Introducing the F525- John Deere’s OG zero turn mower. How it works, why it sucks, and why it’s my favorite mower of all time! Deck Installation Tutorial: • John Deere F525 48” De...
I simply loved listening to your commentary on this machine! I worked at a Deere dealer in the 90s and found these machines odd and cool in all the ways you’ve colorfully spoken here. Thank you sir!!
I was given one of these when I was 16. Learned to tinker with it. Funny how the world goes full circle, ended up being a John Deere technician. Great humor in the video. I think I'll drag the old F525 out of the hedgerow and get it going again for old times sake
I just bought one of these for $150. All of the plastics are perfect and it's not even faded. The reverse didn't work when I bought it but part of the cable housing had just popped out and I pushed it back in. Works fine so far and I mowed the whole lawn with it. I have to say, it mows really nice except for the very dull blades it has. You can get really close to everything with the front offset deck and not have to do much weed eating. The oil looks brand new in it and so does the oil filter so I think it was pretty well taken care of. Someone bought a house and it came with the house and they didn't want it anymore. I think I got a great deal. Cool video
Great video. We have a 525 and love it. Changed it over to run on propane 11 years ago and a 20 lb tank lasts about 4.5 hours. By then the wife is ready for a break. Ha! I agree with everything you said, and yes still a great machine.
My mom has one that my folks bought new. It's always been garaged so the plastic is still in perfect shape. This was the first year since new, that any major maintenance had to be done, asides from routine oil changes, where we did belts and blades and misc tune up, and needed to replace the seat safety switch, and coincidentally also the starter. Great video!
Man, your video was spot on! Got my F930 for free, needed a ton of work. When delivered, I was so excited, "I got this for free", little did I know. But a couple years later, got it to where it is fantastic, alot of little fixes, not much money just ( sweat equidy). Mine had 2nd hydraulic spool underneath side dash, differential lock lever on front of transaxle, made simple foot actuator . With tire chains and diff lock and an old non working 5' snow blower used as a snow pusher, this machine is so versatile. Seems like all the components are heavy duty,. I LOVE IT " don't think I'll ever sell it! PS everytime it would break, my wife would say sell it, I'm glad I had faith in the old deere.
I owned an F725 for a couple of mowing seasons and I always wanted to make a video exactly like this explaining the unique advantages and drawbacks to it. I never got around to it, but you've made a fantastic video here. Great editing, very clever jokes and overall comedic timing. I'm subscribed!
Great Video and spot on. I have owned two of these machines and love and hate them. Difficult to work on and service but I bought the last one in 1997 and it is still going great as of today. In fact I have bought two machines I have for parts if I need them. I have replaced all of the plastic and mine looks like new. New decals also. I change the oil and service once a year and I am approaching 900 hours and no major issues. I have looked at all of the zero turn mowers and find them lacking compared to the F525 for my needs. The bagger system goes on and off quickly and I only use it in the early spring and fall for cleanup. My yard is full of circles around trees and it nails the mowing around those. Not much trimming required. The original price was steep but divided by 25 years it was a good buy. Parts are very available and reasonable. Thanks!
a customer of my handyman service just gave me one of these today.he said it's twenty years old....but the hour meter says 406 (which is perfect for Montana...our area code for the whole state!) it cleaned up pretty nice, and has no damage on the plastic! the seat is completely thrashed though.😢 i guess i'll spend a few bucks to get it running before i decide what to do with it.
I have an F-525 I bought new in 1995. It’s got 1300 hours on it and still mowing my lawn. The only thing I’ve done to the motor is replace the electric PTO clutch twice and the cable between the pedal and transmission. Of course I’ve replaced deck and drive belts a few times but still in the original blade spindles. It’s always had Mobile 1 synthetic oil and a new JD filter every year. Take the deck off yearly and grease everything and it should last you a long time.
So... what I gather is the F725 is the actually good version of this I've mowed ridiculous ditches with one of those, it has an amazingly low CG, and was a mower I never had any complaints about and it was fun to drive.
My grandpa had a 1988 180 with the 14 horse Kawasaki, It had an estimated 2000 hours when the transmission quit. He ran it up until 2009. Those engines run so smooth. I bought a 2007 X324 with no hood, starter, battery, air filter, and mower deck that I bought for $100. It had 1473 hours on it when I bought it in October. It had 1633 when I sold it. I would start it with a corded drill, and a 17mm socket. The day I bought it, it hauled 700 lbs of dirt up a hill in a trailer. The most reliable machines I've owned have had Kawasaki engines in them. I will never buy a new Kohler. Our Cub Cadet has a KT735 in it, and it runs good, it just starts hard, even with the choke. I will stick with the 1968-1983 Kohler engines. Kawasaki ain't american, but they still are the best engines made in my opinion.
Haha mate. Laughing my pants of because of you. Gonna subscribe for sure. I just bought myself an acerage and with that came with a lot of old machines. One of them being an old F525. To my knowledge it hasn’t been started in 5 years. Oilchange, new sparkplug and a battery and she works like a charm!
I have the F725, and also love it. 2-wheels in the back, and much better traction. I also have the optional cab, complete with windshield wiper. I replaced the drive tires with tractor lug style. And can traverse just about anything, and easily blow the deepest snow without chains. The advantages of a front mounted, offset deck are also undeniable. But you are right about the freewheeling 'feature'. It totally sucks, once I could even understand how to use it. Either way, this tank will probably outlive me.
Hmm the F725 we had had an umbrella with fans we promptly ran into a tree, other than that it was a great mower quote good on slopes it was very forgiving and predictable.
