The Dale C. Maley Family Web Site

John Deere Riding Lawn Mowers - Models 55, 56 and 57

John Deere introduced their first step-though, rear engine riding mowers in 1970 with the model 55 and 56.  The model 57 was released the following year.  The production life of the model 55 concluded after 1972 while the model 56 and 57 mowers were available through 1974.  Serial numbers and years are listed below.  (These riding mowers were replaced by models 65, 66 and 68 in 1975.)  Each model was driven by belt from the engine to a two or three speed transmission, then by chain to the rear axle differential.  Mower height of cut was adjustable in steps between 1 and 3 inches by a single lever, and a small hitch plate was mounted at the rear of the frame.

Model 55 features:  Handlebar steering, Tecumseh 5 hp V50 vertical engine with recoil starter, 2 forward - 1 reverse transmission, solid front tires, pneumatic rear tires, single blade mower deck with 26 inch cut, net weight 266 pounds.  A mulching kit was optional.

Model 56 features:  Wheel steering, Tecumseh 6 hp V60 vertical engine with recoil starter, 2 forward - 1 reverse transmission up to serial #44000, 3 forward - 1 reverse transmission starting at serial #44001, pneumatic tires, single blade 28 inch mower deck, net weight 269 pounds.  Electric starting and mulching kits were optional.  Note:  Many of these tractors have replacement 7 hp V70 engines.

Model 57 features:  Wheel steering, Tecumseh 7 hp V70 vertical engine with recoil starter, 2 forward - 1 reverse transmission up to serial #13999, 3 forward - 1 reverse transmission starting at serial #14000, pneumatic tires, dual blade 34 inch mower deck, net weight 326 pounds.  Electric starting and mulching kits were optional.

I purchased my John Deere 57 used in April 1984 from the local John Deere dealer. It is serial number 37728 and I purchased it for $397.50. The date 1974 is handwritten under the seat cover. I installed a short block engine in 1988. I installed a new engine in 1996. The 1996 engine was a Tecumseh TVM125-TVM140-V70. In the Summer of 2004, the engine developed a cracked block. I experienced about 8 years of life per engine.

Although I only got 8 years of life per engine, I have really enjoyed my Model 57. It has mowed grass in Illinois, South Carolina, and Georgia. My houses have had small to medium size yards which fits the Model 57 fine. I wanted to keep my 30 year old classic Model 57 running versus spending several thousand on a new mower.

I called my local Tecumseh dealer.....he checked.....and said the 7 Hp model was no longer available due to a change in U.S. emissions laws. I also checked with several companies on the internet, and they gave me the same answer.

I was about to throw in the towel and send my Model 57 to the junk yard.....when my neighbor told me he had the exact same Model 57 and was able to package an 8 Hp Tecumseh into the Model 57. He used to work at a John Deere dealership, and he bought his new in 1973. He agreed with my analysis this was one of the best small riding mowers ever built.

He purchased his 8 Hp Tecumseh from Northern Tool. It was an 8 HP, Model# TVM220-157291K. I ordered the same new engine in Fall 2004....it was back ordered and did not arrive until Thanksgiving 2004.

Model# TVM220-157291K

• Model number TMV 195
• Cast iron sleeve
• Iron alloy valve seats and guides
• Kleen-Aire� filter system
• Mechanical governor for smooth speed
• 1 inch x 3 5/32 inch shaft
• 1/4 inch keyway
• 3/8 inch-24 tapped end

The most difficult aspect of converting from the 7 Hp to 8 Hp Tecumseh is converting the 2 pulley drives. The original top pulley is a 2.5 inch OD with a 7/8" ID. A new pulley can be purchased from lawn mower repair shops or machine shops. My neighbor chose to purchase a slightly larger 3 inch OD with 1 inch ID from the local lawn mower dealer/repair shop because they did not stock 2.5 inch OD with 1 in ID and this will increase the driving speed of the mower by 20%. My neighbor says the increased speed is nice compared to the original speed. I chose to purchase the same 3 inch OD and 1 inch ID new pulley as my neighbor.

