I have around 50 hours on my 180 and have really enjoyed the power. I like to back mow and blow my cuttings to back edge of the yard and this tractor is a beast. I did put AG bar tires front and back, replaced the headlights with LED and wired some tail lights on it to tractor it up a bit. I also used a jumper wire to bypass the reverse mowing safety switch. It’s not fun having to push that button to mow in reverse. Problem solved.
Since you ""I also used a jumper wire to bypass the reverse mowing safety switch"", this safety infraction has been noticed by ice cream joe and BOLO for a visit from the "Suburbans" 🙂
I had to start cutting 6 ft grass, with my brand new E160. The hardest part of mowing that much grass, after raising the deck the highest it would go, was discharging that volume of grass & weeds. If you cut that much grass, you run out of room to discharge the grass. You don’t want to discharge where you need to mow new grass, and run over the old discharged. That’s too much volume to discharge. It’s best to start at the perimeter, and discharge over the newly mowed grass. I waited two more weeks, to let the grass dry out, & then mowed again. After 3 or 4 mowings, I had a yard instead of a field. This was brought about, by my son-in-laws fiancé, and his laziness. He doesn’t haven’t any taste in women or mowers. The lawn looks great, the mower runs great, and grandchildren seen their first snake, besides their father! Great video, very nice ride.
Just returning to update - I purchased this unit under a year ago from my local dealer in Massachusetts. At this time, I really can't recommend it. While the power is great and nearly best in class for "garden tractors", the cut is where this comes up short. My deck is constantly cutting uneven. I've leveled it myself and had it done professionally by the local John Deere dealer to no avail. Reviews on the machine show several people in the same boat. If you're going to spend nearly $3000 on a tractor, might as well stretch a little further up for an X series.
Could it be because of that wide 54" deck? Seems pretty wide to me really and can flop around more than a narrower deck. I have the E170 coming and hope I don't run into that problem with the 48"deck. Can you mow at top speed with these? No way I could with my old craftsman.
@@66cotter it may very well be - I can tell you that on my 2 acre property, the "scalping" is definitely noticeable. Usually I don't invest much time in the Lowes or Home Depot comments/review section but the E180 ones definitely outlined this same issue in more than a few reviews. I've started experimenting with cutting slower and making multiple passes..seems to be a little improvement but still there.
@@66cotter I can say from my experience with using these mowers in our Mow an Acre series that i had way better luck on cut quality with the 48" and the 2" in the E series mowers. I think the frame on the E series is too narrow to handle the width of the 54". The deck hangers aren't wide enough to stabilize the deck properly.
Dude, love your videos! - JD should be sending you bonus checks for all of the equipment you are responsible for selling! I just picked up the E180 last week and your video was a big factor in helping me with my decision, and that's in addition to the Z-355 video you did in which helped me decide on buying that unit for my kid last year as a part of his wedding present. My local JD dealer here in Mich didn't have the E180 and told me that he was hoping to get some in in 3-4 weeks. I couldn't wait as my old LA115 lost it's tranny and I had to track one down at a Home Depot that was 30 miles away (but I did get a free JD garden trailer with it). My local dealer did disappoint me a bit when I called him. Price wise, it was the same as HD @ $2,900 (without a free $200 trailer) but he also wanted $300 to do a "set-up". I wasn't born yesterday and little things like that tend to tick me off.
Cool video but what are really the benefits or non benefits of having the tractor style riding mowers compared to the other kind where your legs are more straight and you have the handles what's really the difference between the 2?
Being as that we don't get much snow here, I personally have never used the snowblower attachment. I would say with how light some of these machines are I would definitely do the extra weights and chains on your tires to make sure you are getting the most out of your machine. Hopefully in the future we will get to do a video over this snowblower. If you do buy one and give it a try, let me know how it goes! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
I have the snow blower. Thru my first winter in Michigan I throw three 100'+ driveways for a total of maybe fifteen all winter. Wet or dry snow it worked great!
@@mcarr4432 I ended up buying the blower last year and a Berco enclosure. Love the blower - only thing that isn't so great is the manual lift. Easily solved (unfortunately not cheap) by buying the electric lift.
I'm starting to research to purchase a lawn tractor this upcoming spring. I'm undecided between the E170 and the S240. The 170 has the larger tires/wheels, larger seat, larger deck and a larger engine, but being in a higher class, I think the build quality of the 240 may be a little better...I have a little over a half acre, with a few gradual slopes, so I don't think either mower will be pushed to the limit by any means. What are your thoughts??
