John Deere sold at Lowes & HD

[Max2001]

Are there any differences in cold weather starting if used for blowing snow? I have a xuv gater with fuel injection and it starts great and would like a lawn tractor that would do the same. Looking at the JD website I cannot tell if they are EFI?

 

[Max2001]

Sorry for the previous post. I found the info.

 

[jinman]

We see the engine and deck issues here in UT but almost 100% are customer maintenance issues or misuse.

I am going to buy a JD lawntractor, but I probably won't do it for a couple more weeks. I've made several comparisons to other mowers and I really like the looks of John Deere servicabilitly on all models. I only want a mower to mow.

I thought seriously about buying an x300 series with a 42" deck, but the LA145 at $1999 seems to be the best value for me. I was really impressed when I put my hand on the deck spindle and felt a grease zerk. I am very happy with the plastic hood and how open the engine is when you raise the hood. I also like that deck lift adjustment on the left fender where it is really handy. Finally, I can go to John Deere's website and order parts for this "box store" lawnmower just like it was a big bucks tractor.

I talked to the local John Deere dealer who does all the servicing in my county. He said they do a lot more service on the LA series, but he also added that many more of them are sold. He said he would be happy to sell me a mower or service my mower if I bought it at the box store. He can only offer me 6 months same as cash whereas Lowes will offer 2 years no interest on their Lowes card. I'm going to the dealer because I'll just be paying cash.

Now I'm the guy who bought a new cheapy MTD in 1992 and used it for 1000s of hours before giving it away just this last year. I do regular maintenance and even the "junk" I buy will last and last.

I'm looking forward to buying the Deere mower and I'm pleased that John Deere is in this market with a superior product from what I can see on close inspection. We'll see if I feel the same way in a year. I'm sure hoping I do.

 

[Fordlords]

For what you are going to use it for, and if you do your own maintenance and repairs the LA145 is perfect for you. The main thing I see is how the lack of any sort of maintenance be it oil changes, greasing, cleaning, etc brings even the biggest horses down for the count in a short amount of time.

As witnessed with quite a few people I know at work, in a typical morning discussion with them they will say how something they own is a piece of junk for whatever reason. Then I look at their cars, their house, and everything else and easily notice how everything they own either is junk or turns to junk at the wink of an eye.

Buying the right thing for the job, and taking reasonable care of it means just as much as the name brand, if not more IMHO. There is always the lemon in the bunch, but in general that is the exception, not the rule.

-Fordlords-

 

[bgi]

I agree with the above. However, if the quality isn't there, it's not going to last long no matter how well it's serviced or cared for. Slinger-lubricated engines aren't going to last as long - especially if they are run frequently on an incline. JD gets all of their L&G transaxles from TuffTorque. While the transaxles are good quality, they are designed and built for a specific work load. The smaller light-duty transaxles on the L series will not last if regularly used on steep grades or pulling heavy carts up grades. So take care to buy reasonable quality that's designed to handle the tasks you have in mind. Keep up with the service and you'll probably not have problems.

 

[Builder]

I am going to buy a JD lawntractor, but I probably won't do it for a couple more weeks. I've made several comparisons to other mowers and I really like the looks of John Deere servicabilitly on all models. I only want a mower to mow.

I thought seriously about buying an x300 series with a 42" deck, but the LA145 at $1999 seems to be the best value for me. I was really impressed when I put my hand on the deck spindle and felt a grease zerk. I am very happy with the plastic hood and how open the engine is when you raise the hood. I also like that deck lift adjustment on the left fender where it is really handy. Finally, I can go to John Deere's website and order parts for this "box store" lawnmower just like it was a big bucks tractor.

I talked to the local John Deere dealer who does all the servicing in my county. He said they do a lot more service on the LA series, but he also added that many more of them are sold. He said he would be happy to sell me a mower or service my mower if I bought it at the box store. He can only offer me 6 months same as cash whereas Lowes will offer 2 years no interest on their Lowes card. I'm going to the dealer because I'll just be paying cash.

Now I'm the guy who bought a new cheapy MTD in 1992 and used it for 1000s of hours before giving it away just this last year. I do regular maintenance and even the "junk" I buy will last and last.

I'm looking forward to buying the Deere mower and I'm pleased that John Deere is in this market with a superior product from what I can see on close inspection. We'll see if I feel the same way in a year. I'm sure hoping I do.

I think you'll be happy with your savings. But based on my experience with my GT series and my friend's LA series, I think you're on the road to disappointmentville in terms of the tractor's durability as a JD product.

