John Deere

Hello... Like most of the homeowners here, I have been mowing lawns way before before I could legally drive motor vehicles...(legally is the keyword). The X350 John Deere lawn tractor is my subject and some comparisons to other brands I have owned and used. Over the 65 years of mowing I have experienced many types and brands. Way back when the "Hahn Eclipse" Briggs powered reel type mower was the best, through the push rotary era and now the riders (age induced). I have owned and used many brands and have always returned to the Deere line, with the X350 is my latest ride. Overall, the operation and quality has met and exceeded my expectations.

I purchased my LT133 from a local dealer which is no longer here. I have never had a problem with the engine or the transmission. I have had this John Deere Lawn Tractor for more than 39 years. In the last 8-10 years I have had some problems most likely due to age. The deck still works but lost both guide wheels and the mulching unit is screwed up but it still cuts grass. Replace the starter motor, brakes, belts, and have had minor problems I fixed myself. I will only purchase a JD from a dealer and pay the extra to get a good machine not like the ones sold at Lowe's or Home Depot. I know if I have problems my dealer will take care of it. I see a lot of bad reviews but I contribute that to purchases made other than JD dealer and purchasing cheaper made models.

Several years ago I bought a 1994 JD LX178 lawn tractor. It got the Kawasaki 15 HP, twin piston, water cooled engine and a 38 inch deck. It's still running beautifully today (2018). I replaced the cheap plastic hood with a steel hood from a craftsman GT and recovered the seat in leather. In July of this year, I bought a 1998 JD445. Yes, it's 20 years old! I had to clean out the gas tank to get it to run properly and I replaced the seat. This is a wonderfully comfortable mower with all the hydraulics and differential lock, and power steering that I need in my old age. The 22 HP Kawasaki engine is fuel injected and being liquid cooled, I expect another 20 years from it. The 300 pound, 60 inch deck makes great time out in my fields.

We've had multiple lawn tractors over the decades, but this is our first John Deere (model X350). We chose to buy from an authorized (AgPro) dealer - not from one of the box stores, which carry lower end models. Although somewhat more expensive at purchase, we noted the difference in quality immediately with sturdy metal parts where plastic or flimsy metal parts were used on other brands. We know from experience that multiple expensive repairs down the road can quickly erase the "savings" on purchase price.

I enjoy John Deere because they are balanced better with riding mowers and push mowers. The push mower's collector bag is easy to handle and notice when it is time to empty bag. My John Deere mowers last five or more years longer than other mowers, and that is not bringing the mower in for maintenance. If you bring it in for maintenance they last a lot longer. John Deere unlike other mower shops encourages maintenance which saves you money and which improves performance. Their repair staff is well versed when fixing more impactful problems. They make sure their staff is polite whereas other mower shops make eye contact with a genuine face about twenty five percent of the time. Their warranties are honored when an issue falls in a "grey area".

We bought a new gator and a 125 R lawn tractor based on the great service we received from our gator of 13 years. So far, the gator has been in the shop twice, once trying to do a cheap fix and then finally fixing it correctly, as they should have the first time. Today, with less than 5 hours, the 125 R blew oil all over the tractor deck, leaking from who knows where. The green paint lives on its previous quality which is sadly lacking these days. This equipment is way too expensive to fail this quickly.

Bought brand new. Transmission stopped working at 80 hrs. John Deere says bad luck, buy new transmission for another $1000. Not spending $1000 more on next to new tractor. Will be buying new mower again but won't be John Deere. Can't afford to buy major components every 2-3 years.

John Deere lawn tractor or snow blower?? If you want a nightmare, go for it! The John Deere lawn tractor and its snow blower are the worst products I have ever got! And the John Deere customer service is the worst one I have ever had! I bought this John Deere lawn tractor D105 from Lowe’s and its snow blower from its dealer Green Tractors by its sales recommendation. Both products were broken almost every time when I used them. Within one year, many of their parts, including the battery, belt, grip, handle, spring, pins, rod, took turns to break, and finally the D105 engine was broken in the early second summer! In the winter, I could not finish even once for a completed snow blowing. I eventually had to ask to return the snow blower.

6/5/2019: Just got off the phone with my local parts store and John Deere "Customer Service". I have a 2013 Z960R z-turn, paid a lot of money for this as it was billed to be the premier commercial grade z-turn. This machine has 640hrs easy home use and has been well serviced and garaged. Pull switch that engages the blades went bad.

