John Deere JOHNDEERED140 4.30 star(s) (6)

John Deere D-140 Deck Design Leaves A Lot To Be Desired
Model Year: 2016

I have used my John Deere D-140 for 3 years now and feel it is just "average" as a mower. Prior to buying the D-140 in Aug. 2016, I had a 12 year old Toro LX420 with a 42-inch deck. The D-140 has a 48 inch deck and I'm not happy with the design of it. My Toro had 3 blades on the deck that seemed to be mounted in more of an equilateral triangle shape. With a mulch cap installed, it did lift the grass before cutting it and re-cut it into smaller pieces. The D-140 seems to be a flatter triangle shape and rather than lifting the grass, it seems to blow down on it. When I go over leaves, the air pressure is so intense it blows leaves away from under the deck and I'm not chopping them up. The cut was lousy too. I complained to the dealer and was told I needed to 1) set the mowing deck higher; 2) overlap rows more; and 3) drive at a slower speed. All well and good, but the John Deere commercial tag line has been "It's not how fast you mow, it's how well you mow fast." Well...if I follow the dealer's instructions, I will not mow well, nor will I mow fast. Frustrated with the cut, I looked for "Gator" blades online and found them. The total cost was around $42 and change. The blade switch would not invalidate what was left on my warranty providing the dealer sharpened them and mounted them. The blades made all the difference in the world, as the D-140 does not come with a mulching kit. They can give you mulching blades and a cap to put over the discharge chute opening. I had grass clogs and leaving a trail of clippings behind me. No longer. The Gator blades really chop the grass up and it has made owning the D-140 bearable. However, I have yet to try mowing downed leaves with the Gators on. Had I known the D-140 was going to be like this, I'd have passed on it and gotten a Toro or a Husquvarna instead. Maybe my next purchase I'll do that.

Pros: Starts right up, runs fine, easy to operate, reverse gear and mows, decent price point
Cons: No mulching kit, leaves lots of grass clippings, runs loud, something under deck like an anti-scalp bar scalps the lawn and digs into the ground

Good, But Not Great
Model Year: 2013

This is a good tractor for the money. As another reviewer wrote, it does present a challenge when starting. I use the choke and just let it crank until it catches, but it does take a while sometimes. His idea of a primer bulb in the fuel line is a good one and I'll certainly give that a try. The only parts I've changes so far are the blades. The steel used for the blades is a bit soft. I don't care for the long length of the rubber grass chute coming out of the mower deck, but that seems to be universal. They're too long on all mowers. The mower does a good job of cutting, but not great. It does spray the clippings a good distance. It has no problem pulling a utility trailer filled with firewood. I have two acres to mow and this mower does that, but I think it's more suited to one acre or less. It's more of a riding mower than it is a tractor. I'm not confident of it's longevity.

Pros: Very good value
Cons: Starting

JD D140
Model Year: 2012

Lawn mower was always difficult to start as the fuel would drain back to tank over the period of a week. After being told I was the only person having this problem, I took matters into my own hands. A $20.00 priming bulb on fuel line assures starting a cinch. Great lawn mower now.

Pros: American built.
Cons: Blades a little dull, hard to get at deck grease fittings.

D140 JD Mow Estate
Model Year: 0

John Deere---there's a reason they have been around so long. I had a used 850 years ago, another great machine. I would recommend a JD to anyone. I bought a new D140 for the lawn $2,000. Another great machine mows well even at higher speed. Very happy.

Pros: Solid well-built machine for the money, plenty of power, handles well.
Cons: None.

Great Machine
Model Year: 2013

This tractor has performed great so far. No complaints except for it should be made with a tougher transmission to handle hills better. That is more my opinion than a review. But it handles hills great so far. Good at bagging and using tow behind implements. I would recommend it to anyone.

Pros: Everything about this tractor is perfect!
Cons: None.

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Reliable So Far
Model Year: 2012

Purchased recently to replace my older John Deere L120. Excellent so far. Nothing has fell off! Slightly cheaper than my previous John Deere L120 8 years ago, but with the same pecs/features.

Pros: Still solid build and reliability.
Cons: Not designed for steep hills. You need a better transmission than the T40 in this one.