Ingersoll 3012

I have been looking at an Ingersoll 3012, 1990 version, that is cosmetically in good shape. It has a 12 HP Kohler engine, 38 inch deck, and all is operational. The deck sounds a little noisy when mower is on. The owner has new spindles that he never put on. Will this fix the noisy deck if changed? The unit is a one owner unit and has 900 plus hours on working hourmeter. I am looking for ideas regarding value of this unit as described above. Thanks for any help or comments you leave.

I very much doubt that new spindles are needed but new bearings will likely solve the problem. With new bearings, sharp straight blades and everything else in 1st Class working order, these decks are whisper quiet. Changing out the bearing is not difficult. With the deck removed from the tractor, take the belt cover off the top of the deck and then remove the V-belt from the spindle pulleys. Hang the deck vertically from a sturdy support so you don't have to fight with it. Use a socket wrench to remove the bolt holding the blade to the spindle. You can then use a piece of wooden rod to drive the spindle upward until it is clear of the bearings. The spindle and pulley are a welded unit. Do not allow the unit to fall on the floor and bend the pulley.

The bearings can be driven out using a long piece of steel rod that you insert on an angle to strike the opposing bearing. In between the upper and lower bearing is a spacer. Keep track of the ORDER that the washers, cups, bearings and spacers are in so that you can put everything back together correctly. The new bearings just tap back into the mandrels and the blade bolt holds it all together.

Nine hundred hours is fairly low. If the engine has been properly serviced, then there is still a lot of life left in it before needing to be rebuilt. On my forum, we see quite a few listings for similar tractors to the one you describe with a wide variety of pricing. Obviously, location makes a difference but top dollar for something like this would be around the $1000.00 mark and could be as little as half that figure. To buy a new 3000 Series Ingersoll today with a 38 inch deck would set you back about $8000.00 at a dealer.

Thank you Tom for your insight. I appreciate it.