Just when you thought that everything at HD was not junk from the lowest bidder comes a report in the current issue of Popular Mechanics that rates the John Deere garden tractor second from the bottom in all models and makes tested. For years I’ve lusted over a new lawn mower from “big green” and now PM has downrated JD for its jerky motion, very loud operating noise and out dated design. I’ve heard that since HD started selling JD lawn tractors, that their sales of the tractors have increased by 400 percent. Kind of fits, doesn’t it.
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Dennis,
Part of the problem is probably because they store them stacked three high outside in the parking lot in the rain until they have space on the sales floor! I know these are intended to be rugged machines but NO piece of equipment should be left uncovered in the rain...new JD or not...
Here in Kansas City it must be spring, the Deere's are piled up FIVE high at Homers Cheapo.
I'm not sure all the OPE at Home Depot is "junk" since the Ariens snow throwers they are selling now are the same as the ones available from the dealer. Then again, they don't offer them at the same discount you guys are talking about with the JD tractors. For instance, a $1100 snow thrower sells at HD for $999. They're probably not set up properly, but you'd expect that.6
I have a mid size John Deere lawn tractor that I bought a few years before HD started selling a line of Deere's. I bought mine at a local JD dealer. The two tractors do not compare at all. When I looked at the HD line, the frame is half the thickness, all the wiring set up, the axles, etc. are all of much lesser quality than the ones from the John Deere Dealers. HD used to sell a line called Sabre by john deere, this is the same they just call it JD instead. Look at the model numbers of the HD line, you cannot buy those from the local dealers, they are only for HD. If you want the best, buy a deere but buy it from a local dealer its twice the money but three times the machine.
My parents had a deere since 1970 and just recently the engine quit. They still make the same quality but you can't buy that knock off HD crap. I'm a deere man I laughed when I looked at the HD line. It's chicken S**t with green paint and a brand name. I wouldn't buy it, I don't care how much less it is than a similar horsepower one from the dealer.
Man, that's really sick.
One more reason not to go there...
the HD here sells Massey...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Glad to hear it. I'm sure they wouldn't compromise THEIR principled or quality for HD.(-:
What is the probability that something will happen according to the odds?
MF did the same thing that JD did...
they look to be built by Murry in an off shore facility..
Made in China and VietNam is on some of the parts you can see...
how come China is subcontracting to VietNam now...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Naw, you must have read wrong. MF would NEVER do something like that.
What do you get when you cross a zebra with an ape man for all eternity?
Tarzan Stripes Forever.
they did...
HD machines are a world and a half ifferent rom dealer machines...
the cost a lot less...
George and I went looking at yard machines... discovered this BS and called it a day...
George bought from a dealer..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Look - My mind's made up. Don't try to confuse me with facts.(-:
I have new business idea: Sell pot, and sell donuts too.
they are confusing...
it was like shell shock...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Lust for a new colour - the orange of Husqvarna or Kubota
george bougt the Husky..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I bought the Husq 1848YXP last summer. Great machine, but I think I should have gone up to a 22hp, as we have some hills on our property and being 6'3" and 200 lb, I have to go full speed to get up those hills.
The prior owner of our place had a JD in the garage when we viewed the house. One of the scalp wheels was snapped off, laying on the seat. That was one of the factors shying me away from JD. And it was a HD model.
Our neighbour has a Kubota 18hp diesel. What a workhorse. I don't have a blower attachment yet, so he's been clearing our drive this winter (we're in the snow belt north of Toronto). He throws heavy wet snow at least 20 feet.
If you think a Kubota is a workhorse, try the real john Deere’s. Kubota's are pretty good for the money but they fall far short of the power, durability and features that the real Deere’s have. The Kubota is probably 40% less money but it cannot do what a Deere does. The hydraulic system and transmission are not design for heavy work; the bucket can't lift half what a Deere can.<!----><!---->
Aiy, you may be right. I think the only way I can really be sure is if you drop one of the higher end models off at my house to let my neighbour and I test run if for a month (or 2) .... ;)
I'm not really anti-JD. I went with the Husqy as my in-law's are friends with a dealer by their farm. I got a great price on a prior year's model.
The ones that Home Despot sells are the bottom of the JD food chain. JD has a few distinct lines of tractors - the L series are the junk that HD sells, the LX series is the next ones up, which are usually the worst ones that the dealers will sell, then the GX and GT series which are pretty heavy-duty, and there's a few more above that which are primarily the small diesel 4wd garden tractors. I have an LX180, which I paid $3500 for at my local dealer. Quality, even for that price, does not compare to a twenty or thirty year old JD, but it's serviceable.
