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John Deere Mower
Captplaid
Member Posts: 20,298 ✭✭✭
What do you guys think of John Deere Zero Turn mowers
That's the brand I'll stick with. Wife wants a zero turn. I think they are a novelty and would rather have a utility tractor, but I think I can find a way for both.
Heres a couple of local mowers.
http://i21.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/42/c0/9f76_1.JPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/2007-John-Deere-797-Z-Trak-29HP-W-60-Deck-LIQUID-COOL_W0QQitemZ270374490415QQihZ017QQcategoryZ50377QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262QQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
http://stores.ebay.com/HOLLAND-AND-SONS
I think they might be a bit expensive.
That's the brand I'll stick with. Wife wants a zero turn. I think they are a novelty and would rather have a utility tractor, but I think I can find a way for both.
Heres a couple of local mowers.
http://i21.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/42/c0/9f76_1.JPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/2007-John-Deere-797-Z-Trak-29HP-W-60-Deck-LIQUID-COOL_W0QQitemZ270374490415QQihZ017QQcategoryZ50377QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262QQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
http://stores.ebay.com/HOLLAND-AND-SONS
I think they might be a bit expensive.
Comments
My FIL has one of these he keeps talking of selling. I think it would be a lot more beneficial.
It has about 50-70 hours on it, basically two seasons. They are fun to pilot and are very fast and maneuverable.
Having said that, I had one of the deck tension springs break in the first year. Very lightweight cheapy spring.
Also, they are not the most smooth cutting mower I have ever seen. The mulching setup is marginal.
If you make turns too fast you will tear holes in your lawn. You can't pull a little trailer (dangerous due to weight distribution) and it is not worth crap on anything other than flat ground.
Other than that, it's been OK for 3 grand...
All right, how about this
3 cylinder Yanmar engine. The engine has been around forever, so it's reliable.
I've got her talked out of the 0-turn. The JD mechanic talked her out of it and set her on a new 500 series all wheel steer. She loved it. I think all wheel steer isn't all that great, but atleast it's a regular lawn mower.
I've 3 farms to mow and I don't have the time to waste on mower repairs now.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Yeah the price is up there, but I don't have time to deal with the hassle. You get what you pay for...or I just think the green paint is worth more. It is a challenge to get a wife to understand the quality with a Deere.
http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-John-Deere-X744-4WS-Diesel-L-G-w-62X-Deck_W0QQitemZ310126407487QQihZ021QQcategoryZ50377QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262QQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262
All right, how about this
3 cylinder Yanmar engine. The engine has been around forever, so it's reliable.
I've got her talked out of the 0-turn. The JD mechanic talked her out of it and set her on a new 500 series all wheel steer. She loved it. I think all wheel steer isn't all that great, but atleast it's a regular lawn mower.
I've 3 farms to mow and I don't have the time to waste on mower repairs now.
now yer talkin[;)][:D]
I have two. One is at a rental. No problems at all.
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain
If you have so much to mow why not look into a small tractor with a pull behind mower? Wouldn't it do more as far as attachments and be faster? I use a small mower around the house and the tractor and finish mower for everything else.
That's what I want, and will probably get, when a certain when is ready to be sold. We have a Woods 3pt 59 inch deck that was bought new at a sale at the Woods factory and never used plus a woods 4 ft mower that is like new. A good hydro utility tractor with a loader would fit right in.
My friend has a JD skid loader we've been using to clean the place up plus a couple of big loaders. By the time my FIL is ready to sell the utility tractor, we'll probably have everything cleaned up.
I don't think AWS willmake much of a difference, but if it sells her, I'm cool with it. I don't have time to make repairs and trouble shoot on older mowers right now. I now a newer John Deere mower, less than 5 years old, will be basically trouble free for 10 years.
Yeah the price is up there, but I don't have time to deal with the hassle. You get what you pay for...or I just think the green paint is worth more. It is a challenge to get a wife to understand the quality with a Deere.
Personally, I prefer green too. I just make that preference to field and farm work. On skidders and mowers, JD is way over rated IMO. I would also bet, in the future, that four wheel steer is going to end up costing you alot of money. Were it me, I would buy a compact utility with a belly mower. You are asking an aweful lot out of a lawn mower.
It is your money, and your wife. Whatever makes you happy Captain.
quote:Originally posted by Captplaid
I don't think AWS willmake much of a difference, but if it sells her, I'm cool with it. I don't have time to make repairs and trouble shoot on older mowers right now. I now a newer John Deere mower, less than 5 years old, will be basically trouble free for 10 years.
