Doing some maintenance on a Scotts/John Deere S1642 tractor 

Yes, it sure is! It was kept inside its whole life and used on a small residential lot.

Yeah the Kohler Command series is amazing. The only thing I don't like about Kohler stuff in general is the cost of repair parts. For primarily that reason, I prefer Kawasaki but they both make good motors. This tractor is still running great... the only major issue with it is the front axle stubs are pretty worn. I may TIG weld them at some point and throw a set of ball bearings on the front wheels. Oddly, you can't replace the axle stubs - the whole front axle has to be replaced to the tune of > $220. It does break deck drive belts twice a year - haven't figured that one out yet. The pulleys are misaligned, but they look misaligned "from the factory".

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC ive been pretty "lucky" though. The only problem I had to deal with was a bad carburetor. Knock on wood. This thing still runs like a beast.

@@brianjirish indeed. It's definitely a good machine

Mine is over 20 years old and still runs like a champ. I had to replace the battery a few times and rebuild the carburetor once and replaced the belts. The motor is awesome. The deck is still in awesome condition. Only problem is I bumped the front end years ago and bent the hinge for the hood. So the hood can slide off occasionally when I open it. It’s not a big deal though. No cracks in the plastic. Still mows great and runs strong. I think it was built better at the time then most comparable riding mowers. It was the poor man’s John Deere. The Sabre was the same machine. I always wanted a true John Deere but I can’t complain with how this John Deere made machine has served me.

I'm now replacing that transmission pulley for the 3rd time. DO NOT TOW OR PULL with a hydrostatic transmission. This pulley is a sacrificial part made of soft bronze to protect the geared transmission shaft it fits onto. It strips our. A real fun job. Take off the whole rear axle including the tires just to change it. I find removal of the belt is easy if you pry it off of the tension pulley. To reinstall pull it up over the front drive pulley under the engine. Its way easier than trying to get slack by pulling on that tension spring. I bought a pulley in 2011 for $15, now they are around $45. Gotta love it.

Interesting, that technique doesn't work on this tractor. Will have to investigate that...

How much do you pay for them to do that?

Just trying to see if it's worth it for me to do everything myself or if I should do the same.

The seat in your avatar looks pretty cushy lol!

Yep they seem to be good machines. My neighbor still uses this weekly. Almost time to do something about that front axle though

The wheel bushings are Rotary part number 13359. Here is a link to a four pack on Amazon www.amazon.com/dp/B013KCD6KA/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_CpXKEbGE032XW If there are any other parts you need let me know.

Sorry, I don't have the tractor in my garage any more, but the owners manual has a deck belt diagram on page 39: www.deere.com/common/docs/stellar/answer-center/Scotts-S1642-S1742-S2046.pdf

I am waiting for this one to get worse and then I plan on installing ball bearings on there. I will probably have to weld up the spindles though

Do you mean to change the blades? It really wasn't that hard to change them with the deck on. Plus technically when you take deck off you should retention the deck blade which is kind of a pain in the neck. Since this video was shot I've had the deck off a couple of times as the owner has run over number of things and bent the deck and bust it up a spindle. You are right though it's pretty easy to take the deck off

I can virtually guarantee you the bushings inside the wheels are very worn due to lack of maintenance. The spindles on the axle are probably worn as well. Unfortunately I don't think they sell them separately on this model - you have to buy the whole axle. When mine get bad enough I'm probably going to weld them up and install ball bearings

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC so you think starting with the bushings by Rotary would be a good first step and see where I am after that

Yes I definitely think it would be if you don't mind putting the time into it. My axle stub shafts were worn too heavily. I decided to put it back together run it for a while and do the bearings at a later date

Yep, what part numbers do you need?

Not sure but they are both 42 inch decks. You could check Oregon's website and cross reference them to be sure

Could be a lot of things but the oil drain on these is known to leak

Been a while since I looked at it, but I don't think this is one of the ones with a drain plug. That being the case, there might be a way to suck the fluid out through the fill plug, but you'd likely have to remove the transmission to even get to it, in which case just flip it upside down and let gravity do the work. From what I know of this transmission, it's pretty reliable though

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC thanks man. So far still running like a champ.

I don't have the tractor in front of me at the moment but if I recall there is a wiring harness for the headlight that has to be disconnected. Other than that I believe the hood just tilts forward and lifts up

The axles are too badly worn. The inner bearing race would wobble around. One of these days, I'll pull the axle and add material with my TIG welder. Lots of work to do that, obviously, but if I recall, the front axle assembly is over $200 for this tractor.

If yours has the same Kohler Command engine, it is a very solid engine. Far better than anything you can buy today on a residential tractor. The hydro has a pretty good reputation as well. I would say the major weak point on this tractor is the front axle. I think I showed in this video but the wheel bushings have a tendency to wear out if they are not greased and can wear the axle stub shafts. Unfortunately on this tractor the stub shafts are not replaceable without fabrication work. John Deere wants you to buy a whole new axle assembly for over $200. Oddly on other John Deere tractors you can replace the stub shafts... Go figure. Good luck with your purchase!

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC thanks so much! Yes the one I am looking at is the Kohler engine.

