Any John Deere experts? Or someone who can diagnose a riding mower problem?

[Frank_N_Stein]

One year later update...

Finally had a chance to have my dad come down and we tore into it again. Checked the fuel lines both from the tank to the fuel pump and from the fuel pump to the carb. Both were clear. Pulled the fuel shutoff out of the tank and found that the metal tube that goes into the tank was partially blocked. We cleaned it out as best we could and put the mower back together. I mowed half my yard and never lost power, so I am optimistic that we solved the problem. I'll mow the rest of the yard with it this weekend and see how it does. I appreciate everyone's suggestions and offers to help.

 

[lonehoosier]

When I used to work on tractor I would use a drill bit with some carb cleaner to clean out those tubes.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

One year later update...

Finally had a chance to have my dad come down and we tore into it again. Checked the fuel lines both from the tank to the fuel pump and from the fuel pump to the carb. Both were clear. Pulled the fuel shutoff out of the tank and found that the metal tube that goes into the tank was partially blocked. We cleaned it out as best we could and put the mower back together. I mowed half my yard and never lost power, so I am optimistic that we solved the problem. I'll mow the rest of the yard with it this weekend and see how it does. I appreciate everyone's suggestions and offers to help.

Great news!

 

[KellyinAvon]

I saw the subject and was expecting a "name that Johnny Popper" thread. OK I stopped reading at John Deere experts.

 

[lovemywoods]

Thanks for the update Frank.

Mechanical problems like yours can be frustrating. One positive aspect to your issue was the opportunity to spend some time with your dad working on the problem. I imagine there are lots of INGO members who would love to spend time with their dads again.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

When I used to work on tractor I would use a drill bit with some carb cleaner to clean out those tubes.

There is a 90 degree bend and a 45-ish degree bend in it so that wouldn't work. We used carb cleaner and thin wire.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I saw the subject and was expecting a "name that Johnny Popper" thread. OK I stopped reading at John Deere experts.

I have no idea who Johnny Popper is/was.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Thanks for the update Frank.

Mechanical problems like yours can be frustrating. One positive aspect to your issue was the opportunity to spend some time with your dad working on the problem. I imagine there are lots of INGO members who would love to spend time with their dads again.

Yep. With my parents both turning 80 later this year I have to make the most of it.

 

[KellyinAvon]

I have no idea who Johnny Popper is/was.

The 2-cylinder John Deere tractors made from the 1930s (maybe late-20s for some) up through 1961. They had a distinctive sound that led to the term Johnny Popper. At the State Fair you can see a lot of them. They also had a hand clutch for a reason I can't explain other than John Deere gotta be different. The older B Model below has a manual (flywheel) starter. Parking these tractors on a hill and roll-starting them was a better choice.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

The 2-cylinder John Deere tractors made from the 1930s (maybe late-20s for some) up through 1961. They had a distinctive sound that led to the term Johnny Popper. At the State Fair you can see a lot of them. They also had a hand clutch for a reason I can't explain other than John Deere gotta be different. The older B Model below has a manual (flywheel) starter. Parking these tractors on a hill and roll-starting them was a better choice.

Gotcha. I have no experience with JD products other than this mower.

 

[hopper68]

I have no idea who Johnny Popper is/was.

[video=youtube;xcdlgkyE9hc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcdlgkyE9hc[/video]

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

[video=youtube;xcdlgkyE9hc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcdlgkyE9hc[/video]

 

[HubertGummer]

Old machines really have a special charm about them.

 

[churchmouse]

[video=youtube;xcdlgkyE9hc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcdlgkyE9hc[/video]

Great gramps had a JD like that and an Allis Chalmers built up close to the same. Pain to start but ran all day.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Gotcha. I have no experience with JD products other than this mower.

I spent a great deal of my youth on a John Deere 4000 (a 4020 with the transmission from a 4010 and a few other differences.) John Deere didn't make a lot of the 4000 model, they made over 184K 4020s from 1964-1972, one hell of a tractor.

 

[ghuns]

I spent a great deal of my youth on a John Deere 4000 (a 4020 with the transmission from a 4010 and a few other differences.) John Deere didn't make a lot of the 4000 model, they made over 184K 4020s from 1964-1972, one hell of a tractor.

I have never seen a 4000, and I've seen a lot of JDs. Looks like they made about 60K of them.

I spent entirely too much time on a 3010, with a 2 row corn picker mounted on the front.

We still have every tractor my grandpa ever bought. He first bought a 1950 John Deere A. Then the 3010 and a 2020 in the late 60s. My dad restored the A in the early 80s. Grandpa was so pleased with it, he started collecting 2 cylinders for dad to restore. Now there's a couple As, couple Ls, a B, a G, a H, and a really old GP on steel wheels. They are cool, but I was always jealous of the neighbor kids whose dad restored 1960s muscle cars.

We are all out of room for tractors, so the old man has moved on to restoring implements for them. Mainly plows.

The problem now is that he needs two of every plow. One fully restored that I call his parade plow, and one just mechanically restored for playing in the dirt.

 

[HoughMade]

The 2-cylinder John Deere tractors made from the 1930s (maybe late-20s for some) up through 1961. They had a distinctive sound that led to the term Johnny Popper. At the State Fair you can see a lot of them. They also had a hand clutch for a reason I can't explain other than John Deere gotta be different. The older B Model below has a manual (flywheel) starter. Parking these tractors on a hill and roll-starting them was a better choice...

I wouldn't disagree with that. Gotta be different combined with "that's the way we always did it" FTW.

The old Waterloo Boy used a hand clutch on the stationary engines that latter became the Waterloo Boy tractor, and the company was bought by John Deere so it could get into the tractor business and they kept the hand clutch. The hand clutch worked well for belt work and the old-timers who grew up with it swear by it. The rest of us swear at it.

Allis Chalmers had a hand clutch too, but they had a foot clutch for tractor movement and the hand clutch was primarily used to engage/disengage the pto while moving...which actually made sense.

 

[ghuns]

...The hand clutch worked well for belt work and the old-timers who grew up with it swear by it. The rest of us swear at it...

Those old timers probably never had the pleasure of loading/unloading them on a beaver tailed trailer. I have no doubt that's how my old man is gonna go out.

 

[cmann250]

If I may...

This hobby supports my firearm hobby. Newer than the 2 bangers, but still green.




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