# What happened to John Deere



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

I bought a new JD E130 lawn tractor in Sept of this year.....has 9 hrs on it and the PTO belt already snapped mulching leaves. Prior I had a cub cadet for 20 yrs.....replaced the belt once. The parts they use nowadays are really bad.

I couldn't believe it, I got out my Honda hrx push mower and plowed right through those leaves. Every time I drove the JD through it bogged down the motor and I thought I would stall out. Briggs and Stratton motor.....very disappointed. I should have stuck with Cub cadet.


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## themishmosh (Jul 3, 2020)

Maybe something wrong with the spindles or pulleys. I'd have the dealer check it out. Shouldn't bog down mowing or mulching leaves.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> I bought a new JD E130 lawn tractor in Sept of this year.....has 9 hrs on it and the PTO belt already snapped mulching leaves. Prior I had a cub cadet for 20 yrs.....replaced the belt once. The parts they use nowadays are really bad.
> 
> I couldn't believe it, I got out my Honda hrx push mower and plowed right through those leaves. Every time I drove the JD through it bogged down the motor and I thought I would stall out. Briggs and Stratton motor.....very disappointed. I should have stuck with Cub cadet.


Part of what you paid for on your John Deere was a factory warranty. I have a suggestion for you.

I would contact John Deere Customer Service and tell them you have a problem with your unit.

John Deere provides excellent warranty service. Your issue sounds like an engine problem...? :?


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## HarryZoysia (Aug 27, 2019)

Belts don't just snap mulching leaves. No matter who the manufacturer. Sounds like there is another problem afoot. Take it and have it checked out


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Called my local John Deere dealer and they said it's wear and tear item and most likely not covered. They said likely a stick got in between the belt and pulley and snapped the belt. Crazy


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> Called my local John Deere dealer and they said it's wear and tear item and most likely not covered. They said likely a stick got in between the belt and pulley and snapped the belt. Crazy


That sounds like the south bound emissions of a north bound horse to me.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Belts are not going to be covered by warranty unless it's proven that the belt was destroyed by another, warrantable, failure.

Without some pics/video of the machine in use, it's hard to say what may be the issue. If your machine is still in the warranty period and you feel there is something wrong, ask your dealer to come witness the problem on your property. Maybe show them a short video of the conditions the machine was in when the problem occurs.

I think you'd be just as disappointed in a new Cub Cadet at the same price point. Todays entry level lawn tractors (under $3k) are not the same machine $2-3k bought 20 years ago. That much is certain.


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

MasterMech said:


> I think you'd be just as disappointed in a new Cub Cadet at the same price point. Todays entry level lawn tractors (under $3k) are not the same machine $2-3k bought 20 years ago. That much is certain.


FWIW, 3k in 2000 is like 4.5k in 2020, so that checks out.

IMO almost all entry level equipment is garbage these days. Just look at the gauge of steel, poor welds, unsealed bearings, lack of grease fittings etc.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Ngilbe36 said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > I think you'd be just as disappointed in a new Cub Cadet at the same price point. Todays entry level lawn tractors (under $3k) are not the same machine $2-3k bought 20 years ago. That much is certain.
> ...


I'd run the stink out of a new E-series before I'd switch to something like the old DynaMark/Roper/Murray machines that made up entry-level riding equipment of decades past.

Deere was doing it right (in my humble opinion) pre-2003 when they were using past models with fully depreciated tooling and mature service/parts channels, slapping on a mid-range Briggs/Kohler and offering those as economy machines. Those were the Sabre/Scotts by Deere machines. All of them based on STX, or GT275 chassis with updated mower decks and trans options. They ditched that philosophy and introduced the Lightning series which were Deere colors and labels. That design is still the same platform that is sold today as the E-series (from 2003!) and the S-series with the most significant change over the years being the shape of the hood. Heck, the X300/X500 models were introduced in 2006 IIRC.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> Called my local John Deere dealer and they said it's wear and tear item and most likely not covered. They said likely a stick got in between the belt and pulley and snapped the belt. Crazy


A belt that wears out from normal usage is wear and tear. A belt that snaps after only nine hours of use is either a defective part (and covered under warranty) or a part that failed prematurely because of some other [undiagnosed] reason, which would also be considered a manufacturing defect.

Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote, but my understanding was your (now bankrupt) Briggs & Stratton motor was bogging down while mulching leaves. A Honda mower mulched/cut up those leaves readily - that suggests maybe something is going on with your engine, or maybe a pulley is binding - who knows without any pictures, and impossible to diagnose over the internet otherwise....

If you called the dealer and said you snapped a belt and wanted to file a warranty claim because of that, you set yourself up for the exact answer you received....

So what is your plan? Are you going to just buy a new belt and fix the issue yourself? What if that does not solve your problem? Is there some reason you don't want to have the dealer look at the unit - don't have a trailer to tow it in, etc.?


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> The parts they use nowadays are really bad.
> 
> Every time I drove the JD through it bogged down the motor and I thought I would stall out.


