picked up a John Deere 318

rfuerst911sc · 04-08-2018, 05:01 AM

Hey guys yesterday my wife wanted to do some shopping in Gainesville and I know there is a JD dealer there so I offered to drive her

. After her shopping was done we went to the dealership . They were quite busy with " demo days " and had lots of new shiney ( $$$ ) equipment to play with . I was not interested I was looking for used . My first choice would have been a 332 diesel but they are fairly rare around here and they didn't have any . But then I spotted the 318 . For those of you that don't know about these it is a 18 hp twin cylinder air cooled Onan with hydrostatic drive , power steering , H2 hydraulics they are legendary for performance and longevity .

I'm looking the tractor over and a salesman comes over and I ask him if the hours on the hour meter are accurate , he said yes they are as they know the man that traded it in . I ask if the hour meter is working and he stated it is............ it has 192.5 hours on it !!!!! I don't know the year of the tractor as I forgot to write down the serial number

but it doesn't matter at this point as it is mine . It comes with a 46 " mowing deck . The price is 1500.00 which is very reasonable around here for a beat up 318 .

But I already have TWO JD tractors a 317 and a 330 . I don't need three or have the storage space for three so I ask the guy can I trade in my 317 ? He said sure so we wrote up an invoice and put it " in the computer " so no one could sell it . I am taking my 317 in tomorrow to work out a trade , hey if they give me 500.00 for it I'll be happy . It runs good and looks good but is a bear to steer with no power steering . Today I am removing the rear sleeve hitch and PTO from the 317 as they have value to sell . So I will end up with an 18 hp air cooled boxer twin and a 16 hp three cylinder water cooled diesel they will compliment each other nicely . I'll post pics tomorrow .

HardDrive · 04-08-2018, 05:05 AM

Glad "your wife's" shopping trip turned out so well.

rfuerst911sc · 04-08-2018, 06:25 AM

We have been married for 40 years this coming June she knows when I " volunteer " to drive her for " girly " shopping there is a high probability of an ulterior motive

As it turns out she only spent 13.00 so I was the big spender for the day....... OK in my book !

LakeCleElum · 04-08-2018, 07:38 AM

Good move - I went from. Some years ago I went from a 316 to a 318....The twin is a lot smoother and had almost a motorcycle sound to it. Power Steer is a great feature. I had the 4 way blade up front and chains for plowing snow.

I got to know the engine well as it promptly broke a rod. (I had it parked outside and didn't notice the oil leak due to a stripped drain plug). So, keep an eye on the oil level and enjoy a great garden tractor.

VincentVega · 04-08-2018, 07:45 AM

good score, I've been looking for one too

Crowbob · 04-08-2018, 07:52 AM

Pics or it didn't happen.

Baz · Baz's Garage

JD stopped production on the 318 in 1992.

Considering your mower is at a minimum 26 years old......192.5 hours is ridiculous!

That's an average of 7.4 hours per year.

Wow!!! Excellent score!

asphaltgambler · 04-08-2018, 10:24 AM

Please post pics, being a 430 owner myself ( and doing some resto) these are legendary machines...

Crowbob · 04-08-2018, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Glad "your wife's" shopping trip turned out so well.

Gold right there.

rfuerst911sc · 04-08-2018, 02:25 PM

This garden tractor is in very good shape but no concours winner , she shows her age but shows it well . I'm sure in its history has been some life stored inside and out . Nothing crazy but it is a tractor from the 80's/90's . I like this era garden tractor as they are built like a brick $hithouse ! Easy to work on with no computer crap . So between this and my 330 I have what I want/need . My Buford Bucket mini front end loader fits both machines . Both have mowing decks . I have a 54 " front blade that will fit both and a # 33 tiller that I have to figure out if it will work with either/both . I have a couple of JD tow behind carts ( metal and plastic ) so I have most things covered . Also have a 36 " pull behind blade for light grading of the driveway . I will post pics tomorrow when I get her home .

rfuerst911sc · 04-09-2018, 09:27 AM

And she is home

What a miserable morning to pick her up it was cold and rainy . But delivered my 317 to the dealer , we chatted for all of 30 seconds and finalized the out the door price . I fired up my 317 , unloaded and loaded up the 318 . Went in the dealership , did some paperwork and paid them . I tied it down and back home I went . She fired right up stone cold at the dealership , no funny noises or any smoke from the exhaust .

When I got her home I looked her over good and did notice a bent anti scalp wheel on the deck . After closer exam the deck is bent in that spot someone must have smacked into a solid object . No big deal I can fix that . All looks good under the hood and under the tractor , I think the hours might be real . Dealer say's they are so I'm not going to argue . Going to do a baseline change of all fluids and filters and put her to work

So here she is .

VincentVega · 04-09-2018, 09:33 AM

sweet! the dual hydro seems so useful. well done.

rfuerst911sc · 04-09-2018, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VincentVega

sweet! the dual hydro seems so useful. well done.

Thanks......yeah the H2 hydraulics are sweet but the JD 400/420/430 have H3 hydraulics even sweeter . But for the price I paid out the door I'm not complaining . My guess is I can sell it in 10 years for the same price I paid......... or higher .

wswartzwel · 12:02 PM

Very nice find... I have a John Deere 400 with a 60" mower deck... Love the power steering. Hope you get lots of good use out of your 318. BTW I am pretty sure i have the tech manual for that with some stuff I have from when I used to work for a JD Dealer... If you need anything let me know.

rfuerst911sc · 04-09-2018, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

Very nice find... I have a John Deere 400 with a 60" mower deck... Love the power steering. Hope you get lots of good use out of your 318. BTW I am pretty sure i have the tech manual for that with some stuff I have from when I used to work for a JD Dealer... If you need anything let me know.

Yes the 400 another JD red headed step child

I can say that because I had the 317 another red headed step child . The 400 is a beast from what I understand . There was one for sale by me for 1000.00 but had no deck but did have a 3 point hitch . If you stumble across that tech manual send me a PM I would like to have one . Thanks

asphaltgambler · 04-09-2018, 03:30 PM

Nice - great score!

Baz · Baz's Garage

Wow....good thing you brought a big enough trailer!

rfuerst911sc · 04-09-2018, 03:42 PM

Hey Baz it gets crazier , per the serial number it is a 1984 they started making them in 1983 . So that's 5.66 hours per year ! I think this tractor did a fair amount of just sitting with the headlights facing the sun . The lexan headlight lens is quite faded and out of character to the rest of the tractor . Oh well I am over it just going to run her hard and see what happens .

rfuerst911sc · 04-09-2018, 03:44 PM

Yes it did fit just fine on the trailer

wswartzwel · 04-09-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Yes the 400 another JD red headed step child

I can say that because I had the 317 another red headed step child . The 400 is a beast from what I understand . There was one for sale by me for 1000.00 but had no deck but did have a 3 point hitch . If you stumble across that tech manual send me a PM I would like to have one . Thanks

I found paper manuals for the newer 320. i will look through the CDs and see what i can find. i also have boxes of old microfiche that i cant seems to throw away.