John Deere S-240 Is A Major Disappointment

Sichuan

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Mar 21, 2015
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I waited decades for my first John Deere lawn tractor and after using it for 92 hours I must say that it is a huge disappointment. The S-240 ALWAYS leaves a strip of grass uncut, regardless of which brand or type of blade I use. My local John Deere dealer has informed me, after checking it two times, that there is nothing wrong with the mower, that everything is working as it should. I have to cut my grass at least two times and sometimes three to get everything cut. It doesn't matter how high the grass is. It doesn't matter that the spindles are perfectly OK and the blades are not bent or damaged in any manner. It doesn't matter that the tires have equal air pressure on both sides. It doesn't matter how fast the mower is traveling when cutting the grass. That's two or three times the gas, two or three times the wear and tear on the mower and two or three times the necessary amount of time I spend cutting the grass.

The latest set of John Deere mulching blades I bought had installation instructions that say that 42 inch mulch mowers have blades that rotate in opposite directions and to make sure that the proper blade is installed on the correct side. However, every set of blades I have bought for this mower, regardless of the brand or type and including John Deere blades, are exactly the same, with no marking to indicate direction of rotation. I don't know if my S-240 is considered to be a 42 inch "mower" or a 42 inch "mulch mower". Therefore, I don't know if the installation instructions apply to my mower.

Does anyone know if both blades on the S-240 rotate in the same direction or opposite directions? If John Deere has been selling me the wrong blades that may explain the problem with the uncut strip of grass. If not, then all I can say is that I should have bought the Cub Cadet I was looking at when I was shopping for the lawn tractor. The Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, Simplicity, Toro, Ariens and Cub Cadet lawn tractors used by my neighbors don't have this cutting problem. They cut much better than my S-240. My neighbors have to cut their lawns only once to get it right and it takes them one half or one third the time to do it.

If the John Deere dealer and/or I can't get this S-240 to cut my grass properly by the end of this year I'm going to buy a different brand of lawn tractor next spring, one that will properly cut the grass, and put this S-240 in storage and use it as an emergency backup. I'm certainly not going to sell it or give it to someone and transfer the problem to a new owner.
 

cruzenmike

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Feb 10, 2017
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I waited decades for my first John Deere lawn tractor and after using it for 92 hours I must say that it is a huge disappointment. The S-240 ALWAYS leaves a strip of grass uncut, regardless of which brand or type of blade I use. My local John Deere dealer has informed me, after checking it two times, that there is nothing wrong with the mower, that everything is working as it should. I have to cut my grass at least two times and sometimes three to get everything cut. It doesn't matter how high the grass is. It doesn't matter that the spindles are perfectly OK and the blades are not bent or damaged in any manner. It doesn't matter that the tires have equal air pressure on both sides. It doesn't matter how fast the mower is traveling when cutting the grass. That's two or three times the gas, two or three times the wear and tear on the mower and two or three times the necessary amount of time I spend cutting the grass.

The latest set of John Deere mulching blades I bought had installation instructions that say that 42 inch mulch mowers have blades that rotate in opposite directions and to make sure that the proper blade is installed on the correct side. However, every set of blades I have bought for this mower, regardless of the brand or type and including John Deere blades, are exactly the same, with no marking to indicate direction of rotation. I don't know if my S-240 is considered to be a 42 inch "mower" or a 42 inch "mulch mower". Therefore, I don't know if the installation instructions apply to my mower.

Does anyone know if both blades on the S-240 rotate in the same direction or opposite directions? If John Deere has been selling me the wrong blades that may explain the problem with the uncut strip of grass. If not, then all I can say is that I should have bought the Cub Cadet I was looking at when I was shopping for the lawn tractor. The Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, Simplicity, Toro, Ariens and Cub Cadet lawn tractors used by my neighbors don't have this cutting problem. They cut much better than my S-240. My neighbors have to cut their lawns only once to get it right and it takes them one half or one third the time to do it.

If the John Deere dealer and/or I can't get this S-240 to cut my grass properly by the end of this year I'm going to buy a different brand of lawn tractor next spring, one that will properly cut the grass, and put this S-240 in storage and use it as an emergency backup. I'm certainly not going to sell it or give it to someone and transfer the problem to a new owner.

A couple of answers to your questions. 1) your mower is not a "mulch" mower, rather it is a 3-1 mower. With the stock blades (high lift) it is actually a 2-1 mower, side discharge or bag. With the mulching blades AND blockoff plug (and baffles if included in the kit) it will mulch but it still not a true mulching mower. There are manufacturers that make mowers, rather decks, that are designed to keep the grass underneath and deposit the clippings back down to the ground beneath the blades (e.g. Walker M42). 2) since your deck is designed to side discharge the blades rotate in the same direction; they must in order to clear clippings out from under the deck. 3) If you are installing mulching blades and you do not have the mulching plug installed this could very well explain your uncut strip problem. A high lift blade is designed to cut grass and move said grass out from the deck through the movement of air out the side discharge. The higher the lift on the blade, the more vacuum and discharge velocity the deck will have. It does use more engine HP but these mowers usually work just fine. 4) If you are in fact mulching, you must consider the basic rules of mulching: always when dry, never more than 1/3 he clippings, engine at full throttle and slow your travel speed. 5) Considering all of this, if you are still having issues then your mower may in fact be defective or in need of repair. It is entirely possible that your belt is slipping, spindle is bad, deck is warped, idler tension is weak and so on.

