Towards the end of last summer, our John Deere ProGator started to make some noises that made us uncomfortable.  There was a little grinding, some jumping, and a clunk here and there.  Our Equipment Manager said the transmission was going out and we'd be better off parking it until we could get it fixed.

So the heavy duty utility vehicle sat there for months.  With fall aerification just around the corner, it was too late to get the unit repaired or to find a replacement whether new or used.  We borrowed a demo and another vehicle from our friends at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club who are always willing to help out a neighboring course. 

Our plan was to explore replacement options and eventually rip the machine apart in-house to see what degree of repair was needed.  The ProGator is 15 years old so spending a bunch of money on the tranny was out of the question.  Just sending the unit in for repair would result in a labor bill of roughly $2000 and if a new transmission was needed.......... well let's forget that.

I haven't found anything that our Equipment Manager, Jan cannot fix, but a repair of this magnitude requires some special knowledge.  Our friend Jim with 25 years experience with John Deere and some time on his hands offered to help us out with the repair and it started with fingers crossed this past Monday. 

First, they pulled the transmission filter screen and here is what they found:



All the gunk on that filter is tiny shavings of metal.  In case you are not sure, that is a very bad sign.

Next we pulled apart the transmission and as we did, we could hear ball bearings and bits of metal falling inside the case.  Once again, not a good sign.  I couldn't stand any more bad news and I don't have anything to offer in the way of equipment repair so I left Jan and Jim to do what they do.

When I was called back for a short education on transmissions, they had some good news to share.  A bearing had fallen apart and was causing all the racket we'd been hearing.  Somehow, all the bits of metal stayed away from the gears and did no further damage.

You can see the gears in this photo and all of them are in very good condition with no wear, no play, no chips, dents, or cracks.  They went through each one individually, tooth by tooth, to make sure to replace any damaged portion of the transmission.  If you look to the left of the bearing with the orange collar, you will see the problem atop the center shaft.  Half of this bearing is missing.

I took this photo today with the old bearing on the left and the new on the right: 


We have so many jobs that were waiting for this unit to be brought back to life.  In a time of year that every course struggles financially, this is a major success story.  With the help of some friends, the know-how of a talented Equipment Manager, and a bunch of luck, we just saved the club a major expense.