John Deere JD145 2.60 star(s) (5)

John Deere Collector
Model Year: 2014

This is my third John Deere had two mulchers now a collector it has to be my best machine ever.

Pros: Fuel big collection bag comfort speed.
Cons: None.

Model 145 Review
Model Year: 2006

I used this tractor for 4 years using front wheel weights and a bagger system. My yard is 2/3 acre. I have steep areas in my yard and I used the tractor in the most fuel efficient manner, that is in straight lines, negotiating steep hills head on and pulling these steep grades. This tractor apparently was never intended for anything but level ground. I'll admit that using wheel weights (to keep it from tipping over backwards and with a heavy bagger system when full) was pushing my luck on the running gear, but for a manufacturer to sell a piece of equipment not intended for certain purposes the potential buyer should be warned of it's limitations. I bought this model through a JD dealer instead of the local Lowes or Home Depot and I think, as a result, got a stronger than normal hydro trans-axle. But, even this stronger trans-axle only held up for 4 years and by the end of the 4 years it would barely pull any uphill grade of any percentage. I had a choice of rebuilding the trans-axle myself with a rebuild kit at $310, or buy a new trans-axle for $650. I elected to go with a new trans-axle since I couldn't be sure I didn't have some heat-galded parts in my old unit from the slipping on uphill grades. I am going to be using the tractor this year, being the second with the new trans-axle, and will be using it more sensibly, knowing now the limitations of this not-so-durable trans-axle. I've got rid of the bagger system and wheel weights and am mowing my yard going uphill only on the mild grades and going downhill on the steep parts so as to not have a premature failure of the new trans-axle. I'm not convinced that this new unit will be any better than the old one as far as durability but I elected to invest the $650. rather than buy a whole new tractor to replace an otherwise decent one. I have discovered other things about this trans-axle. That even though this two-pedal hydraulic trans-axle comes with 30 weight motor oil as it's fluid, the manufacturer (Tuff-Torq located in Tenn.) recommends using a 5W50 low-foam motor oil such as Amsoil in the unit. Before I installed the unit I did as suggested, draining the unit overnight and putting in the oil as directed. I will note at this point that I changed out the oil in my old unit and it did seem to extend it's use for another year. The manufacturer recommends changing out the oil after the first 25 hours and cleaning off the magnetic plug inside the trans-axle that attracts and keeps any metal in the oil. They say it shouldn't need any further maintenance after that. These trans-axles really were designed to be maintenance free, sealed units but this has turned out to be not the case. I don't feel really comfortable with the potential life of the new unit even with my modified mowing patterns, even though the engineer I spoke with at Tuff-Torq said I should have no problems in the future.I did describe my yard to him and he assured me I should be fine. We will see. I think at this stage that if this unit fails me I will just buy a cheap riding mower at the local home and garden center with a "manual" transmission and just stay away from this hydro type of transaxle. I really like the feature of not having to shift gears but it's just not worth the extra money especially if it's not going to hold up on grades. I have researched just what kind of mower I would need to hold up on my terrain and concluded I would have to spend at least $8,000. for a mower that would hold up without problems, but even upon further research find that even these more expensive mowers are not all that reliable. I see reviews on these high-dollar mowers and it appears even they are only good for 1000-1500 hours before needing expensive repairs and even those mowers have flaws that cost quite a bit to repair. I'm 66 years old and I'm not going to be mowing for that many more years so I'm not going to invest in something expensive for the remaining time period. I did discover that the Tuff-Torq company makes transaxles for just about the entire home and garden market are are installed in just about all of them and that they may be okay for certain applications but it seems the mower manufacturer may be trying to buy the cheapest trans-axle for their mower, to just get by. After all, in this category of mowers price seems to be the only thing the user is interested in.

Pros: Most parts are strong.
Cons: Weak trans-axle that fails and is expensive to repair.

Battery
Model Year: 2006

I posted another review on this mower but failed to include the following: Immediately throw away the cheap (165 amp. hour, I think) battery and get a good one, about 400cca. The battery that comes with this mower, and I suppose it's true for any of these mowers at home and garden centers, will barely turn these 20+hp engines. After all, price seems to be the only thing that matters to users in this category. I don't know what people who know nothing about this stuff do when they get the new mower home and the engine will barely turn over. If you're not interested in going over to my other review to see what I think of the mower overall, I will say here that unless you have a "perfectly" level yard, stay away from mowers with the hydro-drive (forward and reverse speed pedals). Stay with mowers that use a manual transmission. It's not as convenient but the manual transmission will hold up whereas the hydro transmission will NOT. If you insist upon having the convenience of hydro-drive, expect to spend at least $8,000. to get one that will hold up on anything more than light uphill grades.

Pros: Fair build quality.
Cons: Cheap low ampere battery.

My John Deere
Model Year: 2002

My first John Deere. Parts seem to wear out quickly. I only have 1 acre and I go threw blades fast. I already had to replace 1 pulley. I bought 6 sets of blades too.

Pros: Quality of a John Deere.
Cons: It runs good.

John Deere isn't your dads tractor anymore, neither is the service
Model Year: 2007

Quality is bad, service is even worse. I find things that were delivered to me and not put together right. The dealerships are god awful. Please do yourself a favor. Either buy something cheaper and save your money for repairs if they are ever needed on another brand or don't service your JD at a dealership.

Pros: None.
Cons: Built bad, delivered in bad shape, dealerships are poor.