How is it on hills? Do both rear wheels get power (locking axle) or just a one wheel spin? I have a slope on the side of my house and when the up hill tire gets lite it just spins. So my next tractor NEEDS to at least have a locking rear axle option
Great video. Wish you were my local dealer. LOL I'm a JD fan, and own 2 of them. I do my own repairs and service, mostly because the local JD folks are inept. But, I like JD products anyway.
Well i hate to hear that about you local dealer. If you ever need parts for your mowers make sure to check us out at West-Equip.com/Parts! Thanks again for the support and the comment.
how come john deere still uses a stamped steel deck on their ztrak mowers? only the commercial mowers have all welded fab decks. Even the residential cub cadets & husqvarnas have fab decks. really like thd JD but wish you would put a gab deck on you residential mowers like other lower cost competitors do
The main reason they used stamped decks is to increase air flow by eliminating corners. Also by having no square corners in the deck you reduce the change for debris build up. Thanks for watching!
John Deere is a higher quality product than the cub cadet and craftsman, but one thing most people tend to overlook is the resale value. John Deere mowers have a much higher resale value than most brands.
Do you have an S240 tractor? It would be interesting to see it mow an acre with a 42 inch deck and again with a 48 inch deck and see if there's more than a 5 minute difference in time with the same mower, and if there's a significant difference in cut quality. Also it would be interesting to see if the 48 inch deck bogs down more than the 42 inch deck. You mentioned that the E110 bogged down in the thicker area. It would be interesting to see if the S240 bogs down as much in that same area. I've heard that the Kawasaki engine has more torque than the Briggs & Stratton engines with the same horsepower.
@@WesternEquipment nice! Thanks! this would help people better decide which deck they would want with the S240. I have an idea the 48 inch deck would make a nicer cut because it's a heavier gauge steel and probably has less bounce when mowing at full speed. Also if the S240 doesn't bog down as much as the E110, that's another reason for some people to choose the S240 if their lawn needs the extra torque. Too bad there's no hills or ditches in that area because it would be interesting to see if the S240 is a better hill climber than the E110.
@@WesternEquipment ya, do we have a way of knowing if the transmission in the S240 has more torque than the one in the E110? John Deere doesn't have that information on their website. And here's another thing I've wondered about. As the tractor gets older, is there a way of measuring transmission torque to see if it's operating efficiently or losing torque? Right now, this is the only way I know of. th-cam.com/video/9_3qCmCmlIg/w-d-xo.html it either makes it up the hill or it doesn't test, hahahahaha
Am I correct that the e180 is actually slower than advertised. I did the math and at that time you were running it at about 3.5 mph. Yet it's supposed to hit 5.5.
5.5 is actually transport speed and since the yard is not 100% level I am not always able to use full speed, but I definitely push it to try and get the best time!
Would’ve been nice if you set the wheels so it wouldn’t have scalped. I’m contemplating one but with how bumping my lawn is, I’m hesitant knowing that it scalped yours
You guys run into any issues with the cut deck cutting unevenly? I have an E180..have had to adjust the deck twice now and still can't fine tune it to cut evenly.
@@WesternEquipment I've followed the manuals way which is to use 3, 2" blocks and slide them under the deck. If they don't fit (or slide too easily), adjust the set screw to raise or lower the deck. I've also used a measuring tape to double check as well. Scalping wheels are all in the same position all the way around the deck, no adjustment to those.
@@WranglerRunner1 Yeah that is definitely not my favorite method or best method in my opinion. I will post a video sometime next week of me leveling the deck with an actual leveling gauge so stay tuned for that. Or there are many other TH-camrs out there that have done a video using the gauge so you can check that out of you don't want to wait!
do you know what brand and model transmission is used in the E100 series tractors? John Deere used to list that information with previous year models but now they keep that hidden.
They use a Kanzaki Tuff Torq. Here are the specific models. Tuff Torq TLT200A - E110, E120, E130Tuff Torq TLT200B - E140, E150, E160Tuff Torq K46AC - E170, E180
@@WesternEquipment ah, thanks. do you happen to know of those TLT model transaxles produce lower torque than the K46? The reason I'm asking is I was thinking about getting a John Deere E130. I'm also considering the S240 www.deere.com/en/mowers/lawn-tractors/s240/ and the website says it has the K46 transaxle, same as the E170. I've seen many cases where the K46 weakened right after the warranty and couldn't go up hills like in this video. th-cam.com/video/9_3qCmCmlIg/w-d-xo.html Here's another example with a used D140 www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/73309127/2014-john-deere-d140?OHID=73309127 the description there says it won't go up hills. The D140 uses the T40 model transaxle which Tuff Torq says is nearly identical to the K46. I'm a little weary of getting an E170 because it has 22 inch wheels and I'm told the K46 was designed for 20 inch wheels, so the S240 might be a better option for going up hills. But if the TLT transaxles have the same torque as the K46, I might just get the E130.
@@mrbubetube also keep in mind that there is a lot of plastic in these transmissions and they are not made for a ton of us at one time. even pulling things like a cart firewood brush etc do not pull more than tractor weight and driver weight also pull it at 1/2 speed anything faster will tear up your tranny more quickly.
Hey I like these videos. Someone gave me a L130 with 400+ hours. Can you do a video showing how a John Deere rear tire can be tubbed? Can not find a video with any information.
@@WesternEquipment Z's would be good too. See how much quicker Z's are over the lawn tractor. I love my new Z740R. Great machine and cuts the grass nice. Wish I got the 60in.
It is labeled John Deere on top, but if you look on the side of the engine you will see the manufacturer sticker which on this model is Briggs and Stratton.
Yeah, It is a Briggs & Stratton (ELS)Extended Life Series. According to B&S it has a 40% longer engine life when compared to expected life standards of a Briggs & Stratton Intek.
I have around 50 hours on my 180 and have really enjoyed the power. I like to back mow and blow my cuttings to back edge of the yard and this tractor is a beast. I did put AG bar tires front and back, replaced the headlights with LED and wired some tail lights on it to tractor it up a bit. I also used a jumper wire to bypass the reverse mowing safety switch. It’s not fun having to push that button to mow in reverse. Problem solved.
Awesome! Sounds like some pretty sweet upgrades. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
Since you ""I also used a jumper wire to bypass the reverse mowing safety switch"", this safety infraction has been noticed by ice cream joe and BOLO for a visit from the "Suburbans" 🙂
I had to start cutting 6 ft grass, with my brand new E160. The hardest part of mowing that much grass, after raising the deck the highest it would go, was discharging that volume of grass & weeds. If you cut that much grass, you run out of room to discharge the grass. You don’t want to discharge where you need to mow new grass, and run over the old discharged. That’s too much volume to discharge. It’s best to start at the perimeter, and discharge over the newly mowed grass. I waited two more weeks, to let the grass dry out, & then mowed again. After 3 or 4 mowings, I had a yard instead of a field. This was brought about, by my son-in-laws fiancé, and his laziness. He doesn’t haven’t any taste in women or mowers. The lawn looks great, the mower runs great, and grandchildren seen their first snake, besides their father! Great video, very nice ride.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Just returning to update - I purchased this unit under a year ago from my local dealer in Massachusetts. At this time, I really can't recommend it. While the power is great and nearly best in class for "garden tractors", the cut is where this comes up short. My deck is constantly cutting uneven. I've leveled it myself and had it done professionally by the local John Deere dealer to no avail. Reviews on the machine show several people in the same boat. If you're going to spend nearly $3000 on a tractor, might as well stretch a little further up for an X series.
Sorry to hear you're having trouble, but I agree with moving to the X series.
Could it be because of that wide 54" deck? Seems pretty wide to me really and can flop around more than a narrower deck. I have the E170 coming and hope I don't run into that problem with the 48"deck. Can you mow at top speed with these? No way I could with my old craftsman.
@@66cotter it may very well be - I can tell you that on my 2 acre property, the "scalping" is definitely noticeable. Usually I don't invest much time in the Lowes or Home Depot comments/review section but the E180 ones definitely outlined this same issue in more than a few reviews. I've started experimenting with cutting slower and making multiple passes..seems to be a little improvement but still there.
@@66cotter I can say from my experience with using these mowers in our Mow an Acre series that i had way better luck on cut quality with the 48" and the 2" in the E series mowers. I think the frame on the E series is too narrow to handle the width of the 54". The deck hangers aren't wide enough to stabilize the deck properly.
@@WesternEquipment ok hopefully my E170 will do better. Not that I have a good lawn anyway lol. Can you cut at full speed if grass isn't too long?
this series has been informative. going to be cutting 4 acres starting in October. hope you compare ztr and lawn tractor with same deck size
We now have one you can compare! Check out the Z345R and the E110, both have 42" decks!
The Z375R has same deck size.
Dude, love your videos! - JD should be sending you bonus checks for all of the equipment you are responsible for selling! I just picked up the E180 last week and your video was a big factor in helping me with my decision, and that's in addition to the Z-355 video you did in which helped me decide on buying that unit for my kid last year as a part of his wedding present. My local JD dealer here in Mich didn't have the E180 and told me that he was hoping to get some in in 3-4 weeks. I couldn't wait as my old LA115 lost it's tranny and I had to track one down at a Home Depot that was 30 miles away (but I did get a free JD garden trailer with it). My local dealer did disappoint me a bit when I called him. Price wise, it was the same as HD @ $2,900 (without a free $200 trailer) but he also wanted $300 to do a "set-up". I wasn't born yesterday and little things like that tend to tick me off.
@justadbeer thanks for the love. We appreciate it, comments like this keep us going.
My E170 does a good job on my yard. I wish it was as perfect as the yards you mow.
I'm glad it is working well for you and thanks for the compliment on the yard. We lucked out by getting to use it. Thanks for watching!
Cool video but what are really the benefits or non benefits of having the tractor style riding mowers compared to the other kind where your legs are more straight and you have the handles what's really the difference between the 2?
Any thoughts on using this machine with the John Deere snowblower attachment with weights and chains?
Being as that we don't get much snow here, I personally have never used the snowblower attachment. I would say with how light some of these machines are I would definitely do the extra weights and chains on your tires to make sure you are getting the most out of your machine. Hopefully in the future we will get to do a video over this snowblower. If you do buy one and give it a try, let me know how it goes! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
I have the snow blower. Thru my first winter in Michigan I throw three 100'+ driveways for a total of maybe fifteen all winter. Wet or dry snow it worked great!
@@mcarr4432 I ended up buying the blower last year and a Berco enclosure. Love the blower - only thing that isn't so great is the manual lift. Easily solved (unfortunately not cheap) by buying the electric lift.
I'm starting to research to purchase a lawn tractor this upcoming spring. I'm undecided between the E170 and the S240. The 170 has the larger tires/wheels, larger seat, larger deck and a larger engine, but being in a higher class, I think the build quality of the 240 may be a little better...I have a little over a half acre, with a few gradual slopes, so I don't think either mower will be pushed to the limit by any means. What are your thoughts??
I am fan of the upgraded features and the Kawasaki engine that you would get with the S240. If it were me, I would go S240 with a 48" deck!
Great idea for video! This gives us a notion of time by acre thanks !
Glad you like it! Thanks for watching.
How is it on hills? Do both rear wheels get power (locking axle) or just a one wheel spin? I have a slope on the side of my house and when the up hill tire gets lite it just spins. So my next tractor NEEDS to at least have a locking rear axle option
Unfortunately the S100's do not have locking rear axles. John Deere doesn't have this feature until you get into the X500 series. Thanks for watching!
Great video! From the E 110, to the E 180, you shaved a lot of time off, close to 15 minutes.
Thanks! We have really enjoyed this series!
Noticed about my john deere lawn tractors I own their quiet compared to all the other brands quiet and powerfull lol
Very true. Thanks for the comment!
Great video. Wish you were my local dealer. LOL I'm a JD fan, and own 2 of them. I do my own repairs and service, mostly because the local JD folks are inept. But, I like JD products anyway.
Well i hate to hear that about you local dealer. If you ever need parts for your mowers make sure to check us out at West-Equip.com/Parts! Thanks again for the support and the comment.
love my Deere dealer!
how come john deere still uses a stamped steel deck on their ztrak mowers? only the commercial mowers have all welded fab decks. Even the residential cub cadets & husqvarnas have fab decks. really like thd JD but wish you would put a gab deck on you residential mowers like other lower cost competitors do
The main reason they used stamped decks is to increase air flow by eliminating corners. Also by having no square corners in the deck you reduce the change for debris build up. Thanks for watching!
@@WesternEquipment that makes sense, just dont seem as strong as the fab decks. Based on the JD i looked at.
Can you do a Mow an acre series on the S180?
We are hoping next spring we can start the Mow An Acre series back when the inventory issues are figured out. Thanks for watching!
Is the john deers at Lowes and home Depot the same at john deer dealers
Yes, they come from the exact same factory and built just the same. Great question and thanks for watching!
Check the Hinomoto HM255 with yanmar engine, a great tractor 2022
I'll check it out. Thanks for watching!
I just saw on the company website that John Deere switches up the 100 series lineup. Are y’all gonna make a video on the new S180?
Yes, this is true and yes we will be pushing out videos as fast as we can when the new models start arriving!
You should do it with the John Deere x758
If I get my hands on one I definitely will! Thanks for watching!
