John Deere

[lawnman_scott]

Who has a John Deere and why? I have looked at them, but wasnt impressed, and seemed overpriced, also just one dealer and its too far from here. I noticed alot of people up north have them, is it because they make plows or snowblowers for them? not much use for those here in FL.

[JOshua Gallerick]

I have two 455 jd. I like them for the versatlity of the attachments. I can push snow or dirt, throw snow, till the ground, and mow. And with a hydo jack it lifts itself at the end of the day for deck cleanings.
There not as fast as ztrs but they can mow on about any slope. But when it comes to mowing I would ride on my dixie any day.

[lee b]

I have a JD 335 tractor and a JD M665 ztr. The tractor is great for slopes and pulling numerous attachments, it is also a great back-up mower and I use it to mow places too wet or rough for the ztr. The M665 ztr is a great mower, in side-by-side demo the M665 basically outmowed a Lazer equipped with the same size deck and engine. It'll handle tall wet grass much better, had a much better standard seat, cost about a $1000.00 less, and dealer is 65 miles closer. I don't think John Deere is any higher priced than any other equipment of the same quality, and the dealer service is absolutely unbeatable. I've never had anything green disappoint me yet.

[Dan Stoms]

lee , did you end up getting one? How long have you used it? Anything you would change?

[lee b]

Dan, I finally bought one the first part of last week. I've only put 10 hours on it, but I sure do like it. It cuts great, tall wet grass doesn't bother it at all. I've never had a z before and didn't know I could cut so much grass so fast and make it look great all at the same time. So far I really can't think of anything I'd change on it. It seems to be a very well designed machine and handles great. The only problem I've had is I bogged it down at the bottom of a ditch up against a chain-link fence, it turned out to be a pretty good job to get it out. Other than getting stuck so far I'm well pleased.

[jdjoe_97]

I have a JD 455, and 2 JD M665 ZTR's. The 455 is the seventh JD rider I have owned. I own four other jd tractors besides the mowers. The 455 is two years old and has 670hrs.

Why buy JD?? Quality, price, parts, and most of all SERVICE!!! I deal when buying new machines with a dealer 70 miles away. EVERYTIME I get ready to trade, or buy a new machine I call three jd dealers. Two of them are 30 miles from me and then call the one that's 70 miles from me. They may all be dealers, but all dealerships operate on different profit margins, especially on L&G. The machines absolutely run flawlessly. I have replaced just two idler bearings at 400hrs. on the deck and the deck belt. Other than that just change the oil and lube it. The company is the only one I have found where absolutely the CUSTOMER comes first no matter what cost!!! Joe

[Grateful11]

I have a GT235, 18 twin Vanguard with 48C deck. I chose it because my wife helps me mow and she's more a ease on it then a ZTR. I cut 2 lawns last Sat. in a 2 year old development and the lawn next door was cut with a large ZTR and I can tell you this the quality of cut with mine was far superior. I think most any good stamped deck will provide a better cut.

[Rodg]

I run a JD 345-just got it this year, but I have run 200 series before that. I also run a walker. The walker is faster on smaller lawns (not bigger ones though!) I will confrim that the JD cut is superior to the Walker. JD service is great as already noted, and JDs are not as expensive to buy or maintain. Just lube and go! If John Deere's new collection system for their ZTRs is good, I think I will trade the walker and become a full time "green man."

[Grateful11]

I mowed a new account today and the lady says" How come my Troy-Bilt doesn't mow this smooth?" I said "What can I say it's a Deere." She tickled my wife and I spent 3.5 hours redoing one of her large beds and then I trimmed, mowed and blowed the whole place and I must say we added about 5K to her property value.

[TFL]

I Have a Gt275 and a M653 and all deere handhelds. i had one costomer that asked why we werent using the deere when we demoed a new mower (new holland which i now own two of)
thats all she,ll let us use on her yard i have other clients like this but not that brand loyal

[AltaLawnCare]

I have a JD345.
Ever since I was little kid I've wanted a John Deere lawn mower - I'm not sure why. I love mine, it has 500 hours on it.
I can take the deck off in 2 minutes.
I have a 5' moose snow plow, which it handles effortlessly.
I'm weary of ZTR's, I'v seen some yards cut with them which didn't look too good. But, ... Eric ELM was a big JD fan until he got a chopper.

