... you must have small grounds to keep..

 

[Degnol]

This was major problem with the 425-445 tractors using the 20-22hp Kawasaki engines... at one time there was a campaign out on them, but I think it ended in ' 00 the plastic gear usually lasted 800hrs. You have low hrs. for the tractor to be this old... you must have small grounds to keep..

I mow a little over an acre and plow the snow in winter. The son mows at 35 MPH though On the rare occasions I can make him. I do mow twice a week during the season, though.
How do you know all this sh!t? Are you a JD guy?
Maybe I should check the Hobbs meter again.........

EDIT: Just checked the hour meter.....603


Ed

 

[grant5127]

The parts are available from other sources other than Deere... they tend to be pricy... the replacement parts will be a gear-cam assy. cast as a one piece unit...in most cases after the repair a slight noise will be detected due to the metal to metal contact of the replacement gears.. usually goes a way after a few hrs. of use.. same noise that is associated with a after market cam gear on a 2F....Here is a useful link that has parts diagrams and dealer locater...... you will need to have the model # handy tho.... http://www.kawpowr.com/default.asp

 

[Poser]

Ja, the Kawasaki. Touted as a good motor and up until now I haven't had any problems with it. Plastic cam gears......WTF?


Ed

Not uncommon bud....

Dodge and other auto makers have used them for years...



A friend runs this place...


See if you get sucked into that place like you have the Land Cruiser world....

Pretty crazy...






Oh,


Have JD repair/update the tractor and call it good for another 20+ years at your rate of use...

The tractor will hold its value, especially with the low hours you have on it.

 

[Degnol]

Not uncommon bud....

Dodge and other auto makers have used them for years...



A friend runs this place...


See if you get sucked into that place like you have the Land Cruiser world....

Pretty crazy...






Oh,


Have JD repair/update the tractor and call it good for another 20+ years at your rate of use...

The tractor will hold its value, especially with the low hours you have on it.

Steve, how did you find me over here?

It is already done, gonna mow tomorrow. It is a good machine and considering what I paid for it in '97, has held it's value really well. The two most reliable machines I own are parked side-by-side....the '40 and the JD. I think the JD was jealous you know, needed some attention

ED

 

[Poser]

The two most reliable machines I own are parked side-by-side....the '40 and the JD.

Should have taken a picture and posted it up here...

I think the JD was jealous you know, needed some attention

Kinda like " poser's on the phone "

 

[Degnol]

Picked it up today.....$775, but it runs like a scalded dog Put another 3 hours on it grinding up leaves and chasing the dawgs


I'd take a pic, but my gay-rodge is not up to "having company" standards



Wifey needs no attention, she is, after all.....the center of attention;p



Ed

 

[D'Animal]

Degnol

I worked in a lawn mower shop in south east Iowa through out the 80's and early 90's.

When a manufacturer such as JD wants and engine for a new production series unit they get a hold of the different engine manufacturers and have them speced out. Thier choices are just like the choices of buying a car. Check this box if you want a 1" crankshaft, Check that box for the length of the cranshaft. Check this box if you want a heavy duty air filter, Check that box if you want to you a remote air filter. Check the appropriate box for the PTO side bolt pattern you want. One of those options Check this box for a polymer gear in the oil pump. Check that box for a STEEL gear. (The extra engines that built but not used were generally sold through Northern Tools or Northern Hydraulics or some other magazine.)

The bean counter who worked for JD in the 80's and 90's checked a lot of boxes for those polymer gears. John Deer is really good with warranty stuff. They put an Onan engine in the original 400 series and had polymer oiler gear problems. They put put the K2 series Kohlers in the original 420's and had polymer oiler gear problems. If I remember correctly, in both instances for both models if you were the original purchaser you could get a complete new engine for $500.00. That is if the JD dealer did the work. We were a small shop but I'll bet I did about 2 a month.

If you contacted JD directly and explained your situation they might give you a credit since you already paid your bill. Ideally you would complain to them before the work was done and they may have replaced you engine for a very small fee.

 

[Degnol]

D'Animal,
Thanks for the informative reply. I will use that info if I have any probs in the future. The guy who owns the JD dealership.......I drill his teeth, so he is pretty fair with me.

Good info!

Thanks again,

Ed