JD commercial mower

[plateauman57]

greetings all. a while back i made the mistake of buying a scag turf tiger 61" with a briggs 35hp engine. am wishing now i had gotten a deere to go along with my 825i gator. i had a scag previously for 6 years with only a couple of minor problems. however, this new one has been a lemon and they are finally going to replace it with a new one.

am thinking of trading it in on a deere before i even mow a blade of grass with it so it will still be new. any suggestions on the model deere i should look for. want a 54 or 60 inch deck. looking to get the best commercial mower i can.

thanks in advance.

[2005HPX]

I have both a 997 and 797 Deere Z Turns.. If your wanting a 54 or 60 inch deck, dont rule out the older 700 series from Deere. 757, 777, or the 797. Try to find one around the 400 hr range. Think 2007 was the last year before they changed to the newer style 800 series. Some at the dealer told me to stay away from the newer style ones due to very touchy hydro sticks.. Drove a couple and glad I did. The older 700 series used different hydro pumps and are smoother to run.

Check out http://www.tractorhouse.com/ down under "other equipment" you will find "lawn mowers", click that and go to "John Deere" for all the models.. This will let you see different machines and what dealers are wanting/selling them for.

[Dane]

I assume you are looking at zero turns?

I use X700 series tractors and surprisingly the SE is worth it for the suspension seat if you mow rough ground. In my hilly area the tractor handles hills better and with the 4wd really performs on steep wet slopes. I've been kicking myself for getting a gas (25hp) which struggles in wet thick grass with a 54 in deck while the 24hp diesel can handle the same grass better with a 62in deck and burns less fuel doing it. My biggest complaint aside from the price is the cooling screens clog too quickly on dry summer days requiring you to stop mowing, shut down the engine and clean the screens. But at the end of the day the suspension seat and tractor platform is much easier on your body.

If you have others operating the equipment it does not matter but if I'm mowing I'm sitting on the X enjoying a smoother ride.

[plateauman57]

Thanks for the info but the JD dealer thought his were made of gold and mine of lead I guess cuz he wanted $2,500 difference for a comparable mower. I understand he has to make money on my trade in but it is a brand new scag turf tiger and at the time had less than an hour on it. And the scag retails for more than the JD. I could understand if we were talking a craftsman mower or some Off brand but scag is one of the best. So. I will keep it and hope its not a lemon like my first one was. Thanks again, take care.

[Dane]

Yea, I don't even consider trading in at the dealer. If you can wait the time selling it yourself is always do better. The hard thing lately is finding someone who can buy without financing. There are few these days that can give you 5 or $10k without a loan.