Free Broken John Deere 425: Will it Run? | Garage Story 

Should I keep this one or sell it? Comment below! Check out this mower flip where I made $1,300 on a John Deere X320: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iHoHPIfK-Go.html

I bought a 425 for $1200 in 2012. It wasn't running, seller gave me the original manuals and sales invoice. It was $8000 when new. It had about 440 hrs when I bought it. Within 15 minutes of getting it home I had it running although poorly. I started to go through the basic tune up items in an attempt to troubleshoot. When I removed the valve cover to adjust the valves the problem was evident . The pushrods were bent and were not opening the valves on that bank. Basically it was a poorly running 1 cylinder engine. $10 for pushrods and it was running. It sat for approx 4 years after it stopped running. The owners set it aside and bought another. Difficult to imagine just throwing a $8K mower aside. I currently have about 1660 hrs on it and it never fails to start and work. I also have a 30 hp diesel tractor I mow with so the 425 doesn't get the use it once did. That's a model JD should have kept in production. I will never part with it.

The 425 is an excellent tractor. I have the exact tractor and use it extensively around my property. I look forward to be day finding a bucket for it.

I have a '93 425 that is a work horse. About to rebuild the engine as it is starting to smoke. To get that for free is AMAZING!

You hit the jackpot no matter if it runs or not! Awesome find! These are some of the best lawn tractors jd ever made! I hope you keep it and use it it will be your best mower by far. I have one with over 2000 hours on it and it's still going strong.

I bought the same mower. It is a beast. Found out it weighs 900 lbs. A lot more than my 345. I payed $2500 for it. Found out the fuel gauge and heat gauge did not work. Had to buy a new instrument cluster. Just under $500. Found out when I took the old instrument cluster out someone had colored out the 1st digit on the hour meter. And it was the 1st one. Instead of having 749 hrs it had 1749. I just hope the plastic cam had been replaced. Mowed with it one time. Started running rough. Found out one of the coils was bad. Hopefully no more issues.

You have a rare skill, very impressive. Good to see young guys doing this type of work.

The 425 is a workhorse. My father has had one of these forever.

Wow this video is blowing up! Really great story!

I wish I could get a free mower like that

That is a nice piece of machine. Some ppl want lambos and or buggattis I want riding mowers lol

Fresh oil change, lube job, air filter and spark plugs. Shoot some carb cleaner down the Venturi and see how it runs. After you fill the radiator of course. Water only until you check for leaks. Hopefully no internal water leaks that cause white steam out the exhaust or turn the oil grey. Lots of stuff to check out. Can't loose on the deal you got. John Deere parts are expensive if you part it out. Currently our 425 has an oil pressure light on. Shut it down when I noticed it and it has a plastic oil pump drive gear that may be the problem. Wires to the oil pressure sensor look fine but maybe I'll get lucky and the sensor will be all I need. Love this tractor when it is running good. Over 2000 hours on it. Not sure the exact hours because the meter broke years ago at 1980 hours. Lol

Well done

Free JD 425? Great find!!!

Great video; very cool! Man, those cicadas must have been a nightmare in sound editing! 😜

I have 2 445s. They are fuel injected opposed to the 425 which has a carb.

John Deere 425 used sell for over 3K

Hauling that very heavy tractor with all that negative tongue weight really freaked me out! Man is that dangerous!! Driving it around with the tires coming off the rims is not too cool either. I own 2 425 AWS tractors and they are one hell of a machine and I do not refer to them as "mowers"!

John Deere and Kawasaki had a recall on those v-twins for the composite camshaft breaking so if you end up losing compression later on you have a broken cam I'm hoping at this point is just out of gas good luck James in Colorado

Like Carl Childers would say, Ain't no gas in it...lmao

FYI you don't have enough tongue weight level your trailer before you snap your coupler James in Colorado

How do you find so much nice stuff for free. Great videos me and my son love watching them. Just found the channel a couple of days ago.

Well done with your John Deere. Do you have others so we can learn on too 😊

Keep it

That’s a nice tractor you’ve got there. A question for you: why would you start a cold engine that has been sitting for who knows how long, with oil you have no idea how old it is and run it at full throttle within a few seconds of starting it? That is never a good idea under any circumstances. It definitely sounds like a rod knocking. What is the reason for running it near or at wot just to test it? Did you bother to check the hydraulic fluid before driving it around? Those 425s were expensive/not a throwaway from the box stores.

Are you keeping this one or selling? That all-wheel steer feature is amazing!

Possible broken camshaft

Lucky boy

Oh look the seat is all broken up. Big surprise there .

so what did you end up doing with it ??

Whatever happened to she still have it at like to buy it

I would never start it before I do oil change clean fuel tank and ad some coolant probably have a leak somewhere and the valve needs to be adjusted . Don't runs nice at all Would check the crankshaft to . 4 wheel steering there all junk by the way

I have same unit but it doesn’t rev that high any advice?

Lol next week is x750 lawnmower for free lol this about a 4 grand lawnmower

So if my 425 wont start all i need to do is tuck my jeans into my boots and put gas in the mower?

Rod kocker😢😢😢😢😢

It ant got no gas in the tank

The MUSIC ruined this for me.

Sorry but I had to stop watching when you loaded the mower behind the wheels of the trailer, showing you don't even know how to load a trailer.