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I will kick it off, I have the Z960R and like for multiple reasons which I will list below, but the most important thing that sticks out is the superb cut and striping of this machine. I change mowing directions each week so after I cut I have stripes in my yard and when I do change directions I do not have the stripes from the previous cut still trying to blend in so dominant from a machine with a stripe kit on it that it looks like crap like it does on many yards I have seen from mowers using the striping kit.

Others things that led me to the JD Ztrak series are:
Stamped 1 piece 7 Iron Deck
Deck is hung by structural bolts and carabiners
Hydraulic deck lift on control lever
Emergency deck kill switch on other controller
Deck height adjusts with a dial, no pins or levers
Foot pedal e-brake
Cross Porting hydraulic system

So what JD mower do you have?

I have a 1983 and a 1984 JD 111 lawn tractors. I used them up some years ago. I plan on fixing the 1983 111 for my grands son, he told me he wants the green one when he gets older. I bought the first one because I wanted to say I own a JOHN DEERE, I got the second one for my wife. I have just cut grass with them and ride around the farm. I did have 1989 185 hydro JD that I gave to friends who were in need of a lawn mower, that one has a kaw engine on it and they have to cut 2 acres so I can't say I own it anymore, but I was very happy with it and in all the years I owned it I had to just put spark plugs, oil/filters, air filters, blades, belts and a fuel pump just before I gave them it. I have a sickle bar mower 7' that I use to cut hay Model 39, its older then dirt but still works great and I can still get parts for it from John Deere. I said this before, someday I will own a top of the line John Deere before I kick the bucket. "But thats just me"

This is the best junk Deere I have.

644C

Electric brakes

Have used this at the sand dredge for years.
The bucket holds 4 1/2 tons of sand ( we sell by the ton not the yard )

6 years it was totally under water in a flood
Still runs good but likes to jump out of gear.

This pic is me tearing a dredge apart to scrap.

View attachment 22681View attachment 22682View attachment 22683View attachment 22684View attachment 22685View attachment 22686Here are some of my John Deere stuff. The first three pics are going to by my youngest grandson JD 111 tractor when I put it all together. The fourth is my JD model 39 sickle bar mower and the next two is the JD 185 that I fixed up for our friends.

Gee, I would have thought there would be more John Deere fans on this forum, I guess I was wrong....

gfp55 said:

Gee, I would have thought there would be more John Deere fans on this forum, I guess I was wrong....

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Yea I figured those douches that popped into the other topic spewing crap kinda drove folks away and got them irritated.
Kinda odd we don't do that, but yet others find any excuse in the world to knock JD and knock JD in this forum.
Now I will be the first to admit about one particular brand I will tell about how crappy it is, which the majority of said mower is made in china, but hey if folks want to not support America and rather support china then each is their own.

Nwatson99 said:

Yea I figured those douches that popped into the other topic spewing crap kinda drove folks away and got them irritated.
Kinda odd we don't do that, but yet others find any excuse in the world to knock JD and knock JD in this forum.
Now I will be the first to admit about one particular brand I will tell about how crappy it is, which the majority of said mower is made in china, but hey if folks want to not support America and rather support china then each is their own.

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I dropped my BUY AMERICAN on my signature because people would get mad at me because they own japanese cars and trucks and chinese crap. I have never said that japanese stuff is junk, my point is as americans we need to worry about our childrens future and the future of America. If let our manufacturing base crumble we will be weak. People say the auto worker makes too much money for the job, but they don't realise is how much the auto worker pays in taxes or how much the auto worker spends in this country in services and goods, and that applies to other worker like the steal industry, rail roads, etc. any high paying american jobs. When those job are gone someone has to pay the taxes so others now have to pay more to take up the slack, and then they cry about higher taxes. "But that just me"

The John Deere I have and still using is the model 68. It been a strong mower through the many years I have owned it. Its getting to the point it just getting worn out and they don't make parts for it anymore. The main thing I have against John Deere is parts. A lot of their parts are John Deere only and you can only buy them from a John Deere dealer. John Deere also isn't the only American made mower.

