Not the mower for any kind of hills.
I am a little disappointed in John Deere for putting their name on this thing. I bought it new four years ago at Home Depot. Did it’s job well other than a slightly uneven cut until last fall. Last fall it started to slow down and had trouble going up a four foot hill at a 45 degree incline. Fast forward to this spring. Pulled it out and started just fine, but moved very slow in forward and reverse. Contacted a local shop and was told, after the normal line of questioning, that it sounds like the “plastic” transmission had gone out. Repa...Read more
ir cost almost $800 in parts alone. Not worth it for a $1400 tractor. Reason for damage is this tractor is meant foe up to an acre of FLAT yard. Guess I should have ponied up another $600 and bought the Cub Cadet....Purchased in September 2021 at Home depot for A$1,400.00.
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Blown head gasket with 32 hours on it .
Blown head gasket with 32 hours on it . Purchased new in the summer of 2018 . Started it in the fall of last year 2022 temperature was approx 8 C or 46 F and oil started to leak out and lots of smoke, Seriously. Stay clear of this junk . Never again will I look at any product that has green in it. Unbelievable
Purchased in July 2021 at Lowes for A$1,700.00.
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aussie aussie aussiePerth, WA
- 4 reviews
Heap Of Crap.
When these mowers work they are a good mower, except you'll be lucky to get 100hrs from it no matter if you get serviced or not, I had my first engine for around 48 hrs of use, took it to the service centre and informed them it was blowing smoke on starting and wouldn't idle, got the mower back from the service, was told that it was OK and the light smoke was normal...... 2 hrs later the engine blew up, valves were bent and needed a new engine. . . . I'm now 30 something hrs into my replacement engine, replaced by John Deere. . . incidentally...Read more
it's the downrated 19hp replacement, which I wasn't told I would be getting for my $1,700.00. I've serviced the mower when the handbook states, and now it's doing the same thing, blowing black smoke on start up and won't idle, it's out of guarantee so I guess I'm screwed. I did get in touch with a guy in America and he told me he has a pallet of useless Briggs and Stratton engines from John Deere Mowers, all with the same problem....... OK Folks who wants to start a class action lawsuit against John Deere ??? I gave this mower 2 marks for build quality, as it's a sturdy mower, just a poor engine. Ease of use I've marked down because they spend as much time in the shop as they do in the garden. Cleaning is OK, but maintenance again poor, as no matter what you do these engines will blow. Value for money, I would say it's cheaper to hire a mower man, without the cost of this fault, as I've not had the time to get it to the shop with the Covid19 thing going on, my John Deere has cost me around $1,000 a year, that's without servicing and fuel. A very expensive lesson to learn, don't buy John Deere. I will add I think the problem lies with the starting procedure, having to set the throttle on full to operate the choke, I'm sure it's the reason these mowers fail time and again, Starting these little engines at such high revs, with all the oil cold and settled in the bottom of the mower. . . it can't be any good for it. Try getting in your car and putting your foot flat on the floor when starting, I bet you'll blow the engine eventually. Poor product John Deere...... Very Poor.
Purchased in February 2021 for A$5,000.00.
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Find out how 100 Series D Model compares to other Ride-On Mowers
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Rubbish Model - regret buying it
The D105 compared to the previous model D111 is absolute rubbish. I have 2 acres of gently undulating grassland yet this machine has difficulty getting up the shallowest slopes. I have had to call out Chesterfields twice in the last 4 months to remove small pieces of twigs jammed in the gear lever slot which is really inaccessible without the right tools and equipment. Been charged twice now for a design fault!! No joy from Chesterfields they say it is not really their problem as they cannot change John Deere's design to stop this gear bo...Read more
x jamming from frequently happening. And why take away cruise control and simple one foot gear change? Worst buy of my long life (I am 74 years of age) will not be using either John Deere or Chesterfields ever again.Purchased in April 2021 at Chesterfields Loganholme for A$2,999.00.
