JD push mowers

[hangnail]

I need to replace my pos craftsman walk-behind. i mow a pretty small area right now, so a 22" does the job fine. i mow usually once a week, sometimes twice.

i was looking at bagged models and think i narrowed it down to the john deere series and the husquvana mowers. cub cadet seems to have some decent ones, but for some reason everything cub seems cheap and not well built, could be me though.

they both are rear wheel drive with bags. any thoughts?

 

[joes_427_vette]

John Deere may be getting out of the walk behind market. I know they quit putting their name on snow blowers, grass trimmers, chain saws, ect. They probably were made by another company anyway. Now most dealers are switching to Stihl products.
I have a Craftsman. For as little as I use it seems to be fine. I do like Husquvarnia products... especially the 235 string trimmer. Lots of power with very few problems. Dealer service would be a major concern. Good luck in your search.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have the JS45? model bought new last week with front caster wheels, it is last years model. The new models are all fixed front wheels (JS46). I use these as trim mowers so I prefer the caster wheels so that no tilting is needed to steer around trees etc. If you can get the prior model JS45, it is very manueverable. Pictured with the rear bag removed and no I don't need it just yet.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I have a John Deere 14SB I bought a long time ago (15 years?) and have not had a bit of trouble with it. It is a rear wheel drive with a bagger.

 

[hangnail]

hows the cut on the fs45?

 

[jenkinsph]

hows the cut on the fs45?

I used one last year and it worked fine, good cut IMHO. This is a JS 45 not fs45.

 

[jcmseven]

If you could find a lightly used JX75 that is the way to go. I do not believe they make them anymore. I think that is the best pusher on the market.

John M

 

[Spudland_Dave]

John Deere may be getting out of the walk behind market. I know they quit putting their name on snow blowers, grass trimmers, chain saws, ect.

Hmm.... I dont think thats the case.... the walk behind Mowers & Snowblowers are still available (your right though, I'm sure they're made by someone else)....but their agreement with Stihl only covered "hand held" power equipment...Chainsaws, Trimmers, Blowers, etc...

 

[saskman49]

Hmm.... I dont think thats the case.... the walk behind Mowers & Snowblowers are still available (your right though, I'm sure they're made by someone else)....but their agreement with Stihl only covered "hand held" power equipment...Chainsaws, Trimmers, Blowers, etc...

Thats a big DITTO.

They are still selling blowers and mowers and they are made for Deere by Briggs & Stratton. I have a JS35 and it is a very nice mower as well I will be adding one or more of the new series JS36 or JS46 to the fleet this year.

 

[hangnail]

i have a john deere dealer close and think i will check them out.

the only other real options are husquvana from sears- not digging anything from sears any more, cub cadet which is sold at the kubota dealer, which has mixed reviews. my neighbor had a cub cadet push mower that was not propelled, but bagged and had swivel front wheels. seems ok, but had a techemshe motor, which i am not really fond of. cut seemed ok, but like what others have said on a 22" mower with swivel front wheels is that it is hard to keep it straight, might be an issue where my yard has more divots then a public golf course.

right now i am leaning towards a deere mower

i am trying to keep it in $400 range.

 

[jenkinsph]

hangnail,
The mower I am referring to has a lever on the handles to lock the front left caster straignt. This is easy to engage and disengage for straight runs.

 

[two_bit_score]

Steve, I understand that mower you are referencing is made by Snapper but don't know for a fact. Do you think it may be?

 

[jenkinsph]

Steve, I understand that mower you are referencing is made by Snapper but don't know for a fact. Do you think it may be?

Don't have a clue, the last Snapper I used was in the mid 80's and was a good rider as I recall.

 

[om21braz]

Having a Deere JX75, and having replaced a 80's Toro 2-cycle with it - I'm not impressed with the Deere. As soon as I find a late-model Toro with the now discontinued 2-stroke engine the green machine will find a new home. Hope you find a unit to do the job you want.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Dave;
My brother bought a John Deere chainsaw about three years back ( the green series ) and the dealer was having trouble getting repair parts for it. I was talking to the parts guy and noticed the Stihl line of power products on the display wall. He stated they no longer sell Deere saws, trimmers, and were getting out of the walk behind products. The parts issue was a little crazy because of different manufacturers, changes by serial numbers ect. Maybe the store was limiting what they sold and I took it to believe Deere discontinued these items. I should have known better. Deere makes a good buck just putting their names on other manufacturers products. With the number of retail stores and their reputation I bet they sell a ton of products.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Dave;
My brother bought a John Deere chainsaw about three years back ( the green series ) and the dealer was having trouble getting repair parts for it. I was talking to the parts guy and noticed the Stihl line of power products on the display wall. He stated they no longer sell Deere saws, trimmers, and were getting out of the walk behind products. The parts issue was a little crazy because of different manufacturers, changes by serial numbers ect. Maybe the store was limiting what they sold and I took it to believe Deere discontinued these items. I should have known better. Deere makes a good buck just putting their names on other manufacturers products. With the number of retail stores and their reputation I bet they sell a ton of products.

Very true...for a while Deere saws were made by Efco, Some were Echo, etc... all depends on what model and what year, etc... Definetly not a good situation for long term support.
Alot of dealers went down this road years ago.....before my dealer was bought out in 08 they carried Husqvarna Chainsaws and OPE, the one that bought them out carried Shindaiwa.....Now they have Stihl....If Deere were smart they'd "Co-Brand" the Stihl saws & equip....use the same PN's, Call it a Stihl, but use green & yellow plastic...

As much as I liked the looks of the Deere equipment, support down the road prevented me from buying it. I'd probably have no qualms about buying a Yellow & Green Stihl weedwacker.

If your bro is still looking for parts, there are alot of resources online where you can get a cross reference to the "real make & model" of that saw...Once you know what it really is, support is easy.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

I bought a JS63 at Home Depot and have had minimal issues with it. The bail on the handle eventually broke (weld) and I got a new one for ~ 19 bucks. Oil and filter changes and a new blade once in a while. That's it.

 

[JD755]

In 1992 I purchased a new JD 25S string trimmer from John Deere. I added the handlebar and double harness options. At the time their small equipment was made by Echo. During the past 18 years that trimmer has received a lot of hard usage and gone through many miles of string line. I have also used metal blades on it including the Tornado blade. It has given zero problems and I have only replaced normal maintenance items such as filters and plugs. There is a local Echo dealer and I now get those maintenance items from them.