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A brand new rider for $4000!!!

16K views 89 replies 45 participants last post by  dieselss 
#1 ·
I was in Lowes yesterday and saw a brand new John Deere 48 inch hydrostatic zero turn mower with a 23 hp briggs engine for $3999. It looked pretty darn close to commercial grade, however, I am sure there are some differences. They had a homeowner grade zero turn riding mower 42 inch 18 hp for $2899.

I could not believe the price of these mowers. Is John Deere low balling to gain control of the market? I mean you could buy 2 of the 48 inch riders for the price of 1 (Scag, Bobcat, Hustler, Wright etc...)

Have you guys seen this and what do you think???
 
#4 ·
Close but no cigar. Once again these are strictly homeowner units designed to run 2-3 hrs a week. They have the infamous EZT drives which are anything but heavy duty. The deck is stamped (dead give-away). The spindles are 1/2 the size of commercial units. Take your 4000$ and put a down payment on a real machine. These manufactures need to stop trying to convince people that these machines can be used for even light commercial duty. These are just toys for DIYers' that want to one up the neighbor.:usflag: :usflag: :usflag:
 
#5 ·
Close but no cigar. Once again these are strictly homeowner units designed to run 2-3 hrs a week. They have the infamous EZT drives which are anything but heavy duty. The deck is stamped (dead give-away). The spindles are 1/2 the size of commercial units. Take your 4000$ and put a down payment on a real machine. These manufactures need to stop trying to convince people that these machines can be used for even light commercial duty. These are just toys for DIYers' that want to one up the neighbor.:usflag: :usflag: :usflag:
people have to stop trying to use the wrong tool for this job.... it wont last and will be a waste of money with no resale value, and what about service, when it breaks down in a couple of months, is lowes going to service it, no, you will be sent to an actual dealer who will put the people who buy machines from them ahead of you in repairs, could be there for weeks......

now honestly, you have been in business over 10 years and you are asking this question.....????????
 
#7 ·
Remember that thread that was on here a while back?

Remember what I said in it?

Now tell me I'm wrong guys.....
 
#9 ·
Home Depot takes parts that would be metal or what not and re manufacture the part in plastic to cut costs. An 8k mower will last twice as long with out the breakdowns every other week.
 
#11 ·
i say buy it. if it lasts half as long as a commercial then youre doing well. if you take care of something then it doesn't matter if its a stamped deck and has 1/2 spindles. if you are the one running it then you know whether or not it can handle your "abuse".
 
#14 ·
Does Home Depot manufacture machines like this? I think not! They are a retailer, not a manufacturer.
A retailer with alot of buying power. If they request a cheaper machine to sell in their stores and dictate to JD which parts to change from metal to plastic, then JD will do it. Incidently, I've heard that the JDs at Home Depot are made by what used to be the Scotts division that JD bought in order to produce the "box store" mowers.
 
#16 ·
Something could be said for the fact that they're just giving away cheap business lessons... :laugh:
Because in as much as I dislike an inferior machine being labeled or sold as commercial, I also applaud those big corporations for pulling that crap.

Because no matter how many times you tell some of these folks what they need to buy, sure enough, someone has to insist on trying to save a dollar, and they will either buy a machine like that or something else that's underpriced (and of course, under-qualified).

Mind you, there aren't that many buyers for this specific type of machine.
But there are always a few, and they will exist (and insist) for this, no matter what.

So, all they're doing is filling in that little corner of the market.
They would be fools if they didn't!
Meanwhile, it might help eliminate competition and, (I think this is funny) it even ensures the corporations always have plenty of folks looking for employment later, all the while the big guys are getting paid LOL.

So it's win-win, in a dog eat dog kinda way.
Sick, but still beneficial.
 
#19 ·
Have you ever seen a Home depot or lowes repair dept? Thats cause there aint one!!! My kid works at home depot I can get 20% off anything and I still dont buy my large lawn equipment there. When it breaks down do you think your local landscaper repair guy is gonna jump right on it? Shop smart!!
 
#20 ·
Right on! tough lessons learned . Home depot and lowes are all stock holder driven. Some bean counter needs a bonus so they shave costs on boocoo units sold to get it. Cutting costs is their montra and quality is second place. Name brands are used to suck in homeowners to believe in quality. Some people may remember a company called Hechingers here on the east coast back in the 80s . They fell by the wayside for the same mistakes Home Depot is making now. Pony up the money for quality or buy used quality and save for good commercial equipment.
 
#21 ·
Wow, this thread is getting just as much attention as another thread started on the same topic about two weeks ago. Both threads have no shortage of negative opinions about the John Deere entry of Z-riders into the consumer market. The other thread had pictures of a package deal on HD, trailer, mower, trimmer, blower -- all for less than $5,000, I seemed to recall. Most likely, the equipment on the trailer is far more capable, far better than the equipment than 80% of us had when we started.

