That doesn't really surprise me, JD make great agricultural equipment but they never really made it in the lawncare for some reason. from what I understand they are making a push for selling the Honda mowers. I guess that about tells you how much faith they have in there own stuff.
Oh, I don't know about that. JD has always been a staple for garden tractors. My perception is that the ZTR are and have been gaining momentum for quite some time. With ZTR vendors like Toro (ex mark), Scag, grasshopper, Dixie chopper, etc; they are not top on the list.
With the quality of these ZTRs, JD takes a back seat and more and more people want a ZTR. There are less and less applications for "garden tractors". JD still makes the only tractor worth buying though. Just my opinion. But what do I know, I am just a noob.