[ECHOTURF]

JD 735.... First year with it. Haven't had it on any slopes yet. Drove the JD 345 for a season and it could handle a 30 degree slope with ease! Does anyone know how the 735 performs on slopes? This tractor weighs twice as much and I don't need that rolling down the meadow....! Otherwise I'll have to look into a JD Ejection Seat! LOL

[Grateful11]

Ahh! We garden tractor users are coming out of the closet. I'm glad to see it. Nothing turns a head like a clean JD around here. While I was working in that yard yesterday the next door neighbor mowed with an old, but nice, JD318 and it looked great when they got through, the yard that is. I'm just really not sure I want a ZTR, I'm pleased with the cut and speed I have. It will do 7.5 mph and very few lawns I mow have places that are smooth enough to mow at that speed. I wished the 300 series came with 4 wheel steering.

[plow kid]

it is the same mower as the 735 except for the engine, it is pretty stable on slopes and can walk thru almost any ditch without a problem, buy different drive tires the Dico's tear up the grass too much

[Richard Martin]

We garden tractor users are coming out of the closet.


We have a homeowners forum here too. You may want to check it out so you can converse with others who have mowers like yours.

[kutnkru]

I know of many people who are tradeing in their JD for the Cub Cadet series equipment because they like the quality better -go figure.

Kris

[lee b]

Richard, why are you so condescending about the use of lawn and garden tractors? They have their place in a PROFESSIONAL"S arsenal of equipment also. I have seen some lawn tractors, when operated correctly, do as good a job as some ztr's do. They are also very useful for operating various other attachments. Just because you run a ztr does not make you any more professional than anybody else, maybe just a little more arrogant. From looking at others equipment lists I see alot of pro's have a lawn and garden tractor listed for some reason or another.

[Daren]

Well i have a JD 325, GS45 and a 755 Tractor. Most of my yards that I mow are rough and on hill sides. This year I have tried mowing mainly with my GS45. On most yards I mow it is slower than the 325, even with the sulky and in 3rd gear. The 325 gives a very clean and even cut. I do like JD. My local dealer really takes care of me. He usually discounts everything I buy from them. The 2 times I have had to take it in for repair. Once a flat and the other a large stick got caught up in the belt and bent a pulley. They drop whatever they are doing and jump on mine. They take care of the commercial people first. The other compettitor, is really hard to ever even get through on the phone. My partner purchased of of their Walk behinds and has several problems with it and has tried for 3 days to call and the line is always busy. He took it for repair 2 months ago and it took 3 weeks to fix it. Its only 6 months old. Anyway JD has me ad a customer for a long time to come.

Daren

[Grateful11]

>We have a homeowners forum here too. You may want to check it out so you can >converse with others who have mowers like yours.


Hey Yank, I'll put it up against anything you got and compare quality cut to quality cut. Some of us poo dumb peeons don't have 8-12K to to get started. I personally could care less what kind of mower you've got we're here to talk about lawn care not who us the biggest stick in there hand. The statement was made in fun because very little is said on here about GT's, probably out of fear of someone saying something just like you have stated here and left to to feel degraded by what they're using in their business. How many new accounts did you pick up this weekend? I think I may have gotten two year rounds by word of mouth no advertising just quality work done at a reasonable price. As most of you know I've not had the best of weeks this week by getting robbed last weekend and all. So I'm sorry if I've stepped on of bounds on this one.