I just purchased a brand new mower that arrived with blades that were not on the same plane. Others might have just but and not realized that there was a problem. I on the other hand noticed an inconsistent cut in-between the wheels where the blades meet and asked the dealer to come pick it up. I have gone back and forth with them over the issue and will not let it down until my machine cuts as it should or until they return it and allow me to buy something else.

If I am reading this right, you have always noticed an issue with the mower not cutting right, so why haven't you had it up to the dealer? Assuming that it is still within the 3 year warranty (based on 96 hours) then you should be putting it in their hands to not only diagnose the problem but to repair it. If you are not in warranty anymore than you can certainly go through the process of troubleshooting yourself by removing the deck and thoroughly inspecting everything underneath to make sure that everything is working properly.

And if in the end you want something else, just sell it. So long as you disclose your issues fully, there is no guilt or shame in letting someone else give you money for it. Make a bill of sale stating the issues you are having and have both parties sign.

I think that you will find many people on this forum will tell you to not give up as the S240 is a decent machine and worth fixing if it is under warranty or if you can do so with your technical know-how and budget.

Best of luck to you.

Mike
 

tom3

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First thing I'd do is pull the spark plugs, engage the blades, rotate the engine with the starter motor and observe the blade rotation. I've heard of the counter-rotating blades, never seen them in any mower. But figure out what's going on under there.
 

Sichuan

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Mar 21, 2015
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My JD dealer has had the S-240 for almost two weeks now. I received a call from them yesterday and the service rep informed me that the spindles are bad, one of them not too bad and the other one very bad. I never heard any squealing or dragging noises from the spindles and they seemed to be working properly but then again, I'm not a mower tech so I was unable to diagnose the problem. The blades seemed to be working properly. They are replacing the spindles under warranty as I have an extended warranty until some time in 2022. I think they never tried cutting grass after their previous attempts to fix the problem but it seems to me that they should have discovered the spindle problem without cutting grass. I don't know. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they'll try cutting a patch of grass after replacing the spindles, although there's not much grass to cut in northeast Ohio this time of year.

Hopefully, the new spindles will solve my problem. The JD dealer's service rep informed me that the one bad spindle on the right side was probably the cause of the uneven cutting and the patch of grass left after mowing, although I don't understand why that would cause the problem unless the spindle for the right blade was tilted. I'm not qualified to make that determination. I'll discuss the situation with the service rep when I pick up the mower tomorrow so that I can better understand the problem and watch for such a problem in the future. The service rep did tell me that the deck was adjusted properly, the hangers are OK and the blades are fine. The air pressure in one of the front tires was slightly off.

I bought the mower in May of 2015 and it has less than 200 hours on it, although it wouldn't have that many hours on it if I didn't have to cut my lawn at least twice every time it needed cut. I hope the new spindles solve the problem because I really want this JD mower to be the quality mower that JD mowers are supposed to be. I waited a long time for my first JD lawn tractor and I want it to last a long time, although if it only lasts a few more years it will probably outlast me.

They also fixed the fuel gauge, which stopped working a few months ago. They discovered that the gauge was stuck because lawn debris was preventing it from moving. I find that odd because I think the engineers should have foreseen/discovered this potential problem and shielded the gauge from the debris in some manner. Perhaps my criticism regarding this is unwarranted but there is nothing in the owner's manual that discusses this issue.

I want to thank everyone for their time and assistance. I appreciate it very much.
 

bertsmobile1

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Just a couple of things hat we need to get clear
1) are you cutting with the engine running full speed.
A lot of people do not and the resulting slower blade speed makes a drastic difference to the air flow under the deck and to the cut quality.
2) What type of grass do you have ?
Some mowers will cut different types of grass a lot better than others
3) how fast are you cutting ?
Mowing too fast will have a bad effect on the quality of cut .
4) how much grass are you cutting off ?
There is a finite limit to the amount of grass clippings that any particular deck can handle once you get beyond this the decks choke , although that does not sound like your problem.

Counter rotating blades are usual on finish mowers because they give a better cut.
However they are very sensitive to the type of grass and the volume of grass.
They are best suited for fine leaved grasses like couch that get cut several times a week during the peak growing season.

So there is a good chance that the big problem was the salesman and not the mower if he has sold you a mower that is unsuitable for your situation.

If you are a golfer you would have noticed that they use different types of mowers for fairways, roughs & greens because each one of these are different types of grass.
 

