I bought a L130 and the guy told me it needed a new transaxle. I tried it out didnt do a thing. Got it home took out the transaxle set it on a bench and took it all apart and cleaned it with carburetor cleaner. I put Sae 30 oil back in it through the fill hole and used a drill with a socket to spin over the transaxle added more fluid as needed to make it completely full reinstalled and works great. The mower cost me $400 and the Oil and cleaner was $20. I have a great running and looking mower now. It probably took me 3 or 4 hours to do but beats the $600 Deere wanted for a new one. If you try this just remember where all the pieces go. I would suggest doing this before forking out the $600 bucks for a new one. I know they say you cant fix them but remember "IF MAN MADE IT MAN CAN FIX IT"

Many different insects ARE drawn to the color yellow - It's a documented fact, though I don't know about yellow jackets specifically In the '60's I was stationed at a small radar site on the Oregon coast (North Bend) We had 25 or 30 small boats (some large enough for a pair of twin 150's on them) available for rent to all squadron personnel and a new (but not very bright) commander decided he wanted them all painted the same color, so when he drove by any of the fishing or recreation areas, he could tell at a glance which ones were 'his' We got about 50 gallons of fork lift yellow paint through DMR for free, so he decided that bright yellow would be THE color for all 'his' boats - Easily seen from miles away. One at a time they all got repainted over the course of a couple of weeks After that, the boats were almost useless, and it got so bad that nobody ever rented them again until they got repainted, about a year later. Every horse fly, mosquito, gnat or just about any other flying pest would descend on the occupants of those boats and eat you ALIVE! None of the other nearby boats on the lake or river were bothered because all the pests hung around the yellow boats Don

If I read your needs correctly, you essentially want a lawn tractor which will occasionally haul a load of firewood? I didn't see anything about "ground engaging" implememnts or anything else which would require a Garden Tractor rear end and tranny. Also "occasionally" haul a load of rocks, mulch. That shuld be within the realm of a LT. What size cart do you have, one of the small ones or something like the 18 cuft AgriFab which is rated for 1500lbs? If you're worrying about hauling heavy loads and your cart will only hold 500... You mention "spinning halfway up." Traction is a function of the tire tread, not the LT/GT label and if that's a concern, you'll have to spend extra $$ for AG or the ATV tires that have become popular on small tractors. Also, depending on the severity of the grade, wheel weights may be needed, though with a load on a cart, the weight is transferred to the rear end of the tractor (if loaded right) so that shouldn't be needed. Sure, a GT would do everything you want and lots more, also "buy more than you need" is a very useful adage to keep in mind. However it's your $$ and you might want to do a realistic evaluation of the tasks you'll do. Didn't see anything about snow removal, pushing a blade or running a snow thrower that would be out of the realm (IMHO) of an LT. If you have "bumps and contusions" in your lawn, remember that the deck hangs off the tractor and if one of the tires is riding up a bump, cut will be affected. Another consideration is availability of parts and dealer service if needed. Where do you order parts for a TSC unit? Is the JD supported by a local dealer or sold at a "big box" store-all GREEN is not equal. You might look at Sears, they have good sales, parts and service are available, and their website is full of reviews for everythig they sell. Good Luck, Ev

The PTO clutch on the tractor is electro-magnetic and takes a lot of current to operate. If you have a low battery condition this will stop the tractor because you don't have enough voltage to run the ignition system with the PTO turned on. First, check the battery voltage with the tractor off. You should have about 12.75 to 13+ volts (depending on the age and condition of the battery). If the battery voltage is low you could have one or more of the following problems: 1. Old battery that will not hold a charge - needs replacement. 2. Bad voltage regulator - battery is not being charged and electrical system is running on low voltage when the engine is on and the PTO draws enough to shutoff the tractor. 3. Bad stator - battery is not being charged. Of the three possibilities - 1 & 2 are the most common. A bad stator is the least likely but, you can easily narrow this down. Start the tractor and check the battery voltage. If the stator and voltage regulator are working correctly, you should have 14+ volts at the battery. If you do not have 14+ volts with the motor running, then the battery is not being charged - and there is probably not electricity being supplied to run the electro-magnetic PTO clutch + ignition. You can sort this out by starting the engine and pulling the connector from the voltage regulator and looking for AC voltage using a multi-meter. I do not know the exact terminals on that engine - but, you should be able to find a service manual on line in electronic format for about $8.00. Otherwise, you can do this by a process of elimination. Put the probe in the top left contact and check the other contacts sequentially. What you're looking for is about 30 Volts AC from the stator. Then go to the second contact, repeat, etc. If you don't find the voltage - bad stator. This really isn't as likely as a bad voltage regulator. Voltage regulators have diodes in them and other semi-conductors and after being continually exposed to heat, vibration, etc. - they go bad. So, check the voltage regulator with a multi-meter on the Ohms setting. Most of the resistances should be in the 4.5 mega-Ohm area. If you find opens or low Ohm readings between contacts on the voltage regulator - it needs to be replaced. My guess - it's the voltage regulator and you will find several "open" conditions. I just replaced the voltage regulator on a John Deere garden tractor because the PTO would not stay engaged and the battery was always low. If you find the voltage regulator is bad, in your case I would replace both the voltage regulator and battery if the battery is over 2-3 years old as constantly running it in a discharged state has probably compromised the battery's ability to hold a charge.