My F525 won't turn over even after replacing the starter and battery. I stumbled upon this video looking for repair ideas. I was seriously considering junking it, but your video changed my mind...
Make sure the various safety switches are working! Brake pedal safety switch, weight sensor switch, PTO safety switch, etc. Even if the motor is locked up you can still sell it for parts, the plastics alone are worth $$$ in good shape!
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Ummmmmmmmmmmm.... We wired a switch so that the starter is wired directly to the battery now. She runs like a champ. This is the recommended method for professional idiots only, don't try this at home.
@@MurkyNightmist I had the same issue with mine. It would crank fine if I wired 12v directly to the starter solenoid. My fix was to install a relay. The starting circuit wiring operated the relay. Then the relay was wired to power the solenoid. That fixed it. There are 24 points of failure in the starting circuit; if any of them are not making good contact, the amperage to the solenoid is insufficient. But it is enough to pull in a relay. Then relay pulls in the solenoid: Battery > Relay > Solenoid. Doing it this way preserves all the safety's (Brake, Seat, Blade etc). Hope this helps somebody.
I own one and have had it for over 20 years. Bought it 2nd hand from my brother in law. He has regretted it every time he cuts with his Kubota. Also because I convinced him to give me a lifetime free service contract. ha ha Today, the deck belt popped off for the first time in history and I came to You Tube to find instructions. I found this video and have been highly entertained. Mine has the same piece of plastic missing, but I love your stitching job. Did you paint those zip ties? This is the BEST video I have watched in a long time. You had me laughing with the kittens. It does take me a while to mow, but it was such an improvement over my cheapo lawn tractor with a much narrower deck. Looking forward to more of your witty videos.
Mine is a 2000 year model, I bought it used in 2006 and it's been going strong ever since. It's VERY important with these body panels to wax them yearly, JD even says to wax *everything* on this mower yearly in the owner's manual (which nobody reads unfortunately). Also don't leave it parked in direct sunlight.... mines body panels are still like new.
My parents lawn consisted of 17 trees on a 3/4 acre lot along with 4 gardens and driveway. when I bought them an f525 mom went from spending half a day to mow and trim to mowing it in 15min, while trimming under the pine trees. of course Im really bad at thinking ahead and instead of going inside and watching TV with dad, mom would instead mow my 2.6 acre field next door when she was done mowing her lawn. Now dad uses it as a leaf rake because I mow everything with an old 277lx and without mom to complain we dont trim anymore.
They are not horrible if you have a small to medium sized flat lawn. However they are known for the $11 crankshaft seal falling out and into the transaxle and blowing up the engine. JD published a couple several service bulletins on them that mentioned replacing the crankshaft seal with an updated one that was made of metal instead of the original rubber coated seal seal. The rubber coating on the seal would deteriorate and allow the seal to literally fall out.
Interesting video. Full of humor, disadvantages an advantages of the F525, even moving garbage bin LOL. I pick up one in real bad shape. The deck has holes that have bolted patches & about 40% of the plastic is broken or just gone. It did start when I picked it up and now a no click/no start. I am sure it is one of the safety switches but which one 🤔 It is late in the season & I am backed up with projects but will try to post a video on the repair. Full view & .👍 #211 Stay well, Joe Z
Only 2 safety switches, the one under the back of the seat and another under the parking pedal. Each runs about $20 off Amazon. Neither safety switch will prevent the starter from cranking the engine over however, (they will just kill the engine if it's running, or prevent it from firing up... in short, the safety switches will cut power to the ignition system and only the ignition system). It's important to learn how things work. Regards!
you're funny.. we have a HUGE slope, you don't drive it forward of wet grass- you back that thing up. I love how low it sits and I can see all around it. If you keep a nice piece of ply wood around, that you can shove under that spinning drive wheel when you get too close to the precipice, it backs out real nice.. Kinda reminds me of that really cool Toyota Hi-lo I drove at work forever.. real nice reaction time.. I have videos on my channel.. mostly leaf tossing.. I just added a lawn sweep recently because the loader f525 came with was the lamest clog bucket.. I don't mind it doesn't go that fast.. I wouldn't know the difference, after huffing and puffing behind a push mower, and my lawn looks better than a golf course. 2.45 acres on a hill with tough slopes, mole trails and lotsa trees and shrubs- if you back it up, you'll make it!! Plus it saves on weed whacking! Blow it off real good after you use it, change the oil and filter, plugs every spring, keep the blades sharp, keep good belts on it, you are good to go.. just don't abuse it.. I use premium gas btw, and the deck gets cranked all the way up, looks more uniform in color and you gets no scrapes.
This remains the best JD mower I've ever owned, and JD hasn't produced any other lawn mower I would pay money for. My F525 is now some 25 years old and still going strong and looks like new even though it's used weekly during the spring summer and fall months (I just started mowing the yard again last week in fact). The key is to park them out of direct sunlight, and WASH and WAX the body panels at least once every year to preserve the body panels and keep them from becoming brittle (JD even says to do this in the owner's manual, not that anybody ever reads those things apparently). I finally put a new replacement seat on it over this past winter, other than that it's all original. Just saying.
Also I notice there was no mention of the leaf/clippings bagger attachment for this mower. I don't have one either, but always wanted the snowblower and the leaf/clippings bagger attachments to make my mower complete! LOL! (doesn't snow here actually, but the leaves in the Fall are a force to be reckoned with!).