Yeah the price is up there, but I don't have time to deal with the hassle. You get what you pay for...or I just think the green paint is worth more. It is a challenge to get a wife to understand the quality with a Deere.
Personally, I prefer green too. I just make that preference to field and farm work. On skidders and mowers, JD is way over rated IMO. I would also bet, in the future, that four wheel steer is going to end up costing you alot of money. Were it me, I would buy a compact utility with a belly mower. You are asking an aweful lot out of a lawn mower.
It is your money, and your wife. Whatever makes you happy Captain.
I like the Bobcat skid loader much more than the JD or New Holland but when your friend is a JD parts man, things go much easier with green. Shoot, a Bobcat dealer is 1.25 hours away up at Rockford.
I do think the John Deere is better balanced for lifting with forks and less likely to tip forward.
quote:Originally posted by freemind
quote:Originally posted by Captplaid
I don't think AWS willmake much of a difference, but if it sells her, I'm cool with it. I don't have time to make repairs and trouble shoot on older mowers right now. I now a newer John Deere mower, less than 5 years old, will be basically trouble free for 10 years.
Yeah the price is up there, but I don't have time to deal with the hassle. You get what you pay for...or I just think the green paint is worth more. It is a challenge to get a wife to understand the quality with a Deere.
Personally, I prefer green too. I just make that preference to field and farm work. On skidders and mowers, JD is way over rated IMO. I would also bet, in the future, that four wheel steer is going to end up costing you alot of money. Were it me, I would buy a compact utility with a belly mower. You are asking an aweful lot out of a lawn mower.
It is your money, and your wife. Whatever makes you happy Captain.
I like the Bobcat skid loader much more than the JD or New Holland but when your friend is a JD parts man, things go much easier with green. Shoot, a Bobcat dealer is 1.25 hours away up at Rockford.
I do think the John Deere is better balanced for lifting with forks and less likely to tip forward.
We have:
JD 675
JD 250 Series II
New Holland 140
New Holland LS180
Comparing the 250 and the 180:
Hydrolics are weak on the 250. The auto level bucket sucks donkey nads. The cockpit is too small, but the arm rests are nice. Fuel capacity is lacking. The only reason this skidder isn't so tippy, is the hydrolics are so damn weak. It also needs a two speed. It is slower than a turtle. The JD setup on the bucket latch beats the NH's by a mile. Much better design IMO. I don't like the plastic side cover on the motor. NH is made of metal.
NH is BIG. That is not allways an advantage. Especially when cleaning old barns. The two speed is the stuff! More power than you know what to do with. The hydrolic/cab mount pin actuator is a real back saver. Changing attachments is quick and painless. The big fuel tank is great too. Spring ride seat is nice too.
Nobody around here uses bobcats, other than a few construction companies.
We did a lot of cleaning with that thing with a set of forks. We sold the 975 and bought a 963 with glass for the cab with hear and air conditioning. The air conditioning was one $800. Man that thing was fun pushing snow. We'd push the snow right in the river.
Come to think of it, I bought a light material bucket for the snow.
We would also rent a street sweeper attachment to sweep out the fertilizer buildings.
It was a fun skid loader. If I had money to piss away, I'd buy one like it in my first week.
My cousin has a NH 180 and a track equivalent. I still like the big Bobcat better.
frain elevators had 753 and an 853. One place unloaded barges of salt and fertilizer. We had a Bobcat 975 and a 980. THese were big suckers with Cummins engines. The 975 was a worn out machine but it was a rubber tire dozer. That thing would lift cement bunker walls.
We did a lot of cleaning with that thing with a set of forks. We sold the 975 and bought a 963 with glass for the cab with hear and air conditioning. The air conditioning was one $800. Man that thing was fun pushing snow. We'd push the snow right in the river.
Come to think of it, I bought a light material bucket for the snow.
We would also rent a street sweeper attachment to sweep out the fertilizer buildings.
It was a fun skid loader. If I had money to piss away, I'd buy one like it in my first week.
My cousin has a NH 180 and a track equivalent. I still like the big Bobcat better.
Wanna have some real fun with a skidder? Get a tree shear to mount on the front. We shear trees in the fence lines/along the wood line with ours. 14 inches is SUPPOSED to be the max, but we are shearing 24 inch trees. We also have a set of tracks (steel) that we mount when we shear. The 250 does the shearing.
If we wanna get all serious like, we mount the clam bucket on the 180 and send in the semi. It is like a mini logging run.
Sure makes the firewood pile up fast for me. [:)]