Revived Tractor Works LLC
Reviving Experienced Riding Mowers
Reviving Experienced Riding Mowers
Reviving Experienced Riding Mowers
.We take older John Deere mowers that are not working properly. Repairs are made, rusty areas are repainted, and new belts are installed when needed. Finally, a full service is done.
Ideal Uses
Reviving Experienced Riding Mowers
Reviving Experienced Riding Mowers
Revived mowers are not a “fixer-upper”. These mowers can immediately start cutting grass. These mowers are a good choice for small residential yards.
Mower Types
Reviving Experienced Riding Mowers
Mower Types
We primarily offer revived John Deere mowers. We are pot affiliated with John Deere in any way.
These revived mowers are from an era when John Deere was known for power, quality, and dependability. This is a great option if you want John Deere quality without paying new equipment prices.
Repair
Service
Mower Types
We revive mowers that have one or more problems that prevent it from mowing grass. Some repairs are relatively simple, while others are extensive. Common problems include fuel system, tires, battery, wiring, safety switches, bad belts, damaged pulleys and spindles, engine repairs, starters, solenoids, brakes, as well as others.
Service
Service
Service
Before selling a revived mower, we do a complete service including:
- cleaned
- oil and oil filter change
- new spark plug; new air filter
- new carburetor *if needed)
- tractor and mower deck lubricated
- mower blades inspected and sharpened
- new belts (when needed)
- safety switches tested
- deck inspected, cleaned and greased
- rust removed and rust-oleum paint applied
- tires checked and repaired if needed
Verify
Service
Service
We verify that the mower works are designed and complete a detailed checklist for every mower. There will not be any surprises.
Maturity Has Its Limits
Replacing Hoods and Seats
Maturity Has Its Limits
Goals are to repair mowers, complete servicing of them, make them able to start mowing someone's yard, and to make them look as good as possible. However, another goal is to keep the repair costs as low as possible so that the mower is afforable.
Hoods and Seats
Replacing Hoods and Seats
Maturity Has Its Limits
Age is not kind to 2 parts of every mower: hoods and seats. These are severly degraded if the mower is stored outside. They are not replaced because they do not limit functionality, they are relatively expensive, and the new owner may want specific replacements.
Replacing Hoods and Seats
Replacing Hoods and Seats
What Skills Should a New Owner Have
As long as the proper hoods and seats are purchased, they are both relatively easy to replace. It is something a new owner can do themselves.
What Skills Should a New Owner Have
To Keep the Cost of Ownership Low, and Appropriate for a Revived Mower, Owners Should Plan to:
What Skills Should a New Owner Have
Taking a mower to be serviced by someone else, especially a dealer, can result in hundreds of $'s because:
(a) their hourly rate is high
(b) they will use OEM parts that cost much more than generic parts
(c) they will generally correct all problems, even small ones that the owner does not think are cost effective
(d) there can be a delay in repairing and servicing the mower
To Keep the Cost of Ownership Low, and Appropriate for a Revived Mower, Owners Should Plan to:
To Keep the Cost of Ownership Low, and Appropriate for a Revived Mower, Owners Should Plan to:
To Keep the Cost of Ownership Low, and Appropriate for a Revived Mower, Owners Should Plan to:
- perform regular maintenance (oil, filters, lubrication, ...)
- check oil at every use
- make mower deck adjustments (cutting height, removal of deck, blade sharpening, ...)
- battery maintenance and replacement
- tire maintenance
- rust prevention
- belt replacements
- simple troubleshooting
The 5 Biggest Things to Increase the Life of a Mower
To Keep the Cost of Ownership Low, and Appropriate for a Revived Mower, Owners Should Plan to:
To Keep the Cost of Ownership Low, and Appropriate for a Revived Mower, Owners Should Plan to:
(1) avoid ethanol-fuel, stale fuel, and water in the fuel system
(2) maintain the proper oil level and service per operating guidelines
(3) keep the mower inside
(4) clean grass clippings from mower deck and keep rodents away
(5) perform regular maintenance
Current Inventory (as of April 22, 2026)
John Deere LT133
JD LT133 Riding Mower
13 hp Kohler Engine
5-speed Manual Transmission
Rear: 20x10-8
Front: 14x6-6
Hood
Battery
Fully Functional
Serviced (ready for use)
How to Destroy Your Riding Mower
Store the Mower Outside
- Sun makes plastic hoods very brittle and prone to cracking
- Seat gets wrecked due to sun and rain; water gets inside
- Water gets inside the wheel hubs, eventually rusting the rims to the axle
- Mice and other small rodents make a nest in the cooling fins inside the engine cover which cause the engine to overheat and may cause serious damage to engine
- Mice and squirrels like to eat wires
- Rain gets into air the filter, carburetor and maybe even the engine block
- Water gets into the fuel tank
- Sun degrades plastic parts and rubber hoses
- Wiring, switches, solenoids and relays corrode faster
- Damage to the mower deck (e.g. rust)
- Damage to exposed mower belts
- Temperature changes and extremes are hard on batteries
- Sun degrades tires over time
Destroy the Engine
- Run with no oil or low oil
- Run with too much oil
