John Deere mowers at Lowes and Home Depot

I've had to come on here several times in the past and straighten things up a bit about the mowers sold at Lowes and Home Depot not being the same as they are at the dealer....and of course you have the ones who say they are built by MTD..etc... I've been in this plant for 18 years now. We had a media group tour the factory the other day and I will share the article with you.

http://charlesandhudson.com/john-deere-greeneville/

I really believe they are the same, JD has several levels.

Yes those models are the same.But didn't see a X model. Their wheels bolt on.

They are all the same no matter where sold, some people will say they got theirs at lowes cheaper than at jd dealer. Not so, everbody that sells them sells at the same price. But at lowes, if you buy one on their card, you can choose 6 months no interest, or 10% off listed price. Sometimes they throw in an extra deal, like a lawn and garden cart.

(quoted from post at 01:42:19 03/13/15) Yes those models are the same.But didn't see a X model. Their wheels bolt on.

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Not all X models have bolt on wheels...and we are not the only factory that builds mowers. Horicon is another plant that builds mowers they was where the zero turns were previously built. Our plant also produced the aluminum deck Deere 21" commercial push mowers. Also we built the Sabre,Scotts,L-100 series,LA series, D series, and some models of the X series. No matter what Deere mower you buy, if you buy a bagger, mulch kit, or several other attachments, it is built buy us, and also lots of service parts for not only what we build but also what some of the other plants build. I was a welder there for several years, now I handle the EZ Track and all service and bagger parts there.

I worked for a Deere dealer, but most lawn tractors are just
stamped out junk. My JD 112 is a different story. Lol

That isn't always true... Most dealers should be priced the same but just like the parts,etc...it's up to the dealer on how much mark up there is.

Not to mention that there is a mower that is specific to Lowes and a mower that is specific to Home Depot and neither are available from the dealer. No it isn't cheaper than the others, it's a trim package with certain options like the seat,engine hp,etc...

Just buy one from the dealer. At least if something
goes wrong, you have a salesman and a service dept.
to take care of you. The dealer makes very little on
mowers. If a dealer had to depend on X300 and lower
mowers, they'd be bankrupt, no matter how many they
sold. They can only hope it breaks under warranty,
so they an make some money off the warranty service
work.

We have a box store John Deere riding mower. It is definitely Deere's, shall we say, competition model of mower, BUT it is exactly, to the last bolt , including the mower, same as the one we could have bought at the dealer I used to work at. Only reason it was not purchased at the Deere dealer is I did not buy it, the kids did and they bought it for me to mow their lawn on their property and the box store had a super payment plan, according to them. Have used it hard now for 7 seasons. Couple sets of blades and a few belts. It is not a super mower but for the price it has done very well will have to admit.

Just goes to show how much Deere has cheapened their L&G line.

It's funny how people get an opinion and think
they are right.... Perhaps some of you should
just take a moment and pick up some literature
at the local John Deere dealer, and read up on
these tractors you are talking about. If there
is not a dealer nearby, go on line and research
them. I've worked in the John Deere lawn and
garden dept for the past 12 years. There are no
MTD built Deeres. John Deere builds all there
own. And they still make a great quality mower,
you just have to pay for the quality you get.
They make more different models of mowers than
you can shake a stick at, something for
EVERYONE, and every income level. For the guys
that say Deere just don't make one like the old
212, spend a day on a x500 or x700 series
tractor, and see the difference! Its like
comparing a John Deere 730 to a new 8000
series!

It just ain't so. The box mowers are built by MTD. MTD also
builds many name brand mowers like cub cadet and yard
machine. My John Deere was built in a Deere factory up
north. It is not the same as a box mower. I live down the road
from John Deere and MTD factories and interestingly there is
a John Deere dealer across the road. The dealer has several
mowers for sale out front. Look them over then go to Lowes
and look at JD there. Not the same. Real JD's use different
model numbers. Why would anyone buy a mower from a JD
dealer and pay severel hundred dollars more than a JD
branded mower look a like from the big box? It has to be
quality.

(quoted from post at 14:09:38 03/13/15) It just ain't so. The box mowers are built by MTD. MTD also
builds many name brand mowers like cub cadet and yard
machine. My John Deere was built in a Deere factory up
north. It is not the same as a box mower. I live down the road
from John Deere and MTD factories and interestingly there is
a John Deere dealer across the road. The dealer has several
mowers for sale out front. Look them over then go to Lowes
and look at JD there. Not the same. Real JD's use different
model numbers. Why would anyone buy a mower from a JD
dealer and pay severel hundred dollars more than a JD
branded mower look a like from the big box? It has to be
quality.