 

[artfull dodger]

I sold the JD stuff at HD for a couple of months, so I got to see the build quality compared to what I personaly have owned. You can take the money you would spend on one of those and pick up any older IH built cub cadet or older JD, either have a new engine or the one in it fully rebuilt, then fully refurb the machine and mower deck and it will last your life time, the JD LA series wont. If you get one, make sure you get the optional bumper if it doesnt have one. We had a customer's foot slip off the clutch on a gear drive model and smack a tree head on in 2nd gear, the plastic hood just shattered. Cost him over $200 to replace it on a 1 week old machine. I think for the money, the informed buyer will either move up in the JD line to a X series or look into a refurbished older machine. If I had the space to work on several at one time, I could go into business refurbing older garden tractors and selling them at a keen price and making money at the same time. The biggest issue to overcome on older models is the lack of maintance in keeping the underside of the mower deck cleaned out. Grass is very acidic, espicaly when its wet. If left packed in the deck, it will rot out a new mower deck in no time. I had a 7hp cub cadet, IH built, that would run circles around some of these 23hp machines at the box store, having a high HP motor means nothing, and the HP numbers are so "watered down" now its not even the same. A small 7hp kohler K series powered Cub Cadet can snow blow, mow the yard with a 3 blade 38" mower deck, pull a 10', 1 bottom Brinly moldboard plow, cultivate and disc the garden, or run a PTO powered rototiller. All with nothing more than a splash lubricated, cast iron blocked, 7hp kohler motor. I had a couple of customers that bought a middle of the line JD box store model, both sold me thier tired IH built CC as they knew from the local club, and were totaly unhappy with the build quality of the new stuff and ended up buying back thier machines from me the following year after I refurbished them over the winter. They ended up selling the box store JD's in the local paper. The box store machines fill in a void in the tractor market, folks that need a riding mower, but either cannot spend the money on a much better built machine, or do not understand that these new ones are not like the old ones of yesteryear. Those box store models will continue to sell, and be thrown away when they die, for many they are exactly what they want, but for other that were not properly "qualified" during the sale process, they are exactly what they dont want. Just my 2 cents. Mike

 

[Builder]

There's a guy in my old neighborhood who has already exploited your idea: He owns a small shop and refurbishes quality Deere's like 318's, etc. He fixes what's broken, tunes 'em up, cleans em and sells them for cheaper than the L series tractors. Some are 20 years old and will undoubtedly last longer than the new cheap tractors. Plus you can pull a rototiller with them and generally be rougher on them and get more years of service.

It's all a matter of preference and I can't blame a guy for wanting a shiny new tractor with big power under the hood.

If it were me and I had 4-5 acres of grass, I'd get one of the old liquid cooled 400 series with power steering, power deck lift, etc. or a old Kubota or yanmar. Those tractors were built like a farm tractor and will last 40 years.

 

[NuBota]

This thread has gone everywhere! Wow!

I wonder if the JD lawn tractors are that much better than the others, or is it just a matter of brand infatuation. My buddy, who is a farmer, and has his big AG JD tractors is the one that recommended to me to just buy a Walmart tractor to cut grass. So 6 years ago I bought a 20HP, 42" Murray - for a cool $1000 - to maintain my 3.5 Acres. EVERYBODY else is my neighborhood has a JD or at least brand name tractor - to just cut grass. My yard is 15-20 degree slopes (except the front) that I have to cut. I was sure I would kill this things tranny the first two years. Had a three year warranty and was serviced by an Equipment rental company I was a regular customer at, so figured if I threw it away after that, so be it. I have had zero problems and I abuse it. Have hauled ridiculous amounts of weight up and down to the woods. And it mows just fine.
That said, is it a Cadillac or Mercedes of lawn tractors, no... And I'm sure one of the same class JDs, or Scotts, or Craftsman (oh yea - it doesn't have a cup holder) would serve me just as well - but worth another grand or two? I mean, in my mind, it boils down to the engine and tranny primarily.

Don't get me wrong - not trying to start a brand war - I like JD just fine - would love one in fact (bought the BX 'cause it was 3K cheaper and I liked the dealer better - and am very happy) - but not just for the name (wouldn't by a Kubota lawn tractor either).....

 

[warrant_ero]

Hello,
Just bought a LA 125 at HD, seems like a good mower, it replaced my 5 yr old craftsman that the transaxle died in. I needed something that I could depend on. I just got back from a deployment to the middle east and I needed something that would work for my wife when I am gone again.


One question, the LA 125 has the Tuff Torg T40 transaxle, how do you go about changing the fluid and what kind of oil do you replace it with? Thanks.