[Jim Corcoran]

I own and use JD for my own personal use and for business. I have a new 445,mc519 cart,rototiller,thatcher,blade,broom. This tractor mows as good as any out there. JD has been in biz for many,many years. They are well established,and will continue to be there for many years to come. I also buy and sell tractors,both retail and wholesale. One thing about Deere is you can always get parts. I just got through doing a 212. I was able to get whatever I needed for that tractor including decals. I did not have to wait weeks to get whatever,but usually the next day. That is more than I can say for just about any other tractor out there. I also don't have to worry about them being out of biz in a couple of years like the newer companies out there. Deere dealers are known for their excellent service. With the 445 I can do whatever job my accounts want,besides just cutting their grass. Next week 2 of them want me to till in new flower beds,another wants me to redo the slope on part of their lawn and then reseed,ect. Now I have other deere equipment,that I also use to mow with(walk behind,lx188,ect). Overall,I find it funny that other professional talk so poorly of Deere. I am thinking they are trying to justify the high cost of their equipment,and cost to maintain. All you have to do is look at the classifieds here and see which ones are being held onto,and which ones are being sold off. Interesting

[Runner]

When I first started, my first step up from a push mower was a JD 212. Great machine, and you know what? I still have it! This is a great tractor for tilling, pulling equipment, hauling, and snow removal. I'll probably NEVER give it up. As far as using it to mow with, well, there is nothing wrong with that. If I hadn't gained the equipment that I've gained in the past 18 years, then I'd STILL be using this mower - and with pride. All this time, and it STILL runs like a ....well, like a Deere. Wow, one more post to go!

[Richard Martin]

Hey Yank, I'll put it up against anything you got and compare quality cut to quality cut. Some of us poo dumb peeons don't have 8-12K to to get started.

Hmm... I see what you mean. I have noticed a lot of people here are selling their commercial mowers and buying riding tractors. It doesn't take 8-12k to get a ZTR. It takes $200 a month.

Oh, and not that it matters but the last time I checked Maryland was south of the Mason Dixon line.

[ECHOTURF]

Thanks for the reply about your 725. I can't wait to test her out on some hills! Do you know how much of a slope yours handles in degrees? Have you ever come close to tipping it???? I hate that feeling...... Always steer into it no matter what! Anyway, if you how much in degrees your 725 handles, I'd love to hear it. No specs on this in the books from what I have seen so far. I'd like to hear what the dealer says about it.

THANKS....

[HOMER]

YANK!

Now that was different.

It wasn't as bad as "OLD FART" !

In my opinion a man has to do what a man has to do. Deere blood runs deep! I would own one if I saw the need for one, I don't at this time. If I were going to purchase a new tractor style mower Deere would be my choice.

I like that new one they have, Zero turn with a steering wheel! I don't understand how you could feather it on a slope to keep it in a straight line though.

[TLS]

HOMER,

I saw the TV ad for that new JD ZTR with a steering wheel. Looks like a good idea for a homeowner, as many of them get scared with a stick type ZTR mower!

As for JD's and commercial mowing....I started out with a 1968 Cub Cadet 12hp Kohler (one holer) 48" cut, hydrostatic. It never had an hourmeter, so I can only assume that it was well used when my Father bought it in 1978. I was mowing up to 15 yards when I sold it to buy a brand spanking new 1986 John Deere 318. 50" cut and an 18 hp Onan flathead opposed twin. Cut like a dream compared to the Cub. It even cut when you turned!!! Anyway, it was very maneuverable with the industries tightest turning radius, AND individual turning brakes! I put thousands of hours on this unit and my Dad even bought a used one for himself! He still has his. I then graduated to a 48" SCAG, JD F-935, DIXIE, and now my LC Lazer. Each was an improvement over the previous, in most aspects.

Anyway, the JD lawn tractor is what made me the most money (gross, so far), and allowed me to buy a brand new 1990 Chevy truck loaded, CASH, Just one year out of high school. For just mowing, there are better designs than a Lawn Tractor, but to start out, and possibly do "OTHER" things, the tractors are nice.

If you move up to better equipment, dont sell the JD's, keep them for "OTHER" things, and a backup mower.

[davesgs75]

I run a GS75 walkbehind with 48 inch deck with a velke. It is a great mower. This is my third season with it and i have no complaints. Quality of the cut is great. I have 3 deere dealer with in 18 miles of my home, they have given me good service.

