Strengths John Deere sent me an owner's hat which my son enjoyed. The tractor is fine except for the transmission. I bought the tractor since they are made locally and I wanted to support my neighbors in their business. When I needed help on the transmission I could not progress behind the Customer Service call center.

Weaknesses transmission gone, just as others have described. I get about 10 minutes of slow speed movement then the transmission goes out.

Overall This would be a good lawn tractor if the transmission worked, or John Deere stood behind it. I called and emailed JD customer service. They said the transmission was not a Known Problem for this model and that if I had less than 200 hours they would have made an effort to help. I don't understand, after reading this Forum, how the L120 transmission is not a known problem. I was told to have the dealer fix the transmission and pay the $500. As others have noted, if the repair was a permanent resolution I would consider the expense. Since its likely to happen again its an intelligence test.

Strengths nothing

Weaknesses do not by this tractor they are made by john deere at a Very low end save your money and save for a 7000 dollar john deere like a X500

Overall

Strengths I think for the Price this is an excellent mower. Once I changed the spindles for ones with grease fittings (the dealer paid for) I have had NO problems. I have the bagger attachment and the 17P trailer and I am very pleased with the performance. I have 1/4 acre lawn and as long as the blades are sharp, it cuts clean and consitent. I find the hydo pedals work very well and reduce the time cutting.

Weaknesses No grease fittings in spindles, but was able to replace them for ones that did.

Overall This is a fantastic mower for the price. Some owners are complaining because they are asking more from the mower than what it was designed for. If you want to spend $12000 you can get a mower that will let you abuse it.

Strengths Turning, quiet,m fit and finish

Weaknesses Major design flaw--This series of tractor has an inadequate oil sump for the hydrostatic and after about 20 minutes of doing a moderate hill, it will no longer go up a hill. In fact it will not move with the forward pedal floored. This has been a known issue for at least 5 years and JD just shines it off.

Overall If you have a flat lawn, it will work fine. If you have any hills, go elsewhere

Strengths Quality of Cut. Ease of operation. Tight turning/mowing radius. Simplicity of changing blades, deck belt, oil and filters. Strong welded chasis and tough cast iron front axle. Good availability of parts from JD dealerships. Parts reasonably priced. Reliable starting and runs great.

Weaknesses No grease fittings on deck spindles. Hydro transmission cannot be serviced.

Overall I have owned my L120 for 5 years now and mow about 2.5 acres with it weekly from April thru November. It now has about 250 hours on it and has given me NO problems at all. I perform all of the regular maintenance regularly myself. I have replaced the deck belt once, and replaced a drive idler pulley which cost $5.00 at JD dealership. I only use it for mowing level ground, and have never really abused it. It has suited my purposes with no problems. I had an MTD/White prior to the L120, and it gave me nothing but problems...always repairing or replacing something. I have read a lot of bad reviews about the JD 100 series, but I think they are good, and much better than the competitors such as MTD, Craftsman, Huskie, etc. Of course, they are not as good as the higher end Deeres, but for the typical homeowner who is just mowing grass or pulling a small cart, I have nothing bad to say about them.

Strengths Power, turning radius, looks/style & comfort. This will be our 4th season and thus far I've only had to replace the belts 1 time. I religiously change the oil/oil filter/air filter/fuel filter & grease it every 20 hours. I blow off the deck & wipe everything down after each mowing, wax it once a month and it sits under the JD cover (indoors) when not in use. My JD has 200 hrs of service but I use it strictly for mowing & pulling around the broadcast spreader.

Weaknesses Would have been nice to have a heavier duty deck & you have to be careful about clogging the bagger especially if the grass is wet at all.

Overall My brother-in-law & I each bought a L120 4 years ago (same week-same day-same dealer) his experience has been exactly the opposite! Wore out the deck spindles in 1 year, motor had to be replaced 2nd year, belts at least 3x, hood cracked and all together it just looks like crap! WHY????? We both mow approx 1 acre of flat ground so that's not it. I'll tell you why, becaus he let his kids ride it around like a toy, they never blew it off, they never changed the oil...I think you get the picture! This is a light duty tractor, simple as that....you have to take care of it! When I paid $1850 for it I didn't have any preconceived notions that I could expect the same performance that I get out of our 6030 (that we use around the farm), what I did expect was for it to mow & be reliable...which it's been every bit of that!