The tough pulley to convert is the bottom pulley that drives the blades. John Deere designed a custom pulley for this job that has a long shaft/tube to connect the pulley to the motor shaft. One can bore out the old pulley by drilling the original 7/8 inch bore to 1 inch using a 1 inch bit. This leaves just enough material to support the washer on the bolt that attaches the pulley to the engine shaft. The washer for this bolt must be exactly the same size as the OD of the tube. The trick is how do you drive the pulley since drilling the bore out to 1 inch removes the 1/4 inch drive key?

My neighbor solved this problem by not using a key drive. Instead, he installed 2 drive dowel pins in the bottom of the upper pulley. He then sawed 2 notches in the top of the lower pulley for the 2 dowel pins to drive in. Washers or spacer bushings are used to get both pulleys the correct distance from the engine mounting plate. A crude sketch of this concept is shown below:

I ordered the items noted above from McMaster-Carr, and they were delivered in a couple of days. The only machining I had to do was cut the 1 inch keyed shaft to the correct length, then drill through the center of the shaft. The drawing above shows drilling a 9/16 inch hole through the shaft. This is an error and a 1/2 inch diameter hole is sufficient. I used my 3 jaw wood chuck to hold the 1 inch bar in my drill press. I drilled from both ends.

All parts came from either the local lawn mower shop (3 inch OD upper pulley, McMaster-Carr, or the local Ace hardware store). I assembled the pulleys onto the new motor with the new motor setting upside down on sawhorses so I could verify key pulley height dimensions were achieved.

Prior to installing the 4 mounting bolts, slip the top pulley and spacers up onto the motor shaft. There is not enough clearance to install the pulley after it is bolted in. Also attach the upper v-belt to the upper pulley. Now bolt the engine down with the 4 mounting bolts. Also re-attach the grounding wire from the on-off switch to the new motor. My connector was the same, so I had to do was plug it in to the new motor on the right hand front of the motor.

The lower pulley and associated parts can now be installed. I assembled all the lower parts as a sub-assembly, then lifted this sub-assembly up, engaging the 1/4 inch key, up into the final position. Tighten the 3/8 inch diameter bolt which holds the entire assembly together. Attach the lower v-belt to the lower pulley.

Now spread the upper 2 bars of the hitch plate to fit around the new 3.0 inch OD upper pulley versus the original 2.5  inch OD pulley. I held the hitch plate in the vise and bent the bars with a pipe wrench. Attach the hitch plate and adjust it so the lower belt won't slip off, but not so close the hitch rubs on the lower pulley. Tighten the 2 bolts that hold the hitch plate to the frame.

Remove bolts and rotate pull rope cover so rope is pointing to left of mower. Tighten bolts after rotating.

The 8 Hp motor is taller than the 7 Hp original motor.

Remove the seat and top cover by removing the 4 bolts under the seat. On my installation, the hinged steel seat mounting plate contacted the gas tank. I used a Dremel grinder to grind enough relief in the hinged steel piece so it would not rub a hole in the new gas tank over time.

Saw 2 square spacers from 3/4 inch thick plywood. This raises the seat 1.5 inches. Drill 4 holes in these spacers to match the seat bolt pattern. Also cut clearance in the upper spacer for the hemisphere shape on the seat that protrudes downwards. I cut my clearance with a hole saw, but a saber saw could be used as well. 

Replace the original 3/4 inch long seat bolts with 2.5 inch long bolts due to the 1.5 inch raise in seat height. Start all 4 bolts but do not tighten. It is a bear to get the 1st bolt started because the seat, cover, and hinged piece are all trying to move!

Pull the rear cover back until the back lip drops between the 2 bars on the back of the mower. Then adjust the seat forwards and backwards until it is where you want it. Raise cover just enough to tighten 2 bolts in back so whole assembly does not move out of place as you tighten the bolts. Tighten balance of bolts. Verify top cover still drops down between 2 bars on rear.

Mark top of fuel cap and oil cap with powdered chalk. Lower top cover onto engine and press down over each cap so chalk marks top cover. Drill 2 new holes for fuel cap and oil cap using hole saw or saber saw. I used Dremel tool with grinding wheel to grind clearance for back bolt of pull rope assembly.