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Crappy engine On D110 tractor
Blew head gasket at 100 hours. Totally unacceptable. Never buy a John Deere again. This engine should have been recalled. Cost me 350 to repair. Dealer indicated they have seen a bunch of blown head gaskets. Why doesnt JD admit to defect and own up to the problem.
Purchased in April 2021 at Lowes for A$1,699.00.
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NoelMid North Coast, NSW
- 100 Series D105
- Verified purchase
Extremely poor quality
Purchased this mower brand new from a John Deere dealer late in November 2015, my first John Deere product.
Approximately 52 hours later it blew the sealed transmission unit, 52 HOURS!!!.It's services were always maintained. It blew the transmission late in 2018, yes I know out of warranty and at least three years past the purchase date but 52 hours over three years is not even 18 hours a year.
Naturally there was a recall on this model but mine was not part of the recall (surprise, surprise)
So $760 dollars later I now have a working mower aga...Read more
Purchased in November 2021.
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Sad and mowerlessWimmera, VIC
Design Fault in Briggs & Stratton 21 hp gas "ENGINE"
This John Deere D120 was purchased in 2014. I've read reports of all sorts of failures of this mower. This one has been a OK machine. The usual problems such as peeling paintwork and leaking tyres were annoying but did not prevent the mowing. At 160 hours the dreaded Briggs & Stratton head gasket leak arrived. A cursory look at the stud pattern of the head bolts reveals a large gap between the studs on the push rod side of the motor. Some clever engineer has made a 9 stud motor that has only 8 head bolts. The 8 head bolts used are not deploye...Read more
d in a sensible manner. The result is a predictable head gasket failure pressurizing the crankcase. The resulting air flow blows the engine oil out of all available exits. Through the rings into the combustion chamber, through the PCV valve into the inlet manifold and through the diaphragm fuel pump. I was lucky enough to avoid the final Chernobyl of running out of oil and breaking the conrod, piston, casing etc because every time the D120 stopped smoking I checked the oil. Effectively the D 120 mower does not have an engine. I am lucky to have gotten 160 hours as many fail much earlier. Imagine a car that had engine failure almost guaranteed under 16000km. It beggars belief that John Deere continues to fit Briggs & Stratton motors to their equipment. Equally why is Briggs & Stratton manufacturing known design faults into their engines? The John Deere JD 120 is a mower chassis waiting for a serviceable engine that will last 1000 hours. Update 15/11/2019 In the last couple of weeks I have replaced the head gasket, filed and sanded the warped head kinda flat, had an accident when the cruise control did not disengage, replaced the broken grille kit, ran it for four hours as sweet as a nut. Today I shouted the D120 an oil and filter change, tubes for the leaking front tyres and an extra grease as well. I noted some play in the right hand rotor spindle. The experience cost about $300 in parts. I've been told one of the locals is on his fourth head gasket. I'm hopin and prayin for another 160 hours before she blows again. At least the paint ain't peelin of the plastic :)Purchased in June 2021.
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AndrewHunter Region, NSW
Absolute lemon. Blown engine after 70hrs
5 years old bought new in 2014. Serviced regularly. Crank case exploded today. Strongly advise not to purchase one of these. I will not buy another John Deere product. This will goto the tip.
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Dean C.Australian Capital Territory
Rear transmission/final drive failure
We have a JD D100 riding mower which the final drive transmission (non hydrostatic) has become noisy, sluggish and beginning to fail. The mower only has 42.2 hours on it and out of warrantee do to age only. (2013)
There are no service or fluid check points on this transmission.
Really disappointing considering the cost of this mower.
Not certain what name product to buy next that will hold up to its name?
Purchased in June 2021 at Lowes for A$1,250.00.
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Junk ! Worst mower I've ever owned. Murray makes a better product!
This mower has been a money pit! I've owned it 4 years and had regular service with JD parts. I have a half acre yard and have gone through 5 blades, 1 mower deck, $350 parts just in the spring and now the motor is blown. Not worth the $1000 repair! I'll be trying a competitor brand!
Purchased in April 2021 at Lowes for A$2,000.00.
