John Deere LA145 - 1 Year Review

About a year ago, I bought a John Deere LA145 and wrote a post about the new acquisition. Because I have Lijit Search installed on my blog, I can see that readers come to my site pretty regularly after doing a search for for this model. I thought I would provide a post-purchase and actual usage review, highlighting several of the key quality drivers.

Cutting - I live in the foothills with natural grass and weeds making up most of the mowable area. For this purpose it is great. It plows through the most dense clumps of grass and several weeds that resemble trees with no problem. I can't speak to how it performs for finely manicured lawns, but there is no reason to believe there would be a problem.

Reliability - Haven't had a single problem with it yet. It starts, warms up, runs, and mows without a problem.

Maintenance - Maintenance is a snap. Changing the oil is a 5 minute job. Fuel filter, air filter, plugs, belt drive, zerk fittings, etc. are all readily accessible. I have yet to swap out or sharpen the blades, but I can see where that is done, and it will be super simple. It also comes with an attachment for a hose, where you can essentially blow out all the grass from the blade guard.

Drivability - Drives really easy, up hills, down hills, sideways on an angle (which you are really not supposed to do, something about safety). Steering is also smooth. It does not have that zero radius turn feature, but it's pretty close.

Functionality - I'm not sure what else you can ask for. Electronic blade engagement, electronic ignition, blade engagement in reverse with the push of a button, parking break (which actually comes in handy), and did I mention the beverage holder...

Cool Factor - Let's face it, it's a John Deere. Would you rather get on a Deere and fire it up, or fire up that Cub Cadet, ha?

Basically, it's so easy to use, I now mow my neighbors yard for a nominal beverage fee. I highly recommend it for anyone seriously looking at buying a lawn tractor. For the money, it is well worth the investment.

The fly of the day is the Stuck in Shuck Mayfly, courtesy of the folks at the Fly Tyers Page:

Tight Lines,

Dave