I just bought my second one within a year. Why do I have two one may ask? Well it’s the best damn mower ever! If one breaks I have a back up. It anyone has a snow thrower I’d be interested if close to south central PA.
Sorry I'm late. It takes hills fine, you just have to go in reverse. Careful backing down the hill along edges. The offset on the left side of the deck will get you caught up and you'll go kitty wampus. Take the rubber pad off the "gas" pedal. It's easier to hook your foot reversal and you get a bit more travel and speed when you stump on the gas. This mower is a great babysitter and toddlers make great counter weights. Try holding a toddler on your lap and steering a zero turn at the same time. It's a great learner for young kids, But beware the weight sensitive kill switch underneath the seat. Usually a brick or a sandbag will do it.
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 I put on Duro 18x9.50-8 AG Bar tires in 2008. Still running them. Filled them with Antifreeze (which was a royal pain). Note direction of rotation when you mount them--the point of the Vee of the chevron pattern should be pointed to the front of the tractor when mounted (both Left and Right tires). There are arrows molded into the sidewall showing direction of rotation also. This is so the bars are self cleaning when they spin. And Yes, they do tear up the turf when I make a sharp turn (which you can do with a F525). Especially if after a recent rain the the sod is quite damp.
@@dwmac2010 Now you got me to wondering.... like, would ATV knobby style tires possibly improve the F525 traction without causing lawn damage? The lawn mower style tire tread simply has no grip no matter what style lawn mower you are running.
@@michaelshrader5139 Knobby tires, that's a good thought. If you could find a pair to fit the wheels. It would be kind of in-between a turf tire, and a bar tire. My lawn had some steep areas, so I had to have bar tires to get up the hill. I just tried to minimize sharp turns when the sod was soggy.
Funny to find this recently. I bought an older F525 after pining after them for close to 15-20 years. Your video hits a number of the issues head-on (you think that deck attachment process is bad, you should have outlined what's involved for the snow thrower...), but also hits why I wouldn't trade mine for the world. I actually wound up buying a spare F510 to potentially harvest parts from, but I'm half inclined to keep it around and try to work with people smarter than myself to convert it to electric power...would remove my concerns about obsolete Kawasaki parts availability and gummed-up carbs for the most part...
Yeah on my dads old LT160 I quickly figured out that if I pull the forward pedal backwards it’ll go revers much faster. But yeah good luck w cruise control in the 90s unless you had a manual trans Deere back then.
I was actually going to be sad if you were truly trash-talking the F525. This is my favorite mower of all time (even more so than my high-speed diesel hustler). Sure, it only goes 5mph, but just like you show in the video, you can do donuts in it all day long. It cuts around trees and under trees like a dream. The best feature that you missed in your description is that because its center of gravity is so low, the kiddos can jump on this thing, slam the wheel to the left or to the right, and drive it like the 5mph race car that it was designed to be. Try doing 1-handed 360 degree turns with zero turn!
@@davehimlin2374 It's like a car with 100,000 miles, could be 1 owner with full service history that doesn't need anything except consumables when needed, or it could be thrashed need all the repairs someone else neglected to do. If it runs and functions well with evidence of being cared for/money spent then you could do much worse. Transmission and deck condition are probably most important. Naturally you'll probably want to negotiate on price, doesn't hurt to try.
I’ve got a f710 still runs like a champ, however my deck is starting to rust which is causing some problems holding my pulleys. My mom has a 265 that’s still going strong also. It did have the frame welding a few years ago though.
My 1995 F-525 has 1300 hours on it and still mows my yard. I’ve had to replace some small parts but nothing major with the motor/transmission. I’d love to buy another unit like it but nobody makes one anymore until you get into the $15,000+ price range. And they are really bigger than I need. For some reason all the vendors in the US have switched to developing zero-turns and tractors. On my hilly terrain and with teenagers doing the mowing those units are just too dangerous due to their high center of gravity and the zero-turn’s instability tracking across side hills. The marketing people have once again taken over from the engineers.
So funny and so well made! I sold this same mower after mowing on it and getting yelled at by my Dad every time it would fail. The guy at John Deere even yelled at me one time after bringing the mower back when their fix didn't work. Hate John Deere, overpriced junk.
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 There were a few different fails, in the mowers defense, I mowed on it for over 20 years. It still ran when I sold it. It often had trouble starting, jiggling the key just right would get you past that. It always had to be jumped off, something would drain the battery. When finished mowing if you disconnected the battery, it would ensure a start at next mowing. The worst was when there was relay fail, the John Deere dealer had fixed it, I mowed about twenty feet and it died. There was no way to get it into neutral, Dad had to get out a tractor to drag it back into the bed of the truck to take back to the dealer. He made me go talk to the mechanic. I remember the mechanic aggressively asking me what I'd done to it... About four years before I sold it, the transmission or engine was weak, it went slower than its already slow speed. Enjoyed your video! I thought you were making a smear video...there were a few good things that you highlighted. Loved how that deck stuck out on the left, and maneuvering stuff with the wheel housing.
My mower only works at all because of fixes that the dealership would never approve of and I suspect yours might too lol! Recently mine started burping a drop of oil into the intake. Big puffs of smoke for 30 seconds, runs a little rough, then back to business. Dealership solution? New engine. My solution? $5 catch can.
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Mine was doing the black cloud thing also for a couple of years before I sold it. Less severe than what you described, black cloud for first 30 secs or so
Mine seems to have a weak head gasket -- blowing blue smoke at times -- so I thought I'd pull the engine to give it a good going over. It's imprisoned in there. I can't even see where to begin. It just has to be that they built the mower around the engine and figured no one would ever want to take it out.
