The John Deere X304 isn’t new any more . . .

It’s amazing how time flies. Although it has been about 13 years since I bought the John Deere X304 lawn tractor for the ranch, it seems like yesterday. I still think of it as “the new tractor.” So it’s always a surprise when something needs repair. I use this machine for all kinds of things, from mowing to towing, and recently it developed a screaming sound near the front.

I have a tendency to imagine the worst, and immediately wondered if there was a bad bearing in the engine. A little sleuthing turned up a much less scary problem — the PTO/mower clutch seemed to be the source of the noise. With the drive belt disconnected, the noise went away, and I was able to continue with the towing I needed that day without much time lost. A problem for another day.

YouTube shows the way

The Old Clutch

I checked with the dealer, and a new PTO clutch was close to $300 installed. I would also have to get it there. Later on, I started looking around the InterWebs for info about this problem, and YouTube provided several videos. Try searching for “john deere x304 mower clutch.”

Apparently the clutch was replaceable without too much difficulty. Apart from disconnecting the drive belt and electric clutch cable, two bolts held the clutch in place; one to the tractor chassis, and the other on the engine shaft.

Amazon has the parts

Now what about the part? I could buy it direct from John Deere, but was pretty sure it would be a premium price. Back to my old standby: Amazon. I’m still amazed at what all they carry, and sure ’nuff, that they had a direct replacement part for $149. One YouTube video mentioned a little trouble removing the clutch from the engine shaft and recommended Kano Aerokroil to penetrate and loosen the parts. Although a little expensive at $20 a can, it seemed like cheap insurance. I’m always interested in new strategies for removing corroded parts.

An opportunity to buy a new tool

I had considered buying a mower lift every season for the last several, but the price was always just a little more than I wanted to pay. This was the moment since I would end up with a new tool and still come in under the dealer installation price. The Pro Lift T-5305 with Hydraulic Jack was on sale, and big enough to lift the fairly heavy X304. It would make it much easier and safer to work on the bottom of the tractor. A few days later, everything had arrived and I was ready to go.

Getting the mower up in the air

Testing the Mower Lift

The Pro Lift box was damaged in shipment and a couple of the metric bolts needed to attach the wheel baskets were missing, but I was able to find replacements in my horde. It was easy to assemble. I started the repair by removing the mower deck. It’s easy on these models with the removal of four large cotter pins and then detaching the lift mechanism pins.

As I’d hoped, the lift easily raised the front end of the mower, and had safety mechanisms that would prevent the lift from descending accidentally. I now had easy access to the faulty clutch.

Removing the old mower clutch

Using an Impact Driver on the Engine Bolt

The bolt connecting the clutch to the chassis was easy to remove but the bolt on the engine shaft required a little persuasion. A pneumatic impact wrench made it easy. As the video had predicted, removing the clutch from the engine was a little tricky, probably because it is connected by a keyed shaft. The Aerokroil wasn’t needed though and after a few taps with a machinist’s hammer to break it loose, the clutch slid right off.

Disconnecting the wires turned out to be the hardest part because they travel through the chassis and connect to the engine above. The plug wouldn’t fit through the available hole. I simply cut the wires on the old part.

A new clutch installed in minutes

The new clutch fit perfectly, and was installed in a couple of minutes. I routed the wires to a different hole (that the plug would fit through) and got it connected. After lowering the mower from the lift, I replaced the mower deck, stretched the belt over the new clutch pulley and started the engine. No more screaming. Pulling the mower switch out, the clutch engaged and the mower was running again. Another successful repair and the satisfaction of doing it myself. Also, I avoided trailering the mower to the dealer and I had a new lift to boot!