Strengths These models came without grease fittings on the mower deck spindle. I have 19 hours on mine. I mow a yard that is .75 acres and I am already replacing all 3 spindles. New ones from a place off ebay 36.95 and they have grease fittings. Tire traction sucks. Mine backfired from day one when shutting off. Most new mower have a float that dries up when the mower sits up to long inbetween seasons. A couple of love taps behind the air filter unsticks it. I agree with the grass getting piled up ontop of mower deck.

Weaknesses I would not buy another one from HomeDepot. Believe me its hard to get service on them from the JD Authr. shop. I had to call the corporate office and complain. Now I do not have any problems from the local shop. Do yourself a favor and buy the GT series mower. YOu can get the 23Hp one for like 200 more and will last you for many years to come. This is an overpriced walmart mower with green plastic and a yellow seat. Also after about the 5th hour of use it still refuses to cut even. Level,ed the deck, replaced the blades twice still leaves paths of uncut grass.

Overall Go to a JD dealer and purchase the equivalent GT series 23HP its design for more of a work horse and its almost the same price.

Strengths 48" cut, ease of use, durable, price

Weaknesses Speed

Overall Very happy. No problems yet. I bought this to mow my yard and have since done a friends yard regularly and added a few commercial accounts.

Strengths Will start, good engine. First time owner. I wish I had a garden tractor. I mow about 1 acre with lots of hills. Cosmetic apperance is nice. I would like to have a high quality well built John Deer Tractor.

Weaknesses Bought 3 years ago. Replaced the following: Hydro Transmission, both tie rods, both front wheel spindles and bearings,3 deck spindles. Replaced 5 deck belts, idler pulley spring, 1 drive belt, PTO wires got caught on shaft and pulled loose and broke.[no grease fittings on mower deck spindles]tie rods are not adjustable and transmission is a sealed unit.

Overall I would like to see JD continue to build a quality product and not lower their quality standards. John Deer always had a good name and you should continue to keep it that way. I'd be happy if a new high quality one was delivered to my house. Grass is growing fast.

Strengths Purchased new in spring 1994 after moving to the country. have 1.5 rolling acres. Salesman at Home Depot recomended this model. Looks great, "implied" quality with the J D name, many features for the money. Works good if you have a small, flat area to cut. Easiest oil changes I've ever done.

Weaknesses Now has 139 hours, has had all recomended services. Poor quality, poor dealer support. I complained about hard starting & backfiring from the begining...First trip to repair center recomended by J D blamed my gas (car runs great) Second trip to J D dealer found stuck carb float. Ran great for about 5 minutes. Third trip to dealer replaced carb. Still runs rich & backfires when shut off (regardless of method) 6 months later, it quit going up hill (about a 15-20% grade)Fourth trip to dealer blamed belt tension. Still won't go up hill after 1/2 hour of use. Fifth trip to dealer replaced the transmission/hydrostatic drive unit. Worked great for about 6 months, now won't go up hill again! NOW OUT OF WARRANTY!

Overall Based on the poor quality of this unit, I will never ever buy anything from J D again. I have also convinced numerous others not to. Has 139 hours and I can't even cut my grass with it. Looking to sell it cheap to someone who has a small flat yard. What a piece of crap.

Strengths It seemed like a great tractor until my first hub bearing blew and I than noticed how many corners were cut. Good seat adjustment,nice blade height handle, good lights, hydro drive smooth. I thought it was great for a while.

Weaknesses Major parts are not up to task. Blade hub bearings were just sealed ball bearings, not greaseable, for example. Good for about 3-5 years use than get out your wallet. Slow top speed, cruise control bad, deck fills with grass no matter how dry it is so you have to scrap it out after each use, very annoying. Uneven cut, can snub out engine when pulling pto, 23hp??, backfires on shutdown because it doesn't have a fuel shutoff solenoid, loud, drinks too much gas, heavy steering, can't fill fuel without spilling, backup button is safe but I defeated it, etc....

Overall Don't buy this tractor. You will be money ahead getting a commercial grade ztr like I did after liquidating this as soon as major problems started. Tractors under $2500 last for about 5 good years with luck. $5000 ones will likely last for 20+ years with basic care.

Strengths None

Weaknesses I had defective welded part in the deck lifting mechanism that JD replaced after about 4 months in the shop. Now I have a broken front axle. Machine still has only about 65 hours. I am insisting that Home Depot and John Deere take it back.

Overall One of the worst experiences of my life. I am continuing my fight to get them to take it back.

Strengths I thought just having the John Deere name on it gave it instant credibility...right

Weaknesses Dealer is coming today to pick it up again. Belts jump off the pulleys (twice). Deck seems to be very loose and sloppy. When the blade clutch is engaged the whole tractor rattles like it is falling apart. Doesn't seem to have any speed.

Overall I waited many years to buy a JD..I wish I was still waiting.

Strengths Powerful motor - wide deck and comfortable seat.

Weaknesses Mower has 113 hours on it and has just blown the 2nd pto clutch, all three spindles in the deck are shot and need replacing, the wires for pto clutch have been torn off the bottom 3 times, the transmission blew apart and plastic fan parts went all on the ground at about 85 hours. Mows unevenly in mulch mode.

Overall Looks good off the showroom floor but is a cheap piece of junk that falls apart after 75 hours or so. Resale value reflects the "junk" nature in that they are worth about $1000 at most with just few hours on the meter.

Strengths Cost at the year end close-out. Starts and runs well. It sure is pretty.

Weaknesses Tires have no grip. Got stuck in the mud on first mow. Had to pull it out with my 4-wheel drive truck.

Overall Not good for winter mowing in CA.

Strengths strong engine, simple controls, starts and runs well cuts fast and clean

Weaknesses gas hog mower deck has thrown belts tires have no bite difficult to adjust or remove deck

Overall Our 2nd JD lawn mower. They wear better than many other brands, but they are not without problems. Easy to find dealers and parts. I'm always looking for more reliability as downtime is a big bummer.