[mklawnman]

I am a Deere man at heart but this year i bought a non green machine this year. Bought a Turf Tiger. Im only 18, but have been mowing for 5 years now. Started out with a 1987 JD 214, great machine but beat that thing so we sold it. I still have a 1982 JD 314 Kohler, which im replacing this year. No hour meter on it but it has to have at least over 2,000 hours on it and still running, but starting to lack in power ive noticed. Smoke comes out of it ever time i start it up but it keeps on running. And also have a 1999 F525 three wheeler, sucks on hills, but great cut on level surfaces.
I plan on keeping the JD 314 for pulling the trailer around when i need to, or anything else. I do belive the older garden tractors from John Deere r more beafier than todays, except the heavy 400 series by Deere. Green blood is still in me, almost bought the new M-Series from deere, but dealers told me im better off buying the Scag, plus the Scag was cheaper. Still waiting for JD to build their OWN ZTR, then ill go back to buy JD.
Matt
(Lawnman)

[Hunter Landscape]

i just got rid of my f-525 jd. it scalped really badly on any unlevel terrain, and you had to constantly get on and off to change the cutting height. i really don't think that it was cut out for true commercial use. slow, but other than that a nice mower for level terrain.

[mklawnman]

Hey Hunter
I agree the F-525 was a disapointment to us too. Also i agree with u on the scalping part, thats the thing i hate about it along with its slow speed, we thought about putting bigger tires on it to make the ground speed more but just really never got around to do that. Don't even know if it would work. I mostly do residental mowing and so far its held up, though when their are hills around, that machine sucks at the quality of cut, scalps and sometimes u gota change the height so it doesn't scalp, most yards i use it on r flat so don't have to worry about that too much. Wish it were faster, but thats why we bought the Scag Turf Tiger, eventually selling the three wheeler.
Matt
(LawnMan)

[Eric ELM]

I have a 430 JD with a 60" deck that hasn't mowed since I got my Choppers in 93. I did use it for aerating and snow removal, but this spring I tryed using my new Chopper for pulling the tow aerator and I'll never use the JD for that anymore. I assumed that the 3 point hitch was the best way to aerate, but I was wrong. I cut my aerating time in half using the Chopper and with the split axle aerator, it makes turning a breeze.

I noticed after reading all of these posts that several talk about how good your's cuts, I found it just the opposite. I did think it cut good until I got a better mower. I have had a total of 5 JD's, 2 of the diesel. I had so much problems with the gear box on the deck that the dealer told me I should buy a back up mower so I wouldn't have to wait until my JD was fixed. I did buy one, but not from them and now it's no more green mowers for me.

Sorry to be so negative in the possitive thread, but after all the JD's I bought from this one dealer, he drove me away and I'm glad he did. He did me a BIG favor. ;)

[plow kid]

it can in my opinion handle a 30 degree slope,..no problem
as for tipping it, well I rolled mine yesterday, out of my own ignorence, sure mamm I can cut that ditch,...no problem
Don't be scared to use the diff. lock,...it saved my azz a dozen times already;)

[MJB]

LEE,

You said your JD basically out performed an Exmark Lazer.

That's funny because I just bought a New Exmark Lazer Z
60" LC and I LOVE IT...... and guess who sells them...............

My John Deere Dealer.... lol In fact he sells more Exmarks than JD's hmmmmm

Just my 2 cents worth.

[TLS]

Thats odd, I never knew of a JD dealership that sold other brands? I know of two around me that are strictly JD. If it doesn't have green paint, it aint there! Wonder if JD gives these traders as good of a buying power as the loyal ones? Yes they sell attachments made by outside company's, like a woods 3pt mower, etc, but if its another brand, its usually in thier trade in lot. My JD dealer used to sell the BIG stuff, (combines, articulated tractors, etc) but in the mid 80's had to decide to stay with the big stuff, or cater to the 100hp and under category. Something about JD dictating which dealers were to be heavy, and which were going to be light duty equipment. I also cant wait until JD starts making their OWN ZTR! By then (5yrs) I'll be ready to trade the Lazer!

[Eric ELM]

The JD dealer closest to me sells Grasshoppers and Great Dane and JD. He used to sell Dixon too. I asked him how come he doesn't sell JD ZTR's and he just laughed. He said he won't even stock them and didn't even tell me why. This really seems odd to me. I think the main reason is, JD's are not used commercially around here for mowing. I used to see a few around, but not anymore.

