Uphill Battle Over John Deere Lawn Tractor Partially Pays Off

Of course the tractors are different, as are most of the power tools, duh! Everyone knows that, or so I thought. Glad it worked out.

Glad both parties were able to resolve this.
Dog raises an interesting question about whether the tractor you get at HD is the same you get at a JD dealership. And I'm talking about the exact same model # here.

greg wrote:

Glad both parties were able to resolve this.
Dog raises an interesting question about whether the tractor you get at HD is the same you get at a JD dealership. And I'm talking about the exact same model # here.

I've been told that the power tolls are a lesser grade at HD.
I bought a Bostitch roofing nailer and a corded dewalt hammer drill from HD 2 years ago,both are shot.
I have 2 other Bostitch nailers I've had for years that I bought directly from Bostitch and cordless factory rebuilt dewalts that never gave me any problems.
Reps. from both companies said they use inferior parts as they figure a home owner is only gonna use the tools on occasion.

I wonder, are these the cheapo box store versions that are made by MTD? If so, they're just crappy throw away machines. Much better off finding a lawn & garden tractor from the 60's or 70's. You have to really work at it to break one of those. I'd wager that these machines are made even cheaper to meet a price point dictated by Home Dumpo.

greg wrote:

Glad both parties were able to resolve this.
Dog raises an interesting question about whether the tractor you get at HD is the same you get at a JD dealership. And I'm talking about the exact same model # here.

I own two JD tractors, both of which I purchased at JD dealerships.

To me, it never made sense to purchase any equipment from a retail outlet that was unable to service it. The dealer has no skin in the game as to whether the customer is satisfied if the initial purchase was made at HD or another big box chain.

The real lesson here spending a few dollars more at a JD dealer now may pay lots of dividends in the future.

Your column reminded me of an experience we had several years ago. We had remodeled our bathroom and purchased a Delta faucet unit from Home Depot, counting on Delta's reputation for quality as a major factor in our purchasing decision. Not long after it was installed, the fitting that connects it to the hot water line inside the vanity failed. It was a Saturday evening and we were fortunate to be home. Before we discovered the problem, we already had several inches of water on the bathroom floor, water pouring through the floor into our basement and a damaged vanity. To shut down the valve I had to reach in, burning my arm, but at least we were able to stop the gushing water. It continued to leak, however, so we called our plumber and he came to the house on an emergency call basis. He told us that the Delta units sold by Home Depot are made on a separate production line and are assembled with plastic fittings, not the brass fittings typically used on Delta units sold in smaller supply firms and specialty shops. He also noted that they seemed to fail more often. We had him check all our plumbing fixtures that same evening, replacing every plastic fitting from Home Depot with brass ones. I would never purchase another plumbing unit from Home Depot again after this experience.

By the way, the firm that repairs many of the tractors and lawn mowers in warranty purchased at Home Depots in the eastern Connecticut area leaves them outside in all sorts of weather uncovered for weeks at a time while waiting for parts or simply service time. This is frustrating for many of us that try to maintain our equipment by storing them when not in use in garages or sheds.

According to the way everyone has been judged I'd say we have some Home Depot fungus among us.

If you own a tool that was purchased at Home Depot, find someone who owns the same tool that was purchased from a legitimate tool dealer. Take
a look inside them and you'll be amazed. You wonder why tool manufacturers go along with this.
I've been buying all my tools at Harbor frieght for half the price and get as much use out of them as Home Depot tools. Sad.

Fat Freddy wrote:

If you own a tool that was purchased at Home Depot, find someone who owns the same tool that was purchased from a legitimate tool dealer. Take
a look inside them and you'll be amazed. You wonder why tool manufacturers go along with this.
I've been buying all my tools at Harbor frieght for half the price and get as much use out of them as Home Depot tools. Sad.

I've bought tools through Harbour Freight as well,and they seem to last as long as Home Cheapo tools at a much discounted price.
The best bang for your buck seems to be going directly to the manufacturer and buying reconditioned tools.
It's worked for me and I work the hell out of my tools.

The problem is the lack of competitors in the low priced lawn tractor market. MTD makes most of them. Peerless makes most of the transmissions for MTD. Peerless sells whole transmissions and doesn't even try to sell service parts. Everything is a peerless transmission except the shafts is powder cast aluminum and zinc. There is no provision for lubrication or maintenance. Because of this,the hydrostatic drive is the best option. Lawn tractors are designed to outlast the warranty by just a few days and were never meant to be used as tractors. You will never see a Home Depot tractor in the pulling pits. That is why.

Jon has it right - the Home Depot John Deere tractors are made by MTD. You won't find the same model numbers at a JD franchise (or most parts, either...) Ditto for Toro, Wheelhorse, Gravely, all the names commonly associated with long lived tractors. Many (if not most) of the manufacturers have prostituted themselves to cheap MTD versions.

This tractor owner is just plain wrong - he got exactly what he paid for and then whined to get more. And the 'Dog fell for it, just because in the Dog's view, the consumer is always right. And JD and HD caved in because of bad press, not because they did anything wrong. Extorsion.

If you want a real JD with 20+ year life expectancy expect to pay upwards of $8000 at a local franchise with real service and parts departments instead of $1499 at a big box store. Duh....

I wonder just how big of hills this guy is trying to maintain. The type of terrain has as much to do with the wear on this as anything!

WoW! Looks like we have a Home Dumpo Shill doing some of the judging.

This very same thing happened to our lawn tractor that we purchased at Home Depot. It is the L111, same model year as Alan's. We bought it 4 years ago and just received news that the transmission needs to be replaced, costing a whopping $1,050. We haven't yet had it fixed and will try to contact John Deere to see if there were problems with tractors for that model year. Thanks for your article!