John Deere LA140 2.00 star(s) (3)

John Deere LA140 Series
Model Year: 2007

I purchased this tractor new in 2007 after owning a MTD lawn tractor for 15 years. Most of my major yard work, dirt hauling days were over and I did not want to spend the money $6K for the JD 500 series. What a mistake. After five years the transmission has begun to slip on the slight slope in my back yard. I was very surprised as my lawn is right around 0.5 acres and after 5 years I just went rolled over 100 hours. Reading this forum and experiences from others I am not alone. This is very discouraging as the unit was purchased for close to $3K. In hindsight, I would not recommend the 100 series for anyone.

Pros: John Deere Green.
Cons: Quality.

John Deere LA-140: Poor Quality Drive Train
Model Year: 2007

I purchased my John Deere LA 140 from a John Deere Dealership. I went in and told the salesman what I wanted to do with the tractor (cut grass, plow snow, haul stuff in trailer, and drag stuff from the woods). He recommned the LA 140. The tractor was delivered and set up just fine. That first summer, it worked just fine. As winter came, I started having problems First, the snow blade they sent me, kept bending breaking brackets. Then the tractor quit going up hills. I changed the belt thinking that would fix the problem, to no avail. By time spring came, it seemed to be working okay, but it would still hesitate at times. The dealer told me nothing was wrong with it, but they "adjusted" the belt. Come the following winter, when plowing, it got to the point where the tractor would just sit there and moan, not moving. After I would let it cool, it would move again. Since I was over a 100 miles from the dealer at this point, I didn't get it back in. Come spring, now with just over 100 hours, the tractor wouldn't move even after a little mowing. I called the dealer back, and they said it was probably the transaxle. Since I had gone over 100 hours, no more warranty and they wanted $800 to fix it. I did some research on my own and discovered that that transaxle, Tuff Torque K46, was failing in all kinds of different tractors. Turns out that the K46 was never designed for anything except cutting grass on level ground. John Deere had under-engineered their product, knowingly. Anyway, I ended up installing an after-market K66 Tuff Torque transaxle, and now it works great. Of course, it cost me $1,000 to fix it. Still cheaper than scrapping the tractor and buying a new one. When I complained to the President of John Deere, they sent me a $50 coupon off the purchase of my next John Deere product. I received the coupon at the beginning of December, and it expired at the end of December... Needless to say I wasn't very happy with John Deere, and I won't buy anymore of their products, and I will be quick to tell people of my dissatisfaction with them. The sad thing is, if it wasn't for the cheap, underpowered, transaxle, this would be a good tractor. The K66 I installed gives my tractor more power and torque (and ground engaging capability) than the much more expensive X-series of tractors. Combined with Johnny Bucket and Plow, I now use this tractor year round and have no follow on problems. Oh, one other thing - JD really "cheaped" out on the battery too... It is only 150 CCA. I replaced it with a 300 CCA.

Pros: Frame, engine (B&S).
Cons: Transaxle, battery, gas tank filler location.

Wish I Could Give Lower Than a 1
Model Year: 2008

John Deere sucks. New tractor delivered to me in poor condition. Not only the tractor but the attachments. Save your money and buy something else. Maybe it was a sign since JD is now making things in China. Dealerships in Colorado totally suck. My old Toro kicks a new JD's behind.

Pros: Cant think of anything.
Cons: None.