Green Tractor question...
 

My elderly neighbor is yet again having problems with her Deere STX 38 so I dragged it over to take a look at it. It seems the gasket in the gas cap fell apart and clogged the (ancient) fuel lines. Pulled the tank to wash all the crap out of it and another hose that isn't feeding fuel to anything is connected to the housing (the tank is sorta weird and has like an plastic exoskeleton formed around the actual tank). It immediately fell apart and I have no idea where it goes to or what it does. It doesn't appear to be a hydro breather since it looks like that is under the seat.

The remainder of the hose runs inside the cowl where all sorts of grease (probably from decades of spilled gas) and leaves and such and packed in there. She parks it outside year round with no hood or cover so I really don't want to spend a bunch of time power washing it (or filling up whatever that hose goes to with water) if I don't need to.

Can anyone offer any insight or exploded diagrams?

Also, it was full of at least 2 year old gas that smells like varnish (after a shower and several courses of fast orange my hands still smell like spoiled gas). Are the carbs on these things anything special? It's a Kohler Command 12.5hp. Is it even worth attempting to rebuild it (it appears plastic but that may just be some shrouding or something that I'm seeing) if it won't run or should I just have her get a new one and not even mess with a kit?

i dont know anything about green tractors but the situation you describe sounds like it might just be easier to mow her grass for her. i mow the neighbors grass for 10 bucks which means i mow my grass for free with the leftover gas:biggrin2:

There are a LOT of reasons why I don't want to get into that situation. :) This is definitely a case where teaching her to fish is better than just giving her a fish. She also seems to like doing it.

PLUS... When my cubs go into the sick bay I can probably borrow hers to mow with if I need to. I'm not to proud to ride a box store mower for a week or two. :)

The
green
site
will
help
you
out
www.
weekend
freedom
machines
.com

The
green
site
will
help
you
out
www.
weekend
freedom
machines
.com

Reading this thing from top to down..... are you implying made in China?:biggrin2:

Thanks for the link, Lew. The software those guys are using is a blast from the past! :)

I used to have the same mower, a green STX 38. I think the hose is an overflow hose, nothing special, or a breather hose.....I forget. I sold mine for $150 and it was in good running condition. If her deck is a black deck, it isn't worth keeping the mower going, if it is a yellow deck, then it is maybe worth fixing if it is economical to do so--kind of depends on its current condition. However, before fixing, have you thought of finding her an older cub cadet and have her mow your yard?

The rebuild kit could be pricey. I had to have mine rebuilt when I first got it and it was only 2 years old. I got rid of my green machine when I realized that their green was costing me my green because they thought their machines were made of gold. I would look for a good used cub for her for a couple of Franks...

Now, about that gasoline... I am very careful to do my best never to get gasoline on me. MTBE is added to gasoline to comply to the clean air act and it has a high level of toxicity. Although most states have banned it and the government plans to phase it out, I still am very careful whenever I handle it. I've used isopropyl alcohol and lemon juice on my hands whenever I did get some gasoline on my hands. Once, when I was out of lemon juice I did use pickle juice and it did alright......Side effects, your hands smell like a sandwich.:biggrin2:

Cub Cadet 123

Last time I ordered from Amazon, I got a box of 100 nitrile gloves for under $10. No more smelly hands.

Bill

Duh... Fuel overflow line seems obvious and stupid at the same time... On everything I've ever used the overflow would be the hole the tank cap screws on to. That would explain why EVERYTHING down there is covered in grease (ancient gas mixed with dirt). What it doesn't explain is WHY it needs an overflow hose that just dumps gas all over the steering and deck. That's exactly where it would go without the hose!

Her deck is black and it was cutting just fine until it chucked the belt last year. I haven't researched that too much yet before I determine if it will even run again. She's already aware that it's only worth $200. I think she paid like $400 for it a few years ago. I did price carbs and that will kill my interest in repairing it immediately... A "new" carb is like $165! The kit is $30 and is basically just a few gaskets!

Trust me, the idea of finding her a cub has crossed my mind PLENTY of times. However, the fact that she has murdered every mower she's had in the 6 years I've lived here (ran them out of oil.. every single one of them... her JD was nearly a quart low when I dragged it over here this time and was a quart low when I taught her how to check the oil last year) AND leaves them outside 24/7/365 is too much for me to handle the thought of. Plus, the first time a hydro lurches or she falls off of it or something would be DOOM. Disposable mowers with no power and modern safety features are the best way to go with her. Plus she can just barely afford to repair this one at the moment (I made it a point to ask her if it was ok for me to spend $20 on it for fuel lines, filter, new cap, etc).

May be better off finding her something on local c- list?