Hi ! Just bought a new John Deere E140, 48 inch deck, I sure hope i like it. I've had a commercial Troy Built for past 17 years, and it was pretty good overall. It was hard on belt decks and bearings, but mowed great; when everything worked. The John Deere seems to have pretty good reviews on all the different web sites. If any of you love or hate their John Deere "E", or last years "D" series, tell me how you feel! Thanks Mike

Love my deere's; my latest is one year old this month.



but I have hung onto my Troy-Bilt as well

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Last summer I bought a J.D. D -155 with the new 24 hp Briggs extended life engine and 48" deck. I put on a double rear bagger and a 46" snow blade and a set of chains. The snow blade works pretty good as long as the snow is not over 6" deep.
The funny thing is I went to a J.D. dealer and asked about several models they recommended the D-155 as the lightest one for my type of property 1 1/2 acre of hilly slopes. The funny thing is they said that that model was the same as the one at Home Depot for about $200.00 cheaper . The thing was that the dealer didn't even have one so I got it from Home Depot . When I got home I found a sticker under the hood from the J.D. dealer that they had prep'd the machine for Home Depot.

The John Deere brand is delivered to the big stores like LOWE'S, etc.
I buy mine from our local Lowe's.
Mine is a 130 model with a 48+wide deck. It now has 200 hours on it.
Bought it 3 years ago.
Use the hour meter to keep track of maintenance needed and post it in your paper Instruction Manual. I had a spindle bearing go bad and the JD dealer fixed it on Warranty. I bought the xtra 2 yr long warranty which included the local JD dealer to come pick it up and fix it,then return it back to my driveway.
I will always stick with them because of brand and service, and quality of both.

I've been with John Deere since 2004 when I moved to my 4 acre lot. They cost more initially but I trade every one to three years and I get back almost 60% in trade in. My X738 54" deck is the best JD I have owned.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

We bought a JD zero turn two years ago. My wife loves it so much I rarely mow.

Thanks for the replies! I bought mine at Lowes, and got a free pull behind dump cart, with it. You could either get a dump cart or choice of 2 different spreaders. I wish they had just offered a $200 buck discount on the bagger. I asked Lowes, if they kept the $200 dump cart, could i get the $79 dollar front bumber instead. NO! I asked if they would knock $200 off the bagger price. NO! That was their loud answer. It made feel like I was a thief, for asking such stupid questions. Hey, I still bought the mower, and will wait until Lowes or Home Depot runs the bumber on sale, if they ever do. Mike

Mike,
Good luck with the new Deere! I hope you get many years of service out of it!

Can't tell you about a 'D' or 'E' series JD,but I can tell you that my JD 318 is going on it's 35th year of service ! In all those years the repairs were minimal , belts, tires, plugs, etc. just the basic items. I think JD's are about the best you can buy, enjoy yours.

I just purchased a new JD X738 with a 54" auto connect deck. Anxious for the grass to start growing so I can try it out. My 20? year old GT225 is going to be used to mow the grass at my cabin.

I just got my x738 back from the dealer. They put a 47" snowblower on it and it is absolutely fantastic. I'll try to get a photo of it this afternoon when I finish playing with it.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I thought I would share my John Deere's I've had through the years while taking care of my 4 acres of "almost heaven".







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The JD345 was my first. It also had a blade with it and 25# weights on each rear wheel. 48" deck. After four years I decided I wanted a larger cutting deck.


The JD534 was all wheel steer which was great for the 100+ trees on the lot but a total surprise was I could not get as close to the fences as the rear wheel turning push me away from the fence slats. So...


The zero turn was a great mower (Z720A with a 60" deck) but my acreage had enough slope on it that when the grass was wet with rain or dew the mower would slide into the downhill fence and I got tired of using the Gator to pull it off.


The JDX739 was a great mower but I decided I wanted a compact tractor and traded it in on a JD1025R with a bucket. Loved the 1025 but the bucket took up a lot of space and it did not mow as well as the 739.


After learning that lesson I have settled on the X738. Best mower yet and now with the snowblower it can earn its keep in the winter as well.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Real JD come from dealer not big box store, look at difference.
Ask JD, just saying.

My 1025 and Gator. Also the JD E150 I picked up this year as the wife won't drive the X738. The E150 will be used for trimming around the house and when I want to be in the shade while mowing.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Here are the photos of the snowblower. That snow is over two weeks old. It did a good job.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I have two-both from JD dealer. An Lt 180 (Kawasaki two cylinder engine) that has been going strong for 15 years. Just replaced the deck belt. It has 500 hours on it. Good Machine.

I did buy an LA125 (21 hp single cylinder Briggs and Stratton engine) for my son and I now how it. It has 200 hrs on it. No problems. Lowes sold the LA models at the time but I bought mine from the same JD dealer that my LT came from.

There is a difference in the quality. The LT is a heavier machine but at the time the JD dealer also sold the same model as Lowes.

I also have a JD snow blower. They don't make them anymore. It is a good piece of equipment.

The D and E models are good for mowing and very light duty pulling/pushing (small cart or dethatcher), but only on mostly level ground. The transmissions are light duty and hard use severely shortens their lifespan. However, the Deere machines are as well-made or better than equivalent sized machines of other brands, and will last if properly cared for.

I also have a 318, a 1984 model that I use for a secondary mower when I have the mower deck off my main mower, a 2-series compact. It still runs great, just smokes a tad on startup. I've been a JD fan for many years, have had quite a few garden tractors over the years, from an early round fender 110, to a 112, a 212, 214, GT 235 (still have it), X748, the 318 and the 2520.

Have just over an acre at the lake... want something that does more than cut grass ( zero-turn).. looking at the JD X390 series.
Mower , snow blower and cart ....... maybe a snow blade

Anyone have any experience .

Dad and I both had great luck with his 80s JD 650 4-wheel drive/ diesel.
Blade 5' snow blower and wood splitter. He had a seperate mower and can't get one for the 650 now..... really too big for one acre and short driveways.

Mine's a 6 year old D. Best mower i ever had.

Still running my '96 GT275 with a 48" deck and Powerflow bagger April-November and a 42" snowplow with chains in the winter. It has the Kawasaki 17 HP single cylinder engine, a real torque monster that can tow small boats and my 4x8 utility trailer around the yard.

For those that buy their equipment at Lowes or Home Depot, If you are a vet, you can get 10% off. Just a heads-up.

Do you have snow? You may need to wait a while to use it.