Post by hammerdown on Aug 7, 2013 8:36:39 GMT -5
Hello All
My first post here, I was glad to find a Forum dedicated to the Best lawn & Garden tractor ever made the amazing 318. I had always' wanted a 318 but they were usually too much in price or just Plum wore out when I did come opon one. That all changed about Five years ago for me. I was driving to an out of town Gun show with my son in Law and decided to run around the rear of a John Deere dealerhip on the way. I commonly did this as I at that time had a 1969 John Deere 140 and was always' hunting for spare parts or Impliment's for it This day I came across a nice looking John Deere 318. I looked it over and could se that it had a brand new 48" replacement mowing deck on it. it had a flat right front tire and was all dusty, I assumed from sitting so long & it's battery was dead. I had my wife's Mini Van so I drove to the rear area repair shop and asked a mechanic what he could tell me about the 318 in the rear ? he said that they had gotten it the day before ina trade in and that it did not run. it was traded in by an Old Man's Grandson that had passed away and it had been sitting for at least Two years. I asked if I could borrow a set of Jumper cables ? he handed them to me and went back to work on a garden Tractor in the shop. I Pulled my wife's van up to it, jumped it and it came to life. It sounded good, and the hydraulic lift worked fine as did the power steering, and the Hydrastatic Transmission seemed fine so I shut it down.
I returned the Jumper cables and wandered up to the sales show room to find a salesman. I asked the sales guy if the 318 out back was for sale ? He said I suppose so, but we have not had time to run it through our shop yet and it does not run. I asked how much would you take for it the way that it sits ? he said only "3" to me. It was nice enough looking that I asked Three Grand ? he said Heck no Hundred, I quickly told Him Sold. I Paid for half of it being $150.00 and got a printed out receipt. I told the sales guy that I would be back on Monday with my landscape Trailer to pick it up and to pay the balance of $150.00 what was owed. I returned on Monday Paid the balance on it, and started to head out back to load it. The sales guy said that he would send out some guy's to help me load it, I told him that I would not need any help but thanks. I went out there and used my 12-Volt air compressor to pump up it's right front flat tire, Then jumped it with my truck. I was cinching down the ratchet straps when the sales guy and three other's came out to help me load it. He looked a bit Puzzled when he saw it all ready on my Trailer and asked me how I Loaded it alone ? I told him I Pumped up the flat tire, Jumped it and drove it on my Trailer. He then said that he sold me the tractor as a Part's tractor as his mechanic told him that it did not run. I thanked him and we headed home with it.
The Tractor had about 750 Hour's on it when I got it and I used it for Four year's mowing two full acres of grass with it weekly in our Long Nine month mowing season without any issues. last winter I decided to take it down for a full restoration. I took it down to the rolling Chassis, Painted the frame & wheels and Placed a fresh Onan P-218 engine in it. I re-worked all of the body panels and re-painted them as well as Placed new decals on it. In the past Four Year's I have located a 54" Hydraulic lift dirt dozer blade that I restored for it as well as the Fierce Model 30 Tiller. My tiller has the Optional 12" extension tines on it making it's tilling cut a 42" Path and hooks directly to my existing rock shaft with factory made brackets. It is driven by a Belly pump that sit's behind the front wheel's and is driven with the Mule drive and mowing deck belt. Here are some picture's of before, during and after it's full restoration. I have added a set of Bar rear tire's, Wheel weight's and new front turf tires to it since I got it. This is the only Tractor that I will Ever need, and I have all of the equipment that I would need as well now. Regards, Hammerdown
Here is how my $300.00 1983-John Deere 318 Looked the day that I got it home
Here are some picture's of it's full restoration process as well as the Implement's that I have added to it. During the restoration process I replaced it's tired 1100 Hour Onan B-43 engine with a fresh built P-218. I placed a newer style John Deere 345 spring suspension seat on it with a new seat cover . I replaced the rear driveshaft yoke with the newer style heavy designed one, and Put a new starter on the engine. I re-sealed it's Intake Manifold, and added the set of rear plastic John Deere wheel weight's that I picked up at my local dealership for $30.00 Used as shown
Here is a Model 30 Hydraulic tiller that I located for my Tractor late last summer. I sold my 1969 John Deere 140 that had a mechanical 33 tiller on it to fund the price of this one. It was listed on a Craig's list add in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for $750.00. I took the 1250 Miles round trip to pick it up and was back home 21 Hours later with it. The following day I Placed it on my 318 and put it to work. As you can see this model 30 Tiller is Fierce and grinds the soil to a Coffee ground looking soil when tilled in Just three Passes on existing virgin soil
Here is the 54" dirt dozer blade that I picked up for my 318. I paid a $100.00 for it as shown, it looked rough, but IO knew it was only cosmetic damage as it's cutter bar was still Like new and I quickly Learned when I got it home that it was Intended for a 400 series Tractor. That meant that I had to cut apart it's quick attach frame hitch and narrow it up a full 2". I did so and it fit my Tractor perfectly, so I then stripped it down and re-painted it as shown here before & after
My first post here, I was glad to find a Forum dedicated to the Best lawn & Garden tractor ever made the amazing 318. I had always' wanted a 318 but they were usually too much in price or just Plum wore out when I did come opon one. That all changed about Five years ago for me. I was driving to an out of town Gun show with my son in Law and decided to run around the rear of a John Deere dealerhip on the way. I commonly did this as I at that time had a 1969 John Deere 140 and was always' hunting for spare parts or Impliment's for it This day I came across a nice looking John Deere 318. I looked it over and could se that it had a brand new 48" replacement mowing deck on it. it had a flat right front tire and was all dusty, I assumed from sitting so long & it's battery was dead. I had my wife's Mini Van so I drove to the rear area repair shop and asked a mechanic what he could tell me about the 318 in the rear ? he said that they had gotten it the day before ina trade in and that it did not run. it was traded in by an Old Man's Grandson that had passed away and it had been sitting for at least Two years. I asked if I could borrow a set of Jumper cables ? he handed them to me and went back to work on a garden Tractor in the shop. I Pulled my wife's van up to it, jumped it and it came to life. It sounded good, and the hydraulic lift worked fine as did the power steering, and the Hydrastatic Transmission seemed fine so I shut it down.
