[Shop-talk] Zero turn radius lawnmower

[John Innis]

That's a tough call.  Without knowing what make and model hydrostat is in
it, I'd suggest replacing the mower.  I have a similarly aged Grasshopper
zero turn that I have been having a similar debate about.  In my case I
decided to rebuild the motor (1750 hours).  My motors was not in bad
shape.  The big end of the connecting rod clearance was just out of spec
and the ring gap was just over the limit.  I checked for cylinder
straightness and out of round and found it all to be within tolerance.  It
was not too expensive to replace the connecting rods and the rings to get
back into spec.  I also replaced all the bearings and oil seals as well as
the PTO clutch (bent the pulley getting it off).  Total bill for the parts
was just over $500.  I probably spent 10 hours or so doing the work.  If
you can do the work yourself, consider going this route.  I don't know what
a shop would charge to do this stuff, but I am guessing it would be at
least $1500 for the rebuild.  At that price it might not make sense.  I
have only ever had one issue with the hydro's on this mower, and again I
was able to do the work myself.  But I have also heard that parts for the
older units are getting hard to find, especially Peerless units.  I have
been watching the rise of the electric machines, and have basically decided
to try to keep my grasshopper going until there is a good all electric
option.

On Fri, Mar 25, 2022 at 12:40 PM Robert Nogueira <nogera at charter.net> wrote:

>
> I have a 20 year old gravely zero turn radius lawnmower. The mower is
> solidly built and has held up well. My problem is the engine is on its last
> leg and I’m questioning whether it would be worth replacing. The main issue
> is the hydrostatic transmission for the drive. They’ve never give me
> trouble but I’m wondering how long they generally hold up.
> I do know they’re expensive to replace.
> Should I take a gamble on just replacing the engine?
> Bob Nogueira
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