Sichuan

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Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Threads
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Just a couple of things hat we need to get clear
1) are you cutting with the engine running full speed.
A lot of people do not and the resulting slower blade speed makes a drastic difference to the air flow under the deck and to the cut quality.
2) What type of grass do you have ?
Some mowers will cut different types of grass a lot better than others
3) how fast are you cutting ?
Mowing too fast will have a bad effect on the quality of cut .
4) how much grass are you cutting off ?
There is a finite limit to the amount of grass clippings that any particular deck can handle once you get beyond this the decks choke , although that does not sound like your problem.

Counter rotating blades are usual on finish mowers because they give a better cut.
However they are very sensitive to the type of grass and the volume of grass.
They are best suited for fine leaved grasses like couch that get cut several times a week during the peak growing season.

So there is a good chance that the big problem was the salesman and not the mower if he has sold you a mower that is unsuitable for your situation.

If you are a golfer you would have noticed that they use different types of mowers for fairways, roughs & greens because each one of these are different types of grass.

Thank you, bertsmobile1, for your prompt reply.

1) Yes; full speed.
2) I don't know; whatever grows in northeast Ohio. I assume it's a kind of fescue but I don't know.
3) I normally don't exceed walking speed. I always go slower than full speed.
4) I'll usually let the grass grow to a height of 4 inches and cut just the top 1 inch or 1 1/2 inches. I never cut the grass short or close to the soil.
 

Sichuan

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Mar 21, 2015
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I can't say how very disappointed I am after picking up my "repaired" JD lawn tractor. After arriving home I was ready to cut the grass and see just how well the "repaired" mower worked. It took forever before I could even get it to move after starting it. As soon as I would hit the forward or reverse pedals the engine would hesitate or stop. I didn't have this problem before. There was a noise coming from the deck area that I had never heard before. Finally, after the engine stayed running for a few minutes I attempted to engage the blades. I pulled up on the blade engagement knob and nothing happened. The blades would not move. I tried it a few more times and finally the deck jumped as if it had been hit with something and then slammed back down and it was at this point that the blades started turning. They weren't turning as fast as they turned before but they were turning. There was nothing under the deck that would have caused this. No rocks, timber or anything else under the deck that would stop the blades from moving, which is understandable since the mower was sitting on my clean concrete driveway; no obstructions under the deck whatsoever.

I then decided to make a few passes to see how the "repaired" mower would cut. Unfortunately, whenever I tried to move forward or in reverse, or when I tried to engage the blades, the engine would hesitate or stop. I did not have this problem before. I kept trying for another ten minutes or so and gave up. I called the JD dealer and was told to bring it back and they would look at it. The service man put it on a rack and removed the spindle cover. The left side spindle was at an angle and the deck had been bent. The deck was not bent when I took it to them to fix it. I took some pictures while it was on the rack. One look at the photos and it's quite apparent that any mower service tech would have immediately seen the angled spindle and the bent deck directly below it when they started working on it. The service tech at this time said that I had hit something with the blades and that is what caused this particular problem. I informed him that I hadn't even had the opportunity to cut the grass yet. I asked him point blank "would a service tech have noticed the angled spindle and the bent deck when I brought it in for repairs and when they replaced the bad spindles" and he said "absolutely, without a doubt". During the time they had the mower nobody said anything about a bent deck or angled spindle, which is an indication that both were fine when I left it with them. I also noticed that there's a place on the deck where the paint is worn off. The service tech asked me what caused it and I said "I don't know. It wasn't like that when I dropped off the mower". I still don't know what caused the paint to be rubbed off in that particular spot.

I'm not a service tech but I assume that whatever they did when they worked on it created the problem of the blades not turning, which caused the bent deck and angled spindle when the deck jumped up and slammed down and the blades started turning. I have no idea what could have caused this.

I apologize for the photos not being correctly oriented. It doesn't matter how I rotate the photos before uploading them. They always show up in the post oriented incorrectly.

I'm going to call them tomorrow and inform them that I expect the deck to be repaired or replaced and the left spindle mounted properly at no cost to me. I expect them to give me a hard time. I expect them to deny responsibility. I expect them to say that I have to pay for the work or they won't do it, at which time I'll tell them that I'm leaving the mower at their dealership until they fix the problem they caused, at which point they'll probably just leave it outside or charge me storage fees.


I'm done with JD mowers because I have no faith or trust that the JD service techs know what they are doing. I checked today and the mower has only 120 hours on it. However, I've had cutting problems with it since the day I bought it. It's simply no longer worth the time, the effort, the frustration and the aggravation. The two trips I had to make today took several hours and I now have more problems than when I dropped off the mower a couple of weeks ago. This mower will be sold or given away when it is returned to me. I'll buy a new one next spring, one from a different manufacturer, as long as that brand is not under the corporate umbrella of MTD, which will undoubtedly narrow my choices considerably. I'm almost certain that I'll go with a zero turn lawn tractor at that time.
 

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