Is your John Deere worth it?

I use an old J. D 56, 6 hp rider with a Mego Mo system. It will out cut any of the box store stuff and I can easily get parts for it from the local J.D. dealer. I just replaced the original rear wheel bearings.

Stash said:

The LA145 at Lowes is the same LA145 at any JD Dealer or the JD Web site. You can buy parts for any LA145 at any JD Dealer.

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I am not sure where or who may have started the XXX model bought at (any) Discount store is different than the exact same XXX model bought at a dealer... BUT that idea has been around for some time. Perhaps started by a dealer's salesman somewhere but just the distribution of such a idea let alone the manufacture and procurement of different but 'identical' assembly parts is quite a stretch...

The same urban myths were circulated during the time that Sam's club first offered automobiles in their stores... There were some that actually believed that it was practical to make a sub standard car just for special distribution through buyers clubs, and that no dealer anywhere would have anything to do with you if you got one...
Silly... but there were some very intelligent people that thought this was a fact... :smile:KennyV

Hi

Yes, My John Deere is worth every Penny to me, and No is was not the Green & Yellow paint that was the reason to go with John Deere. I also run Agco Allis( Simplicity Built mowers) and they are exceptional as well, but I really like a lot of the features on my Deeres as well.

I own a 2007 John Deere X744 AWS with 48" Deck, 24hp Yanmar Diesel engine and I also have a John Deere 455 with 60" deck with the 22hp Yanmar Diesel, AWS as well. Both Diesel mowers are very ecconomical on fuel, very ease to service, They are very comfortable to run, love the tilt steering wheels, and twin touch foot petals, very comfy and enjoyable to run. Dealer support is a huge + for going with Deere, Parts are reasonably priced and Dealer can usually get parts you need the next day! A big plus when your commerically cutting grass. I have an F1145 Deere with 60" deck as well, and have never had any major issues with it.

I got the 2007 Deere X744 AWS this past June to replace a 2002 Kubota F2560 with 60" Rear discharge deck... I bought the Kubota as it had a cab for snow removal and WAS to replace the Deere F1145, But I had issue after issue with it... I know Kubota builds a good product as well, but this F2560 was a lemon, put 4K into the engine, and it still did not run worth a darn, the Rear Discharge deck was a JOKE!! I was currious as to how the rear discharge deck worked, but it did such a poor job cutting, that some of my customers were complaining and soon went back to side discharge with my F1145 Deere, I will NEVER own another Rear Discharge Mower again, reguardless of color. I have been really happy with my Deere mowers and will continue to run them as long as I can.


Take Care Jason B

I bought a 2 year old 455AWS 10 years ago for just under 10 grand. We put on over 1000 hrs on it and had a few repairs on it, i.e. rear steer hiem joints, alternator, mower spindles, but never anything major. The diesel engine has plenty of power and we mow 7 acres twice a week.

I looked at Kubota as a replacement, but my John Deere just keeps on ticking away and it still looks like new. It was an excellent investment.

On the other hand, my neighbor always drooled over my JD and said he would buy it from me when I wanted to trade it in or sell. He couldn't wait for me, so he went out and bought a big box store John Deere. He was all smiles for the first couple of weeks until the rains got our grass up to a foot high. Him and I met out in 'the back 40' where we have about 3 acres a piece, we both put the hammer down and proceeded to cut. My 455 was doing full 54 inch cuts with 3/4 throttle with the cruise on, wheel tilted back, sipping on a lemonade, just enjoying the cut. He started off doing full cuts and clogging up, and then went to half cuts, full throttle, humped over the wheel, pumping the pedal every time he came to the clover patches. At one point we were side by side going down a row, I looked over at him, gave a little wave and put the hammer down and left him sitting stupid.

We don't talk much about mowers anymore. He leaves real early in the morning with his mower on the back of his trailer to take it in for repairs two or three times a year and its gone for two or three days while they repair it. I'll pull in to his patch and cut an acre or two of the front yard to keep up appearances for the neighborhood, but he still whines to the other neighbors that he wants my mower when I'm done.

The fool could have a new one today if he only went down to the JD Dealer and paid the money for piece of mind. As for me, I think I'll go out and put another coat of wax on my 455, makes her look purdy.

My dad is a John Deere man and he loves and swears by his lawnmowers and tractors. We wanted to buy a Johnnie but they were out of our budget. I would say it's worth every penny too, if I had enough pennies to by one.

I have a 777 z-track 72"; 729 4 wheel steer/drive; X320; X340; and of course, 4720. All worth it. The 729 for sweeping and blowing snow. The x's for business lawns, the 777 for around the house (about 19 acres) and the 4720 for farming. I also have an x-7....but that really doesn't count....it's a brush hog....but of course a JD brush hog.:wink:

JDgreen said:

WELL WORTH THE $$$...YOU BET. Super reliability if you buy a model that is engineered for what your needs are. I could have bought a 2 grand JD, but for mowing 5 acres, it wouldn't last.
The great thing about green machines is you can ALWAYS get parts and service. I've got almost 800 hours on my 8 year old 4210. Aside from fluid and filter changes (air, oil, hydro filters) the only part I have had to replace is one fan belt and one cracked pin on the FEL linkage. It still has the OEM mower deck belt and that looks nearly new, and I mow at least 80 hours a year and some of it is 3 foot high weeds.

I paid about 20 grand for my machine when new, there is one like it for sale locally, private owner, and no mid-mount mower. He wants 16 grand for one like mine with the same FEL. A 60 inch 7-Iron deck would add $1500 to the used model price. You show me ANYTHING comparable that is 8 years old that has the same resale value !!

Good Deeres are expensive, but the investment is well worth it in the long run.

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I take issue with the "you can always get paarts. JD is discontinuing parts right and left. I think it will come back to bite them.
gp

John Deere is what I plan on upgrading to. I have heard nothing but good things about them for as long as I can remember, and I never heard of a JD recall. They're top shelf.

I purchased my L130 from Brookside Equipment, the biggest JD dealer in the Houston area. I specifically asked the salesman what was the best mower I could purchase to mow 3 acres and he said the L130. I then asked if the unit he was showing me in the showroom was different from the one I could buy at Home Depot for $200 less and he told me they were the same. I bought the thing and figured paying the extra bucks would help me get it serviced when it needed it. When I took it in the first time, the service manager looked at it and said "Who sold you that POS?" He said it was a cheapie made to compete with Craftsman and Murray. When I told him I bought it there, he just shook his head and said he would call me when he was through. Three sets of spindles, two front axles, 6 pulleys, a wiring harness and a transaxle later, I ran out of warranty and now do it myself. For $2500, I should have bought something else.

John Deere are a very good product......but they also have a high price tag compared to others.
If you have plenty of money....then yes i would recomend these tractors.......as I have had a lot of them including Harvesters.
They are ahead of their time in the old days.......really bullet proof.:licking: