pruitthall's Full Review: John Deere Js63c Walk-Behind Mower
Finally, my 12 year old Craftsman gave up the ghost. And I'm glad it did, because I replaced it with what is comparable to going from a plain-vanilla piece of transportation to a Rolls Royce. The John Deere JX-75 is that good. Before shelling out any dollars for a new walk-behind mower, I researched carefully many new mowers. I had narrowed it down to the John Deere, a Husqvarna or a Honda Harmony. I really wanted to lean towards the Honda because we're an all Honda car family. But in the end, it was talking to professional yardsmen that swayed my decision. I had noticed that almost universally the guys that make their living cutting grass always owned at least one of these mowers. Now I know why.
First of all, the Kawasaki motor on the JX-75 is a joy to use. Not loud at all (prior reviewers had commented on the noise) in my opinion, it fires up on the first pull, every time. And it's EASY to pull as well. Then you notice one of the joys of a mower with a blade clutch; idling it's so quiet you cannot believe it. Another nicety is the oil drain plug that is not only easily accessible from the TOP of the mower, but John Deere thoughtfully provides a large clear plastic tube that takes the oil over the top of the deck into a container without ever letting any of the oil get on the mower itself. Very nice touch. The motor also has an easy-to-use air filter cover, extra large fuel and oil caps and a fuel cutoff valve on the top of the motor housing.
The build quality of the JX-75 is nothing short of remarkable. How John Deere gets such a heavy coat of John Deere 'Green' on this mower is beyond me. Suffice to say, the paint is heavily applied, uniform in appearance and easily cleaned. The four large knobs that hold together the push bar (and allow it to be adjusted to different heights) are rock-solid and easily adjusted. The ergonomics of the controls are excellent as well. There is a blade clutch on the right side, two safety bars on the push bar (one allows the blade clutch to engage; one controls the drive train), one throttle on the left side and one travel speed on the left side. It sounds much more complicated than it actually is; once you use it once, it not only all works well, it all makes sense too. John Deere obviously paid a LOT of attention to the ergonomics of control placement.
Lastly, one cannot have this much mower and not expect excellent grass cutting. And that is just what the JX-75 delivers. When used in mulching mode it pulverizes the grass, only bogging down when you really push it into grass that should have been cut a week or two ago. I hardly use the bagger, the mulching option is that good. And the side discharge plate is gathering dust; I simply mow when the grass needs to be mowed and mulch it. So much easier than dumping clippings and the cut is absolutely dead even. Not a blade out of place.
One last thing about John Deere. When you buy a John Deere product, one thing you get from them that you don't get most other places: a genuine dealer that CARES about your purchase. Sure, anybody will warranty something that isn't the way it should be; my dealer has called me and asked how I liked the JX-75 and even came by the house and checked it out after my first two cuts. Then picked up the mower, took it back to his shop, changed the break-in oil and delivered it back. I haven't seen Sears or Home Depot do that for me. And on the scale of equipment John Deere makes, this has to be the lowest priced piece of equipment they sell and they still make you feel special. I don't know if I can put a price on confidence, but buying Team Green sure goes a long way to letting you experience it.
Overall, I'm beyond satisfied with my JX-75. It does everything anyone could ask of a mower and then some. And it does it, week in and week out, and doesn't ever complain. It is pricey, but I bought mine for a different reason than price alone. I wanted the cut I had seen on so many lawns that professionals had cut and the old Sears, even when running in top condition with a brand new blade, never made my lawn look like it does as when the JD cuts it.
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