Much time has passed since this thread started but I still found it very helpful with my JD L111 and D140 transmission oil change. The L111 Tuff torq T40 had 350 hrs on it when she failed and I ended up buying a replacement tranny... the rest of the machine was in good nick so for me it was worth it. Now that it's done another 50 hours with the new tranny it was time to change the oil. I pretty much followed the procedure above to do the job. When it came to removing the breather plug, I learned that you have to be careful not to damage it. Gently remove the "rubbery cap" from the breather valve itself and , Using a screwdriver and hammer, lightly tap upward against the hard edge of the plug. Once out, I just took an accurate measurement of the quantity that came out, (tilting and rolling it around to ensure it all drained out), and put the same qty of Mobil 1 5w50 Fully synthetic in. Precisely 1,970mls. I took it real slow pouring it in. 1 litre first, then the rest after turning the unit over and around a bit. Reassembly was straight forward. Apply grease to the axels, never sieze to the bolts and make sure the belt and tensioner are as they should be before priming and purging air. The D140 was more or less exactly the same. It had 50 hours on it so I went ahead and changed the tranny oil in it as well. It too took just under 2 Litres. I was glad I changed it because the oil that came out was already discoloured. Both machines have benefited from this. They seem to be quieter and smoother in operation now. In the future I'll be paying a bit more attention to the tranny when cleaning it. The fins on the casting are prone to clogging up with dirt and crap which causes the unit to run too hot. And heat is the killer. Trev.

A 3.5 acre field, if that is a garden, is a BIG garden. I assume you are planning to sell some of what you grow. I don't know if you are just starting out doing this or not, but it sounds like it. Before I invested a lot of money in equipment, especially so if you are new to this, I would go either the rental route, or I would hire a local farmer to till it up. There are a lot of guys who own tractors who don't have much real tractor work to do with them ( I have 3 right around me) who might be glad to get the work. You could find out hourly rental rates for the equipment and pay the farmer at least that much, plus and hourly rate for the operator. I say all that because the garden tractor you have was just not made for the work you want it to do. Yes, it will do it, but you could do it with a good walk behind tiller also, and it wouldn't take a lot longer (you will need one of those anyway). You would be at it all day. A farmer with a big tractor and tiller could be done in an hour or two. If I did it one year, and I thought, yes, this is just what I want to do, then I would start looking for a good used farm tractor, because that is what you will need.

I have no first hand experience in making a grille for a John Deere 140 H3 (or any other tractor for that matter). But.......if all you want to do is "close up" the hole in the hood....go to the URL I have posted (as a suggestion only), look at items # 17108, 17109, and 17160. These are 8" X 16" soffet vent panels. They are made from aluminum (painted or bare metal, paint them black as that matches the JD grille)and have louvers. They are backed with screen mesh (you can't see the screen from the louver side). These could be used in conjunction with a fabricated frame made from your choice of material (even pieces of board assembled like a picture frame would be OK). I don't know if you plan to include some headlights in your grille but it would not be difficult to provide a couple of holes the proper size and mount the sealed beams using a large rubber mounting grommet (one grommet per sealed beam unit, they are available for this application). Mull this over a bit and if it sounds like something you might do, we can work out some other details. Get ready to be molested by fervent JD purists. 8^) Here is a link that might be useful: simple grille idea

I have a 36" cooktop on a 155" wall very similar to your layout, but chose a stainless steel hood since there are no upper cabinets for it to fit in with. Before this renovation the entire wall was cabinets and cooking area, but I love the light and air coming in now that we added the windows.I cook most nights, but I'm not a chef or gourmand by any means. We entertain fairly often and the 6-burner range top is more than enough for me. I do like having a large heat proof landing spot and use the burners for that a lot. I too have a spice pullout on the left side and pan storage on the right. The 30" wall ovens work better for me than a range but that's my preference. I love the large expanse of counter space on either side so 2 cooks can work at the stove without getting in each other's way.