100 Series, are they worth it?

[Keef]

In having a little less than an acre, the 300 series seems to be an overkill and I don't want to spend that much money to cut my grass. I looked at the 100 series and found the LA135 to be $100 more than the LA125. There appears to be a lot of upgrades for the $100 increase cost. It appears to be a decent lawn tractor.
I could of bought this Craftsman mower for the exact same price. Craftsman 42 in. Precision Cut Plus 24hp Lawn Tractor - Model 28826 at Sears.com

My gut feeling is for a lot size of mine, both would do a great job. Both have a couple of bells on them. However the longevity on the two...I don't know, they both have a V-twin Briggs and Stratton. I was told the V-Twin (in this class) would be a stronger engine and would have more longevity compare to the single Briggs and Stratton. Not sure if it was a sales pitch, but for the $100 difference with the 125, I figured why not.

Just wanted to know your thoughts on the 100 series and if my conclusions were similar to your own.

 

[dieselram]

I would pass on those cheaper JDs. For what you are going to spend on one invest in a nice used real JD. Lt155 at a minimum. There are all kinds of options for smaller used JD mowers, I have a JD GT235 garden tractor and it mows and runs like a champ! Check Ebay to get a price idea. There are a ton of nice used JD mowers for about the same money, LT160 ot 166s are nice and so on. I am not saying get a 70's 210 but there are a bunch of late models out there. You can usually resarch them on the net. Avoid the L series too. Don't want to bash the cheaper ones but they are cheaper for a reason. Sorry to offend owners of these models but I have seen a ton of them broke down with very few hours.

 

[Keef]

Thank you for your reply. I have to admit though, I went and purchased the LA135 for several reasons.

1. Great dealership by me that shipped the tractor to my house at no charge.
2. By purchasing sythetic oil for the tractor up front, the warranty was extended from 2 years to 4 years.
3. No interest for a year. I really don't want to dip into my savings account and deplete $2,000 in one shot.
4. I like new because of the warranty in case you have any problems. You don't know what your getting with a used tractor. Most concerns would be how often was it serviced, oil changed, did they ever hit a tree or fence, how many times did they hit rocks.
5. I was told the mulching on the 100 series has the larger blade do all the work. The smaller one cuts and moves it over to the large blade to mulch. (How lame is that?) For $70 I purchased the 300 series mulching blades that have both blades mulch the grass. This should reduce clumping.
6. Buying on ebay or Craigslist means I have to get the 650 pound machine and somehow get it to my house.
7. The WOW factor. All my neighbors are a little jealous of those in my development who have a John Deere.

I know the 100 series is not as good as the 300. However I want to give John Deere the benifit of doubt that for just cutting grass (no tiller, or snow blower attachments) that this tractor will give me over 10 years of good service. I will of course maintain the tractor on a regular basis. I hope the V-Twin will be quieter and with more power it will not have to work as hard. If I don't get good service from this tractor, I will know better next time, and will advise you all here and other places on the internet. But at this point, I am very excited about cutting my grass with this beautiful looking tractor with is lumbar support and improved steering wheel over the 125 model. I will give an update on this tractor after I use it the first time, and towards the end of October.

 

[BlackRaptor]

Congrads on the new purchase.
I have a LA135 as well 48 inch deck.
I've had it for almost a year now and it's used as a trimming mower and to mow ditches.
It's a very nice looking mower but i'll admin it's built a lot cheaper then the real John Deeres.
When my 2520 had to go in for some service *dealer forgot to install a mower guard* They brought out a 445 with a 60 inch deck it was an older 445 with about 1000 hours on it but I was totally blown away with how much power and how heavy that thing was. I felt like i could run over a tree stump with that thing.
I Paid 2000 for my LA135 and they wanted 3500 for that used 445 with a 60 inch deck.
When they brought the 2520 back I almost told them to take my LA135 and we'll work out a deal on the 445. But the trouble was that even know the LA135 was less then a year old with only 45 hours on it trade in was only 1250 bucks. Dealer said most he can get for them is 1450 on the lot.
Funny thing was I traded off a 97 LX178 when i got the 2520 and they gave me 1100 for that and that thing looked rough.
So another thing for people looking at the 100 series is resale isn't too good.

As for me I think I'll run the LA135 to death as a trim mower. * can't let the 2520 get scratched by trees* haha and then find a used 445.

Please don't think i'm putting down your mower for a town yard they are a great machine and will give many years of good service the thing I noticed is if your ground is rough they start showing age very fast. Then again I mow full speed haha.

 

[dieselram]

Ok, well good luck with it. I can mow like a bastard (wide open) on my GT and it has not given me an ounce of trouble. Mine may still be mowing grass when cars fly. Take care of it!

 

[Keef]

Congrads on the new purchase.
I have a LA135 as well 48 inch deck.
It's a very nice looking mower but i'll admin it's built a lot cheaper then the real John Deeres.

As for me I think I'll run the LA135 to death as a trim mower. * can't let the 2520 get scratched by trees* haha and then find a used 445.