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JimPerth, WA
Blown engine 39 hours
Our d110 was bought in Western Australia on March 2015,and engine blew June 2022 with 39 hours on the clock,there is a hole in the block so it is not repairable.these engines are made in Mexico by people who work for $8 an hour and the poor quality has resulted in a premature major engine failure
Purchased in March 2021 for A$3,500.00.
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motor blew after only 40 hours
The mower is 7 years old with only 40 hours on it. I did regularly scheduled maintenance on it and kept it clean, and covered when not in use. Last week the motor blew....its out of warranty and going to cost $1000.00 to replace the motor.
Purchased in July 2021 at Lowes for A$1,299.00.
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John Deere D110 early parts failure
I have a JD. D110 lawn tractor with 200 hours on the meter. I have already replaced 1 blade spindle and bushings in both front wheels. It appears that parts were not properly lubed when the mower was assembled.
Purchased in August 2021 at Lowes for A$1,700.00.
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John Deere no longer stands for quility
no way to tighten a loose belt. Brought tractor in 2017 and Transmission won't shift into reverse Called dealer told me 500 dollars for the part plus labor cost. Transmission is made of plastic dealer said it was not worth the cost to replace. Better to buy a new tractor John Deere once stood for quality. Will never buy their product again
Purchased in June 2021 at Lowes Physical store for A$1,444.00.
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Pyro IvanGreater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 4 reviews
My second Johnny
Great machine, my second John Deere ride on. Easy to operate, cuts neat, easy DIY servicing. The new fuel gauge is a little inaccurate but going great so far. Happy customer
Purchased in September 2021 at Westernport Tractors for A$2,850.00.
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30 hours blown engine x 2
Comfortable mower and easy to use but Briggs engine is a massive problem. First engine blew the piston out the head at 30 hours. JD replaced the engine under warranty the replacement engine blew the head out after 5 hours. Massive waste of time and effort although JD did replace once. Very disappointing.
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Summer vs Winter
Yes. The seat to pedal position is adequate for anyone over 5'6".
The seat kill switch becomes an issue if shorter as you adjust seat position to use pedals the kill switch intermittently actuates.
Starts easy in summer.
Winter is an entirely different subject.
Extremely difficult to start day to day during cold weather months.
Choke cable and 'chock gate' have been adjusted.
It's just a PITA to start when temps dip below 40 - 50° F.
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53hours work and blown head gasket, not happy.
The mower is more comfortable to ride than our 20year old rover with a flat tyre that is still going. With only 53 hours work the John Deere d110 blown head gasket was very disappointing and costly. Not knowing if it will happen again, and with John Deere knowing the problem it will not be my next choice of ride on.
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John Bridgerdonnybrook
Transmission designed to fail
Had for 3 years done 220hrs
Transmission stuffed, won’t push through thick buffalo grass
Researched and is common fault with K46 tuff torq trans
Trans none serviceable and a company is making a living selling upgraded trans kits to replace these trans for half price of new mower, disgraceful they can sell mowers with that trans as its so prone to failure after warranty period
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Blown head gasket after 155 hr
This d110 is been a lemon with only 155 hours had to replace belts, front tires, battery and now head gasket. Only have small level quarter acre lot and cut lawn once a week. Only had for 4 years and done all the required maintenance. I had the tractor pick up 2 weeks ago and the dealer said they are waiting for John Deere to send the gasket set. This is not you expect from a large company.
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Questions & Answers
Ronny S.asked
Added a small amount of 10-w30 oil before using mower, about 10 minutes later it started lots of white smoke coming out muffler. Never missed, kept running good. Oil level a 1/8 in above full line What's up with this? Thank you
1 answer
Mine has white smoke and smells like something is burning for the first few moments of starting but clears and runs fine. It is burning some oil off but not sure where the leak is or why a less than 1 year old mower would be leaking.
Scott G.asked
I have a 2011 john deere d100 48 in deck with 22 hp motor its not wanting to pull up hill good any suggestions?
No answers
Joe Dasked
Had slight oil leak from drain cap, bought new black cap still slight leak why?thank you
No answers
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