In the past 8 years I have purchased a 700x, a 730, a 2025r and a 758 & I also have a 485 & finally a Husqvarna pz 60 which has only been in for service 1 time because it never has problems. But the John Deeres make up for it by being in for service all the time. Nothing but problems. I almost forgot a 500 series I had but it was in so much I almost forgot I owned it. It had so many problems that the dealership almost gave me full price back on a trade for the 700 which was probably the best green tractor I had. I have had very bad service with a lot of wasted time back and forth. Just had the u joint replaced on the 2025r 2300 dollars of which 1800 was labor and after getting it back with loose and missing bolts and wires hanging out everywhere now the pto isn't working. Which means more wasted time.

I bought a John Deere D140 9 years ago. I have replaced the front end, transmission repairs, multiple pulled yes and belts. Constant trips to repair shop. Worst mower I ever bought. Pure junk. I hate John Deere. Pure trash. Can't wait to take a sledge to this trash and take it to the dump where it belongs.

I bought a John Deere lawn tractor from an authorized dealer (Midstate Tractor CT). What a mistake. After less than 6 hours of use, caught the blade on a root. The deck on the X304 bent like a toy. John Deere offered no assistance. I would have to pay full retail for a new deck, they would not even offer a discount on parts or labor. If I had bought a far less expensive mower from a big box I would have gotten better service, and they would not have treated it like a joke. Save your money, find a better dealer, manufacturer. Neither the dealer nor John Deere stood behind their product. I tried to post a review on the John Deere site, but apparently they only post good reviews.

I have a 2014 625i gator. Less than 75 hrs. Bought new. Now have spent $1200.00 in repairs to replace throttle body. Model is now obsolete (wonder why they quit making it). Worth almost nothing trading in. Nothing runs like a Deere. NOT!

I paid cash for a riding lawn mower. I was told that it would be delivered within days after purchase. I ordered a bagger to go with mower and I realize that weather has a factor in getting product to store however no communication of this delay. I had to go to store and called several times and was told that person who could tell me what was going on was out and would call back. No call or communication. Finally told delivery would come after I initiated inquiry. Product delivered but after delivery person left would not start and found machine still had sand in battery and other areas which I was assured would be cleaned before delivery. The plastic parts for filler cap deteriorated and broke. I am not pleased with customer service...do we only get service if we finance a tractor??? I contacted Area manager and expressed my displeasure. I will be asking for my full refund and will be purchasing from Lowe’s.

My third DEERE and you will have to pay me go to something else. They say that nothing runs like a DEERE and you can take that to the bank! 22 yrs and nothing but belts, plugs, oil and gas. Will be back to another when the time comes.

Never seen a piece of equipment deteriorate with all the maintenance I give it, I have to admit that the engine is solid but as the chassis goes what a piece of crap. I never paint without removing rust, grime or anything else that will keep the primer from bonding to the metal. Always using top brand of primer and paint. You would expect excellent results, right? Well no. The metal is so cheap that your labor don't last at all just to find another area rotting away. This machine is a 1995 purchased in 99 from a dealer in Dade County Fl.

I have a JD2520 bought 7 years ago with less than 500 hours. Use mainly for snow blowing and mowing. It needed a new hydraulic motor and once that was in they said it needed a hydraulic shaft, part #LVA802614. Surprise!!! There is not a hydraulic shaft in the whole United States that they can find and it may be "3, 6, or 9 months, who knows" verbatim from the dealer. They don't care and gave me the part number to see if I could find it. I can't find it anywhere either. I can't believe a reputable company like John Deere does not have parts for their own machines. What a waste. Now I sit, stranded with no machine, and nothing I can do about it. They actually asked us if we wanted to trade it in. Why??? Because you can't get a part I am supposed to pay more money for a different machine. Guess I'm out the $18,000 I paid for it.

I have spent over 400.000 buying John Deere products over a 10 year span. My new 30 hours 3039 tractor has a large hydraulic leak. I called the dealer because it is under warranty. They will have to have the tractor picked up and delivered but informed me that I will be charged for the tow. John Deere does not pay for transportation. So I spent 70.000 on a tractor. It has a major leak and I have to pay for transporting it for service. I am so pissed. Never buying another John Deere.

I recently purchased a used ridding John Deere model 738 which has performed well. However I now have a slight problem with going from forward to reverse. Engine tries to die during this operation, this problem is most prevalent during snow removal with snow blower attachment. Does anyone have a suggestion at to a remedy.

Must be great to be a monopoly, which Meade Tractor is for John Deere in our area. This allows them to overcharge you at will, then act like it's YOU with a problem if you complain. Screw them. Avoid at all costs!

Called my local John Deere service center after running over a small branch with mower deck explain the situation that I just had the mulch kit installed recently and I was short on funds. They was able to help me with the pick up and delivery charges by reducing it $50 which I was grateful. After giving me an estimate of $530 to fix pulley bracket and one bent wheel I agreed on the charges.

