Another Reason I Like Deere Equipment

[Pop_Rivit]

I'm going to have some free time on my hands next week, so today I dropped by my John Deere dealer and picked up a few parts that I need; a PTO switch for my 757 (sometimes I need to wiggle it a little before it engages) and some electrical parts for my nearly 40 year old 210. The 210 has had some electrical gremlins since I resurrected it after about 20 years of storage, and I'm going to completely rewire it and install all new electrical components.

Not only did my Deere dealership have everything on my list (not bad considering the bulk of my purchase was for the 210), but I liked what I saw on the corner of each item.

The picture is just a sample; I purchased 9 items altogether.



All the parts I purchased were made in the USA, and all were date coded within the last 12 months. And surprisingly, the prices weren't bad. I spent less than $120 on the 210 (harness, regulator, circuit breaker, solenoid, switch, cables, etc.), and $29 on the 757. The only electrical components that I'm not replacing are the starter-it was replaced when I brought the 210 out of storage a couple years ago-and the battery (it's only a couple years old).

I'm certainly glad that John Deere still makes a lot of their parts in the United States, and I'm happy to support them for doing so.

 

[Donald]

I think you could do the same for Bobcat brand, but prices are higher. From what I can see, Bobcat does not cheapen something to save a dime. They do have some engines from overseas like the Izuzu one I have.

 

[Mark_Walk]

Nice...nothing runs like a Deere. Just put German Castrol in my JD mower the other day.

 

[UNC017]

I like old Deere stuff. The new big stuff is probably fine, but I think complacency and cheapness is creeping in from the "lawn and garden" end of things, maybe working itself into the 30-40 HP tractor range.

Hopefully no further.

 

[tom slick]

When I buy parts for my work's JD 6430 it says "Made in Germany" on the boxes. The tractor was "Made by John Deere Werke Mannheim". I believe our JD 4320 compact tractor was Made in USA.

 

[AVB]

We had several of the yellow German John Deeres at my old job.

 

[GenSan]

I have nothing personal against John Deere but I was slightly turned off when I was in the market for a compact utility tractor and found out that the John Deere 1000 series was using a Japanese Yanmar diesel engine. I wanted a John Deere CUT w/ a John Deere engine and could not find one. So in short I went with a Kubota BX1860.

 

[jeepman3071]

Nothing beats John Deere as far as parts availability is concerned. I've bought things the dealer had IN STOCK that I was sure they didn't even make anymore. If the dealer doesn't have it, they usually can get it in 1 or 2 days.

 

[Tdbo]

On the plus side for Deere is parts availability and a strong sales/service network. On new equipment, quality is generally still there, if you look at the X series on up. Resale is generally as good as it gets.

On the negative side, you pay for the name and green paint, both when you buy, and for parts.

Don't know about the "Made in USA" parts. Off the top of my head, I can remember that the fuel filter for my X300 is made in Israel. Didn't know that the Israeli's were experts in fuel filters.

But generally, all is good.

 

[apwillard1986]

It is good to see “Made in the USA” on anything nowadays. So much is “Assembled in the USA of foreign and domestic parts” or other such nonsense.

We have a bunch of tractors and equipment in the family. We have always been die hard JD fans but on some of the newer stuff it seems they are just interested in selling the name rather than the quality that built it. They are not the first to fall into that business model and they won’t be the last.

 

[MichiganMadMan]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
When I buy parts for my work's JD 6430 it says "Made in Germany" on the boxes. The tractor was "Made by John Deere Werke Mannheim". I believe our JD 4320 compact tractor was Made in USA.

I have been to the Mannheim plant, it's enormous. It also seems weird to see the green and yellow beasts loaded onto EU spec trucks rolling out of there and onto narrower European streets. It's also nice to know that we do something well enough to have an American manufacturer in Germany, it's not the cheapest place to make something.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: Tdbo

On the negative side, you pay for the name and green paint, both when you buy, and for parts.


Funny, one of my running jokes is "that green and yellow color scheme is EXPENSIVE..."

But yeah, almost always worth it. I am just bothered by the fact that their lawn-and-garden stuff really is no longer that different from other brands. It used to be that Deere and Cub Cadet lawn equipment was clearly more rugged than Ariens, Toro, Murray (now defunct), etc. But now Deere and Cub are being pushed more into big-box stores and driven toward mediocrity. You have to look at the not-so-well-known specialty companies like Ferris, SCAG, Grasshopper, etc. to get a lawn implement built like Deeres USED to be built. And d*ng, but those cost some serious $$ too, even without the green-and-yellow paint. :-/

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: MichiganMadMan
Originally Posted By: tom slick
When I buy parts for my work's JD 6430 it says "Made in Germany" on the boxes. The tractor was "Made by John Deere Werke Mannheim". I believe our JD 4320 compact tractor was Made in USA.

I have been to the Mannheim plant, it's enormous. It also seems weird to see the green and yellow beasts loaded onto EU spec trucks rolling out of there and onto narrower European streets. It's also nice to know that we do something well enough to have an American manufacturer in Germany, it's not the cheapest place to make something.


