JD D100 series

RayFromOntario · Jul 18, 2011

How big is your lot ?

jhonb · Jul 18, 2011

qball49 said:
JhonB - thank you for quick reply. I will install the mulching blade this week and see what it can do. I bought mulching blades along with mulch cover. Since most users not satisfied with the mulch cover, I may go ahead and return it.

Is JD D110 good tractor? It is my 1st riding-mower and like it alot so far.

I have an LA120. From what I can tell it is an older version (2007) of the D130. It is similar to yours, but it has a 2 cylinder engine. This was my first tractor and I am in my 5th season with it. I use it to mow in the summer, collect leaves in the fall, and pull a small cart around my yard. I have less than 3/4 acres so this tractor has been just fine by me. Some of the die-hard's here (a very small minority) refer to our tractors as box store junk. They think we should have purchased a $9,000.00 mower to cut grass for 1 hour a week. And according to their forecasts, my tractor should have fallen apart and be rusting in a junk yard somewhere. But for some odd reason, mine runs and looks just fine. I change to oil and filters and grease all the fittings once a year. I have not even replaced a belt and still have the original JD Battery . I did have a problem with it when I got it. (I got mine from a John Deere Dealer so I can't blame Home Depot) that was corrected under warranty. Since then, it has run flawlessly. I suggest if you have a lot of trees and obstacles like me, you should purchase the optional front bumper. Good luck and I hope yours gives you as much pleasure and service as mine.

dirt ditch · Jul 19, 2011

I have a LA165 with the k46 rear axle that is three years old with not a hint of a problem. On this forum if you say something good about any of the 100 series mowers it's LIGHT THE TORCHES AND GRAB THE PITCH FORKS! I'd bet if you look at the number of JD base model mowers with a major problem sold compared to the total number sold it will be small. For comparison, The company my wife works for got her a new 2010 Explorer last year. She has put 59,000 highway miles on it. The rear end went out and right now it is in the Ford dealer's shop having new ring and pinion gears installed. It does not mater what you buy you take a chance of getting a lemon.

RayFromOntario · Jul 19, 2011

dirt ditch said:
I have a LA165 with the k46 rear axle that is three years old with not a hint of a problem. On this forum if you say something good about any of the 100 series mowers it's LIGHT THE TORCHES AND GRAB THE PITCH FORKS! I'd bet if you look at the number of JD base model mowers with a major problem sold compared to the total number sold it will be small. For comparison, The company my wife works for got her a new 2010 Explorer last year. She has put 59,000 highway miles on it. The rear end went out and right now it is in the Ford dealer's shop having new ring and pinion gears installed. It does not mater what you buy you take a chance of getting a lemon.

