Got the email about the new jd forum and thought I'd stop in and say "hi"....
I'm a long time jd black deck Stx38 owner (mid to late 90s jd riding mower). Mine is a late model 13.5 hp version with the slightly larger tire size. It's the 5 speed version, not the hydro transmission.
I got my 1st one free on Craigslist that had no hood and ran kinda rough, but better than the old cub cadet that had died.
I have an acre to mow, so a riding mower is a must.
Got a replacement/upgrade Stx38 in 2009 from the Bend Oregon dealership for $200 because the wiring harness had rubbed through in the under seat battery compartment area and shorted, and the owner bought a new mower when the dealer said they had to replace the entire harness.
I paid a fellow $50 to pick it up and drop it off in the Portland area on his way up here from Bend in his pickup. Ba win-win situation.... I didn't have to make the round trip down there, and he got his gas paid for on a trip he was already going to make. I found the fellow by looking in the bend Craigslist for people offering ride shares to Portland.
The harness repair took me 20 minutes, and I've been using ever since. Done a number of carb rebuilds and spark plug and battery replacements and oil and filter changes over the years....
I sold the 1st one for $250, so that paid for the upgrade.
I bought a jd mulch kit for it and that lasted until this year when I had to replace the blades. I chose to go with the same jd blades again because they have the carbide cutting edges, and most off brand ones don't I like doing the mulching because it's better for the grass, and it also saves on my labor -- I don't have to bag and dump the cuttings. They just disappear into the grass/soil.
I had to replace the spindles last year.
Two years ago I rebuilt the deck idler by drilling out the rivets and then found they had also spotted welded the halves of the idler pulley together. I had enough time invested at that point I continued and drilled out the spot welds, and finally got to the bearing to replace it. I bolted it back together with I recall #12 bolts that fit the rivet holes well and nylocks, and it's still working and is now serviceable should it need it again.
Last year when I replaced the spindles I noticed there was some serious rust on the under side of the deck, and scraped and wire brushed it off and used rust converter to stop the rest and painted it. I'll have to keep a close eye on it as the black deck models had thinner steel than the older yellow deck variants.
Three years ago I had to rebuild the starter. The plastic brush holders had started to melt and deform. I was able to find the parts and rebuild it.
I picked up a parts machine for free maybe 10 years ago that I've used over the years for both my machine and several others I acquired and repaired and flipped.
The remnants of that parts machine will be stripped down this year and what isn't useful will be scrapped.
Somehow my daughter ran into something HARD, and bent the front axle assembly backwards about 3/4 inch. I've been running it that way for probably 7 years, and it has caused the front wheels to be towed in a bit. I'll be replacing that from the parts machine this year.
I did replace the tires last year. Before that, I put tubes in the original tires to run them as long as possible. I found that I was able to find the tires on wheels for about the same price as just the tires, so I opted for that solution. I seem to get punctures in the front tires more frequently than in the rear, so I found a 2nd set of tires on Amazon resale (their open box/scratchndent department) for about half price which I put in the original time as quick change backups.
I made sure that the tires were 4 ply rated instead of the original 2 ply rated tires the factory put on, in the hope they'll resist punctures better. We'll see how that works out....
I recall over the years I recall I have had to replace the switch, the starter solenoid, and maybe the pto once. The pto replacement might have been the reason I got the 1st one free. I just can't recall....
Other issues have been things like difficulty getting the rear wheels off the axles due to rust, and the fact the factory didn't out any anti size on them. The disk brakes often stick open too. The way the brake actuator is set up is a bad design. My yard is level, so I often just go without brakes until I have time to free them up again.
I also don't like the fact that the black deck is thinner metal and the black deck spindles are not rebuildable. I also don't like the plastic hood on these machines. They crack too easily, especially at the mounting points. I wish they had spent just a little more and had made them out of stronger fiberglass (which is what I use to repair the hood). By the 90s, I think expecting a metal hood on a lower end lawn tractor is too much to expect.
Otherwise it has been a good machine. The overhead valve Kohler "command" motor has been great.