- Run with cheap oil
- Never change the oil
- Never clean around the engine fins
- Allow mice/rodents to build nests in colling fins
- Let engine overheat
- Over rev the engine
Destroy the Mower Deck
- Leave outside
- Leave grass on top of it
- Never clean the bottom
- Run with loose belt shields
- Don’t grease the spindles
- Ignore weird sounds
- Ignore smoke from belts
Troubleshooting
Engine won’t turn over at all
- Violating safety system (parking break on, PTO/mower disengaged, transmission in neutral)
- Weak battery (common)
- Corroded battery terminals
- Corroded or loose positive cable to starter solenoid
- Corroded battery ground to mower, or loose ground
- Corroded solenoid control wire; not connected control wire; not grounded
- Bad wiring; shorted wiring
- Bad safety switch (or disconnected safety switch)
- Bad starter switch
- Bad starter solenoid
- Bad starter
- Drive belt seized or jammed
- Internal damage to engine (cam shaft, piston, piston rod, valve, etc…probably not worth repairing the engine)
Engine turns over but won’t start after 30 seconds of trying
- No fuel; old or stale fuel; ethanol fuel; water in fuel tank and carburator
- Weak battery
- Gunked up carburetor (common)
- Plugged fuel filter
- Spark plug wire disconnected
- Cheap spark plug; fouled spark plug
- Dirty air filter
- Corroded battery terminals / corroded battery ground to mower
- Bad ignition coil
- Bad wiring; shorted wiring
- Bad starter switch
- No compression
- Internal damage to engine (e.g., stuck intake or exhaust valve)
Engine starts but mower won’t move
- Hydrostatic transmission bypass lever engaged
- Bad transmission drive belt
- Belt slipped off
- Worn belt or pulleys
- Wrong belt
- Belt tension too loose
- One or more axle keys missing
- Problem with brakes
- Bad transmission
Engine stalls
- No gas / low gas / bad gas
- Safety switches will normally kill the engine if you get out of the seat if:
a. the parking brake is not set
b. the mower blades are engaged
- If the engine dies when going backwards with the mower blades running, many mowers will kill the engine. See if there is an override switch. You may have to disengage blades before backing up.
- Low rpm
- Fouled carburetor
- Bad spark plug or loose spark plug wire
- Problem with stator (aka alternator)
Engine stalls when engaging the mower blades
- Low engine rpm (have to have at least 75% power)
- Starting in very thick grass
- Bad safety switches
- Bad wiring; shorted wiring
- Jammed mower deck belt
- Problem with mower deck brake
Cuts poorly or not at all
- Problems with the mower deck belt
- Faulty PTO clutch (if the mower has one)
- Rear tires with different profiles
- Rear tires at different tire pressures
- Front tires different profile or low air pressure
- Mower deck not set level
- Low engine rpm
- Mowing too fast for the conditions; grass too tall; weeds too thick
- Wet grass
- Dull blades
- Damaged or extremely worn blades
- Loose blades
- Bad spindles, idler pulleys, etc.
Hard to steer
- Low front tire air pressure
- Front wheels frozen to their spindles
- Spindles frozen to front axle
- Bad steering column; locked up steering column
- Bad steering gear or locked up gear
- Problems with front axle
- Problems with tie rods
When to Buy Used Rather than New
General ule of thumb: Buy new if the cost of repair exceeds 50% of the cost of a new mower
However, new mowers may be built with lots of plastic, plastic parts in the engine, plastic transmissions, small tires, small frame, simple steering, stamped mower decks, fake hydrostatic transmissions, etc.
Don't Buy Used If You Can't...
- Avoid ethanol gasoline
- Keep inside or at least covered if left outside
- Maintain the proper oil level in the engine
- Maintain the proper tire pressure
- Change oil and oil filter
- Change spark plug
- Change fuel filter
- Remove mower deck and reinstall mower deck
- Replace mower deck belt
- Remove and sharpen mower blades; replace when needed
- Keep engine fins clear of debris and nests
- Adjust throttle and choke cables
- Drain carburetor for winter storage
- Add fuel stabilizer for winter storage
- Check battery terminals and wiring
- Test battery and replace when needed
- Grease front wheels and spindles
- Grease and lubricate mower deck
- Remove wheels; reinstall wheels
- Repair or replace seat
- Scrap off rust and apply spray paint
Excellent skills for owning a used mower
- Test for compression
- Test for spark
- Replace transmission drive belt
- Grease and lubricate drive belt pulleys
- Repair flat tires
- Replace mower deck spindles
- Clean or replace carburetor
- Adjust governor
- Troubleshoot wiring problems (cut, corroded, disconnected)
- Test/replace safety switches
- Replace ignition coil when it goes bad (and it will)
Reviving Old Tractors
Mostly Older Model Green Tractors
Typical reconditioning
- Repair or replace tires, add inner tubes
- Clean or replace carburetor
- Change oil and oil filter
- Change fuel filter
- Change air filter
- Grease mower
- Grease mower deck
- Replace mower deck belt (if needed)
- Sharpen mower blades; replace when needed
- Minor repairs to seat
- Reconnect safety switches
- Replace battery when needed
- Remove rust and paint rusted areas
- Level mower deck
- Check brakes
- Check PTO clutch (if mower has one)
- Repair hood (if mower has one)
- Replace damaged pulleys, idlers, and spindles
- Repair engines with no compression
- Repair poorly running engines, or non-running engines