John Deere Z930, Love it all, just picked up a 1985? JD316 runs and looks good just plan to tinker this winter with it.

I have a JD 652R stander. It is much faster than my Toro Grandstand and as such makes us more efficient. This is why I like my deere

fatboy said:

I have a JD 652R stander. It is much faster than my Toro Grandstand and as such makes us more efficient. This is why I like my deere

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Hey can you elaborate a little more on that one, my friend it looking at that model as well and was wondering about it.
Plenty of power?
How does it handle?
Deck adjustment pretty easy?
and anything else you can say about it would be appreciated so I can pass it along.

mowerman05 said:

John Deere Z930, Love it all, just picked up a 1985? JD316 runs and looks good just plan to tinker this winter with it.

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What year model is your Z930?

Nwatson99 said:

What year model is your Z930?

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2012 with the rear bagger. only complaint is to mount the rear bagger you have to remove the rear weighted bumper to install the bagger mount. So when not using the bagger the mower handles different. had to mount some weight plates (75 lbs) on a pipe bracket that fits the bagger mount. bagger is a beast, it can't be installed and removed rapidly.

mowerman05 said:

2012 with the rear bagger. only complaint is to mount the rear bagger you have to remove the rear weighted bumper to install the bagger mount. So when not using the bagger the mower handles different. had to mount some weight plates (75 lbs) on a pipe bracket that fits the bagger mount. bagger is a beast, it can't be installed and removed rapidly.

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Now that is a pain in the butt and I knew the bagging system was a beast to install and remove, but removing the rear bumper I am not a fan at all of that and thought there was a bracket that mounted to the bumper to help support the bagging system.

gfp55 said:

Gee, I would have thought there would be more John Deere fans on this forum, I guess I was wrong....

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I have a 2014 JD D125 and I love it. Could it be better, sure, but I still love it. I guess it all boils down to ones own preference and past history with each brand. This is my first JD and like I said, I love it so far. Had a 2008 42" Ariens and the difference is night and day. I am looking forward to many years of trouble free ownership.

Howdy Doody said:

I have a 2014 JD D125 and I love it. Could it be better, sure, but I still love it. I guess it all boils down to ones own preference and past history with each brand. This is my first JD and like I said, I love it so far. Had a 2008 42" Ariens and the difference is night and day. I am looking forward to many years of trouble free ownership.

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Thats a good choice, lots of power. I like the high back seat also. I hope you get many years of service out of your JD. "But thats just me"

My main mower is A Craftsman with an 18 HP Kohler. I like the older Kohler engine's as I have used this Craftsman for over 20 year's but I thought that I should get A back up mower so last summer I found A JD 112 with an 8 HP Kohler listed on A on line auction. I thought it looked pretty good and it had A hydraulic lift which the Craftsman doesn't have so I bid A maximum bid of 200 Buck's and got it for 180 and change.
The carb on the Craftsman decided to take A dump last month so I got the JD out and I really like that hydraulic lift.
! I have an arthritic right shoulder and need all the help I can get.
There is A snow blower on another on line auction that end's tomorrow and I might throw A bid on it.

In 2007 I purchased a new LA120. It was a great choice as it has never let me down or cost me a dime in repairs. The only money I have spent on it was for preventive maintenance.

Jhon said:

In 2007 I purchased a new LA120. It was a great choice as it has never let me down or cost me a dime in repairs. The only money I have spent on it was for preventive maintenance.

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Nice choice. Does that unit have a hour meter? How much do you cut with per week?

