JD Z425

Has 577 hrs on briggs 23hp, muffler shot, smokes bad, looses power in semi-tall grass and, when mower not on, deck sounds like it has rough bearing, left steering control not working properly. Belongs to freind, how many hrs sould one get from this mower and is it worth fixing, it is about 5 or 6 yrs old.

I would expect 10-20 years out of the engine mowing light duty. With routine maintenance and oil level checks. Commercial mowing maybe 5 years for engine. Then, I would rebuild engine or find another and get atleast 40 years out of frame and deck. But, that is just me. I would fix it myself.

First, figure out why engine is smoking. Clean air filter. Sometimes the breather goes bad and will suck oil into the cylinder. Other times, the head gasket will break on OHV and suck oil into the cylinder. Other times, oil is overfilled. If ran out of oil, the rings and cylinders might be toast. Other times, fuel leaks past needle and into cylinder.

Make sure the choke isn't stuck on. I had a customer mow his lawn with choke on and I had to replace the plugs for him. And train him how to turn choke off!

Replace the plugs. Examine old plugs for oil burning. Check spark on both cylinders. Make sure both pistons move and both cylinders have compression. Semi tall grass stall might be because one cylinder isn't working.

For tall grass, you have to go at a slower pace and maybe make several passes. Dull blades will also make the engine struggle.

The muffler, steering and deck bearing is normal wear and tear. The left steering control might be low fluid or worn out linkage. A 1/16" slop makes a huge difference.

I have a mid 90s ExMark with 600 hours. The previous owner ran out of gas and when he filled up and tried to start it, the crank timing gear broke. Common issue for Kohler CH22. $300 for a new crankshaft and about $200 in other rebuild parts. I replaced the deck bearings, installed correct blades and replaced all the linkage tie rod ends. Made a huge difference in steering control.

I would buy that mower as is if the price is right and you were close enough. Then, repair and use. It will get expensive if someone else does repairs tho.

if its the Intek series or whatever series replaced it, its pretty much done. I have seen only one Briggs twin still doing more or less o.k. that I thought had over 700 hrs. on it. (At least over 700 hrs on the clock) Not counting the Vanguards which are much more durable.

You may help it some for a few hours at least by throwing some rings at it, probably the best solution is to replace it.

The muffler is probably a Deere part.