Well said, and I couldn't agree more. I realize that owning a lawn tractor that one paid thousands of dollars for, will be a stronger and more robust work horse, but there is such a thing as overkill !! T'is true the Home Depot John Deere is not made for the farmer who has multiple heavy chores where a small lawn tractor could be handy. However, most farmers that are looking for such a beast, don't bother looking at the Home Depot lawn tractors because they want a little tractor that can do more than just cut grass.... which is ALL I require out of a lawn tractor.
I find it funny how some of the people with the more expensive tractors, feel they must be condescending towards others who have the less expensive lawn tractors. I had an expensive John Deere lawn tractor before, and kept it for 24 years, and the reason why it lasted that many years, is because it was basically overkill for what I needed it for....which was just to cut grass once a week and to pull a garden cart occasionally.
In another section of this forum, I started a thread asking for advice on whether or not I should buy a used lawn sweeper (which was like new) and selling for 100 bucks. My concern was that it was a only 32" wide, and having never used a lawn sweeper before, I was hoping to get the pros and cons of this type of grass pickerupper !. Instead, I get advice that if I really want to get the job done properly, I should purchase a "cyclone rake" which would cost about $2000.00....(more than what I paid for the lawn tractor itself) .....so you get my drift !?
Anyway, I am convinced, for what I really need a lawn tractor for, my D120 will do just fine, and with proper preventive maintenance, will give me decades of happy reliable service. Will it need a tune up occasionally ?... Of course, so does my Toyota Camry.
I was watching some U-tube videos the other day, with some guys abusing an L series John Deere, trying to pop wheelies with it, and driving it through a shallow creek at full speed, then trying to get some air riding over humps in a sand pit. These machines are not designed for this kind of abuse, yet the little L series John Deere never even coughed or stall once. Seemed like a pretty tough little lawn tractor to me, and surprisingly, no parts came flying off of it. If a little Home Depot lawn tractor can take that kind of abuse and not come apart in pieces, I'm sure it can take a 'licking' of being driven at 3 or 4 mph cutting grass on my flat ½ acre property.
So guys, spare me the gloat of owning 7000 dollar lawn tractors, which let's face it, is the only reason you feel compelled to come to these threads, to flatter your ego's, or justify spending that much money on a tractor to simply cut grass each week. If you need such a beast...fine, and all the power to ya, but why poop on the guy who has a less expensive lawn tractor, because that's all his property requires. Let's be honest folks, you can get a lemon in the most expensive, or inexpensive machine out there, (that's why they have warranties, because of the 'odd' machine that is bad) If they knew that "all" lawn tractors would break on a regular basis, trust me, there would be no warranty on them anymore when purchased. A machine is only as good as he/she treats and maintains it....no matter what your ride. I've said it time and time again...."sometimes less... is just more", and please spare me the "you get what you pay for" line.....again, we're talking about cutting grass, which even a push mower could do and last for decades, if we weren't so lazy to push them.

qball49 · Jul 19, 2011

@RayfromOntario - my lost is less than 1/2 acre.

@jhonB - I talked to several neighbor before I bought my D110 and everyone loves JD. JD local dealer is closed to my house but I totally forgot about it and end up bought mine at Lowe's. Anyway, D110 will be fine for my 1/2 lot and as long as I take care of oil change and not abuse it => I hope it will last for decade as JD reputation.

PS: Last month, I also bought used JD push lawn mower JS63C (2001 model, I think) and still working great.

jinman · Jul 19, 2011

RayFromOntario said:
So guys, spare me the gloat of owning 7000 dollar lawn tractors, which let's face it, is the only reason you feel compelled to come to these threads, to flatter your ego's, or justify spending that much money on a tractor to simply cut grass each week. If you need such a beast...fine, and all the power to ya, but why poop on the guy who has a less expensive lawn tractor, because that's all his property requires. Let's be honest folks, you can get a lemon in the most expensive, or inexpensive machine out there, (that's why they have warranties, because of the 'odd' machine that is bad) If they knew that "all" lawn tractors would break on a regular basis, trust me, there would be no warranty on them anymore when purchased. A machine is only as good as he/she treats and maintains it....no matter what your ride. I've said it time and time again...."sometimes less... is just more", and please spare me the "you get what you pay for" line.....again, we're talking about cutting grass, which even a push mower could do and last for decades, if we weren't so lazy to push them.

Ray, I don't own a $7000 JD. I own a LA145 that is three years old. If I were you and had a D100 series, I'd be very careful at how many "crows" I kill at this point because eating them later may be a huge plate full of humility. My experience has been that JD's design and quality in the economy mowers is really no better than Craftsman, Husky, or MTD. Where JD excels is parts support. Anyhow, say what you want, but you have to realize you are a 1-month wonder at this point and have almost no experience with your mower. You hope it will hold up and so do I, but I would be very careful how much chest-beating I do at this point.

I wanted a mower just for mowing and found that my low-cost mower was so unreliable that I went out and bought a 12-yr old Kubota G1800 diesel with 1700 + hours as a backup. Guess which mower has been the most reliable? I thought I was making the best decision on buying the LA145 over a X3xx series mower because I just cut 1/2 acre of lawn with very few obstacles. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the X3xx series. That's an opinion based on experience instead of hope. You'll have plenty of opportunity to brag on your mower after 4 or 5 years if it proves to be a good decision for you. I hope by then you still give it rave reviews.:thumbsup:

LBrown59 · Jul 19, 2011

dirt ditch said:
I have a LA165 with the k46 rear axle that is three years old with not a hint of a problem. On this forum if now it is in the Ford dealer's shop having new ring and pinion gears installed.