The above two sentences you wrote suggests (a) you have a warranty claim for a defective part that failed after only nine hours usage - nowhere near normal wear and tear; and (b) your engine is not running properly (since the Honda mower handled the load).

Unless you were operating your unit improperly by driving it faster than the blades could cut through the biomass of leaves you were running over at the time, the mower should have cut up and mulched the leaves (as your Honda did).

Something is amiss - either you overloaded the motor by trying to cut too much mass too fast, or else your motor stalls under load. The first is operator error (sorry, calling it like I read it, if the motor is not the problem, anyway) or if not, the motor is bogging down to the point of stalling under normal operating conditions (if operated properly). <-- This is why I suggested you may have a warranty claim. That is the problem you should mention to your dealer.

So, all that said, if I were you, I would call the dealer back, and this time, ask to speak with the JD Service Manager. Explain what you are experiencing with the mower engine bogging down and almost stalling under load. That is definitely not normal, and should be a warranty claim if there is indeed something wrong. There also could be misaligned pulleys, a bad part in the belt drive system itself (a burr will cut a belt), or the belt could simply have just been defective from the manufacturer. If it was, that is a manufacturing defect (defective factory part, as delivered) so they should fix it and warranty the part and labor. A belt should not snap in only nine hours, period....

Otherwise, you are going to have to buy a new belt and fix it yourself. The choice is up to you....

If it was me, I would be getting my tractor fixed by John Deere, and get a free hat for my trouble.

Best of luck to you on getting the problem solved. John Deere always honors its warranty for me.

:nod: :thumbup: :wink:


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Thank you all for your input. I'll keep you posted on what happens but I'm not feeling confident I'll get a good result but you don't know til you try. Part of the problem is since it was purchased at Lowe's, that's one strike against me with the dealer. I thought buying a good "Brand Name" I wouldn't have to worry about the warranty. Guess I'm a little naive.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> Thank you all for your input. I'll keep you posted on what happens but I'm not feeling confident I'll get a good result but you don't know til you try. Part of the problem is since it was purchased at Lowe's, that's one strike against me with the dealer. I thought buying a good "Brand Name" I wouldn't have to worry about the warranty. Guess I'm a little naive.


The problem is your dealer. If you present your case right, they should investigate the failure and advise accordingly. On your end, if they make a service call and it's not a warrantable repair, you are on the hook for that cost. Bring the case to them as much as you can. I have a neighbor with an E130, he often drops the deck in his first pass to 1"-1.5" and stalls the machine before realizing his mistake. After multiple choice words of course.

It doesn't matter where you bought the machine, they get paid to perform warranty service regardless. I was in the industry when Deere put the L100 series in Lowes/Depot. Everybody else wailed about having to service these units and discriminated against these customers while we got paid to do the PDI's before the machines were delivered, and any warranty work they needed after the sale. With the razor thin margins on that series of machine, we were more than happy to let HD/Lowes sell the units (which was a double-edged sword as many folks bought L130's to mow a few acres and were disappointed with the longevity, no sales staff capable of qualifying the customers.) while we focused on parts and service, in addition to sales of the premium lines.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Thanks for the reply. I did plead my case to the service dept when I dropped it off, and as I expected the service person gave me every reason why this happened. The grass was wet, too high, mulching too many leaves at once, mowing too fast.

I basically shot down all those reasons and gave him the case number I had when I called JD corporate so he knows I'm not just bending over. I'm gonna fight this as hard as Trump is, hopefully I get a better outcome.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> Thanks for the reply. I did plead my case to the service dept when I dropped it off, and as I expected the service person gave me every reason why this happened. The grass was wet, too high, mulching too many leaves at once, mowing too fast.
> 
> I basically shot down all those reasons and gave him the case number I had when I called JD corporate so he knows I'm not just bending over. I'm gonna fight this as hard as Trump is, hopefully I get a better outcome.


Love the grass is wet excuse. Shouldn't matter as long as the underside of the deck remains clear... You are in NJ, they don't have thick grass up there! (I used to live in Downstate NY). Mowing KBG/PRG/TTTF at 2.5"+ doesn't come close to taxing a mower like mowing Bermuda/Zoysia at 1.5"-2". We're also talking about a 22HP engine running a 42" deck here. Those Briggs twins are not known for their lack of power.

If they had the machine in their possession, this tips the scales even more in your favor. Did they try to test the unit in grass, check/level the deck, verify the engine is running on both cylinders under load, or did they just hit the switch and call it good?

A short video of the problem (if it's still present) would iron out any questions regarding the use of the machine.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Yea none of what he said would apply here. Not wet, grass was 2 1/2" tall and not a ton of leaves either.

I watched a YouTube of someone with my machine and same thing happened. He blamed it on the stock belt was a little too big and would slip off and break. He replaced it with a belt Little smaller n said it fixed the problem


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## bosox_5 (Jun 20, 2018)

If you bought it at Lowe's you can return it no questions asked. They will take it back or exchange it for you with delivery. I had an issue with a new mower and they did this for me


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