Strengths Cup holder, comfortable seat, good motor

Weaknesses weak and unservicable tranny, reverse is useless on a grade, cheap steering gear, sucks gas, grass constantly clogs inside the blade pulley covers, fuel filler is inconveniently located under the seat, fuel line cracked within first year, standard "turf saver" tires are paper thin and puncture easily.

Overall I bought the L120 about 4 1/2 years ago and use it to cut 4-5 acres, haul a small JD lawn trailer, pull a spike aerator, and other light chores. If you realize that it's only a lawn tractor and don't push it too hard then it will likely perform well. It cuts 4-6" grass without bogging, but taller grass needs 2 passes. I am pretty methodical about maintenance and so far have not experienced the frequent breakdowns described by other reviewers. However, if you are even slightly mechanical, you can tell that pushing this tractor beyond mild lawn chores will surely break it. JD makes some fine tractors but why they choose to put their name - and reputation - on a cheapo lawn tractor comperable to a Murray is beyond me. One big gripe is with the cutting deck (and isn't that the main reason for buying a riding mower?). It easily falls out of adjustment; it doesn't discharge the cut grass very well; it's prone to clogging if the grass is even slightly moist; the jackshafts have no grease fitting; and you have to frequently remove the pully covers to clean out the grass clippings that pack in there around the pulleys. Then there's the transmission. Hydro trannys are noisy by nature but this one is overly loud, emiting a very unpleasant grinding noise particulalry a slow speeds. It's also not very smooth or strong for a hydro. Reverse gear is useless on a mild grade. Compare the size of this "heavy duty" tranny to a comperable Cub Cadet and you have to laugh because the Cadet tranny looks so much more robust. A lawn tractor tranny should outlast the engine, but somehow I feel this is not going to be the case. The tractor also vibrates a lot. I've lost screws that simply vibrate out while mowing. Bottom line, if think that because it says JD on the side that you're getting JD quality, think again. I put it in the same class as a Murray. You're better off spending the same money on Cub Cadet. Or spend less money and get a comperable but lesser brand name.

Strengths NONE

Weaknesses Transmission is junk! After 5mins you better be on flat ground. I have to hook 4 wheeler up to it just to get it back in the garage! DO NOT PURCHASE ANY OF THESE MACHINE FROM Lowes/Home Depot!!

Overall Worst purchase I had made in 30 yrs

Strengths the steering wheel...and maybe the cup holder

Weaknesses trany, belts, wiring

Overall home depot seems to be the origin of most L120s with issues is it possible Home Depot assembled most L120s...say for the last 4 years? oh yeah...they don't support them either. "we do not have qualified service people." I've had bicycles that have lasted longer

Strengths None - disappointment from the beginning. Purchase was based on reading Consumer Reviews

Weaknesses Issue: During the 07 cutting season the unit started experiencing a loss of power. The main drive belt was replaced since it showed signs of wear and was somewhat brittle; no improvement. The unit was taken to the dealer and they determine the transmission was ‘shot’ and replacement would be about $500.00. The dealer also said they have seen a lot of problems with transmissions on the “L” series of tractors. The unit has only 240 hours, approximately 50 hours per cutting season. A call to the John Deere Customer Communications Center was fruitless; the agent’s response to all of my questions was, “the unit is out-of-warranty.” Needless to say I will not pay $500.00 for another 240 hours of operation. I have owned many lawn tractors, mostly inexpensive, low end. The decision to purchase a John Deere was based on my desire to purchase a unit that last many years. Having a major component failure at 240 hours is unacceptable. The cost of purchase is over $9.00 for every hour of operation. To further exacerbate the situation I can purchase, through the dealer, the transmission for the same $500.00 to self install. I would consider replacing it myself if John Deere would provide one at dealer cost and not an inflated price. Nothing breaks-down like a Deere.

Overall Poor - High end pricing - low end performance and customer support