brand new john deere 915b

[can whlvr 993]

so at my job I got new zero turn,915b,comercial,shes pretty nice,anyone have one and how do you like it,we have a 645 and its been very good,its got over 5000 hours on it,pretty good for an air cooled vert shaft,it still runs good but the deck is worn,we use it for a commercial lawn vac now so I don't have to switch them around,its like owning wheelhorses,get more so you don't have to change implements

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

I have a 2002 John Deere 717, with a 48 inch deck.  It's a commercial zero turn, and it's great.

[Terry M-(Moderator) 2,175]

That's a nice Mower, T-MO......If I had that, I'm sure I could cut all of my grass in 10 minutes flat!    

[can whlvr 993]

ya they are good lookin machines,i havnt got to mow yet,it was about -20 here all weekend,but I did drive it,its fast,the 645 is swift but this new one is insane,i ordered a 60 inch deck,and with the increased speed I'm hopin to get our lawn done in one day,i cut for 10 hours as it is now,theres a lot of grass where I work.then 3 days of trimming,which I get the younger guy to do,ive done my share over the years,id post pics but photobucket is screwing me around

[WHX?? 48,828]

Well then quit messing around @can whlvr and spend the clams for support  for those . Any idea what JD plant are those  made at? Not a huge fan of JD stuff but definitely an admirer. 

Is that power plant a Briggs Terry?

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

11 hours ago, WHX9 said:

Well then quit messing around @can whlvr and spend the clams for support  for those . Any idea what JD plant are those  made at? Not a huge fan of JD stuff but definitely an admirer. 

Is that power plant a Briggs Terry?

Engine on my 717 is a Kawasaki 19 hp twin cylinder.

 

John Deere Zero Turns, residential and commercial ones, plus all X-series John Deeres are made in Horicon, Wisconsin.  The D-series John Deeres are made in their plant in Greenville, Tennessee.  Contrary to myth and popular belief, MTD, Murray nor AYP make anything for JD as JD makes all their lawn and garden tractors and mowers in either Wisconsin or Tennessee in their own factories.  The John Deere facility in Horicon, Wisconsin has been making John Deere L&G stuff since 1963 (actually before since the 110 was in development a few years before 1963).  You might find this little video from 1993 interesting.

 

 

[WHX?? 48,828]

Yes very interesting since I only live a stones throw from Horicon. Had a JD once myself for a short time, took it on a job where the guy couldn't pay me and sold it right away. Did get a little seat time mowing with it and was impressed . It had a Kawasaki single that had nice power but was often a bear to get started.

1 hour ago, T-Mo said:

Contrary to myth and popular belief, MTD, Murray nor AYP make anything for JD

I believe that started when JD started selling cheaper stamped frame mowers in the big box stores that were nothing like the dealer sold tractors. Lots of hard core JD fans soured at the fact they resorted to selling in stores like that buy hey it kept Americans working somewhat.

My dad has a JD Z turn that I am sure I will inherit someday but now sure which model. It must be treating him good as I never hear him complain about it!

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

John Deere has made a lesser lawn tractor when they introduced the STX line way back in 1990.  They were good little mowers and surprising many are still mowing lawns today.  This design sort of develop into the Sabre and Scotts line that were made by John Deere in the Tennessee plant in the late 90s.  The Scotts and Sabre tractors were actually the same design that Deere used when they introduced the L-series back in 2003.  The L-Series later became the LA series and then the D-series.  These were, of course, develop to compete with Sears and MTD products at an entry level price range and were sold in Home Depot, Lowes, and of course Deere dealerships.  They were designed for a 5 year working life, and used different components (for the mosts part) than the X-series mowers that Deere builds in Horicon.

 

Jim, if you live that close to Horicon, I do believe Deere offers plant tours from time to time.  It might be an interesting tour to take.

 

 

Deere used stamp decks on their commercial zero turns, which less informed people think stamp decks are inferior since other manufacturers of commercial zero turns used a fabricated deck.  But, Deere has a press large and strong enough to stamp 7 gauge metals that the other manufacturers don't have.  So those manufacturers have to fabricate (weld) their decks, which leaves welded seams and 90 degree angles that can cause grass build up, which leads to corrosion.  On fabricated decks, they used 7 gauge metal to form the sides and 10 gauge metal for top of the decks.  Deere stamps the entire deck out of 7 gauge metal and it's a stronger deck all overall.

[WHX?? 48,828]

Cool Terry ...thanks for sharing.

[can whlvr 993]

I took the new zero out today to cruise around a bit,no grass to cut but I had to check it out,it flys,and very smooth,it has the kohler in it,not as big in horsepower as the old one,and a bigger deck,so it will be interesting if it can handle longer grass,we don't let it get long but we have a lot of water and theres areas that grow over night it seems,hope to get pics soon.