I returned the Jumper cables and wandered up to the sales show room to find a salesman. I asked the sales guy if the 318 out back was for sale ? He said I suppose so, but we have not had time to run it through our shop yet and it does not run. I asked how much would you take for it the way that it sits ? he said only "3" to me. It was nice enough looking that I asked Three Grand ? he said Heck no Hundred, I quickly told Him Sold. I Paid for half of it being $150.00 and got a printed out receipt. I told the sales guy that I would be back on Monday with my landscape Trailer to pick it up and to pay the balance of $150.00 what was owed. I returned on Monday Paid the balance on it, and started to head out back to load it. The sales guy said that he would send out some guy's to help me load it, I told him that I would not need any help but thanks. I went out there and used my 12-Volt air compressor to pump up it's right front flat tire, Then jumped it with my truck. I was cinching down the ratchet straps when the sales guy and three other's came out to help me load it. He looked a bit Puzzled when he saw it all ready on my Trailer and asked me how I Loaded it alone ? I told him I Pumped up the flat tire, Jumped it and drove it on my Trailer. He then said that he sold me the tractor as a Part's tractor as his mechanic told him that it did not run. I thanked him and we headed home with it.
The Tractor had about 750 Hour's on it when I got it and I used it for Four year's mowing two full acres of grass with it weekly in our Long Nine month mowing season without any issues. last winter I decided to take it down for a full restoration. I took it down to the rolling Chassis, Painted the frame & wheels and Placed a fresh Onan P-218 engine in it. I re-worked all of the body panels and re-painted them as well as Placed new decals on it. In the past Four Year's I have located a 54" Hydraulic lift dirt dozer blade that I restored for it as well as the Fierce Model 30 Tiller. My tiller has the Optional 12" extension tines on it making it's tilling cut a 42" Path and hooks directly to my existing rock shaft with factory made brackets. It is driven by a Belly pump that sit's behind the front wheel's and is driven with the Mule drive and mowing deck belt. Here are some picture's of before, during and after it's full restoration. I have added a set of Bar rear tire's, Wheel weight's and new front turf tires to it since I got it. This is the only Tractor that I will Ever need, and I have all of the equipment that I would need as well now. Regards, Hammerdown
Here is how my $300.00 1983-John Deere 318 Looked the day that I got it home
Here are some picture's of it's full restoration process as well as the Implement's that I have added to it. During the restoration process I replaced it's tired 1100 Hour Onan B-43 engine with a fresh built P-218. I placed a newer style John Deere 345 spring suspension seat on it with a new seat cover . I replaced the rear driveshaft yoke with the newer style heavy designed one, and Put a new starter on the engine. I re-sealed it's Intake Manifold, and added the set of rear plastic John Deere wheel weight's that I picked up at my local dealership for $30.00 Used as shown
Here is a Model 30 Hydraulic tiller that I located for my Tractor late last summer. I sold my 1969 John Deere 140 that had a mechanical 33 tiller on it to fund the price of this one. It was listed on a Craig's list add in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for $750.00. I took the 1250 Miles round trip to pick it up and was back home 21 Hours later with it. The following day I Placed it on my 318 and put it to work. As you can see this model 30 Tiller is Fierce and grinds the soil to a Coffee ground looking soil when tilled in Just three Passes on existing virgin soil
Here is the 54" dirt dozer blade that I picked up for my 318. I paid a $100.00 for it as shown, it looked rough, but IO knew it was only cosmetic damage as it's cutter bar was still Like new and I quickly Learned when I got it home that it was Intended for a 400 series Tractor. That meant that I had to cut apart it's quick attach frame hitch and narrow it up a full 2". I did so and it fit my Tractor perfectly, so I then stripped it down and re-painted it as shown here before & after
