Looking to replace our 14 yr old Deere STX 38!

16 years ago

After reading many of the posts here it's obvious to stay away from the big box stores and the lower quality equipment that is made for them. That being said, my STX 38 is 14 years old and I've only encountered a few minor issues in all these years; carb, PTO and one spindle. So trust me I'm well aware of the term you get what you pay for.

I have an acre lot, mostly flat and live in Chicagoland. I will not be using the unit for snw removal as I have a trusty Ariens for that. My thought is the Deere X 300. I haven't seen many negative comments on it and just wondered if there was anything else someone would suggest looking at.

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

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Comments (5)

steve2ski
16 years ago
If you have been happy with the STX 38 and want to stay green and yellow, the X300 42 is a good replacement for the STX 38. Why are you replacing the STX 38? good condition this is the time of the year to sell it curbside.
jptgs1
Original Author
16 years ago
You know how it is sometimes, you just get the itch... I have never been happy with the cut, it has always appeared as if the two blades are different heights. Pulled the deck off numerous times to measure and check and I can never find anything wrong. I do remember the dealer telling me when I bought it that the mulch kit wasn't the best.

Reading about the "Gator Blades" may see if those will help and pop for a new seat...
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Thanks to both of you. I'm beginning to suspect my deck is different. There don't seem to be any handles on it at all. What the book tells you to do is: "Put a 15mm closed wrench or a socket on the idler sheave nut (A) and rotate clockwise to move idler sheave toward front of tractor and hold to release belt tension." I tried that, but it doesn't give nearly enough tension release. I'm begining to wonder... I bought the new belt from Alexander & Duncan in Leominster UK, and while I was at it I bought a second one as a spare. The second one has "John Deere" on its outside face, but the first doesn't, and it's the first one that I mounted. Both these belts came in an identical thin card sleeve, but they weren't coiled quite the same way. I'm wondering if someone "made a mistake" and put a non-original belt in a John Deere sleeve. But be that as it may, is it possible that your 48" deck and mine aren't the same? I bought the whole thing less than a year ago, so maybe they changed the pattern. Passthegravey: does your manual talk about slipping a wrench over the left-hand idler sheave nut?
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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.
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You guys just saved me a crapload of time and money. I’ve been struggling to figure out the problem for almost a month now. I had been working on a surging engine - cleaned the carb, replaced the fuel filter, drained the gas and added new stuff (only filled 1/4 tank since it wasn’t running 100% yet) - and then suddenly it decided to start konking out after about 20 minutes of run time and whenever it attempted an incline. Thought maybe it was a “too rich” issue but changing that didn't work. But earler tonight i decided to fill the tank and voila, no issues at all. I had changed out the fuel filter to a generic one not thinking it would make a difference. I’m going to switch back to the (correct) Kohler filter and hope to gawd this works. Was almost tempted to junk the whole thing...it was a major sigh of relief to find this post. Thank you!!!!
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sdeg3stannic
16 years ago
I seriously considered the 300, but I had a 41 year old Simplicty that cut my flat but bumpy yard very well. The floating deck design of the Simplicty is excellent at following the terrain of your yard without scalping.

When it came time to replace the old tractor this spring , I considered the Deere. I liked the design & build quality, but the price was a little more than I wanted to spend. I came back to Simplicty & purchased a 19hp/38" Regent. It had the K46 transmission (same as the x300), the floating deck, electric PTO, a better mow in reverse feature than the 300's IMO....set it an forget it, and is nicely sized and very comfortable. Further, the price was more affordable.

They have several models of the Regents with different engines & decks. I've been very pleased with mine & recommend adding them to your list.
jptgs1
Original Author
16 years ago
Looked at the smallest Regent yesterday. The deck system is quite impressive, as is the adjustment of the deck and the one belt system, unless I didn't look hard enough. Lucky to have a dealer 10 minutes from the house.

After reading so much hear it almost seems to be a badge of honor to keep some of the old machines running as long as it's feasible. I have to admit, mine is FAR from shot...
sdeg3stannic
16 years ago
jptgs1, I understand the pride of maintaining an old machine. Every year at this time I'd get tractor fever, but the my 41yr old Simplicity kept on chugging. This year however, I finally decided it was time.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the main reasons I went with Simplicity, is I knew the cut quality was good, especially with my bumpy yard. The dealer is reliable, and the quality and price of the machine were right for me.

While it's not yet mowing season here in CT, I've used my new tractor with my sweeper, and dump cart in prep for Spring. So far I really enjoy the new machine. It is comfotable to operate, and is in some ways, true to it's name...a relatively simple tractor. Also, I find the Kohler engine fairly smooth and quiet for a single cylinder. I'm still trying to guage how easy it is on gas.
One additional point I liked about the Regent, is that the foot controls are very smooth in how the engage the transmission. There is no jerking motion I've encountered on a couple Deere LT's & L's I tried a couple years ago.

None of this is to say the Deere X300 is a bad choice. I do like the green & yellow, and if price were'nt a factor may have chosen that model. It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison. I'm curious if the X300 feels much different to operate. Either way...best of luck in your search. I look forward to hearing what you decide.

Looking to replace our 14 yr old Deere STX 38!

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steve2ski

jptgs1
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Looking to replace our 14 yr old Deere STX 38!

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steve2ski

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