Amen. Deere, Caterpillar, and a few other makers of "big industrial stuff" that many people have never heard of are still world-beaters and technology leaders in the global economy. Nice to know, even if they don't make things I'll ever go out and buy myself.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: Tdbo

On the negative side, you pay for the name and green paint, both when you buy, and for parts.


Funny, one of my running jokes is "that green and yellow color scheme is EXPENSIVE..."

But yeah, almost always worth it. I am just bothered by the fact that their lawn-and-garden stuff really is no longer that different from other brands. It used to be that Deere and Cub Cadet lawn equipment was clearly more rugged than Ariens, Toro, Murray (now defunct), etc. But now Deere and Cub are being pushed more into big-box stores and driven toward mediocrity. You have to look at the not-so-well-known specialty companies like Ferris, SCAG, Grasshopper, etc. to get a lawn implement built like Deeres USED to be built. And d*ng, but those cost some serious $$ too, even without the green-and-yellow paint. :-/


One of my biggest beefs with Deere is that they basically create clone tractors that are "Big Box" quality and paint them up to look like their "Big Brothers." Most people understand the concept that you get what you pay for, however Deere has created expectations with the way that they have presented their mass market machines. People buy them because of the cache of the name, and then become upset when they don't hold up.
I think that Deere did a much better job of this with the Sabre series they used to produce. It got Deere some name recognition in the boxes but did not lead people to believe they were the same grade of tractor. Then at the dealer they had the STX series, which quality wise was on caliber with the quality expectations garnered of their equipment. I know, I had one for years and ran the bleep out of it. IMO, it was one of the best values that they ever came up with.

If you want quality in a Deere, You need to look at the X series on up. IMO, below the X series, you can buy a nice Craftsman, Cub or Huskvarna and probably do as well quality wise for less money. I view what they are doing with their lower end equipment as the equivalent of Toyota buying a bunch of Yugos, sticking a Lexus nameplate on them and putting them in Toyota dealerships to say that Lexus is now competing with Toyota for car sales.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: GenSan
I have nothing personal against John Deere but I was slightly turned off when I was in the market for a compact utility tractor and found out that the John Deere 1000 series was using a Japanese Yanmar diesel engine. I wanted a John Deere CUT w/ a John Deere engine and could not find one. So in short I went with a Kubota BX1860.


I hear you, but JD has been running Yanmar diesels for over 30yrs IIRC. Some gas Yanmars as well.

Same goes with some of their hydraulics and hydrostatic. They've used Kanzaki/TuffTorq for about as long.

JD has to be one of the smartest companies out there. You pay for it, but they're always worth something.

 

[marco246]

Regarding Yanmar diesel engines in JD tractors: I have a couple JD compact tractors (4610 and 2305), and both have Yanmars. That was one of the selling points, and indeed they are just about bullet-proof.

Would have to agree, though, that the gasoline-powered low-end lawn and garden tractors don't appear to be anything special.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: Tdbo


One of my biggest beefs with Deere is that they basically create clone tractors that are "Big Box" quality and paint them up to look like their "Big Brothers." Most people understand the concept that you get what you pay for, however Deere has created expectations with the way that they have presented their mass market machines.


I think its all market pressure. The worst "big-box" grade Deeres are no worse than the Husquvarnas and Ariens and whatever else right beside them (in some cases still better), and they're priced the same, too. Sure, some customers may buy a Deere because it says "Deere," but this is the same customer who's not GOING to pay the price of an X-series JD, a Ferris, Grasshopper, or SCAG no matter how much better it is, they'd go buy a Craftsman.

I personally wish Deere had just stayed out of that particular market, but I won't go so far as to say they did anything wrong in the way they got into it. Now if they sold Deere big-box grade mowers that cost more than a comparable-quality Ariens or Husqvarna, then I'd be even more annoyed.

 

[HM12460]

Awesome, pop. That 210 is a real classic.

 

[GrtArtiste]

I recently bought one of these "cheap" John Deere mowers, a D140 22 hp 48 in. So far I like it very much. I'll be using it only for mowing my 1 acre which is almost entirely flat. Nothing else. Will it hold up? Don't know, but I got 13 years out of the mower I had previously which was cheaper and less powerful than this JD. I don't expect any problems from the Briggs engine and I won't be abusing the trans (hydrostatic). I know enough to change the oil, clean the air filter and blow away the debris. I'll just have to hope the mower doesn't give me grief. If I end up mowing every 5-6 days from April to the end of Sept, the JD will see about 60 hours each year.

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^I shopped the 54 inch segment hard for a year before buying my Craftsman. Most offerings had the exact same components, just different colors and sheet metal.

If that thing is hydrostatic drive make sure you change the oil in it before 50 hours or so. If you do it can last almost forever.

Tuff Torq is very easy to talk to by phone or email and was very helpful to me.