For what it’s worth, mine has this problem intermittently. Oil occasionally burps into the breather hose/carburetor and gets burned. Stalls, and smokes like crazy on restart before clearing up. It’s an engine out repair, but a simple homemade catch can fixed it 100%.
I own an f525 with snowblower attachment😂 It’s got a lot of issues but I want to fix it instead of scrap it. I love my 1946 JD Model H, why can’t everything they make be like that? My JD weed eater has one busted part that JD doesn’t make anymore😢. But when it comes to the newest JD equipment? I wouldn’t buy it either.
Good lord that was an enjoyable video. Any comparisons to the bigger brother F620 / F68x series? I'm under the impression the 6xx mowers are a little more conventional zero-turn...
You can't mow nice looking grass at 5 MPH so 7 is a waste I love the F525 I never use a trimmer with this thing and hills are not an issue use reverse to go up.
I have an F510 (pretty much identical to your model in most ways) handed down from my dad when he retired years ago, still works great...getting the battery out, however, is a royal PITA. I don't see a way to get that bar off that goes over the top of it, any tips for that?
If you turn the steering all the way to 1 side, the bar will be out of your way enough to slip the battery out. I cannot recall offhand which direction the steering needs to be turned to however... just try both directions while looking at the steering linkage it'll be obvious when you have gone in the correct direction.
Well, I was looking at buying one for $50 that most likely needs an engine. I happen to have one from a spare parts LX176 I bought for $20. However, after watching your video, I think I'm going to pass on it. The F525 sounds like a headache.
Not a big fan of kawasaki but atleast there not disposable like Briggs i'v grown up with Kohlers and have had very little issues with them i bought 10 blown/broken engines for parts if i ever need any. i do have a kawasaki 22hp that threw a rod hoping to fix it soon (did not do any serious damage inside block and only had 550ish hours)
I don’t like the cam activated fuel pump on some kohlers. That’s literally the only problem I’ve had with them. Otherwise they’re as good as anything else, and I think it’s fair to say that no manufacturer makes them like they used to.
These aren’t pulley driven- they’re direct drive. So the only things you can do are increase the wheel diameter (which would hardly make a difference while also ruining the cut) and increasing engine RPM which has obvious downsides for longevity.
Disconnect the negative terminal first, then the positive, then turn the steering wheel all the way to the left (as far as it will go) so the linkage isn’t in the way as much. I like to put one of those giant industrial zip ties loosely around the new battery, so the next time you have a crude grab-handle.
3 grease fittings on the mower itself, with a 4th grease fitting on the rear steering wheel axle. I prefer to use the red marine type grease on everything of mine, it just seems to last a lot longer due to being waterproof. Regards!
It's a very durable machine, BUT getting the battery out is a friggin nightmare. I despise the JD engineers who buried the battery in a steel bunker below all the bars and shafts and hoses in a cozy spot that makes this task an all day affair. If anyone has advice about removing the battery, please share before I mangle this friggin machine with a sledge hammer with impunity!
It’s not too bad! I never had an issue, I wonder if yours has something done to it. It is critical that the steering wheel is all the way left or right (I forget which) so the steering linkage isn’t in the way
I simply loved listening to your commentary on this machine!
I worked at a Deere dealer in the 90s and found these machines odd and cool in all the ways you’ve colorfully spoken here.
Thank you sir!!
I was given one of these when I was 16. Learned to tinker with it. Funny how the world goes full circle, ended up being a John Deere technician.
Great humor in the video. I think I'll drag the old F525 out of the hedgerow and get it going again for old times sake
I just bought one of these for $150. All of the plastics are perfect and it's not even faded. The reverse didn't work when I bought it but part of the cable housing had just popped out and I pushed it back in. Works fine so far and I mowed the whole lawn with it. I have to say, it mows really nice except for the very dull blades it has. You can get really close to everything with the front offset deck and not have to do much weed eating. The oil looks brand new in it and so does the oil filter so I think it was pretty well taken care of. Someone bought a house and it came with the house and they didn't want it anymore. I think I got a great deal. Cool video
Laughed at your droll humor. Looking at a 510. Liked the Top Gear homage and Jeremy Clarkson voice over for the drag race. Love It!
Great video. We have a 525 and love it. Changed it over to run on propane 11 years ago and a 20 lb tank lasts about 4.5 hours. By then the wife is ready for a break. Ha! I agree with everything you said, and yes still a great machine.
My mom has one that my folks bought new. It's always been garaged so the plastic is still in perfect shape. This was the first year since new, that any major maintenance had to be done, asides from routine oil changes, where we did belts and blades and misc tune up, and needed to replace the seat safety switch, and coincidentally also the starter. Great video!
Man, your video was spot on! Got my F930 for free, needed a ton of work. When delivered, I was so excited, "I got this for free", little did I know. But a couple years later, got it to where it is fantastic, alot of little fixes, not much money just ( sweat equidy). Mine had 2nd hydraulic spool underneath side dash, differential lock lever on front of transaxle, made simple foot actuator . With tire chains and diff lock and an old non working 5' snow blower used as a snow pusher, this machine is so versatile. Seems like all the components are heavy duty,. I LOVE IT " don't think I'll ever sell it! PS everytime it would break, my wife would say sell it, I'm glad I had faith in the old deere.
