Newbie with a pair of STX38s

Thanks for the welcome.
As soon as I fugure out how to post pix, I'll post some.
We are removing the engine from the newer STX38 today so my son can rebuild it in his Power Tech class.
We cleaned the engine yesterday and assessed the newer (1993 according to the serial number) tractor. The chassis is very solid with only a few bumps and some rust on the battery tray. It sould clean-up well. Both front tires leak so I'm going to buy some Briggs & Stratton tire sealant and hope they hold air. Tread looks OK on all and I also got an extra turf tire (unmounted) with the "package." The seat is in good shape with no cuts or cracks. The steering wheel looks good and has an "official" John Deere spinner!
The DieHard battery was low (clicked only when in start position) so I have it on my trickle charger and hope to bring it back to life.
The 12.5 Kohler engine cleaned up well and the starter does LOOK new, as the seller noted, but I couldn't test it due to the low battery.
The hood is OK with a few scratches here and there and one of the decals is peeling, but two-side tape should cure that. The typical plastic breakage where the hood mounts to the hinge assembly are there so I'll cut the plastic sleeves off and replace them with blocks of wood and thru bolts to ensure no further breakage.
The mower deck is intact but a little rusty. The bearings sound OK. The front of the housing is slightly deformed and the left blade then sliced into the housing, but I think it will work OK with a few blows from the ol' BFH.
We will probably not get to the other STX38 until later this week.
M U Tiger
Webster Groves, MO

Re: Newbie with a pair of STX38s UPDATE

We now have the Kohler engine out of the '93 STX38 and my son has been able to begin tear-down in his Power Tech class. The second STX38 is here: it's tight fitting both in our shed!
The engine rebuild is a semester-long project, so it won't be back until some time in December.
I've made a trip to the local Deere dealer and bought new belts for the tractor we'll keep. Interestingly, the belts on the other tractor appear pretty new and OEM.
The front tires on the '93 leak (see other posting) and are mismatched, so I'll probably switch front wheels and tires with the '89 and check, clean and repack the front bearings on both when I do that.
Both tractors' foot and park brakes aren't working. I bought a set of pads which I'll replace in the tractor showing the most wear. (I think we'll just need to adjust both: thanks for the info. on this forum!)
I had to buy a replacement rubber hold down for the bagger, which I replaced using a bolt instead of the large original rivet. Overall, the bagger is usable: the bags have a few tears and are missing one of the rope handles (no problem to replace) and the discharge tube has seen better days.
I bought a quart of JD Green paint and will use Naval Jelly to remove the rust on the '89, prime with Rustoleum and paint. Other than adjusting the steering wheel, that one will need little else.
The '93 will be essentially "restored" when we finish with it.
Altogether, we'll end up with two nice STX38 tractors. I hope we'll be able to sell the '89 to recover the purchase cost and the cost of refurbishing/restoring the pair.
Plus, as noted, it's a great father-and-son project!