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I purchased my John Deere LA105 Lawn Tractor model (BG20444) about 1 month ago and I have already used it twice. The first thing I want to mention is the powerful 19.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine with AVS (Anti-Vibration System) makes mowing the lawn a breeze.
I have a lot of hills in my yard and the John Deere had no problems going both forward and backwards. My old model which was a craftsman's with a larger hp engine would always slip going up the steep side of my lawn, but the John Deere goes up without any strain on the engine and absolutely no slip in the gear.
The engine is made of cast iron material which will last for seasons to come and it has a no tool oil drain pipe which will save some time when you want to change the oil. The store clerk did tell me that I had to change the oil after the first 5 hours of use because the manufactures oil is very thin and will burn out quickly if not changed so I will be doing that this weekend.
The frame of the John Deere LA105 Lawn Tractor Model (BG20444) is made of full length welded steel for added strength and longevity of the lawn tractor. The front axle is made of cast iron that will not bend and offers vehicle like steering with sector and pinion steering gears.
I feel really good about my decision to purchase this lawn tractor. There is a 5 speed gear transmission with RIO system (Reverse Implement Option) which is a safety feature that allows you to cut in reverse if necessary which is something that I do use a lot instead of always have to turn off the blades to back up.
Other options includes headlights that give great visibility when cutting at dusk light which I was doing the first time I got my John Deere home and features a hood that will not rust or dent. Overall I am totally satisfied with my purchase and would recommend the John Deere LA105 Lawn Tractor Model (BG20444) by giving it a 5 star rating.
I have a lot of hills in my yard and the John Deere had no problems going both forward and backwards.
I would be very curious to see how the tractor holds up after a year of mowing a lot of hills. The LA series is really for flat level ground, the LA transmission really isn't tough enough to handle hills on a regular bases. I would be hesitant to mow hills with my X300, I'd upgrade to a X320 to do hill mowing, it has a much tougher transmission.
[hreview][hreviewitem=John Deere LA105 Lawn Tractor Model BG20444][/hreviewitem][hreviewrating=150]5[/hreviewrating][htreviewsdesc=professional reviewer]I purchased my John Deere LA105 Lawn Tractor model (BG20444) about 1 month ago and I have already used it twice. ...
I have a lot of hills in my yard and the John Deere had no problems going both forward and backwards.
These mowers are low end mowers designed for small flat yards, definitely not for hills. Wow two whole times? Use it one summer, by the end of the season the transmission will be shot.
You get what you pay for, those high quality John Deere mowers the company built it repetition on cost over $5,000 in 1980, now do you honest believe your going to get a mower built anywhere near as good 30 years later for $1,500? But why on earth would John Deere make something that would affect there repetition? The answer is simple, you did. Ask the average homeowner how much they will be willing to pay for a riding mower, the answer is somewhere around $2,000, so to make a sale they built a product to meet that price point. They cut what ever corners they have to, to cut costs. thinner metal, plastic parts, whatever. Personally I have a John Deere as well, an John Deere X300, cost twice as much as yours and I have a flat yard.
Good luck mowing this summer, your going to need it.
I know several that use basically that same mower and have at least three years of mowing every week ;eight months of year.Most have had zero problems.I 've seen even cheap K-mart 400 dollar mowers last for yeasrs with maintence and a briggs engine.
I have this mower now for 4 years and it still runs like it is new. No shifting issues, nothing! I maintain this mower every year and it has been reliable. I am now in the process of buying a bigger model so this one will go to a new home owner....
I bought my LA105 about a year ago. I noticed after I place it in gear and slowly release the break, it pops (jumps) quickly having to break quickly or going with with it and move forward. I sometimes find the pop or jump too excessive. What can it be?
I also have a JD LA 105 and have no complains for the 4 years I have owned it. We live the Texas Hill country and my yard is 75% hill and the mower doesn't hesitate a bit. I beat the crap out of it too, use it to pull large branches back to the burn pile, and just today changed the oil in it for the first time. Yes it is a low end model but for what it is I can't complain a bit. Oh ya, just to give some reference to size of yard, our house is on 2.78 acres and I mowe anything that stands high enough to mowe.
I repair mowers all the time and I noticed John Deere seems to be having problems with the Briggs & Stratton engine used in the La105 riding tractor. I have had several come into my shop and they smoke like a freight train. Even my wifes rider done the same thing, smoke so bad it was hard to see to mow. My wife like,s her John Deere LA105, so I got it in the shop and suspected rings or valve stem clearance, but this was all good, so I noticed they have a hose hooked into the oil fill tube (dip stick tube) and run into the fuel pump which enables fuel pump to pulsate and pump fuel to the carb. So I drilled a hole in the valve cover and installed a hose connection and ran hose to the fuel pump. I plugged the hose connection on the dip stick tube, thus bypassing the chance it was sucking oil out of this tube, but it was not fixed.
I thought on this and I decided to pull the head and check the head gasket, sure enough I could see the gasket was leaking and putting oil into the combustion chamber. But the gasket was not the problem the head was able to leak due to the head looked like it was never milled before assembly at the factory. I milled the head and reassembled the engine, it was fine from that day till now.
I am finding same problem on other John Deere tractor,s, in fact I have another LA105 in shop with same problem and customer says he can only mow about 30 min. till it stops the smoking and he knows he has to stop and check the oil level and every time it used enough oil when he checks the dip stick it is down on the stick to the second mark on the stick and he refills the engine to the full mark and starts to mow and it starts to smoke like a freight train again for about 30 sec. and stops smoking and he know to stop again for oil check.
Customer bought John Deere for quality and loves his John Deere LA105, so he,s waiting for me to see if John Deere will help with the cost of the repairs. I will post a new message when I find out the result from John Deere.
This is a warranty Question for Briggs&Stratton, by now they have to know this problem is evident on these engines.
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