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People kill me. I'm responding to this while on break sitting at my desk in the very plant where the article was written about....and people still argue. Not to mention the picture of the sticker on every mower that says built in Greeneville TN...and you still argue. The only thing I can tell you is to come on down and take a tour for yourself.

LOL! The only difference between the JD at the box store and the one at the dealer other than price is service after the sale. I know a guy, personal friend, who sells outdoor power equipment. He sell Husqvarna and TORO. The exact same models can be purchased in box stores like Mills Fleet Farm and others. If you buy from him he's right on it for service and repairs for as long as you own it. If you tried saving a few bucks on that chainsaw at Home Depot your saw gets worked on when he has time. It doesn't matter if it's just service, warranty or after warranty repairs. I know this because a couple of years ago I took my saw in for a routine service and picked a time when I wasn't going to need it right away. Guy at the counter in front of me was told about 10 days for a tune up. I was thinking no big deal, didn't need the saw right away. The guy leaves and the owner tells me "you can pick it up tomorrow after lunch". I said something about what he told the other guy and he tells me "he didn't buy his here". Sense then I've met a guy who owns a JD outdoor power equipment dealership who says the same thing. Customers who buy their stuff from him get priority over people who buy from box stores. The guy who sells Husqvarna most often sharpens the chains on saws when a someone brings a saw in for a tune up that they got from him but he won't for the box store saws unless they request it and he charges for it.

Rick

dan,,, they are exactly the same the box stores sell the D series mowers and they are the same D series mower you get at the dealer. I set up mowers at a dealer and go to the box store to set up thier deere mowers.

The people that don't believe it is a John Deere built mower will also argue that a ball thrown up in the air will not come down. Kind of like talking politics.

the Deeres at my box store have the JD dealer just up the road sticker on the back bumper.

Several years ago I bought an LA 150 from the local Deere dealer. I could have bought it at Lowe's for a lot less. I thought the dealer would make the difference. They didn't. The mower was a total POS, and they didn't stand behind anything. It was almost impossible to start after it sat for a week, it was slow, ragged the grass, burned oil from day one, and guzzled gas. In fact, it was so slow that I couldn't get a lawn sweeper to work behind it. I finally gave up and sold it at a loss out of disgust. No more green and yellow pre-rusted tin for me.

Mine too, a L110. The sticker says that the local dealer will service it for me and gives his name address and phone no. Also, the salesman at the HD where I bought mine said that they sell for the same price as the dealer as JD didn't want the big box stores to undercut the dealer. I have 700 tough hours on mine with the kohler Command 17.5 single. I wore the deck out so I now use it for my "Gator". Leaks more oil than it burns but starts right up in any weather and runs great. I did tear up the hydrostat tranny goofing around one day and was able to fix it....lucked out, never was into one.

Mark

I don't see how you can speak for every dealer everywhere regarding price. The local Deere dealer wants several hundred more for the supposedly SAME unit as is sold at the box store. They will not budge an inch on price, and get angry when you mention that you can get the same mower from the box store for a lot less. They insist that theirs is a better unit and worth the extra money.

(quoted from post at 03:40:33 03/14/15) I don't see how you can speak for every dealer everywhere regarding price. The local Deere dealer wants several hundred more for the supposedly SAME unit as is sold at the box store. They will not budge an inch on price, and get angry when you mention that you can get the same mower from the box store for a lot less. They insist that theirs is a better unit and worth the extra money.

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I said it was up to the dealers on how much they mark up.

The article said the S240 and the Z625 mowers were new models
for the year. No reverence to what calendar year they were
talking about. Tractor data.com says that later model 200 series
were produced from 1987-1992. No listing for JD Z625. I don't
remember the year I bought my JD L110 conventional, nor who
built it. I know Murray builds a lot of different colors to a lot of
different specs as does Briggs, serving a very broad financial
user base. Now whether green is or was part of their portfolio, I
don't know.

Seems a couple of additional springs were added to the seat to
assist in comfort on rough terrain which is all you get down here
with our Houston Black Clay. Going to have to find one and
check it out. You won't believe what I have done to my mowers
in an effort to obtain a smooth ride. I know Airens works the
rough ride problem but most others I have seen just look the
other way when you talk about serious rider comfort on rough
terrains........you know, everybody doesn't have a golfer's "green"
which requires mowing. Course I realize any effort means cost
and cost must meet the market and be competitive to remain in
the market.

Compared to my Fastrak and DR ZT it is lightly built but it does
have a stamped deck and even though they aren't made out of
"plate steel", I prefer the curvature of the stamped deck for
getting wet/early season grass to exit rather than pile up under
the mower. My other mowers which have such a deck require a
lot less maintenance of the sort.

Mark