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Im 48 years old and due to knee problems i will be buying my first riding mower this year.

I have a small flat yard, about 3/8 acre.

Im considering the JD E110 $1799, E120 $1899, E130 $1999, and the S240 $2599.

Considering my yard is small and flat would the E110 be good enough or would be better to go up to 120 or 130 for the better V-Twin engine? I want one thats gonna last 20+ years. Or should i go up to the S240 with the Kawasaki V-Twin? I dont mind spending the extra money for the S240if its worth it. If the E110 will work good for my needs i would rather do that.

Does the Engine really matter? Will the Transmission wear out before any of the engines?

Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I have been looking at the Deere's all winter. Yes the V-Twins will run smoother and for the most part last longer. I would start with the E120 & E130 models. The S240 gives you a nicer seat and of course that very smooth running Kawasaki V-Twin. Plus the S240 gives you a longer 3 year bumper to bumper warranty vs the E series 2 year warranty. I'll probably go with either the S240 or an E330 or E350. IMHO any money spent on upgrading to the S240 is money very well spent. Make sure to test drive them all before you buy!!!!

The S240 has the K46 transmission, which is more durable than the ones that come in the E series you're looking at. Between the better transmission and Kawi V-Twin, the S240 is one to check out.

Dont the 100 series and the S240 all have the K46 transmission? From what ive been reading the past couple days the transmission is the problem? The way it sounds it doesnt matter what model or engine i buy they are all gonna outlast the K46 Transmission. Is that true?

bh1971 said:

Dont the 100 series and the S240 all have the K46 transmission? From what ive been reading the past couple days the transmission is the problem? The way it sounds it doesnt matter what model or engine i buy they are all gonna outlast the K46 Transmission. Is that true?

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The E100 uses a different transmission. It uses the General Transmissions CVT type. The rest use the K46 transmission. The K46 is used on literally thousands if not hundreds of thousand of riding lawn mowers. Problems arise when owners abuse them. I would not base a purchase revolving around just the hydro maybe having problems. Even if issues with the tranny do arise are you going to junk the whole unit? Go over to your dealer and test drive the different models. If based on your experiences at the dealer the least expensive model is to your liking then by all means go for it.

Mowing .25 acres every week of the summer on a perfectly flat lawn and following all of the manufacturers recommendations such as always running at full throttle while moving and allowing the trans to warm up and cool down when the time is appropriate will allow a K46 to last a decent amount of time. Outside of abuse and the occasional defect, these transmission can last 10+ years. Upgrade to a hydrostatic that is user friendly serviceable and you can last 20 years or more. Its just me but if I were spending your money, and I had to get a John Deere for whatever reason, I would be looking at the X300 line or better. It's not to say that the lower models are bad, but considering that the E series is built to a price point more than it is features and durability, that should tell you something. The S240 falls in the middle, but with the sales that Deere does in the spring, the X300 series is just a couple hundred more.

cruzenmike said:

Mowing .25 acres every week of the summer on a perfectly flat lawn and following all of the manufacturers recommendations such as always running at full throttle while moving and allowing the trans to warm up and cool down when the time is appropriate will allow a K46 to last a decent amount of time. Outside of abuse and the occasional defect, these transmission can last 10+ years. Upgrade to a hydrostatic that is user friendly serviceable and you can last 20 years or more. Its just me but if I were spending your money, and I had to get a John Deere for whatever reason, I would be looking at the X300 line or better. It's not to say that the lower models are bad, but considering that the E series is built to a price point more than it is features and durability, that should tell you something. The S240 falls in the middle, but with the sales that Deere does in the spring, the X300 series is just a couple hundred more.

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I agree i like the X300 series much more than the 100 series

So does the 300 series still have the same K46 transmission as the E130, or S240? If so whats the advantage over the 240? Also i dont see any yet, when during the spring does John Deere usually have mowers on sale?

bh1971 said:

So does the 300 series still have the same K46 transmission as the E130, or S240? If so whats the advantage over the 240? Also i dont see any yet, when during the spring does John Deere usually have mowers on sale?

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The X330 & X350 both use the K46 hydro. Right now the 330 & 350 are on sale $200 off list. So with the S240 at $2599 and the X330 at $2799 and the X350 at $3099 it makes sense to drive them all. There is a huge difference between the 300 series and the 100 and 240. The 300 series has a much beefier frame and way better steering than the 100-240 series. You also move up to the 4 year warranty with the 300. I'll most likely end up with one of the 300's.

Guess I missed this before but it looks like the JD PowerGard extended warranties for the 100 series are on sale also. Hmmm, looks like some pretty good savings, that will make the 100 series even more competitive.

I could be wrong but I had read somewhere that there are a large number of variations of the K46 and the X300 series with the K46 does not have the same k46 as the E180 for example. You could verify this simply by comparing the part numbers of the hydrostatics for both models?

cruzenmike said:

I could be wrong but I had read somewhere that there are a large number of variations of the K46 and the X300 series with the K46 does not have the same k46 as the E180 for example. You could verify this simply by comparing the part numbers of the hydrostatics for both models?

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I agree. JD does state that some models have a heavy duty hydro and yet it is listed as a k46. So I do feel that you are correct. Some owners say that by changing the hydro fluid regularly, performance and longevity are increased.