Bought a ride on lawn mower August of 2018 from Lowe’s. When I went to start e170 it started but the belt was broken. Called John Deere corporate office. They pretty much ignored me. So I received the another e170, worked until 33 hours, as I put it away for the winter it failed to start, so decided to call the 1800 number. But they refused to help me. They lied to me. The name itself John Deere is no good. It’s just a name. So I spent 2000 dollars and the machine has issues. I move. Called the 1800 number but going back forth. They ended up hanging the phone on me.

I purchased a John Deere snow plow for my D105 series lawn mower and discovered yesterday after opening the box that it was missing the trip spring bolt and nuts. This is a primary part to make the plow work. Upon calling John Deere they would not honor providing the required part as I purchased this on 9/15/2018. Yesterday was 11/25/2018, the box was not previously opened. I assumed that a 300 plus dollar piece of equipment would have the damn parts included, and if it didn't at least they would provide it. Well they don't and won't. In short don't ever expect all the parts to be included with your purchases from John Deere and also don't expect them to help you out. Very disappointed with such terrible customer support. "It should not even be called that." More like a call center to get rid of you.

When I bought my house in 2001, I bought the cheapest tractor I could find - a discontinued Murray on sale at Walmart. I used it for 13 years without problems. I thought I was trading up when I bought a Deere 105 in 2013. I was wrong. Broken throttle lever, wheel bearings worn and ruined a wheel spindle. Now the engine won't start. Bad camshaft not releasing compression. Head gasket leaking. And that's after only 155 hours of cutting an ordinary, flat, suburban lawn. I'll never buy a Deere product again.

4 flat tires, poorly placed safety switches, impossible to maintain a level deck, constant starting issues, cracked seats after 4 months WITH a seat cover on it... These tractors consistently rank highly by Consumer Reports, but they must not be testing them for very long. Shortly after my tractor was delivered I began to notice how cheaply it was constructed, which is frustrating given the price. All 4 tires went flat multiple times and I only drove it on grass. Very soft rubber. I had to fill with several bottles of Green Slime. The brake safety switch is under the mower, which makes it prone to coming apart and keeping you from starting your mower. The seat foam is very cheap. I had it covered with a John Deere seat cover and it was parked in a garage. It still cracked apart and required me to cover it with Duct Tape. Doesn't look good on a tractor that is less than a year old.

I was con into buying the last tractor on the lot. Said my monthly payments would be cheaper but it was a higher price riding lawn mower, Well my monthly payments were suppose to be like 70 a month but I then got a small trailer and that increased my monthly to like 120 something. They were taking 50 out for the two hundred trailer. Well I thought after over 5 months paying I thought the trailer would be paid off, it's not and they charging me higher payments on the riding mower so they rip me off. Not to mention I don't believe the riding mower was new. It had many issues after I bought. I regret buying this and now stuck making high payments on a tractor am not even liking.

My John Deere D110 was purchased only 4 years ago. In the early summer I had to have the head gasket replaced for 4-500 dollars. This is after only 120 hours.

Then, after that service, it became very difficult to start. I took it into the dealer and they told me it was the compression release valve and that it would cost more to fix than it was worth. Needless to say I was not very happy. The engine started just fine before the first service. So why not now??? I will never buy another. Their quality is not what it used to be.

I have had nothing but problems with this mower. Here’s a list. Plastic throttle broke off, not 1 but 2 stators replaced, seat is cracking already, belt that engages blades have had to be replaced already, blades have had to been replaced, rear axle is leaking grease, safety guard where the grass comes out while mowing just fell off, the hood pin where it hinges fell out and made the hood fall off and crack, and now the variation pulley broke and in order to fix that I would have to pull off the wheels and transmission. All in 2.5/years and only 90 hours. I am a maintenance freak...I could only imagine what happens to one not taken care of. No help from John Deere at all!

Very disappointed with my experience with John Deere product and service. Purchased a new John Deere D110 & 60hrs later the compression switch on the camshaft went. 650$ to have the cam replaced or 750$ to have a new motor put in the tractor. This is a known problem with these machines and it's ridiculous to think that something still so new could have such a large issue. The worst part of this is after contacting customer service I was told John Deere will not pay anything to fix the mower because it's 4 months out of warranty. I'm disgusted with John Deere for not stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for a well known faulty compression switch issue on the 19hp Briggs. I would never purchase a John Deere made ANYTHING ever again.

Great lawnmower. Starts every time, rides good, not too bouncy and doesn't hurt my back. But too many thorns. John Deere should put solid tires on them.