VID 20240428 124300684

This is my ongoing John Deere 317 garden tractor project. I've always been fond of this model as they are as tough as they come but do lack some of the features found in newer models.

As it's a hobby of mine to refurbish John Deere Garden tractors usually to original, this one was an exception for me. I decided to update it to remove some of the shortcomings of this older model.

It all started with my first repower and the machine was intended to be more or less a test bed to fit out a Kohler Command engine I had. This tractor had an original Onan conversion from Deere but the Onan had chucked a rod out the side of the case and I thought it might be time for me to move on to something newer.

While I had the tractor torn down to the frame, I decided to play around with installing power steering. I had come across a JD 400 and decided to give that a try. It took some time to fit it all together but, in the end, I wouldn't recommend going that way. First of all, it's not true power steering just power assist and my intentions were to eliminate the slop in the original Ross steering which plagues all 317s and similar models. It really didn't do what I thought it would. But I did use the 400 three spool hydraulics. It took a little effort to plumb all of that stuff but it's not all that hard to do.

So, a year later, I went in a different direction and installed a system taken from a 425 John Deere. For the most part it was fairly easy to install the hydraulic components but making up a steering column took a bit more time. I wanted it to remain looking like a 317 but in the process I did extend the steering wheel upward and outward to give the operator a little more room. I wish I would have added a bit more. It did take some trial and error to get the geometry right but, in the end, I made it all work very nicely. After it was all completed, this is the number one improvement of the entire project.

In the engine process I also updated the driveshaft to something a bit stouter and more maintainable. I also took advantage of the later engines configuration and got rid of the Ogura PTO. No more gapping to worry about. Besides, the odd ball PTO clutch used on Onan engines are just too expensive and hard to find. This was another of the reasons I chose to stay away from Onan's. Mainly due to the large crankshaft these engines have, PTO replacements are very limited if not impossible to find.

So, in the end, this has become my favorite tractor. So much so, I recently sold off my last 425. This thing is now a very strong, tough tractor that does everything I've asked of it and without all the shortcomings of this model. I do miss the foot controls of the 4X5s of which I had every model.

Yes, the side panels still fit but did need a little modification for the muffler I ended up using. Of which there were several. I finally gave up and just used a standard Kohler muffler with a front tail pipe through the grill. It was the only way I could keep the machine relatively quiet.

Anybody who is contemplating making any one of these changes, feel free to contact me as I have hundreds of photos to share. You really don't have to spend a lot of cash if you can find a decent used engine. It was an interesting project and I will continue to update with more improvements. When lawn mowing season if over.

Stay tuned....