John Deere JS30 Repair

About a year ago I was given a John Deere push mower to do whatever I wanted with. It was from my Aunt and Uncle and the only hitch was that I had to drive about an hour to get it. I drove out and picked it up and learned that the handle was broken but that it was otherwise fine.

I therefore took it home and promptly let it sit for about a year. At the time I was pretty burned out energy wise and had work and school and then we ended up moving and I needed a new car and I had some serious health issues and the mower was on the back burner.

Until last week when I finally got around to ordering the new handle for the mower. Then it got in and I started working on it. First I got it up on a table so that it would be easier to work on.

Note the pumpkin which has been there since we moved in in November

Next I took detailed pictures of the handle and how it attached to the mower for reference in case I forgot where something went. Then I laid the new handle down behind the mower so that I could begin transferring parts over as I disassembled them. 

When that was completed, I reattached the handle to the mower. 

Then I checked the air filter and was in for a surprise. I found a really dirty and bad air filter on the mower and immediately decided to run out to the store and buy the replacement filter on the right. 

Then I ran it for a little while and decided to wash it and the mower came out pretty good. It runs excellent, starts on the first pull and cuts beautifully. The self propelled feature works wonderfully and I'm sure it has plenty of years left in it. 

Now, I'm in the process of selling it. It's posted on craigslist and I've been leaving it at the front of our driveway chained up to the mailbox with a sign on it. 

Overall I think it was a pretty good project. It wasn't overly complicated or difficult but I found it to be rewarding and enjoyed the fact that it didn't take days of labor to get it working. I assessed the mower for problems, ordered that parts dealt with the surprise that the mower through me and finished the project. I usually get a self esteem boost from working on and finishing a project and this was no exception. I love the feeling of knowing that you breathed life into a machine and got it working properly again, it's deeply satisfying in a way that is very hard to describe.