2011 'D' series lawn tractors

[Baucom]

IMO the 100 series Deeres are the best of the low cost lawn tractors on the market, primarily due to the parts and service support. I do feel that their quality is a bit better than the low end mowers from AYP and MTD too. The quality of the 100 series cannot be fairly compared with the X series mowers from Deere, and I think that's a lot of the issue that people take with JD for building them. People who don't do their research and think they are getting classic JD quality at a discount price with the 100 series are often disappointed that it doesn't hold up for years without repairs and run for decades.

My MIL has a JD 110 that she bought new from the local Deere dealer in 2004, and it has close to 200 hrs on it now. So far it has only required routine mainenance--oil & filters, grease, and sharpening the blades. It really isn't enough mower for her place, but it was the best mower she could afford at the time.

 

[jenkinsph]

I am of the same thinking as Jinman, my L130 was way less cost than the new X749. The L130 is perfect for my home lawn and since it hasn't sold as planned I may keep it for this purpose. If I can keep some hours off the new mower I think I will be ahead.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Yeah, I have an LA105 that's perfect for my purposes. Is it going to last as long or be as trouble free as a top of the line ones? No, but I can buy between two and five LA105s for the price of one top of the line model. 80 hours, some of it doing things it wasn't designed for, and my only repair has been replacing a blade and getting a piece of the deck welded after mowing a large U-bolt...not really the mower's fault.

The cut is excellent, it has plenty of power, and I think it's a better machine than comparably priced ones from other makers. I bought it from the dealer, not a big box, and they've been excellent with support for it and the used 420 I just bought.

I haven't looked at the new D series yet, but if they are anything like previous entry-level machines, they'll be a good deal.

 

[Grateful11]

I don't see what the big deal is. We had an LA130 for about 3 years,it never missed a beat, never in the shop, never tore up a belt, never failed to start. Bought an X720 almost 2 years ago and it's been in the shop once already for failing to start when it got warmed up, not overheating. They claim it was fuel related that way they didn't have to cover it under warranty. The L series is what it is a fine mower if taken care of, no it's not a GT and never will be. There's no comparison in the way the LA130 and the X720 rides and the quality of the componentry but the L series always ends up being the whipping boy. We put a 140 hours on it and sold it for $1600, so I didn't lose that much. Thought about selling our X720 to get a diesel, the X720 loves to drink gas, and even with only 105 hours it looks like maybe $6.5-7.5K that's more loss than I'm willing to take.

 

[jenkinsph]

Grateful11,
I have to say the X749 uses very little fuel to mow, less than the L130.

 

[AKfish]

As always, "ya gets what ya pays for"

That's it...! Do your research - compare similar models - and you should know before you make a deal what it is you're paying for!

No preconcieved ideas - no unrealistic expectations. "ya gets what ya pays for"

I bought my X300R knowing full well the history of weak tranny problems. That's OK. I'll deal with it when the times comes.

It's a fantastic machine for mowing close quarters and does an incredible job blowing heavy and/or wet cuttings when other machines are "plugged"!

No regrets; no unrealistic expectations..

AKfish

 

[RayFromOntario]

I agree, comparing apples to apples is the only way to truly compare these machines. I looked high and low for a lawn tractor that would replace my 24 year old JD 160, 5 speed with a 38" cut. The 160 was a very robust tank and one tough little 12 hp Kawasaki engine. However, it would go through solenoid switches like crazy. I was shopping at Home Depot, and found the 21 hp John Deere D 120, with hydrostatic transmission and a 42" cut, on sale for $ 1,199.00 :thumbsup:
So I sold my old 160 for $400.00 to my immediate neighbor, and I know he'll be happy with it for many years yet. So before going back to HD to buy the D 120, I decided I should shop around and make sure I was getting the best bang for my buck. NOTHING, I mean NOTHING, ZIP, NADA, ZILCH, came even close to what the D 120 offered at that price. I looked at Sears, Canadian Tire, MTD's Cub Cadet, and Troy Built, as well as some Ariens lawn tractors. Could not find a lawn tractor with that many ponies and options. for that price. The D 120 even comes with cruise control, however I don't need that option on my half acre lot.
So please, be fair, you can't possibly compare the D series to the X series in dollars and in quality. Still, I have no regrets at this time that I made the right choice for ME. I sleep better knowing I didn't spend 5000 dollars or more, for a tractor that is simple required to cut grass once a week. I'm convinced with proper maintenance, this little D 120 will give me years of happy cutting. Now to find a lawn sweeper.