1991 John Deere 260 GT, 15w-40 DB, 9.7 Hours

[fantastic]

I rebuilt this 1991 John Deere 260 Garden Tractor recently. It came with the wrong motor on it & golf cart tires. I rebuilt the correct Kawasaki 17HP Single Cylinder motor with, new valves, rings, another used camshaft, honed it with advance auto parts cheapy hone & more. All new gaskets. Painted up some of the parts except for the hood & deck I've not gotten to yet. The list goes on & on. I'm selling it to my brother & told him pick up a wix oil test kit from Orielly's first before transfer. This has 9.7 Hours on it since rebuild & I've mowed the yard several times to get to this point. Several years back I think I was in Tractor Supply & saw some Diesel Brothers 15w-40 CK-4 Semi-Synthetic on sale. Yes, the Discovery channel guys & I'm not sure if they still offer this oil anywhere. Regardless, That is what I poured in here for the break-in run.

Here you go...

Wrong Motor/Golf Cart Tires

 

[mrsilv04]

15w-40 is a bit thick for that engine (I have one), especially in cold temps. Would suggest 10w-30 for the long haul.

 

[fantastic]

15w-40 is a bit thick for that engine (I have one), especially in cold temps. Would suggest 10w-30 for the long haul.

Thanks, The 15w-40 has a great break-in add pack (Zinc etc) along with the Semi-Synthetic base for break-in process. This engine probably had 1000+ hours on it before I rebuilt it so the clearances are going to be loose. The oil level was half way down in between Min/Full so it burned some oil. The 10w-30 could've potentially burned more.

The 15w is thinner than the recommended straight 30 weight so I'm good there for shoulder seasons at least. Also, An air cooled engine is ideal to use thicker diesel oil to stay cool & 40 is going to allow higher temperatures to prevent more burn off than 30. Diesel engine oils are designed to handle higher temperatures. But this oil does meet SN Gasoline rating too.

With all that being said I do use fully synthetic 10w-30 in my 24HP Craftsman mower but it has less than 200 hours on the engine & is Vtwin. IMO that has less stress than an old single cylinder 17HP that has Less to wear. I'm in the thick camp in certain scenarios.

However, I do appreciate your input. It's going to my brother & I'll be happy if he even keeps it topped up correctly. I'll have to tell him on this engine you don't screw the dipstick down at all while checking the oil level.

 

[Rand]

Thats alot of work for the tractor..
If you can do all that might want to start with a better tractor such as the legendary 300 series. 316/318 comes to mind.

 

[jeepman3071]

Nice job! Those are good engines and worthwhile tractors to rebuild.

 

[jeepman3071]

Thats alot of work for the tractor..
If you can do all that might want to start with a better tractor such as the legendary 300 series. 316/318 comes to mind.

316/318 are good machines, but to redo one properly is $$$$. A lot more moving parts for something that will just be used to mow.

 

[fantastic]

Thats alot of work for the tractor..
If you can do all that might want to start with a better tractor such as the legendary 300 series. 316/318 comes to mind.

Thanks for providing your opinion. I'm proud to have put the sweat equity into this machine & have no regrets. I learned a lot along the way which is what makes me tick. And 318's are Great machine's but everyone has one and doesn't get me excited at all.

Besides, I paid $250 for this garden tractor that basically came to me vs seeking it out. I've got around $13-1400 total invested. There is no rebuilt 318's for that price. I don't like the 318 dash mounted trans joystick. Prefer to have the foot or manual selection like this 260.

Fact: This frame, used on this 260, was used for the 325 series Garden Tractor & probably others too.

 

[fantastic]

Nice job! Those are good engines and worthwhile tractors to rebuild.

Thank you for the kind words... I love working on old iron!

 

[Cujet]

I love it. Try finding one like this today. You'll spend a fortune.