# Hour meter not working



## Mick318 (Jun 29, 2018)

I just purchased a 1988 318 with only 504 hours on it. It looked really clean and well kept. The seat had a big split in it, but every thing looked good otherwise. I got it home from a 14 hour trip and plowed snow for an hour and the hour meter ne er moved. The reason I paid a little more than I wished was because I believed the hours were 504. This guy said he was the second owner and he bought it from his neighbor who only used it to clean up his leaves every year. I have two other 318's and the hour meters still work. Is this a common issue and I got lucky in my other two, or do the meters often go bad? Do folks unhook them? Thanks for the thkughts.

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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

My 1958 Deere shows 17 hours on the meter. Dad's kubota quit spinning less than a quarter the way along its current life.

Hour meters never played at being an exact measurement of hours. Its a service aid at best.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

_*"It looked really clean and well kept"*_

Most people use the hour meter as the maintenance clock. Every item of maintenance in the Operators Manual is based on hours. It's hard to imagine anybody selling a _"clean and well kept" _machine that didn't know the hour meter wasn't working_. _Not saying the guy was dishonest and he actually did you a favor_. _I'll bet the next time you drive 14 hours to pick up a 30+ year old lawn mower because it only has_ "504 hours" _on it, you'll take the 10 seconds to verify the hour meter is actually working. It's not a felony to change/alter the hour meter on a lawn tractor. I've probably got 30-40 hour meters in my shop. When I'm buying/selling a machine and somebody makes a big deal of the hour meter reading, I show them that drawer full of hour meters and say..... "Pick the one you'd like it to read, I'll garb some tools, and we'll do a little time traveling"


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

It is likely that service was done seasonally. Hour meters are more for heavy usage. seasonal is what low usage machinery should do.


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