Why are so many so uptight and quick to be critical of a new offering to the market? Why wouldn't JD bring new products to the market? How often do we read threads on LS lamenting, "... why don't these guys doing the manufacturing make this ...?", "... why don't they give us that piece of equipment ....?" And, the list goes on.

If an LCO feels threatened by these new offerings, then perhaps it is time to evaluate the business model, the business plan, kinds of services offered, etc. New products are offered for starter LCOs or homeowners every year, and the same moanings are heard. Yet, how many threads are posted in the Getting Started section, "... just getting started with my business ...," "... what equipment to buy for my new business, ...." This means that there is no shortage of those believing they can make a business out of lawn mowing, or other lawn related services.

Many manufacturers make new products for a specific market. In making those new products, they are looking for balances of price points, product longevity, product service, usefulness, etc. In the case of the EZ-trak, a consumer grade engine has been used, a mowing deck that has been around for years and years (proven, parts available) has been used, and perhaps even some parts that were metal are built with plastic (don't know this to be a fact). But, so what? They are offering a product to meet certain criteria, such as price point. What other manufacturing company doesn't do the same thing? How many models of automobiles does GM, Ford, Toyota, Lexus, offer? Why?

I first saw this new mower in the showroom at the JD dealer when getting some parts in early January. I scanned over it, and the sales person who sold me my 717A walked past. He knew I was not interested in buying, but just knew I had an interest in equipment. They have a showroom full of garden, lawn and estate tractors, and sell many, many units each year. His comment to me, "... we will sell them out as fast as we can get them in here."
Clearly, he is very confident that he has a piece of equipment that will tickle the interest of a class of buyer.

Rather than get up tight about the manufacturing companies coming out with new products that might, yes, MIGHT, impinge upon our plans, let us devote ourselves to time and effort building a business that will be best for us.
 
#24 ·
Tell me about that that thread.
Here is what I said in one thread a month ago.

Yup, I've seen 'em.

My personal thought was a scarcastic "oh great"...
We're in for a fresh run of "Lowe's landscapers" come spring.

Bad for the industry...
You can count on Home Depot selling them too if they sell Deere this year.
If they are being sold at Lowes, they'll be at Home Depot too.

I haven't seen the bigger ones though... just the 42" w/single cylinder engine.

I have no issue at all with a homeowner wanting to buy one and mow the yard. No big deal there. That's a person or two or whatever. What I have issue with is all these 'newbies' charging them on their Lowes/Home Depot card and all of the sudden they are a Pro Landscaper. Yeah right....

John Deere did a good job of molding them in the likeness of the Z-Traks. So what will happen is these newbies will buy these things, pick up 30 or so of our $60 lawns for $20 bucks each, and another 10 new lawns... and tear them to shreads with their little ZTR tires.

Then when the homeowner realizes they are destroying their lawns....
I'll show up for the call with my ZTR's, and so will some other guy with a lawn tractor.

Guess who will always get that job every time from now on?

THAT'S MY ISSUE
 
#25 ·
Now... I didn't mean to bring the conversation to a screeching halt there....

So here are some additional thoughts to maybe get it back going...



Personally, I too think Deere was really smart in the way they made these... like someone else said. They will sell a blue million of them I bet.

But I also think the 'looks' of them are a bit misleading too. The front looks so much like a mini Ztrak that many won't even realize they are not commercial grade... and no customer or consumer will know the difference.

Am I saying the machines are bad? No... that still yet remains to be seen. In fact, I hope they are good for the price because they will be purchased for the wrong applications and it would suck for someone to waste $4,000 on one and have it fall apart in no time.

I'm not really sure I see anything really wrong with buying one of the bigger ones either. An owner operator with a tight budget might do fine with one for a while if it's taken good care of and never abused. But at this point, nobody can judge. Might last a week or two... might last a year or two.

Also, while it does not hurt the already existing low entry cost into the business... it doesn't really help either. But I'm not buggin' on that at all. No point in it all things considered.

What I have the issue with is how easy it is for the guy who just got laid off or whatever to become yet another lowes landscaper. They can go down and charge a Cub RZT or Deere EZ Trak or two on their Lowes credit card... and look really good.

Honestly, rather it is or not, the EZ Trak looks better than the Cub. So not only do they still roll out with something with brand-name recognition... but a machine that can more easily pass for professional looking equipment.

They can roll right up to an estimate.... and you tell me how many people would know the difference? And be honest! They could pass for established professionals if the individual acts at all professional.

They bid lower and get the job (like most newbies do) but now they are out on people's lawns on a ZTR with NO EXPERIENCE and you know as well as I do that with those light little machines they are going to rip them up good.

That hurts us all... because if you don't think these people will be avoiding zero turn equipment from now on... well you got another thing coming... trust me on that because I know better. They won't even consider someone with a ZTR or wide area walkbehind. Those lawns will be lost to guys with only lawn tractors from now on...

That's my beef... and it's the same one I have for the other companies who offer this equipment. Sure, it's good for them financially and they are doing what it takes to please the majority of the market... which is not us commercial guys. They do this stuff because we don't even make up half of their total sales.
 
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