Please don't think i'm putting down your mower for a town yard they are a great machine and will give many years of good service the thing I noticed is if your ground is rough they start showing age very fast. Then again I mow full speed haha.

What do you find about the 100 series that makes it cheaper? If it cuts the grass even, starts up every time, does not rust, and is comfortable to drive, what's not to love?

I am sure the frame, and hood are not as strong, engine quality most likely is not as good either. But I am rooting for the 100 Series as a good lawn tractor in it's price range. As you said they look great, and as long as I am only cutting grass and don't put a strain on the engine, I would like to see it last 15 years. I am sure I will have to replace the battery, belt and other parts that wear, but hey the Briggs and Stratton is certified by John Deere, so they may have a little more to the engine to help with realiability.

 

[BlackRaptor]

The biggest things I noticed with the LA series is the grade/gage of metal on the mower over all.

I don't think the metal they use to build the mower deck is nearly as thick as the Garden Tractors are. take a lot less to dent the LA135 deck then it would that 445 deck.

The frame is lighter pressed metal.

The hydro isn't nearly as heavy as the hydro they put on the GT models * This is what the dealer mechanic told me*

The Engine I'm pretty sure is the same briggs motor that goes in every other MTD Craftsman Yard Machine John Deere type mower. they all come out of the same factory. My guess is they just have one line that goes straight into the LA deere models and thats why they can badge them like they do.

I was told all the Light mowers Yard Machine Craftman LA John Deeres are all built at the same place.
Maybe someone can confirm this. I'm not 100% sure.

But it still says John Deere and it's green so you gotta love it. Take care of it don't go too fast on rough ground. watch out for rocks they really to a number on the deck.

I'm sure you can get 10 years of good use out of it if you take care of it.

It's new it's yours that is something to be proud of in my book.

 

[Keef]

Well here is my review of the LA 135;

Strengths: My John Deere dealer had my warranty on the engine go from two years to 4 years when I bought the synthetic oil up front. John Deere lawn and garden tractors look better than anything else out there. The company backs up their product. Very strong engine, the hood really helps reduce the noise of the unit. Great air flow in, compared to a 38" Simplicity tractor I compared it to which (It had a inferior wheel, more difficult to adjust the deck, and no led display) which was the same price. LED display on service, comfortable seat, seat pulls back enough for my 6'1" size. Nice steering wheel, cuts the grass even. I was able to buy it for no interest of a year. My neighbors with the Simplicity and Craftsman mowers are jealous. V Twin does not work as hard as the smaller 125 engine, so I am hopeful it will last longer.

In comparing a lot of tractors. I found that the John Deere 100 Series is better than the rest in it's price range. Some are very competitive in certain areas, but all around, the features, look and craftsmanship of the John Deere is the best. Not to mention being able to have it serviced at a John Deere dealership.

Weaknesses The mulching system was disapointing. The smaller blade pushes the grass to the larger blade for mulching. For $70 I purchased the 300 series mulching kit which has both blades do the mulching.

Overall I highly recommend buying John Deere mowers at a dealership. At Lowes they know very little about the product, they won't sevice them, and won't deliver them to your home. My dealer shipped it to my home free of charge, and even spent the time to teach my wife how to use it while I was at work. I really love this tractor and was very pleased with the way it handled and even cut I got. hope to have over 10 years of great service. Just make sure it's serviced on a regular basis. This is not the 300 series (durability and strengh is much higher on the 300) like many have said, so I would not recommend using this for a snow blower or any hard work. Keep it to just cutting the grass, and it should last you a long time. Using the spreader attachement would probably be ok too.

Parts : 10 Performance : 10 Ease of Use : 10 Financing : Reliability:To be determined

Though the engine of the John Deere may be built at the same place as the other mowers, my dealer told me John Deere still makes their own 100 series tractors as well.

 

[jsaint]

Keef,

I had a JD L130 lawn mower. The mower was great for the first 3 years. After 200+ hours the spindles failed on the 48" deck. I replaced all of the spindles for roughly $200. The cut was never great even though I replaced the blades every year. The bagger drove me up a wall. I had to cut the grass and let it sit for several hours to dry out completely then vacuum it up. The chute still clogged regularly. It was definitely not your father's JD. The dealer offered me $800 trade-in value. I purchased a 2305 and I could not be happier .

The only thing good about the L130 was the 23hp Kohler engine. It held up well with regular services. It was a very loud mower that did the job with some aggravation. I wouldn't expect it to last 10 to 15 years unless you are only using it for 20 hours a year. Make sure you service it regularly and grease all of the fittings.

Good luck with the LA135, I hope it is an upgrade from the L130.

 

[Keef]

Every company's tractors have some sad story's to tell. I know that if I cut the grass in the later part of the afternoon, the grass will be dry. When it's moist you can have problems with many tractors having it get stuck. I will be mulching so that won't be an issue. The LA 135 has several improvements over the cheaper models in the 100 series...time will tell how good the LA 135 is.