For the size of your yard, any of the mowers listed is overkill.
The K46 tranny is good for around 1000 hours
For your block that would be better than 1000 mows
assuming 30 mows a year you are looking at about 30 years from the trans
How old are your now ?
If you have dodgy knees then consider a Rear Engine Rider with a small deck
Even a 24" deck will knock over your yard in less than 1 hour

A V twin engine will last a lot longer than a single cylinder due to better engine balance.
They are usually quieter to boot and less vibrations means fewer cracks in the mower.

Is there any reason why it has to be a JD ?
For small flat yards, the articulated mowers can not be beaten.
The Husqvarna Rider-Pro , Jonsored , Stiga or Countax.
All of them do a timed small mulching deck that is absolutely brilliant
The articulated mower will get into every nook & cranny once you get used to driving it.
The up front deck means you can always see both sides of the deck all the time
They are very easy on consummables.
On the 1/4 acre blocks around here most will do 5+ years on a set of blades and some in my contract are still using the same belts as they were when I took over 6 yeas ago.

Finally if you have to go for a JD look at the small ZTR 225? again with the 36" deck.
If your knees are bad then a no legs needed mower might be worth while.

We do not get all the mowers down here that you get up there but the only small ZTR I would spend money on would the JD or Toro Timecutters.
All the rest I work on are trash or as I call them TDLF ( Temporary Diverted Land Fill )

I myself am going to drive all of them before I buy anything. The E130 I was originally set on buying would be just $2332.00. That would include a total of 6 years bumper to bumper PowerGard warranty. I'm still waffling between that and the s240 and the x330 & 350, lol.

We don't see many, if any articulated mowers here in the States. I have looked at the Timecutter and for me needing the bagger system the Toro is expensive. On the Timecutter it's over twice the price of a bagger for a 100 series or the s240. The 42" (107 cm) TimeCutter® SS4225 (74726) is $2599 & the bagger goes for $679 extra. The E130 is $1999 + $300 for the bagger. For my yard both are overkill but I'm 64 and tired of walking behind my Honda, especially during leaf season. Just about any riding mower would be a life saver for fall leaf pickup.

The thing that becomes a problem in confined spaces is the Mow In Reverse lock out system.
In a small yard you end up doing a lot of reversing.
Some mowers simply allow you to override the system by the key position, others have you pushing in a button, & holding it in every time you go into reverse.
This is going to drive you crazy.
Then there is the way it works.
Some MIR system just turn off the blades so all you have to do is turn the blades off then on again.
Others kill the engine so it is stop, set the brake, turn off the blades then start the engine then turn on the blades.
This will cause a lot of pain in you knees, from continually kicking the mower in frustration.:laughing:

Go for a mower with electric blade clutch

I will never say that it is wise to bypass a safety feature on a mower, buy many have defeated the mow in reverse lockout on the X300 with a simple wire jumper. The safety feature itself is no replacement being cautious. If you have small children it can literally be a life saver, and if you don't it can be a pain in the back side.

As for the warranties on the mower, you are in a situation where to be honest you would extend a warranty on a mower that you may be more likely to need vs having a shorter warranty on a machine that you may never need to use. Like you said, you are going to try them all which is smart. I have a feeling that if you get on and drive an E series and then an X series, you will have a hard time choosing the E series just based on the difference in build quality.

If you are going to bag then that makes things a bit different.
In small yards, a bagger with a chute hanging off one side can make the mower very difficult to mount & dismount .
Then there is the bagger itself getting hung up on every protrusion in your yard.
In confined spaces a rear discharge deck is a God send.

Articulated mowers do not bag particulary well

Beautiful sunny day here. Drove them all and came away loving the X350 the most. However, and it's a big however I'm not smitten with the bagger on the X series. The bagger is not as easy to mount and remove as the E series. Since the bagger plays a big role in my yard I'm very certain that the S240, which I did also love will suit my needs. The S240 uses the same easy mounting bagger as the E series and that Kawasaki engine is super smooth and quiet. I'm still waiting for my tax refund, and I'm waiting until the 1st of April to see if JD sweetens the buying experience of the S240 a little. Pretty sure there is an S240 in my future!

I think im going Sat morning to JD dealer. So gotomow have you heard anything that there might be incentives upcoming on the S240 in April? Would dealer know, and if so would he let us know to wait a few more weeks?

bh1971 said:

I think im going Sat morning to JD dealer. So gotomow have you heard anything that there might be incentives upcoming on the S240 in April? Would dealer know, and if so would he let us know to wait a few more weeks?

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I don't think the dealers know this far out if there will be any April incentives. The S240 basically has no incentives now except 0% 12 months. Typically JD will offer a free utility cart in April or something along those lines. As far as I'm concerned I've got nothing to lose and who knows, I might get a freebie by waiting.

Watch the prices at the dealer carefully.
Dealer stock is either free on the floor & pay for the replacements or on x months credit.
In the first case the price will only vary when the factory says so
In the second case the price will drop just before the dealer has to pay for the stock.
This will be mower specific so if they have 4 on the floor, each one could have been a different delivery so their interest free times will expire individually.
One of the big mower shops actually rings contractors when this is about to happen and offers them a "contractor only" special deal, limited stock & limited time

Was out looking at the JD X350 and X380 this weekend the X350 and down have a K64 hydrostatic and the X380 has a up grade to a K58 hydrostatic.Both on sale till end of month $3,000.00 and $4,300.00 I’m thing upgrading to the X380 myself also looking at one other brand .