I owned an F725 for a couple of mowing seasons and I always wanted to make a video exactly like this explaining the unique advantages and drawbacks to it. I never got around to it, but you've made a fantastic video here. Great editing, very clever jokes and overall comedic timing. I'm subscribed!
Great Video and spot on. I have owned two of these machines and love and hate them. Difficult to work on and service but I bought the last one in 1997 and it is still going great as of today. In fact I have bought two machines I have for parts if I need them. I have replaced all of the plastic and mine looks like new. New decals also. I change the oil and service once a year and I am approaching 900 hours and no major issues. I have looked at all of the zero turn mowers and find them lacking compared to the F525 for my needs. The bagger system goes on and off quickly and I only use it in the early spring and fall for cleanup. My yard is full of circles around trees and it nails the mowing around those. Not much trimming required. The original price was steep but divided by 25 years it was a good buy. Parts are very available and reasonable. Thanks!
loved and laughed at the verbal descriptions...I have an old 525 and totally agree with everything in this video. Thanks for posting it.
a customer of my handyman service just gave me one of these today.he said it's twenty years old....but the hour meter says 406 (which is perfect for Montana...our area code for the whole state!) it cleaned up pretty nice, and has no damage on the plastic! the seat is completely thrashed though.😢 i guess i'll spend a few bucks to get it running before i decide what to do with it.
I have an F-525 I bought new in 1995. It’s got 1300 hours on it and still mowing my lawn. The only thing I’ve done to the motor is replace the electric PTO clutch twice and the cable between the pedal and transmission. Of course I’ve replaced deck and drive belts a few times but still in the original blade spindles. It’s always had Mobile 1 synthetic oil and a new JD filter every year. Take the deck off yearly and grease everything and it should last you a long time.
So... what I gather is the F725 is the actually good version of this I've mowed ridiculous ditches with one of those, it has an amazingly low CG, and was a mower I never had any complaints about and it was fun to drive.
Love the funny and thoughtful review. I don’t care what you are reviewing, I will watch for the comedy. Thanks.
My grandpa had a 1988 180 with the 14 horse Kawasaki, It had an estimated 2000 hours when the transmission quit. He ran it up until 2009. Those engines run so smooth. I bought a 2007 X324 with no hood, starter, battery, air filter, and mower deck that I bought for $100. It had 1473 hours on it when I bought it in October. It had 1633 when I sold it. I would start it with a corded drill, and a 17mm socket. The day I bought it, it hauled 700 lbs of dirt up a hill in a trailer. The most reliable machines I've owned have had Kawasaki engines in them. I will never buy a new Kohler. Our Cub Cadet has a KT735 in it, and it runs good, it just starts hard, even with the choke. I will stick with the 1968-1983 Kohler engines. Kawasaki ain't american, but they still are the best engines made in my opinion.
I loved everything about this video
Well done! 👏
Funny, Witty, Entertaining AND Informative. Two thumbs up 👍 👍
Thanks!
Got me a F525! 🤣 Thank you for this!!
Haha mate. Laughing my pants of because of you. Gonna subscribe for sure. I just bought myself an acerage and with that came with a lot of old machines. One of them being an old F525. To my knowledge it hasn’t been started in 5 years. Oilchange, new sparkplug and a battery and she works like a charm!
I have the F725, and also love it. 2-wheels in the back, and much better traction. I also have the optional cab, complete with windshield wiper. I replaced the drive tires with tractor lug style. And can traverse just about anything, and easily blow the deepest snow without chains. The advantages of a front mounted, offset deck are also undeniable. But you are right about the freewheeling 'feature'. It totally sucks, once I could even understand how to use it. Either way, this tank will probably outlive me.
Hmm the F725 we had had an umbrella with fans we promptly ran into a tree, other than that it was a great mower quote good on slopes it was very forgiving and predictable.
My F525 won't turn over even after replacing the starter and battery. I stumbled upon this video looking for repair ideas. I was seriously considering junking it, but your video changed my mind...
Make sure the various safety switches are working! Brake pedal safety switch, weight sensor switch, PTO safety switch, etc. Even if the motor is locked up you can still sell it for parts, the plastics alone are worth $$$ in good shape!
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Ummmmmmmmmmmm.... We wired a switch so that the starter is wired directly to the battery now. She runs like a champ. This is the recommended method for professional idiots only, don't try this at home.
@@MurkyNightmist I had the same issue with mine. It would crank fine if I wired 12v directly to the starter solenoid. My fix was to install a relay. The starting circuit wiring operated the relay. Then the relay was wired to power the solenoid. That fixed it. There are 24 points of failure in the starting circuit; if any of them are not making good contact, the amperage to the solenoid is insufficient. But it is enough to pull in a relay. Then relay pulls in the solenoid: Battery > Relay > Solenoid. Doing it this way preserves all the safety's (Brake, Seat, Blade etc). Hope this helps somebody.
I own one and have had it for over 20 years. Bought it 2nd hand from my brother in law. He has regretted it every time he cuts with his Kubota. Also because I convinced him to give me a lifetime free service contract. ha ha Today, the deck belt popped off for the first time in history and I came to You Tube to find instructions. I found this video and have been highly entertained. Mine has the same piece of plastic missing, but I love your stitching job. Did you paint those zip ties?
This is the BEST video I have watched in a long time. You had me laughing with the kittens. It does take me a while to mow, but it was such an improvement over my cheapo lawn tractor with a much narrower deck. Looking forward to more of your witty videos.
Mine is a 2000 year model, I bought it used in 2006 and it's been going strong ever since. It's VERY important with these body panels to wax them yearly, JD even says to wax *everything* on this mower yearly in the owner's manual (which nobody reads unfortunately). Also don't leave it parked in direct sunlight.... mines body panels are still like new.