1*It does not mater what you buy you take a chance of getting a lemon.

2*You can increase or decrease that chance according to what you buy

.

RayFromOntario · Jul 19, 2011

I was expecting the response I got, and I'm good with that. I may be a newbie to the low end lawn tractor scene, but I don't have to be an experienced owner to make a smart decision on what I buy. I have known a lot of people all my life, and I notice and listen to what people around me say about certain products etc. So I rely on 'their' expertise' to help me make my decision(s).
Second of all, I DO compare my new D series JD to a Sears MTD and other brand names, so I don't think I am bragging at all. I have no idea if my particular unit will last my expectations, but nobody can say that it won't either.
I have eaten crow before, and God knows I will most likely eat it again before I die, but to eat crow, is to admit defeat....something not everyone is honest enough to do.
Anyway, my point is, I don't believe you have to pay thousands of dollars for a lawn tractor to basically just cut grass once a week. I stand behind my point of view, and for those who wish to think I'm totally off the wall, that's ok too...it's your money, do as you please with it. I have a feeling I'll be able to come back here in a few years and watch others eat crow.
C'yal in 5 years.

jenkinsph · Jul 19, 2011

RayFromOntario said:
So guys, spare me the gloat of owning 7000 dollar lawn tractors, which let's face it, is the only reason you feel compelled to come to these threads, to flatter your ego's

.

I think you are protesting too loudly Ray, I don't own a 7000 dollar lawn tractor either.

Sunday I mowed my lawn with the 2005 L130 mower I purchased from Home Depot. No issues other than the tranny is getting slower, it is taking almost twice as long to cut as last year. Just turned 250 hours on the clock, I don't feel that is very many hours to have transmission failure looming.

Monday and Tuesday I have spent all day clearing and cleaning a lot that hasn't had any attention in the last 13 years that I know of, used the 110tlb, the x749 and the dump trailer. Not a good place to use the L130.

Which equipment you need depends largely on the job at hand is my point. Most busy dad's have limited time to work around their house and some of the larger lawns may require a mower that will get the job done faster.

Most of us who post on these threads are trying to be helpful and share the experiences we have had. I am here to learn what I can and share what I have learned, works for me.

dirt ditch · Jul 20, 2011

LBrown59 said:
2*You can increase or decrease that chance according to what you buy .

I concede the point.... But, When I was shopping for a new mower the JD dealer was right up front about the life expectancy of the models. LA1?5 5 years, X3?? 10 years, X5?? 15 years, X7?? 20 years. To buy anything above a X300 I would have had to financed it and I was not wanting to do that on a lawn mower. My LA165 + extended 4 year warranty was $100 less than a X300 at the time, but it only had a 38" deck, 18 hp, and such small tires It would have had trouble getting around in the sandbox I live in. I am in the middle of my third summer with the LA135 and still happy with my choice of mower. I looked at the Craftsman and other MTD mowers in my price range but the JD dealer is 5 miles from my house and has most parts in stock and what they don't they can get the next day. Early this spring I received a letter from my JD dealer informing me that the original 2 year warranty was about to expire and to please look over the mower carefully for any thing that needed to be fixed. When comparing apples to apples are the 100 series mowers a better value than the other brands? I think so and when this mower craps out I'll go pay cash for another new one.

Not to start a vehicle manufacturer debate but as for the Explorer, The company my wife works for does oil exploration work and has 500 employees working across 2/3 of the united states. It was built from the ground up by the people who run it. They have always been financially sound, keeping quite a bit of money in reserve. Regardless of what Obama says it is a tough economy for most companies in the oil industry. When the economy turned south 3 years ago and the government gave billions to GM and Dodge, the company president mandated they would support the only American company to not take a taxpayer funded bailout. So for the last three years all company vehicles have been Fords. Before they were all GM vehicles.