My local dealer is flooded with these junkers, from people who bought them as HD and saved fifty bucks, and then found out that the warranty expired two weeks before it broke down. If they'd bought from the dealer, maybe some flexibility on the warranty issue, but he won't cut any slack for the bargain hunters.
So? What did you expect for the price? Sure, you can buy a real Deere for 3 times the price but most of us already know that. I'm on my second HD mower now. The first was a $750.00 Green Machine that lasted me 6 years of medium heavy use. The one I have now is a Scott's by John Deere that I bought 4 years ago for $1100.00. I'm in south Florida and mow my grass about 35 times a year. Each time I mow 2 acres of grass in my yard, pasture, along my driveway and the street. It mows fast and well. I have about 300 hours on the hour meter on mine now. I've had to replace the belts once and an idler pulley that stuck. Total maintenance costs have been about $50.00 in four years. If it died tomorrow it wouldn't owe me a thing. I figure I've mowed the grass with it about 200 times which gives me a cost of less than $6.00 a mow. Of course it won't die today as it's still in great shape. I figure it's got another 4 years in it easy by which time my per mow cost will be down to less than $3.00. By the way, it sits outside in the Florida heat and rain year around. Starts the first time, every time. When it does die I'll go get another one.
John Deere placated their dealers by only selling lower quality tractors at the box stores, and the box stores then steer all the repairs and maintenance to the dealers. JD and HD have both made a lot of money on this arraignment.
The question really is not whether these cheap Deeres are as good as the real ones, but whether the $1500 Deere is better than the $1500 Sears, Toro, or Ryobi (do they make tractors now?) or what have you, since that's the market.
Rick,
John Deere placated their dealers by only selling lower quality tractors at the box stores, and the box stores then steer all the repairs and maintenance to the dealers. JD and HD have both made a lot of money on this arraignment.
Actually that isn't quite correct. I work for John Deere and actually just bought a new lawn tractor. Many John Deere dealers are now selling the same models carried at HD (at the same price) along with the higher end models only available through regular dealers. However the maintenance point is correct.
Regards,
Dennis
Really? I thought that the lower end models were only going to be at the box stores, because dealers simply couldn't compete price-wise on those models. As are most here, I am generally anti-box store and pro smaller store, so the "placate" meant no disrespect (I would be ticked if HD was trying to take all my business, too).
So, are they any good?
Rick,
I don't work for our consumer equipment division but I know people that do and they say that the regular JD lines will last at least 40% longer. I have no idea though if that means they will last five years or 20.
The dealer that I bought my lawn tractor from told me that at first his cost on the lower end line was higher than HD's retail price; but enough of them complained that this changed.
Kind regards,
DJJ
Okay. If nobody else is gonna say it, I will.
Why do I see so many folks buying garden tractors just to mow a lawn?
Most of 'em don't do anything with it except mow lawn with a mowing deck hanging under there and the fact is that this combination is not an efficient way to mow. Way too much time spent turning big radiuses, etc.
Case in point.......BIL followed the herd mentality and bought a diesel JD hydrostatic unit maybe 6 years back. Mucho buckos. Around $10 grand, IIRC. 60" deck. They mow alot of lawn out there, just like I do. (And that's all they use it for,too) Well, they had a breakdown a couple years ago and not enough time to get it fixed before the mowing situation arrived at the desperation point again. I loaded up our little 42" Dixon ZTR, drove out there and mowed it for them in 75% the time it took them with the 60" JD tractor and deck.
If ya wanna mow lawn........buy a machine designed and dedicated to mow lawn. With a 60" hydro ZTR, bet I coulda cut the mowing time to half of what they took with the 60" JD tractor and deck.
(We've used ZTRs since '78)
Have also used one of those Sabre units that a client had. They went to Europe for a few weeks and so we tended the lawn for 'em while they were gone. What a joke and waste of money that thing is. They sold it last year and now hire the lawn done.
is that the one we pushed in to the machine shed???
why mow at all..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Very funny. <G> And yes, that one. That push only because my brother had managed to bend the choke mech so the engine was flooding. I'll be damned if I know how he mananged that, but if anyone could...it's him. The guy should just stay far, far away from anything with an engine on it. His very occasional attempts at "helping" always end up with me having some repairs to do. Shoulda seen him try to operate the skidder a few years back if ya wanted a good laugh. I think he crapped his pants. Kinda winced when he sat down in his PU to go home again.Edit: Sure hope he don't visit BT. :-)Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Edited 3/8/2005 12:32 pm ET by GOLDHILLER