It's entirely possible I'll never watch another of your videos but you get a like and subscribe regardless for this brilliant gem!
Definitely don’t watch them- not a good use of time in my humble opinion!
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 and there it is! The very reason...
Best, greatest video ever. Well done informative and funny. May buy a F525 just for fun.
Truly an entertaining video…I have two…..my first is now a parts mower…..was given a debris pickup system
You nailed it! Awkward in some cases but still doing the job!
good vid , thanks . folks around here put atv tires on their zero turn mowers for improved traction .
Thanks for an honest opinion and funny video
Nice and informative. Thanks
My parents lawn consisted of 17 trees on a 3/4 acre lot along with 4 gardens and driveway. when I bought them an f525 mom went from spending half a day to mow and trim to mowing it in 15min, while trimming under the pine trees. of course Im really bad at thinking ahead and instead of going inside and watching TV with dad, mom would instead mow my 2.6 acre field next door when she was done mowing her lawn. Now dad uses it as a leaf rake because I mow everything with an old 277lx and without mom to complain we dont trim anymore.
I took Love my F-525 🤝🫡 Great Video
They are not horrible if you have a small to medium sized flat lawn. However they are known for the $11 crankshaft seal falling out and into the transaxle and blowing up the engine. JD published a couple several service bulletins on them that mentioned replacing the crankshaft seal with an updated one that was made of metal instead of the original rubber coated seal seal. The rubber coating on the seal would deteriorate and allow the seal to literally fall out.
Interesting video. Full of humor, disadvantages an advantages of the F525, even moving garbage bin LOL. I pick up one in real bad shape. The deck has holes that have bolted patches & about 40% of the plastic is broken or just gone. It did start when I picked it up and now a no click/no start. I am sure it is one of the safety switches but which one 🤔 It is late in the season & I am backed up with projects but will try to post a video on the repair.
Full view & .👍 #211
Stay well, Joe Z
Only 2 safety switches, the one under the back of the seat and another under the parking pedal. Each runs about $20 off Amazon. Neither safety switch will prevent the starter from cranking the engine over however, (they will just kill the engine if it's running, or prevent it from firing up... in short, the safety switches will cut power to the ignition system and only the ignition system). It's important to learn how things work. Regards!
This is seriously the best review I have ever listened to. Sub earned, and thanks I almost just bought one of these for $150 bucks
you're funny.. we have a HUGE slope, you don't drive it forward of wet grass- you back that thing up. I love how low it sits and I can see all around it. If you keep a nice piece of ply wood around, that you can shove under that spinning drive wheel when you get too close to the precipice, it backs out real nice.. Kinda reminds me of that really cool Toyota Hi-lo I drove at work forever.. real nice reaction time.. I have videos on my channel.. mostly leaf tossing.. I just added a lawn sweep recently because the loader f525 came with was the lamest clog bucket.. I don't mind it doesn't go that fast.. I wouldn't know the difference, after huffing and puffing behind a push mower, and my lawn looks better than a golf course. 2.45 acres on a hill with tough slopes, mole trails and lotsa trees and shrubs- if you back it up, you'll make it!! Plus it saves on weed whacking! Blow it off real good after you use it, change the oil and filter, plugs every spring, keep the blades sharp, keep good belts on it, you are good to go.. just don't abuse it.. I use premium gas btw, and the deck gets cranked all the way up, looks more uniform in color and you gets no scrapes.
This remains the best JD mower I've ever owned, and JD hasn't produced any other lawn mower I would pay money for. My F525 is now some 25 years old and still going strong and looks like new even though it's used weekly during the spring summer and fall months (I just started mowing the yard again last week in fact). The key is to park them out of direct sunlight, and WASH and WAX the body panels at least once every year to preserve the body panels and keep them from becoming brittle (JD even says to do this in the owner's manual, not that anybody ever reads those things apparently). I finally put a new replacement seat on it over this past winter, other than that it's all original. Just saying.
Also I notice there was no mention of the leaf/clippings bagger attachment for this mower. I don't have one either, but always wanted the snowblower and the leaf/clippings bagger attachments to make my mower complete! LOL! (doesn't snow here actually, but the leaves in the Fall are a force to be reckoned with!).
I just bought my second one within a year. Why do I have two one may ask? Well it’s the best damn mower ever! If one breaks I have a back up. It anyone has a snow thrower I’d be interested if close to south central PA.
Where in PA? I’m in SE PA
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Chambersburg
Sorry I'm late. It takes hills fine, you just have to go in reverse. Careful backing down the hill along edges. The offset on the left side of the deck will get you caught up and you'll go kitty wampus. Take the rubber pad off the "gas" pedal. It's easier to hook your foot reversal and you get a bit more travel and speed when you stump on the gas.
This mower is a great babysitter and toddlers make great counter weights. Try holding a toddler on your lap and steering a zero turn at the same time.
It's a great learner for young kids, But beware the weight sensitive kill switch underneath the seat. Usually a brick or a sandbag will do it.
Hilarious! My wife made me go out and find another one because she won't mow with anything else.
My wife won't mow with anything but my f935 . She likes the power steering ,and ramming the front deck under trees.
i put bar type tires on mine that solved traction issues instantly
I did the same with my F525, and also filled the tires with anti-freeze. I have a hilly lawn. Made a big difference.
What model tires did you find and did that affect wear and tear in your grass at all?
