I had an old Sears Mower, and I BEAT IT severely..it lasted ~9 years of abuse. I actually moved my 24 foot trailer with it (empty, of course)

anyways, got a smoking deal on a D130, which is a mid level Lowes 'box store' quality mower.

come to find out, it has bronze plugs in the wheels, instead of bearings, and you can remedy that pretty cheap

and you can put bearings on the bottom of the steering spindle, to help them last longer.


here is a lot of data, in no particular order, that i just C&P off other forums:


Why did you go with the 96-356 gator blade and not the recommended 92-615?
Thanks! If memory serves me, I went with the 96-356 due to it being a "high-lift" blade vs. the standard 92-615 Gator blade.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=183441


I swapped the OE wheel for the 14" one (GY21194, cover M142219). The larger wheel made it easier to drive.


Fender flares from a D170 (left GY20619, right GY20618). Little larger with reflectors.



Am127304 bearing part nuymber in pics

4 front wheel bearings from an X300, push out the two bushings in each wheel and replace with two ball bearings. They are normal ball bearings with a slight outer shoulder on one end to keep them from being pressed in too far. They were $7.09 each last August at the dealer. So, total of $28.36 plus tax and your time.


Oh, be careful if you punch out the bushings with a drift or punch. The have two recesses along the outer diameter and if the drift gets stuck in there you can score the wheel.


Spindle bearing & washer.
twa1220 6093809
Tc1220 6093400
https://www.google.com/#q=twa1220+bearing


http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/INA...130924000610:s

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/INA...&cm_vc=IDPRRZ1


you gotta be careful, the parts are $3 on Grainger, an $15 on ebay....

YMMV, but I think this should increase the life span your front end components.

 

FWIW, since the John Deere website is horrible, here is a matrix of thier mowers, model, HP, Price, and transaxle:

D130 22hp $1899 T40
D160 24hp $2599 K46
X300 18hp $2999 K46
X310 18hp $3999 K58
X320 22hp $4299 K58


YMMV, but I bought a used D130 off Craigslist.
I had a K46 in the Sears tractor that lasted 10 years.
the real "value per cost" of a mower is the transaxle, the HP, and the quality of the Deck.

i think a D160 would last a while with some maintenance..

 

Good stuff. I bought the exact same mower for my parents (it was $100 bucks more than the 100).
The front end already feel weak so your info may make a real difference.