# New to this forum...a story and some questions



## messylawn33 (Aug 22, 2012)

i'm new to this forum, and new to the world of riding mowers as well. let me start my first post with a story and then some questions:

3 months ago i purchased a John deer D100 to take care of 0.5 acre lawn. it worked fine for 1.5 hours ago and then the engine refused to start. soon after even the headlights woulldn't go on. i wound up returning it to ****de*** . i could have returned it to my local dealer for repari under warranty, but i would have had to pay for transportation costs. (i don't have a truck to haul it in myself)

i want to give this tractor another chance, but am worried that i'll have the same problem again. as i understand it John deere has a good reputation so did i get a lemon? are they any other models that you would recomment?

my lawn is flat and has no obstacles except one small tree. thanks for your advice


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## messylawn33 (Aug 22, 2012)

*typo*

i meant to say the tractor only worked for 1.5 hrs...forget about the word "ago"


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Welcome to TF. 

Go w/your gut feeling about JD.

Have you consider zero turn mower?..Toro & Cub Cadet makes nice model.


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## messylawn33 (Aug 22, 2012)

*thought about it but*

a little out of my price range,


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## dangeroustoys56 (Jul 26, 2010)

I take it its from a box store - those are bad places to get a tractor from - besides sitting outside contantly , also prodded by everyone . More then likely it was a bad battery that caused the problem - they never charge them.

Alot of people swear by JD - but they have issues also , like everything else. Parts arent cheep for them either.

JD is one of the few manufacturers still making their own machines - them and husquavarna - pretty much everything else is made by MTD - cubs, sears , troy built.

I often say if i ever did buy a new tractor from a box store- id have it torn fully apart and go over it nut and bolt and make sure it wouldnt give me any issues.

Ive bot a brand new MTD - back in '92 - my dad still mows with it, original motor , original deck , i had to do a belt change and mandrel change, but after nearly 20 years, id say it was due. From day one it never gave me any issues until 5 years later, because i constantly maintained it.

After that new one, every one since has been a used one needing either little or a total rebuild , which seem to just keep running - i suppose the idea of newer motors arent built like older ones ( ill change my mind when i see a newer motor reach 40 plus years old totally original - cept for tune ups) .


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## messylawn33 (Aug 22, 2012)

i bought it from Home depot online and as i understand it they ordered it from John Deere, JD then sent it over to my local dealer who was the one who delivered it to me, and showed me how to use it.


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

When you say the engine refused to start, did it crank over and not fire, or did it not even crank? Almost sounds like a bad battery or a bad voltage regulator/rectifier.


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## messylawn33 (Aug 22, 2012)

the first time the engine cranked over but didn't fire. then i left it alone, tried it a few days later, engine didn't crank at all (no sound) on top of that even the headlights didn't work


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## Greginnd (Jun 25, 2012)

Sounds like a loose wire problem, bad solenoid or bad battery. My guess is that this would be an easy fix and you'll be good to go.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I agree with Greginnd, dead battery or the battery connections are loose. At least this is a cheap place to start!


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