# Old John Deer 220 Greensmower Help Needed...



## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Just picked up this old gal this morning:


Going to do a full maintenance before i give her a go. She starts and runs but could use some TLC... Upon close inspection i found two blades to be bent on the corner  All the other blades seem to be fine. Im hoping i can take the reel off and bend it back... Take a look and let me know what you think:




I hope i do not have to buy a new reel as that would cost more than the entire machine :|

If anyone has any suggestions on how to fix this im all ears!!

thanks!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I would buy a new one.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

g-man said:


> I would buy a new one.


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## kur1j (Jul 2, 2017)

I had a similar problem with mine that I damaged, but it was a brand new reel. Thst one certainly looks like it could use some TLC at a minimum grind and relief grind.

Bend them back and file them down (you won't ever get them perfect so file enough away so they won't hit the bed knife). Try to backlap if it's got a relief grind already. If it won't cut some paper you will probably better off served buying new reel and bedknife.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

kur1j said:


> I had a similar problem with mine that I damaged, but it was a brand new reel. Thst one certainly looks like it could use some TLC at a minimum grind and relief grind.
> 
> Bend them back and file them down (you won't ever get them perfect so file enough away so they won't hit the bed knife). Try to backlap if it's got a relief grind already. If it won't cut some paper you will probably better off served buying new reel and bedknife.


Thanks for the tip! I will definitely give it a try... Any ideas on how to bend them back? I was thinking of torching it and hitting it with a heavy hammer. I don't think pliers will do the trick. Thats some pretty thick metal there.

Got the reel off and snapped a good pic. You can clearly see where the two blades where damaged. Looks as if its been this way for quite some time.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

You can just tap them back into place with a hammer. I would not heat it. Grind/file it back so it does not interfere with the bedknife and then face the bedknife and backlap the reel. That's the best you can do with what you've got there. All said, that's a fair amount of time and you could easily replace the knife and reel in the same amount of time and guarantee better results.


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## kur1j (Jul 2, 2017)

@MasterMech 
I agree with you. Only problem is he's out 250$ haha. That's one thing that isn't fun with reel mowers is the damn cost of stuff. And if you make a mistake, it's 200 bucks.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

kur1j said:


> @MasterMech
> I agree with you. Only problem is he's out 250$ haha. That's one thing that isn't fun with reel mowers is the damn cost of stuff. And if you make a mistake, it's 200 bucks.


Preaching to the choir brother. My Jake spent 2 week's in the sick ward waiting for parts and time to assemble after I tagged the water meter cover in my front yard.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Thanks for the feedback fellas... I grind/filed it back so it was no longer hitting the bed knife and took her for a test run... The reel did cut paper but wasn't perfect. Will have to order some of that sharpening compound asap so i can backlap this old gal. I did however manage to cut a section of my lawn at 1 1/8". This was the highest I was able to set the mower too.


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## kur1j (Jul 2, 2017)

Damn looks pretty good. Looks better than my yard haha.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

kur1j said:


> Damn looks pretty good. Looks better than my yard haha.


Thanks! :beer: Still a long ways away from what I want it to look and feel like :thumbup:


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Adjusting throttle response anyone?
Seems like this old gal only likes to run at 100% throttle all the time. Is this pretty much the normal for these reel mowers?

From the moment i engage the lever to start moving she takes off. No such thing as slow smooth acceleration with this thing. I'm guessing i have to adjust/grease the cables. I'm hoping i can adjust this thing so I don't have to run behind it all the time :lol: Would like the enjoy the mow instead of chasing the mower all over the place.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Seeking_Turf said:


> Adjusting throttle response anyone?
> Seems like this old gal only likes to run at 100% throttle all the time. Is this pretty much the normal for these reel mowers?
> 
> From the moment i engage the lever to start moving she takes off. No such thing as slow smooth acceleration with this thing. I'm guessing i have to adjust/grease the cables. I'm hoping i can adjust this thing so I don't have to run behind it all the time :lol: Would like the enjoy the mow instead of chasing the mower all over the place.


Ehhh. Maybe. I'll just say this. If you play golf, hit it early when the dew is still out. Sometimes you can catch em finishing up. Greens mowers aren't a leisurely pace usually. It's a quick back and forth and takes some time to get used to!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I adjusted the drive level on mine to engage the pulley further down the travel of the level. This allows me to feather the drive forward to get it going. I could backoff and stop or push the level all the way forward to full speed.

What happens when you reduce the throttle while mowing? Stall and kill the engine?


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

g-man said:


> I adjusted the drive level on mine to engage the pulley further down the travel of the level. This allows me to feather the drive forward to get it going. I could backoff and stop or push the level all the way forward to full speed.
> 
> What happens when you reduce the throttle while mowing? Stall and kill the engine?


You got it. It starts to idle funny, stalls and dies. I am guessing the carb needs a good cleaning.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

FATC1TY said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > Adjusting throttle response anyone?
> ...


Thats what I figured but geeez this thing literally pops a wheelie when it starts... I have to make sure it doesn't come up so i don't miss a patch of grass :lol:


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Sounds like one of the jets has something stuck in it. They are fairly simple carbs. Get a can of carb cleaner and you'll be good to go.


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## Guest (May 10, 2018)

Seeking_Turf said:


> Adjusting throttle response anyone?
> Seems like this old gal only likes to run at 100% throttle all the time. Is this pretty much the normal for these reel mowers?
> 
> From the moment i engage the lever to start moving she takes off. No such thing as slow smooth acceleration with this thing. I'm guessing i have to adjust/grease the cables. I'm hoping i can adjust this thing so I don't have to run behind it all the time :lol: Would like the enjoy the mow instead of chasing the mower all over the place.


Had a JD 220 myself and yes its a beast of a machine. You should be able to adjust the throttle mechanism somewhat but as I recall yes it jumps into high gear rather suddenly. Ultimately thats one of the reasons I sold her off too big and unwieldy for my purposes.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Nixnix42 said:


> Seeking_Turf said:
> 
> 
> > Adjusting throttle response anyone?
> ...


What did you end up replacing it with?


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## Guest (May 10, 2018)

Nothing  I've been looking at toro greenmasters 1000 as a alternate for now..ultimately I'd like a swardman..IF they can get their QC in check.


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## Seeking_Turf (May 2, 2018)

Nixnix42 said:


> Nothing  I've been looking at toro greenmasters 1000 as a alternate for now..ultimately I'd like a swardman..IF they can get their QC in check.


I wonder if those toro greenmasters or new JDs have the same aggressive throttle engagement as this older JD220. I'm sure this old gal needs some adjustments. Will see if I can smooth her out a bit. Those swardman mowers look . That is definitely on my radar if all goes well this season. I want to make sure my low cutt (.75 hoc) lawn survives the brutal summer and winter this year before I make a jump into a more expensive reel mower.


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## Guest (May 10, 2018)

heres hoping they can work the kinks out of the swardman mower..


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Nixnix42 said:


> heres hoping they can work the kinks out of the swardman mower..


Kinks? On one mower out of how many?

Let's see how the rest of the machines run through the season before we go calling them problematic.


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