[clintonmotor]

This is my 318 that I bought from the local dealer, it was a trade in and it was pretty rough, and the mechanics did not want to waste their time working on it. So, I bought it and tore this tractor completely down and started over. The unique thing about this tractor is that someone repowered it with a 18hp Linamar, so I fixed the engine, cleaned the carb, new plugs, fresh fuel system, and bingo, runs like a swiss watch, changed all the fluids and filters, and I have a nice little 318. It has been sandblasted and powder coated, even the screen on the bottom is powder coated. New rubber and wheels are being done as I post this. My daughter wants it to cut grass. I have a 50" deck that will need overhaul this spring.

 

[KB]

Phil,

It looks very good so far

KB

 

[Hammerdown-7]

Hello Phil
Congratulation's on finding a Good Bullet proof Tractor and welcome to the 318 Owner's Club ! I like you found mine at a Tri-Green John Deere dealership about Six year's ago and the same situation as you encountered The dealer did Not want to Bother with it. I bought mine whole sale for $300.00 and was told that it did not run. I Placed some Jumper cables on it's dead battery and after Turning over a few time's it came to life and ran good. It came to me with an almost brand new MOW 140/318 replacement 48" Mowing deck on it that retails for $1300.00 by itself so the Purchase of it was a No brainer on my part. I was told by the dealer that the guy that had it had Bought it new from them but had Passed away. it sat in his garage for six month's while they settled his Estate. His Grandson got it and swapped it in on a newer mower, silly Boy so it sat in the back row of this dealership until i found it.



I brought it home and did a complete service on it. Being that it was a 1983 first year 318 it had a Point's and condenser Ignition in it so I placed new Point's and a condenser when I serviced it. We Ran it hard for the next Four Year's Mowing 2 full acre's of Grass per week with it during our Nine Month mowing season here in East Tennessee, & it never let us down. Last fall it's engine was getting tired so I decided to restore it. I had a brand new Onan P-218 engine built for it and did a down to the bare frame re-paint and restore of it. We Used it all last summer and it now has 69 Hour's on it's restore with No issues. I am very Pleased with it and feel that it will be the last Tractor that I will Ever need. I have added a 54" Hydro four way dirt dozer blade to it as well as the amazing Model 30 Hydraulic Tiller. I now have a total of $2600.00 in my entire package and am very Pleased with it. I know that you are going to love that 318 as all of us 318 owner's do, as I feel that the John Deere 318 is the Best Lawn & Garden Tractor that John Deere Ever made then or since, as Proof of that show's as to many of them are still Out there running good. Nice Machine. Regards, Kurt

 

[clintonmotor]

Kurt, thanks for the invite to the 318 Club. I paid too much for mine, but what the heck. It is in perfect condition now and I have rescued it from the junk pile. The one thing I did different was powder coat the grille black instead of green. Why? because I wanted them too match my 210,214,314,316,400 tractors. My 420's are green grills and I will keep that.

 

[jim_snyder]

Phil, Nice job!!

 

[danvan54]

Great find Phil! You will be very happy with it for many years to come.

 

[Hammerdown-7]

Hello Phil
The Price you paid will be rewarded on the other end as far as Buying something that will last there are Ton's of them still out there working weekly where as Many newer one's are resting quietly in the scrap and Tractor bone yards. I was at our Local John Deere dealer a couple of week's ago and there was a Model 748 Ultimate John Deere sitting there so I looked it over while I was waiting for the part's guy to round up part's that we needed on my son in law John Deere 316 that we were building A sales guy spotted me and jumped me about Buying the Ultimate 748 Tractor. I told him very quickly that it was Not the Tractor for me as I was very happy with my 1983 John Deere 318. He then said that they could arrange a payment for $99.00 a Month on it, again I was trying to be modest saying No Thank's and that got rid of him, he tried his hardest to convice me that the new Generation Tractor's were better than my Old 318 but it did not work well I am still very fond of my 318.



I was Looking at the frame in the newer generation Tractor's and it was a Third the size and Much Thinner of that of our Old 318's which really did Not Impress me. I figure it certainly would Flex a lot more than mine would. They are Liquid cooled which is a nice feature but in the long run it means radiator issues or over heating from one Plugging up. The Tractor seemed to have a Ton of electronic's on it too which tells me trouble with age, it was Nice that it had Fuel Injection but with the Trash gas that we are forced to run today it would only be a matter of time before that became an issue. They did not have a price on it so I asked and was sticker shocked as it was well over $12,000.00 with the 60" deck on it. On the way home my son in law asked me what that new Ultimate Tractor did for me and I said compared to what we have and use weekly Nothing...I am Not Easily convinced that Newer is better these days as most of the Part's are now made South of the Border that will Not see the service Life span that my Original 318 Part's have and still do keep on performing for me weekly as they do... Regards, Kurt