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John Deere "SABRE" worth buying??

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shawneeman21

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Theres a guy selling one pretty cheap $900 with trailer and spreader, it has a 14.5 hp Briggs motor and claims to be really well taken care of. Waht are your opinions on this mower??Here is the ad:
For sale... 1 John Deere Sabre lawn mower...
Very good used condition... No problems...
Brand new battery, fresh oil change, 3/4 tank of gas...
Almost new set of Gator blades (? maybe 5 hours)...
Just tuned up, cleaned carb, changed plug and filters...
Newer drive and deck belts... Gates "Green Belts"...
14.5 hp Briggs and Stratton engine w/ cast iron sleeve...
5 speed gear drive w/ reverse (less maintenance than hydros)...
Easy to adjust deck height, one handed, from the seat...
All of the factory guards and safety switches are in place...
I will include an extra front tire, enough synthetic oil for
three more oil changes, a new air filter w/ pre-filter, spark plug,
fuel filter, extra blades, and a tow behind broadcast spreader...
 
#2 ·
No, they are cheap junk, built for selling at Home Depot and Lowes. Nothing J.D. about them except the paint and decals. When you see "Sabre", think "MTD or Murray" quality.
 
#3 ·
I owned two of them and they tore up often. The second one I bought was for a spare, hydro drive (not gear drive) in perfect shape from original owner for 400. At best they are fair for someone who mows a 1 hour lawn weekly. That mower would be worth no more than 500 bucks at tops even with the accessories.
 
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#9 ·
shawneeman21 said:
Ouch sersiously???? I didnt expect JD quality but that bad??? the guy has had a lot of interest here locally and wont budge on the price...
Click to expand...
The mower is not actually a genuine deere. It was made to compete on the box store level. The dealer here sold very few and they had so many problems with them they refused to sell anymore. My sister also had one and had numerous problems with it. Finally sold it at a yard sale for about nothing. Let the guy sell it locally, make it someone elses problem. BTW, I sold my first one here locally when it was working at the time. The guy I sold it to has been pizzed at me every since and tells me everytime I run into him. I reminded him he tried it and said it was fine. He say yeah, it is fine for about 2 hours at the time then tears up. It still had about 6 months of warranty left on it when I sold it and the guy says the dealer hated to see him come in with it.:laugh:
 
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#10 ·
Most folks here are commercial users, so they need & expect commercial quailty. However since most of us also own property we like to have a quality unit to take care of our yards as well. The JD Sabre, as mentioned, was one of the first JD-branded units to hit Home Depot a few years back, to the dismay of Deere Dealers nationwide. It's essentially a re-badged MTD, and it's more than a little suprising that JD was willing to let thier name be used on such a light & cheaply built mower.

Instead, try looking for an older (say early '90's) JD 200 or 300 series lawn tractor. You could probably pick up a 200 series for around the same price, and it will last many times longer than the Sabre. Don't make the typical mistake of being impressed by a high-horsepower engine and fancy design. Real quality is real strength, go below the panels, look at the frame, the deck, the axles, you can quickly tell quality (or the lack thereof) when you do.

Try going to a real lawn-care dealer and check out some of the used machines on their lot. It's worth it since that's what they work with every day, and they will fit a machine to your needs and budget. How about a used zero-turn mower?
 
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#11 ·
It's a "John Deere" but built to a low price point. My step-father has one of the early "Scotts by John Deere" models. It's definately a homeowner machine and his has been near flawless for the almost 10 years he owned it. He cuts 3 acres per week with it. Just recently the hydro transmission needed some work, the input pulley broke. Other than that he's done nothing but change the oil.

These are definately not like the LX, GT, GX series mowers JD put out during that time period. They are however MUCH MUCH better than the equiv. L100 series JD is building for HD and Lowes these days. For. example, my dad's Scotts has a TuffTorq K52 on it. Best you can find at HD now is a K46, and sometimes lower.

I wouldn't pay $900. Maybe $400 and use it for pulling a wagon, etc...
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Im not opposed to a zero turn, I just thought this was an alright deal for the package with the trailer etc. Anybody have any suggestions for a local purchase in Kansas City ?
 
#13 ·
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Discussion starter · #16 ·
I ended up finding a really nice Deere 210 and love it ! I am mowing a few yards with it and it does a great job. I have been bit with the green bug and can see myself upgrading to a hydro in the near future, I want a cherry 318 !
 
#17 ·
Agree with the majority, Sabre mowers are crap. AND they are old-- I dont think they are even sold anymore under that name.

If your budget is $1000 or under, look at Craigslist.org for your area and your local classifieds for a used Cub Cadet, John Deere, Snapper, or even a Craftsman GT (Garden Tractor) model rider. I have a soft spot for the Craftsman tractors, I really abused my little LT1000 for 7 years and it held up well considering. I believe they are better built than MTD, Yard Machines,Husqvarna, or Troy Bilt crap you see at Lowes/HD. The Garden Tractor series are the bigger and tougher of the Craftsman units.

If you want a REAL John Deere, go to a John Deere dealership-- but you will have to fork over some $$$.
 
#19 ·
I have actually owned a scotts "john deere" made 48 inch cut with the briggs 20 horse hydro mower. It was a 2002 with 425 hours on it. I mowed 3 acres with it every 5 days or so. I sold it to my neighbor who also owns 3 acres. It was a great mower. Never had a single problem with it. These guys who dis the sabres or the scotts mower I am sure have never owned one. They are a residential mowers, and if used for that reason can provide you with years of hassel free mowing. However, I do not miss the mower since I got my scag ztr.
sslopok
 
#20 ·
sslopok said:
I have actually owned a scotts "john deere" made 48 inch cut with the briggs 20 horse hydro mower. It was a 2002 with 425 hours on it. I mowed 3 acres with it every 5 days or so. I sold it to my neighbor who also owns 3 acres. It was a great mower. Never had a single problem with it. These guys who dis the sabres or the scotts mower I am sure have never owned one. They are a residential mowers, and if used for that reason can provide you with years of hassel free mowing. However, I do not miss the mower since I got my scag ztr.
sslopok
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actually i have owned one and a close friend of mine has one sitting in his yard right now as a lawn ornament and my aunt has one that she pulls around with a 4wheeler to mow a field mine and the other two had/have hydro problems and were told only way to fix it is to replace it so id say i have dealt with their problems first hand
 
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