[AJD] Where to buy governor weights? - 1953 50 running again after 20-some years

[David Ransom]

This fall, I got back to the John Deere 50 and got it running.  The radiator 
leaks, the thermostat is stuck in the position that holds the radiator 
shutters open, the brake adjusters are very stuck, the fuel shutoff doesn't 
seem to work all that well, and the left exhaust valve leaks a little, but 
it did run, and I drove it around a little.

While I was driving it, the engine seemed to speed up faster than it should 
have for where I had the throttle lever, so I pulled the spark plug wires to 
stop it.  The governor to carburetor linkage had come off the governor.  I 
put it back on and tried to start the engine (by hand with a socket ratchet 
on the clutch drive disk bolt).  The crankshaft wouldn't turn.  I was afraid 
something terrible had happened.  I put it in sixth gear and rocked the back 
wheel, and that freed it up for one revolution of hand cranking.  I removed 
the crankcase top cover, the spark plugs, and rocker arms cover, and saw 
nothing obviously wrong.  I put it in reverse and moved it out of the road 
by turning the clutch drive disk bolt backwards.  I could hear a clicking 
sound from the governor / magneto area.  Had I been turning the crankshaft 
forwards, I would have thought it was the magneto clicking, but I don't 
think the magneto clicks when turned backward, and I could see the governor 
to carburetor linkage bouncing up and down with each click, so I took the 
innards out of the governor and found the problem.  Somehow the arms on the 
governor weights had gotten past the thrust bearing, and the weights had 
gotten all smashed up against the governor housing.

As far as I can tell, the only problem (other than the metal from the 
smashed weights splattered around the inside of the governor housing) is 
that the weights are smashed up and the arms on the weights are bent out. 
So, I figured I could clean the inside of the housing, replace the weights, 
change the oil, and get it running again.

I was surprised at the cost of replacement weights.  I saw a used pair on 
eBay for $100.00 + $9.00 shipping.  The local John Deere dealer wants 
$115.00 for each weight.  Is there any less expensive place to get them, or 
is that what I should expect to pay for them?

Also, what should I do to make sure the new weights don't wind up like the 
old ones?