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 I put on Duro 18x9.50-8 AG Bar tires in 2008. Still running them. Filled them with Antifreeze (which was a royal pain). Note direction of rotation when you mount them--the point of the Vee of the chevron pattern should be pointed to the front of the tractor when mounted (both Left and Right tires). There are arrows molded into the sidewall showing direction of rotation also. This is so the bars are self cleaning when they spin. And Yes, they do tear up the turf when I make a sharp turn (which you can do with a F525). Especially if after a recent rain the the sod is quite damp.
@@dwmac2010 Now you got me to wondering.... like, would ATV knobby style tires possibly improve the F525 traction without causing lawn damage? The lawn mower style tire tread simply has no grip no matter what style lawn mower you are running.
@@michaelshrader5139 Knobby tires, that's a good thought. If you could find a pair to fit the wheels. It would be kind of in-between a turf tire, and a bar tire. My lawn had some steep areas, so I had to have bar tires to get up the hill. I just tried to minimize sharp turns when the sod was soggy.
Funny to find this recently. I bought an older F525 after pining after them for close to 15-20 years. Your video hits a number of the issues head-on (you think that deck attachment process is bad, you should have outlined what's involved for the snow thrower...), but also hits why I wouldn't trade mine for the world.
I actually wound up buying a spare F510 to potentially harvest parts from, but I'm half inclined to keep it around and try to work with people smarter than myself to convert it to electric power...would remove my concerns about obsolete Kawasaki parts availability and gummed-up carbs for the most part...
Yeah on my dads old LT160 I quickly figured out that if I pull the forward pedal backwards it’ll go revers much faster. But yeah good luck w cruise control in the 90s unless you had a manual trans Deere back then.
Hilarious. I watched a second time simply for the entertainment content.
Ya know ...11 mm is the same as 7/16. You'll use the heck outta those with quarter inch bolts. Pretty handy to me.
I was actually going to be sad if you were truly trash-talking the F525. This is my favorite mower of all time (even more so than my high-speed diesel hustler). Sure, it only goes 5mph, but just like you show in the video, you can do donuts in it all day long. It cuts around trees and under trees like a dream. The best feature that you missed in your description is that because its center of gravity is so low, the kiddos can jump on this thing, slam the wheel to the left or to the right, and drive it like the 5mph race car that it was designed to be. Try doing 1-handed 360 degree turns with zero turn!
@@davehimlin2374 It's like a car with 100,000 miles, could be 1 owner with full service history that doesn't need anything except consumables when needed, or it could be thrashed need all the repairs someone else neglected to do. If it runs and functions well with evidence of being cared for/money spent then you could do much worse. Transmission and deck condition are probably most important. Naturally you'll probably want to negotiate on price, doesn't hurt to try.
I’ve got a f710 still runs like a champ, however my deck is starting to rust which is causing some problems holding my pulleys.
My mom has a 265 that’s still going strong also. It did have the frame welding a few years ago though.
Awesome video keep up the good work
if there was some simple way to make this specific mower cut/move at around 10 mph, it would be 1 of my favs.
I just mowed two acres today and holy crap are you right.
My 1995 F-525 has 1300 hours on it and still mows my yard. I’ve had to replace some small parts but nothing major with the motor/transmission. I’d love to buy another unit like it but nobody makes one anymore until you get into the $15,000+ price range. And they are really bigger than I need. For some reason all the vendors in the US have switched to developing zero-turns and tractors. On my hilly terrain and with teenagers doing the mowing those units are just too dangerous due to their high center of gravity and the zero-turn’s instability tracking across side hills. The marketing people have once again taken over from the engineers.
Looking at a used one of these since I think my mower just died but not sure if it's right for our lawns.
When I change my battery, I unbolt rhe steering arm from the back wheel and push it out of the way. Still a pain, but, simplifies it some.
So funny and so well made! I sold this same mower after mowing on it and getting yelled at by my Dad every time it would fail. The guy at John Deere even yelled at me one time after bringing the mower back when their fix didn't work. Hate John Deere, overpriced junk.
How did it keep failing?
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 There were a few different fails, in the mowers defense, I mowed on it for over 20 years. It still ran when I sold it. It often had trouble starting, jiggling the key just right would get you past that. It always had to be jumped off, something would drain the battery. When finished mowing if you disconnected the battery, it would ensure a start at next mowing. The worst was when there was relay fail, the John Deere dealer had fixed it, I mowed about twenty feet and it died. There was no way to get it into neutral, Dad had to get out a tractor to drag it back into the bed of the truck to take back to the dealer. He made me go talk to the mechanic. I remember the mechanic aggressively asking me what I'd done to it...
About four years before I sold it, the transmission or engine was weak, it went slower than its already slow speed. Enjoyed your video! I thought you were making a smear video...there were a few good things that you highlighted. Loved how that deck stuck out on the left, and maneuvering stuff with the wheel housing.
My mower only works at all because of fixes that the dealership would never approve of and I suspect yours might too lol! Recently mine started burping a drop of oil into the intake. Big puffs of smoke for 30 seconds, runs a little rough, then back to business. Dealership solution? New engine. My solution? $5 catch can.
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Mine was doing the black cloud thing also for a couple of years before I sold it. Less severe than what you described, black cloud for first 30 secs or so
I agree, it’s likely some gutless 60’s antiques with a small two blade deck and zero features. Would be cool to hop one of those up.
good job. I enjoyed the video
Thanks
I love my F525!
