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New John Deere for the new place

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dave77
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by dave77 » Wed Dec 01, 2021 7:56 pm

Got my plow mounted to my Cub, anxious to see how it works as both the tractor and the plow are heavier than my Craftsman and I'm sure the Hydrostatic transmission will be better than the transmission on the Craftsman which would sometimes get bound up in forward.

Your John Deere blower looks similar to the one I had on my work John Deere. I often wished it had had a enclosed cab on it, especially on cold windy mornings, I would have to start blowing by 5AM to be finished before staff and kids started showing up.

Does the front window of the cab have any kind of a windshield wiper? When we got powdery snow and some wind I would be covered with snow.

Don't know when we will be getting any snow here. Been setting record high temps here recently. We almost hit 70 today.

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BrokenolMarine
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:49 pm

Looks like a great setup Dave, I know you can't wait to give 'er a try.

Even though we supposedly don't get much snow here, I almost ordered the snowplow for the Polaris Ranger, it would have been perfect for plowing. Enclosed cab with heat and defrost and a wiper system. But, we don't need to plow, and if we did for some reason need to get out, everything is 4wd. Both trucks, the tractor, and the Polaris. :D

(The cow and the horse too, actually. :D )

Tina does use the Ranger to run to the barn twice a day when the weather sets in. The livestock have to have attention. ;)
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dave77
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by dave77 » Wed Dec 01, 2021 11:56 pm

We haven't been getting near the snow we used to get but enough that if I don't clear my driveway it gets packed down and turns to ice. Used to be able to do it with a shovel but at my age and with some health issues that's not an option anymore. The plow also works for making trails in the backyard to my goat and her hay barn which is also where I park the tractor.

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daytime dave
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by daytime dave » Thu Dec 02, 2021 1:14 pm

Sorry Dave, there is no wiper on the front windshield of the cab. It's completely soft. It's the same clear material as the side window that's pictured. I had a hood for my walk behind like that and I just tapped it if I had any snow build up. I wanted something light and easy on and off. Just a few clips, velcro and poles.

I'm sure you will have better results with the hydro. It's a good looking set up. Just don't overwork that transmission and you will be sitting on that unit for years to come.

I am laid up this year and was able to go through the dealership to have someone from service come and put the blower etc on. I decided to get a set of rear chains too. He was here just over an hour. I got the bill by text a day later. Worth every nickel when you can't do it yourself. I'm glad I gave the fellow a healthy tip. It was cold out and he did a great job.
The cab is by no means air tight. The air intake for the engine it back by the operator. It will serve it's purpose though.
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dave77
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by dave77 » Thu Dec 02, 2021 3:51 pm

I have heard that the Hydrostatic transmissions are the weak point. Did a lot of research before getting one and found that the John Deere's sold at places like Lowes and Home Depot have the low end transmission, also nearest John Deere place for repairs is over 50 miles away, Cub Cadet has a local dealer. Also went with the model that has the beefier mid grade transmission and if we get heavy snow I will get out and do some plowing before it gets too deep, I also make plenty of room for new snow piles so I don't have to try and move old packed and frozen piles.

Are the chute adjusters on your snow blower cables or hydraulic? The one I had at work was just a hand crank.
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daytime dave
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by daytime dave » Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:52 pm

Dave, the chute direction is controlled by the hydraulics. My neighbor at camp has an X500 with a snowblower and he has had the impeller replaced a few times. It's made of plastic. I noticed this one is as well. We shall see how well it holds up. There are six suitcase weights on a bar on the back.
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dave77
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by dave77 » Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:34 pm

Can't say for sure but I'm reasonably sure the rear impeller on my John Deere at work was metal. It's been 7 years since I retired and I had it for at least 5 years before that. I ran some frozen snow chunks through it a few times and while it did put a hole in the chute it didn't break rear impeller. I'm sure it would have if it was plastic. I know for sure the front impellers were metal. I was able to repair the hole in the chute with a piece of a garbage can and it was stronger the original chute plastic.

It did get a huge workout, I did probably 1000 ft of sidewalk plus a lot of paths on the playground and a fairly large area where the kids would line up for afternoon bus pick up. Then later in the morning the city would come along and plow quite a bit of snow onto the sidewalks which I would have to clear off.
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daytime dave
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by daytime dave » Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:01 am

Dave,
I stand corrected. The impeller on my 54" blower is metal. The whole blower unit performed very well last year, only breaking a shear bolt once. It ate a rock it didn't like at the end of the driveway, near the road. There were no impeller problems.

Last week I changed the transaxle fluid. It was a bigger job than I had thought for. I'm glad I didn't hold off and wait till it was time to switch over the accessories. I know these things will get easier as I gain experience on the machine.

Last year was very easy to prep the garden tractor for winter. I simply made arrangements at the end of October and got a last day of November appointment for a serviceman to come and do it. I was laid up with a broken leg and there was no way. As I said, it was worth every penny. He was here just over an hour.

Fast forward to yesterday. I did the same job myself in 50'sF weather. It took me about three hours. Taking the cab off in the Spring made assembly this Fall much easier. I had lubricated the snap buttons where the metal tubes attach last year. It paid off. Somewhere between spring and now, I managed to lose the snowblower manual book. It's a pretty straight forward operation, but another will need to be ordered. Of course, I took the granddaughter on the "maiden" voyage for the year. She loved the caution light I had on the roof. We drove it to the house and parked it.

Here is the finished product this year.

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BrokenolMarine
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by BrokenolMarine » Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:44 am

The tractor looks nicely set up and ready for the winter. I know you are thinking: "I can't wait for it to snow so I can play..." Come on, admit it. :D

As for us, it's been two, no about two and a half years, since we moved to Oklahoma and made our purchases... I was going to make a post here, and update since this is the tractor and mower thread, but.. I don't want to steal your thunder. I'll create an Update thread and link it below once I have it done. It's been interesting. ;)


Here is the link:


http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 90#p210290
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graywolf
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Re: New John Deere for the new place

Post by graywolf » Wed Nov 09, 2022 9:08 pm

When I retired, I decided to downsize tractors since I wouldn't be farming. I sold my full size tractors and went with the JD 1025R. I was interested in the 700 series but I wanted a bucket. These smaller garden tractors are work horses. I still like your Craftsman garden tractor.
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