I own a 1986 JD 180 w/38"deck and Kawasaki. We've gone through 3 seats, two belts, and one new front tire. One day oil was leaking out of the oil filter and it started to knock. I shut it off and changed oil right there, started it up and it runs like a charm, that was three years ago!! We also have a F935 with 3600 hours. I've had more JD tractors than I want to list, all the way from 2 cylinder 620 to my last 4455. Many many people compare their equipment to John Deere whether it's a combine or a lawn mower. I think the reason for comparison is they think it sets the "bench mark." Sure there are probably a lot of good products out there, but I have never been disappointed with my Deere products. I also own a Grasshopper Diesel and think that is an excellent product also.

gfp55 said:

I dropped my BUY AMERICAN on my signature because people would get mad at me because they own japanese cars and trucks and chinese crap. I have never said that japanese stuff is junk, my point is as americans we need to worry about our childrens future and the future of America. If let our manufacturing base crumble we will be weak. People say the auto worker makes too much money for the job, but they don't realise is how much the auto worker pays in taxes or how much the auto worker spends in this country in services and goods, and that applies to other worker like the steal industry, rail roads, etc. any high paying american jobs. When those job are gone someone has to pay the taxes so others now have to pay more to take up the slack, and then they cry about higher taxes. "But that just me"

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I am a retired auto worker. The girl running the heavy roller outside my house on the highway, which has been going on since spring, for whatever the hell reason, let it slip that she makes $65 an hour. I ran heavy equipment for Ford for many years, joined the skilled trades in 1994, and retired as an Industrial Electrician in 2008. When I retired, I was making $36 an hour, which included 10% shift premium, as I worked midnights. As I understand it, there has been little to no raises in the auto industry over the last few years. WHO'S making too much money? Our streets and highways are pretty much useless compared to other countries, and these people are making nearly double what I was? Spare me.

As far as the OP goes, I have an LA135SE. It was bought used a year ago, and takes good care of my 1+ acre, so far. I was going to buy a new Craftsman, when this presented itself to me via a neighbor that buys them and spruces them up before selling. It has everything I need in a mower. Now for a 4-wheeler.

1969 112H. It just won't die. I had a 670 for several years. It was a great little tractor, but it was too big to be a good mower and too small to be a useful tractor. I sold it and now the 112 is back to mowing a couple acres a week and never misses a beat. Oh, yeah, and I can walk into the JD store and walk out with parts for it. The 670 was 1990 and parts always had to be ordered, if they were available at all.

Bringing this back from the grave............

I'm going on year 5 (52 hours on it right now, does have a little idle time too that I know it shouldn't have) on a JD D110, have a "lot and a half" that's only flat in about a 60x15 strip, yard itself is about 13000 sq ft. There's a hill, and the entire thing slopes. It took 3 hours to push mow it, and I have a small area *100sq ft max* that i have an old school reel mower for (also a little hill, just like a 10x10 square) ... and it's already wore out, they aren't made well anymore...

anyway, the D110 does the mowing in an hour or under, I usually am just riding along with headphones in, so I am in NO hurry to get it done, sadly I enjoy mowing now, I've hated it ever since I was a teenager, it's actually my quiet time now. man I hate getting older LOL

but this little thing has been perfect. I oil change every spring, so it's getting changed way early, but I don't use it in the winter (yet, am on here reading up about snow blades), so I would rather pay the 15 bucks for a Wix filter and a couple quarts of oil. This year will be fuel filter, it looks new still, but it's going, so is the air filter and the plug. I really like it, it's been great.

But now I'm kind of looking into buying a little bigger one (this one is a tight fit for the shed however) for plowing and tugging things around the yard, it won't tear the yard up like the truck!!

Have an old JD GX85 electric start, it runs and looks as good as when new. I have kept it in my shop when not in use, keep it well maintained, it has served me well. It will most likely outlive me. :thumbsup:

Had an 87 JD318 with the original mower deck that was still running and mowing well when I sold it last spring to purchase a new X739. Didn't really need it as the 318 was still doing the job but its nice to have a new toy every now and then.

eric, WOW that thing is really awesome!!!!:thumbsup: