People say that new john deere mowers are crap.....

[Bison]

I have been reading all of these remarks about the John Deere line and can't help but to get the impresion that a lot of people just don't do there homework before shelling out there hard earnened money.

When I bought my JD riding mower, It was because John Deere had a great reputation. I knew people that swore by JD. So, it didn't seem necessary to do a lot of homework because of the name. Why would JD put out junk after spending so many years building such a great reputation? My last mower was a Craftsman that lasted me 14 years and then i sold it for $250 when I moved. When I bought the JD mower I knew that it had to be as good or better than a Craftsman. Even a cheaper JD should be as good or better than a cheaper craftsman..... John Deere really shot themselves in the foot on this one. Carburator had to be replaced right off the bat then dealer didn't get the intake manifold sealed right and back it had to go at my expence. Right after warranty, transmission went- no way to check the fluid or change it. Idler pulley bearings and spindle bearings shot already with 170 hours on it. Still doesn't run right, hard to start, pops thru the carb and won't idle down sometimes and on and on...... They say you get what you pay for? not in this case, this thing was $2400 new. That is not cheap by any means. You would think after all the years JD has been making great equipment, some of the engineering would rub off on the less expensive homeowner grade machine! They should have had MTD make the lower models, it would have been much better!

$2400 buys you nothing decent these days.
You're better off to buy an seventies model for a couple hundred and fix it up.
$2000 will buy parts for many years to come ....IF you need them.

New ain't allways better,...old is proven.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with Bison that $2400 won't buy you much in today's economy. If you wan't a good Deere riding mower you will need to raise the bar to about $4000 for a simple model. When my L130 quits I will replace it with an x320 most likely.

I will repair the k46 tranny and use the L130 a few more years for my own lawn it is starting to slow down. That is alot cheaper than buying a new mower for my own lawn. I think one of the problems is that most people today can't repair anything. Most dealers don't have any parts on hand. The throw away economy is wasteful and expensive, couple that to the EPA requirements and it is almost fatal to the consumer.

 

[talley2191]

Good feedback and I currently own an LA125 (4 years old) that I replaced the head gasket on at 145 hours and I have an X300 with the Kawasaki engine. Big difference between the two besides the Briggs vs Kawasaki. Components appear stronger and more fluid in the X300. Only 13 hours on the X300 but I can tell it mows better than the LA did when it was new. The LA 125 has been relegated to pulling the yard cart until the transmission goes up. That is one thing with the LA125 I have not had a problem with (knock on wood).

 

[Anderson Classic Tractors]

I have owned many John Deere mowers, and have been very pleased. I had a 165, LX178, X300 (2)and now a X320. And a 14SB push mower. They all had Kawasaki engines. I trade every 2-3 years as they hold their value. I would not buy an L series however.

 

[Dashe]

I had a Snapper for the past 15 years and the B&S 16 hp single lung quit in the middle of the lawn. Trying to find parts for it is getting harder so I purchased a new x720. A little more tractor than the snapper but I figure that it will last longer than I do and if in 20 years I need parts, JD will most likely be in business or at least you will still be able to get parts.

 

[talley2191]

I had a Snapper for the past 15 years and the B&S 16 hp single lung quit in the middle of the lawn. Trying to find parts for it is getting harder so I purchased a new x720. A little more tractor than the snapper but I figure that it will last longer than I do and if in 20 years I need parts, JD will most likely be in business or at least you will still be able to get parts.

The x720....Very nice!!

 

[Dashe]

Thank you. Got 2.5 hours on it. Ran out of lawn and that with me doing the neighbor's 1/2 acre. Took me the first 1/2 hour to get use to the foot pedals and the RIO. My wife claims the back yard to mow. Love, it fighting over who gets to mow the lawn.