[MJB]

I'll never complain about service, I get the great service that JD is well known for, and I got the mower of my choice Exmark.

They have a huge market out here for Exmark, Walker, Grasshopper, and DC's, but this JD dealer has sold many brands in the past and is a very large dealer, but now sells Exmark, and he sounds like he will be adding Walker Mowers, for the smaller jobs. Oh yeah he sells JD Walk Behinds too. lol

I have Exmark Lazer Z, Walker Mower, Grasshopper, and a JD Walk behind which gets more trailer abuse than anything.

[lee b]

Sorry MJB, but in tall or wet grass the M665 will mow circles around the same {25hp. 60" deck} Lazer. The 7-iron deck cuts just as smooth as the Lazers and will handle way more grass. Try them side-by-side, I think you'll be surprised. The Lazer is a great mower too, but for my conditions the Deere is the better mower.

[Mowingman]

lee, You are right about the M665. I wave owned and/or demoed many brands of ZTR's and the JD M665 handles heavy, wet grass better than any mower I have ever operated! Today I mowed some steep berms at a landfill that were covered with a thick stand of 30" tall winter ryegrass( this is actual measured height for changed conditions billing). The JD not only handled this mess, but went up, down, and across the slope with little slippage. The berms are 15' high and too steep to operate a tractor and brush hog on.

[MJB]

I have no reason to beleive it other than your experience.
I live in Wa state and I mow in extremely wet conditions in the spring only. I cut lawns that are heavily fertilized 4-6inches and sopping wet. All I have to do is have the high lift blades and it will shoot it out 12 ft.or more cutting it clean. So many times it is just a matter of having the right blades for the conditions. This will make all the difference in the world.

I can go straight up, in fact 1 job is a steep side hill about 200 ft long by 50' high. My competitors could only side hill it, I go straight up and done, angles and side hill. In fact even a JD tractor could not side hill it well for fear of turning over.

If that mower could compete that well how come my dealer won't stock it?

[lee b]

MJB, I don't have a clue why your dealer doesn't handle them. Don't take my word on the cutting ability of the 7-iron deck, try it for yourself. I bet you it'll handle more grass than your Lazer. Until you demo the Deere, how do you have any way to know how it mows?

[DeepDivot]

Originally posted by dixie1
Thats odd, I never knew of a JD dealership that sold other brands?


Of the 2 JD dealers closest to me, one sells Excel Hustlers and the other sells Exmark. I've had a JD855 for almost 10 years, but the main reason was the the ability to run a bucket, tiller and sprayer. With 4 wheel drive, I can mow where ZTRs can't think of going. The mowing is OK, not great, and the turning circle is something like 10', so mowing trees is like forward - back - forward - back - forward - back - forward. With about 30 trees to mow around (not counting the 100+ trees in the windbreak), a ZTR is in the future, just don't know how far. And it'll likely be either an Excel or a Exmark, not only because of the great designs, but also because the JD dealers carry them.

[MJB]

I love JD too guys, I love the service, and quality equipment. But for what I do No lawn tractor will work for me. I would spend to much time turning around. I bought my Lazer Z from my JD dealer because it was the best deal for the money, great JD service, plus a very efficient machine that will side discharge, or MULCH., or Bag. JD could not give me a machine that could do all 3 with a 60" deck. That's why this dealer added Exmark to their equipment line. The new 7 Iron Deck shoots the grass out, but try to mulch something and see what happens especially if your in a tight area and have nop place to shoot the clippings......

We sometimes sound like we are blasting JD, it is not JD it is just the thought of going back to mowing with the old style lawn tractors is a scary thought.


I more than doubled my income the 1st year I made the switch to zero turn, and picked up more accounts due to the high quality cuts, stripes etc :-)

Happy mowing

[Highpoint]

No 72" 935s out there?

[LiVe2]

I have 2 John Deere's, one is a 620 z-track and the other is a 4630 150hp tractor. The ztrack is nice because you can change the blades real fast but its slow and uses up a lot of gas. The 4630 is awsome its got A/C and a Radio.


LiVe
Gainesville Fla