@@davehimlin2374 550 i believe
Mine seems to have a weak head gasket -- blowing blue smoke at times -- so I thought I'd pull the engine to give it a good going over. It's imprisoned in there. I can't even see where to begin. It just has to be that they built the mower around the engine and figured no one would ever want to take it out.
If I ever have to take the engine out, I’m gonna buy a new tractor lol
For what it’s worth, mine has this problem intermittently. Oil occasionally burps into the breather hose/carburetor and gets burned. Stalls, and smokes like crazy on restart before clearing up. It’s an engine out repair, but a simple homemade catch can fixed it 100%.
I ran into this video by accident, all I gotta say: hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha great video!!!
I have 2 of these machines!
I own an f525 with snowblower attachment😂 It’s got a lot of issues but I want to fix it instead of scrap it. I love my 1946 JD Model H, why can’t everything they make be like that? My JD weed eater has one busted part that JD doesn’t make anymore😢. But when it comes to the newest JD equipment? I wouldn’t buy it either.
Bien d accord une super machine la mienne viens de feter ses 30 ANS ET COMME NEUVES BRAVO J DEERE
Good lord that was an enjoyable video.
Any comparisons to the bigger brother F620 / F68x series? I'm under the impression the 6xx mowers are a little more conventional zero-turn...
Thanks, I needed a laff 🤣😂🙃
You can't mow nice looking grass at 5 MPH so 7 is a waste I love the F525 I never use a trimmer with this thing and hills are not an issue use reverse to go up.
Seems like a crude take on a Ferris Procut S.
I have an F510 (pretty much identical to your model in most ways) handed down from my dad when he retired years ago, still works great...getting the battery out, however, is a royal PITA. I don't see a way to get that bar off that goes over the top of it, any tips for that?
It’s not super easy but I’ve never had a real problem with it… are you referring to the steering linkage?
If you turn the steering all the way to 1 side, the bar will be out of your way enough to slip the battery out. I cannot recall offhand which direction the steering needs to be turned to however... just try both directions while looking at the steering linkage it'll be obvious when you have gone in the correct direction.
I would pay a lot for the power flow bagger attachment. I would hook up my 4x8 harbor freight trailer and just discharge the leaves into it as I go.
Well, I was looking at buying one for $50 that most likely needs an engine. I happen to have one from a spare parts LX176 I bought for $20. However, after watching your video, I think I'm going to pass on it. The F525 sounds like a headache.
So how do you get the battery out of the compartment?
Turn the steering wheel all the way- can’t recall if it’s left or right but you’ll see!
Not a big fan of kawasaki but atleast there not disposable like Briggs i'v grown up with Kohlers and have had very little issues with them i bought 10 blown/broken engines for parts if i ever need any. i do have a kawasaki 22hp that threw a rod hoping to fix it soon (did not do any serious damage inside block and only had 550ish hours)
I don’t like the cam activated fuel pump on some kohlers. That’s literally the only problem I’ve had with them. Otherwise they’re as good as anything else, and I think it’s fair to say that no manufacturer makes them like they used to.
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Yeah one of my Kohler magnums needs a pump but I mostly have vaccum pumps on the others they are Commands
good ol' Briggs & scrap'em! 😂😂😂
What can be done to make the F525 mow / drive faster ? I was wondering if a different drive pulley size could be mounted.
These aren’t pulley driven- they’re direct drive. So the only things you can do are increase the wheel diameter (which would hardly make a difference while also ruining the cut) and increasing engine RPM which has obvious downsides for longevity.
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 i thought there was a drive pulley with drive belt, behind the cutting deck pulley ?
Nope, there’s just two deck belts. The wheels are driven directly by the hydro pump which itself is camshaft driven.
Any tips on how to change the battery?
Disconnect the negative terminal first, then the positive, then turn the steering wheel all the way to the left (as far as it will go) so the linkage isn’t in the way as much. I like to put one of those giant industrial zip ties loosely around the new battery, so the next time you have a crude grab-handle.
At 3:31…..use the traction pedal…..
Any clue on how many grease points total. I count 8 on the deck/front two wheels but can only find 3 on the mower itself.
Don’t know- do you have the manual? I have one and can check it today if you don’t have one.
3 grease fittings on the mower itself, with a 4th grease fitting on the rear steering wheel axle. I prefer to use the red marine type grease on everything of mine, it just seems to last a lot longer due to being waterproof. Regards!
I just came across one of these for $450 and after the video I don’t, and also do, want it.
agreed
I feel attacked.
As well you should.
I'd love to buy your snow blower! Let me know if you'd like to sell it!
Where are you located?
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 Montana
Shipping from the east coast may be an issue
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 would it be possible to get a quote?
@@thedoubtfultechnician8067 By the way, what model snow blower does the f525 use?
i know how to fix every issue with an F525
it's called buying an LX277
Cześć mam problem z jazdą.nie ma siły jechać mój F525 . gdzie szukać problemu? Jestem z Polski
*Laughs in Onan fan*
Talk about self-inflicted punishment! Great engines, but cannot ignore maintenance.
Changer la strap
Poser la belt
It's a very durable machine, BUT getting the battery out is a friggin nightmare. I despise the JD engineers who buried the battery in a steel bunker below all the bars and shafts and hoses in a cozy spot that makes this task an all day affair. If anyone has advice about removing the battery, please share before I mangle this friggin machine with a sledge hammer with impunity!
It’s not too bad! I never had an issue, I wonder if yours has something done to it. It is critical that the steering wheel is all the way left or right (I forget which) so the steering linkage isn’t in the way