@@denisedoogan703No problem! Good luck with everything! One other thing I'm not crazy about but it's easy to work around. The seat switch prevents you from starting the engine or running it unless the operator is in the seat regardless of the position of the drive system or the blades.

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC ahhhhhh, good to know. I am so stressed about buying a used machine because you just never know. But the reviews on the big box John Deere models is horrible! Ugh!

@@denisedoogan703 they don't make stuff like they used to for sure. I am working on a video of a Cub Cadet RZT-54 zero turn that was given to me... It was made in 2009 and has a nice Kawasaki V-twin engine. All of the newer stuff has low-end Briggs and Stratton or Kohler Courage junk (the Command series in the 1642 is totally different). You're better off buying a used machine in good shape... Just expect to put some time and money into it fixing it up

Nope I have not had to do that yet but I have on other equipment. Usually very easy to change

The fuel shutoff valves and fuel line clamps are thankfully universal. Do a search for Oregon 02-040. That should bring up a 10 pack of the fuel line clamps. Searching for Oregon 07-406 should bring up a 5 pack of the shut-off valves. Both should be available on Amazon. You might be able to purchase them in smaller quantities - I normally buy in bulk because I use them all the time. Good luck!!

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC Thank you! Love your channel!

glennis mcclellan, you can find them @ any auto parts store. They have a section for lawn mower.

If it's in decent shape, I'd say that's a good deal. I paid $1700 for mine back in 2001, and it's still running great.

Yeah I actually did that job about a year ago but neglected to film it. You have to pull the whole transmission out and flip it upside down. It's not as difficult as it sounds though. The input shaft is starting to go on this transmission so I expect I'll be doing the procedure again. I'll film it this time.

The deck is a 42-in deck so the blades should be approximately 21-in each. I originally had Oregon Gator blades on this mower but I think they are too heavy for the deck and spindles. I have switched over to the OEM John Deere part which is M139802. For the deck, I'm using the gates blade runner belt part number 6848BR. Do you need the transmission belt number as well?

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC yes sir

@@frederickmoore1247 looks like a Gates 6896. If you do a Google search for "Grounds Maintenance and Equipment 2016 Catalog", that should pull up the PDF from Gates's website where I'm getting those part numbers. Just search the PDF for S1642.

Also, just to add, for anyone else that's reading this, I highly recommend Gates's Blade Runner series for mower decks - especially those with electric PTO clutches. I put those belts on commercial mowers that are used all day and had them last for years.

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC thank you

The lights come on anytime the engine is running from what I've noticed

I haven't had the trans apart yet. If you're hearing grinding from the trans, I suspect some a failed bushing or bearing that is resulting in misalignment of some kind. Either way, best to tear into it sooner rather than later to minimize the damage.

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC yep, I agree. Thanks a lot for responding. Happy New Years!

I had to pull rear out. (Easy 6 bolts) my fan teeth were wore. It sounded like what your describing.

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC I have the same mower too., going on 20 years old. Great video. I've changed both belts. Mower seems to be having a tough time going up my hill this season. Do you think I need to change the transmission fluid?

@@bensonlouie6438 If the hydro is lacking power, it might be time to rebuild it. I did a video recently on rebuilding a hydrostatic pump on a commercial mower and it was surprisingly easy. In my limited experience working on hydrostatic drives, combined with lots of googling, it seems the most common problem points are the cylinder block assemblies and the center case. If the cylinder block doesn't form a nearly perfect seal with the center case, you'll have hydraulic leakage and low power. Other things can cause this as well - such as air in the oil, due to a low oil level. The oil level and condition is certainly a good place to start. I believe Tuff Torq makes rebuild kits for this transmission should you need one.

I usually remove them, disassemble them, and clean them in an ultrasonic cleaner containing a solution of warm water and simple green. 20-30 mins later, they are usually spotless.

I would agree. That sounds very expensive. It's a pretty solid machine though. No electric PTO clutch to fail, the hydro is pretty solid in this unit too. The only problems we have had with it is repeated blade belt failures. Approximately every 6 months

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC do you know why it keeps failing?

@@jameslund221 not at this time. All of the police on the deck turn freely so the only thing I can think of is the factory misalignment. That said, I'm not using an oem belt but I'm using a very well respected aftermarket belt - the gates bladerunner series. I have put those belts on commercial tractors and they are still running today years later

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC My Scotts 1642 went through a phase of eating belts, both deck and drive belts. I tried several different belts and finally just bought the cheapest ones. It stopped when I replaced the old worn blades with a new set. The only good thing to come from it is that I'm now an expert at replacing belts.

@@constitutionalist3931 haven't had to replace the transmission belt since this video was shot but I've probably done the deck belt three or four times since. I'm not entirely sure what blades I have on there at the moment they might be Oregon Gator aftermarket blades which are usually heavier than OEM blades and might account for the issue. I'll have to check into that thanks for jogging my memory :-)

It's on the list of things to do

Sorry I didn't see that you asked a question. Did you post it on the wrong video perhaps?

Obviously multiple ways to accomplish the same task. Do whatever works best for you

That doesn't work on this one. I think there might be something wrong with one of the safety systems. On my list of things to look at.