I did not cut out new holes for 2 plastic nuts that hold down air cleaner cover.

There was just enough clearance to get the gearshift knob into reverse gear. May have to Dremel out some clearance here pending upcoming field tests.

Verify top cover closes ok and there are no major interferences.

The existing throttle cable is 1 - 2 inches too short. I purchased a new cable at Ace hardware that had a 54 inch conduit and 57 inch inner wire. The new cable came with 1 straight end and 1 end bent. I bent the straight end since this required.

To remove the throttle cable, the steering wheel must be removed. The steering wheel is attached to the steering shaft with a 1/4 inch solid dowel pin. The dowel pin is at the bottom of the steering wheel. After 30 years, my dowel pin did not want to come out !!  I had to drill out the pin then drive remainder out with a punch. Once the dowel pin was out, I removed the wheel cover center piece with Deere logo on it...and filled pocket with penetrating oil. I then tool punch and went in through dowel hole to drive wheel upwards. I rotated from one dowel hole to the other until finally the wheel started to come up from the shaft.

Remove the 3 little bolts that hold the throttle linkage. Before pulling out the old cable from the mower, go to the engine end of the old cable and tie a string onto the old cable. This string will make it easier to thread the new cable through the mower. Gently pull the old cable and string from through the mower. Untie the cable and remove the old cable from the shifter assembly. Install new cable in the shifter assembly. Be careful not to break the 2 ears that bend and retain the cable. Attach engine end of new cable to string and use black electricians tape to make smooth transition from string to cable. Gently pull string and new cable through mower. Remove black tape and string. Attach throttle cover with 3 bolts. Clean steering shaft with emery cloth and then lubricate so wheel slides smoothly over shaft. Use jack to keep shaft in up position (I placed hydraulic floor jack under bottom of shaft to force assembly up). Drop steering wheel over shaft keeping hole alignment for the pin.  I used a hollow shear pin versus the original 1/4 inch diameter solid dowel pin. Reinstall center plastic cover in wheel. Removing the rusted steering wheel was the toughest part of this job for me !!

Attach throttle cable to engine and tighten clamp to hold exterior of cable in place.

My trusty Model 57 entered its 36th mowing season with no troubles at all. However, in September, one of the steering tie rods fell down onto the ground. I was amazed that the John Deere dealer in Pontiac, Illinois had replacement tie rods for $28 each...I splurged and bought two of them.  Installed new tie rods on 9/18/2010.......test drove.......and it is ready for another 36 years of service

PS  The John Deere parts guys were amazed my 1974 Model 57 was still going !!

I tried to mow up some piles of weeds in the yard, that I had pulled by hand, and of course they sort of get stuck in the front of the mower.  Then I noticed the right front wheel was way outwards, almost ready to slide off.  Apparently the jammed weeds had put outwards pressure on the front wheel, popping off the snap ring that holds the wheel onto the shaft.  I got some 3/4" heavy duty snap rings from Fairbury Fastener, and some thin washers from ACE hardware, and repaired both the RH and LH front wheels.

The drive chain has popped off a few times. Over 44 years of mowing, I'm guessing the big drive gear has worn down, allowing too much slop in the chain........and that is why it comes off the gear.  The small tensioner gear has been at max travel for years.

Upon inspection, I found the 4 bolts had loosened on the small rear axle.  I tightened them up.  I probably need to inspect them each mowing season and tighten.

I decided to remove some links from the chain, so the tensioner gear was working properly and not at max travel.  I used the Dremel with a fiber reinforced wheel to grind off the end of the pins, then used a nail and hammer to drive out the pin.

Neither ACE or Fairbury Fastener had the right size master link to connect the chain back together. I ended up getting the right master link from the Pontiac John Deere dealer.  It is model 41 type roller chain, and McMaster-Carr carries it also.  Now the tensioner is at about 1/2 of max travel, so hopefully the chain won't fall off any more.

The last repair involved the front RH mower deck support. 20 years ago it broke off, and my dad welded it.   His weld lasted 20 years, but the adjacent metal wore through again. Since I can't weld, I decided to add some steel and bolt it back together.