John Deere vs Husqvarna Riding Mower

[smokey bear]

I believe Ariens is made by Husqvarna.

[20DC BULLET]

If a john deere mower has a briggs motor, its not a real john deere mower. Its a liscense to use the name branding...............for exaxple , lowes does not sale real john deere mowers. All john deere equipment will have a john deere motor.

at least that's what my dealer told me

Ok, John Deere is the only company that makes John Deere. The "Box Store" tractors are low budget lawn mowers, not tractors. Do Not buy a 100 series if you have hills, the transmission will go bad!!! I believe it was post #19 that said go for an older used one. Maybe a 314, 316, or a 318 are very nice and your childrens children will be using them when you are long gone. They are real tractors that last!!!!

[Bassman Ia.]

Whatever you do------ don't buy a Craftsman tractor. I read on a fishing site they are POS. My 1994 Craftsman is such a POS, it wouldn't die, and I have beat it To death. It made me so mad ( cause I didn't have an excuse ) I went out and bought a Hustler last year. I still use the Craftsman to pull the cart, Aerator, sweeper, and all other attachments. I'm not going to let this thing hit the 30 year mark and prove the jersey Boyz wrong.

[friogatto]

46" Husqvarna with reinforced deck and 3 bag bagger. On season 3 with 60+ hours on Kholer 23hp.

It originally came with the quick disconnect blade system. Dont buy those. It's all plastic and will self destruct. Backed the mower out one day and the blades were just laying on the floor. DANGEROUS! I ended up replacing the quick disconnect with the standard bolt on spindles.

Big benefit of Husqvarna is you can mow in reverse. Turn the key to the middle spot and you dont have to disengage the blades to back up. Not sure how JD handles this "safety" feature.

[Rangerman2006]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I ended up getting the John Deere E120. 20hp with the twin cylinders. 42 inch cut. It was a few hundred more than the Husqvarna, but the dealership proximity and the quick oil change made all the difference to me.

[Boostr]

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[Boostr]

Whatever you do------ don't buy a Craftsman tractor. I read on a fishing site they are POS. My 1994 Craftsman is such a POS, it wouldn't die, and I have beat it To death. It made me so mad ( cause I didn't have an excuse ) I went out and bought a Hustler last year. I still use the Craftsman to pull the cart, Aerator, sweeper, and all other attachments. I'm not going to let this thing hit the 30 year mark and prove the jersey Boyz wrong.

Love my Craftsman

[Tommy O.]

It's not really the motor you should be concerned with, it's the hydrostatic transmission. If you have hilly terrain, a tuff torq K46 transmission won't hold up. In a John Deere, you have to buy the X380 model to get a stronger transmission, a tuff torq K57. This mower sells for $4,300. In Husqvarna, you can buy a TS348D for $3,000 that had a tuff torq K66 transmission with a lockable differential. I wouldn't be surprised if the JD cuts a little better but the TS348D transmission will last far longer on hills.

[jc1992]

I got a Skag Cheetah and its about as good as you could want , but they are $9,000.00 .

I paid $500 for mine at a school auction, replaced the belts and had to work on the carburetor some with new blades and has been flawless

[godsdozer]

Your dealer is full of shit find another dealer. The 100 series mowers with briggs engines that Home Depot and Lowes sell are infact a John Deere just there lower line. Your dealer can also sell the 100 series line for the same prices that HD and Lowes sell for. But your dealer will try very hard to sell you the X series or the high end line these will have the best engines being Kawasaki. Also there is no such thing as a john deere motor.

Don't be so serious . I use a Murry push mower...………….I was in a john dealership day dreaming having a convo about the john deere mowers in his shop . :)

John Deere does make motors though...………..get informed.

[godsdozer]

Nothing runs like a Deere, but a CAT

[Bassman Ia.]

Nothing runs like a Deere, but a CAT

the problem is --- they are front end heavy with a CAT

[fxdwgkd]

I've narrowed it down to these two... I think. They both have a Briggs & Stratton motor and the same cut. The Deere is about$300 more, but I have a dealer just down the road if any problems come up.
I've got about a half acre to mow with a pretty steep hillside on one end of the yard. I can't justify a zero turn though they are cool.
Which do you guys prefer? And how hard is it to get warranty work done?

Missed this, absolutely do not buy the 100 series deere if you have a hilly yard to mow. Transmission is not built well enough and will start to slip quickly. As for the husky I am not sure about it. If you bought the 100 series deere take it back. Do a google search of the 100 series issues, choked full of people having trans problems. I only foun this out after I got mine and had issues

[bayouXpress]

Husqvarna customer support is absolute crap. I fought them to no end to value an extended warranty fix. My old yard was tuff on mowers so I paid a good bit extra for an extended care warranty. Hit a cypress knee and bent spindle, my fault not surprised they didn’t cover it, but I paid for them to fix out of pocket. The real issue came 6 months later when I engaged the blade it was grinding. Brought it in and was told some screws were missing. That it was my fault because that was routine maintenance that I should have done. I told them they worked on it 6 months ago and it was possible they left screws out. Told me to take a hike not covered under warranty. Never again.

[Dave A]

Believe I would go with the Deere since you have a dealer close by.

[Mark Perry]

I think he already made his choice and bought a mower.

[jbh3]

Missed this, absolutely do not buy the 100 series deere if you have a hilly yard to mow. Transmission is not built well enough and will start to slip quickly. As for the husky I am not sure about it. If you bought the 100 series deere take it back. Do a google search of the 100 series issues, choked full of people having trans problems. I only foun this out after I got mine and had issues

Please elaborate. Which JD did you buy? What issues did you have? How were they resolved? I bought a E120 in May of this year. So far so good here.

[godsdozer]

the problem is --- they are front end heavy with a CAT

LOL good one.

[fxdwgkd]

Please elaborate. Which JD did you buy? What issues did you have? How were they resolved? I bought a E120 in May of this year. So far so good here.

Basically slipping and could not pull itself up a hill. Flat ground was ok but if I came to a hill it would start to climb but just stop as the trans was slipping.
I have a d110, got it from lowes in 09ish. Now attack hills at an angle

[61Woody]

i think you need to do some fact checking before posting advice.
JD uses a couple types of motors for their lawn and garden tractors
for the original poster check around for a low hour used tractor. I just picked up a John Deere GT 235 with 200 hours for $900 from a John Deere dealer. It was a local trade and only needed a idler replaced on the deck.

You got a good deal, it will outlive any Deere 100 series or Bog box store model by any maker.