Cheers from Oregon,
Philip
I'm a long time jd black deck Stx38 owner (mid to late 90s jd riding mower). Mine is a late model 13.5 hp version with the slightly larger tire size. It's the 5 speed version, not the hydro transmission.
I got my 1st one free on Craigslist that had no hood and ran kinda rough, but better than the old cub cadet that had died.
I have an acre to mow, so a riding mower is a must.
Got a replacement/upgrade Stx38 in 2009 from the Bend Oregon dealership for $200 because the wiring harness had rubbed through in the under seat battery compartment area and shorted, and the owner bought a new mower when the dealer said they had to replace the entire harness.
I paid a fellow $50 to pick it up and drop it off in the Portland area on his way up here from Bend in his pickup. Ba win-win situation.... I didn't have to make the round trip down there, and he got his gas paid for on a trip he was already going to make. I found the fellow by looking in the bend Craigslist for people offering ride shares to Portland.
The harness repair took me 20 minutes, and I've been using ever since. Done a number of carb rebuilds and spark plug and battery replacements and oil and filter changes over the years....
I sold the 1st one for $250, so that paid for the upgrade.
I bought a jd mulch kit for it and that lasted until this year when I had to replace the blades. I chose to go with the same jd blades again because they have the carbide cutting edges, and most off brand ones don't I like doing the mulching because it's better for the grass, and it also saves on my labor -- I don't have to bag and dump the cuttings. They just disappear into the grass/soil.
I had to replace the spindles last year.
Two years ago I rebuilt the deck idler by drilling out the rivets and then found they had also spotted welded the halves of the idler pulley together. I had enough time invested at that point I continued and drilled out the spot welds, and finally got to the bearing to replace it. I bolted it back together with I recall #12 bolts that fit the rivet holes well and nylocks, and it's still working and is now serviceable should it need it again.
Last year when I replaced the spindles I noticed there was some serious rust on the under side of the deck, and scraped and wire brushed it off and used rust converter to stop the rest and painted it. I'll have to keep a close eye on it as the black deck models had thinner steel than the older yellow deck variants.
Three years ago I had to rebuild the starter. The plastic brush holders had started to melt and deform. I was able to find the parts and rebuild it.
I picked up a parts machine for free maybe 10 years ago that I've used over the years for both my machine and several others I acquired and repaired and flipped.
The remnants of that parts machine will be stripped down this year and what isn't useful will be scrapped.
Somehow my daughter ran into something HARD, and bent the front axle assembly backwards about 3/4 inch. I've been running it that way for probably 7 years, and it has caused the front wheels to be towed in a bit. I'll be replacing that from the parts machine this year.
I did replace the tires last year. Before that, I put tubes in the original tires to run them as long as possible. I found that I was able to find the tires on wheels for about the same price as just the tires, so I opted for that solution. I seem to get punctures in the front tires more frequently than in the rear, so I found a 2nd set of tires on Amazon resale (their open box/scratchndent department) for about half price which I put in the original time as quick change backups.
I made sure that the tires were 4 ply rated instead of the original 2 ply rated tires the factory put on, in the hope they'll resist punctures better. We'll see how that works out....
I recall over the years I recall I have had to replace the switch, the starter solenoid, and maybe the pto once. The pto replacement might have been the reason I got the 1st one free. I just can't recall....
Other issues have been things like difficulty getting the rear wheels off the axles due to rust, and the fact the factory didn't out any anti size on them. The disk brakes often stick open too. The way the brake actuator is set up is a bad design. My yard is level, so I often just go without brakes until I have time to free them up again.
I also don't like the fact that the black deck is thinner metal and the black deck spindles are not rebuildable. I also don't like the plastic hood on these machines. They crack too easily, especially at the mounting points. I wish they had spent just a little more and had made them out of stronger fiberglass (which is what I use to repair the hood). By the 90s, I think expecting a metal hood on a lower end lawn tractor is too much to expect.
Otherwise it has been a good machine. The overhead valve Kohler "command" motor has been great.
Cheers from Oregon,
Philip