Would you recommend John Deere over MTD products such as cub cadet or craftsman? Thanks
John Deere is a higher quality product than the cub cadet and craftsman, but one thing most people tend to overlook is the resale value. John Deere mowers have a much higher resale value than most brands.
Do you have an S240 tractor? It would be interesting to see it mow an acre with a 42 inch deck and again with a 48 inch deck and see if there's more than a 5 minute difference in time with the same mower, and if there's a significant difference in cut quality. Also it would be interesting to see if the 48 inch deck bogs down more than the 42 inch deck. You mentioned that the E110 bogged down in the thicker area. It would be interesting to see if the S240 bogs down as much in that same area. I've heard that the Kawasaki engine has more torque than the Briggs & Stratton engines with the same horsepower.
We sure do! And I will get these two videos on the list!
@@WesternEquipment nice! Thanks! this would help people better decide which deck they would want with the S240. I have an idea the 48 inch deck would make a nicer cut because it's a heavier gauge steel and probably has less bounce when mowing at full speed. Also if the S240 doesn't bog down as much as the E110, that's another reason for some people to choose the S240 if their lawn needs the extra torque. Too bad there's no hills or ditches in that area because it would be interesting to see if the S240 is a better hill climber than the E110.
@@mrbubetube We might be bale to make that happen! Hill traction comparison video?? It would be very interesting!
@@WesternEquipment ya, do we have a way of knowing if the transmission in the S240 has more torque than the one in the E110? John Deere doesn't have that information on their website. And here's another thing I've wondered about. As the tractor gets older, is there a way of measuring transmission torque to see if it's operating efficiently or losing torque? Right now, this is the only way I know of. th-cam.com/video/9_3qCmCmlIg/w-d-xo.html it either makes it up the hill or it doesn't test, hahahahaha
Am I correct that the e180 is actually slower than advertised. I did the math and at that time you were running it at about 3.5 mph. Yet it's supposed to hit 5.5.
5.5 is actually transport speed and since the yard is not 100% level I am not always able to use full speed, but I definitely push it to try and get the best time!
Would’ve been nice if you set the wheels so it wouldn’t have scalped. I’m contemplating one but with how bumping my lawn is, I’m hesitant knowing that it scalped yours
I agree! adjusting the wheels will help tremendously with that problem. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
You guys run into any issues with the cut deck cutting unevenly? I have an E180..have had to adjust the deck twice now and still can't fine tune it to cut evenly.
Are you adjusting your anti scalping wheels? and are you making sure you are leveling the blades or are you leveling the sides of the deck?
@@WesternEquipment I've followed the manuals way which is to use 3, 2" blocks and slide them under the deck. If they don't fit (or slide too easily), adjust the set screw to raise or lower the deck. I've also used a measuring tape to double check as well. Scalping wheels are all in the same position all the way around the deck, no adjustment to those.
@@WranglerRunner1 Yeah that is definitely not my favorite method or best method in my opinion. I will post a video sometime next week of me leveling the deck with an actual leveling gauge so stay tuned for that. Or there are many other TH-camrs out there that have done a video using the gauge so you can check that out of you don't want to wait!
Very thorough review - thanks.
Thank you!
Where is Brent? Haven't seen him in like 6 months
Stay tuned!!! I'm back and we are about to flood TH-cam with tons of content!!!
@@WesternEquipment Is that you Brent? Can't wait man bring it on 👍
Why you never wear ear protection?
Good question! Maybe I should do that!
do you know what brand and model transmission is used in the E100 series tractors? John Deere used to list that information with previous year models but now they keep that hidden.
They use a Kanzaki Tuff Torq. Here are the specific models.
Tuff Torq TLT200A - E110, E120, E130Tuff Torq TLT200B - E140, E150, E160Tuff Torq K46AC - E170, E180
@@WesternEquipment ah, thanks. do you happen to know of those TLT model transaxles produce lower torque than the K46? The reason I'm asking is I was thinking about getting a John Deere E130. I'm also considering the S240 www.deere.com/en/mowers/lawn-tractors/s240/ and the website says it has the K46 transaxle, same as the E170. I've seen many cases where the K46 weakened right after the warranty and couldn't go up hills like in this video. th-cam.com/video/9_3qCmCmlIg/w-d-xo.html Here's another example with a used D140 www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/73309127/2014-john-deere-d140?OHID=73309127 the description there says it won't go up hills. The D140 uses the T40 model transaxle which Tuff Torq says is nearly identical to the K46. I'm a little weary of getting an E170 because it has 22 inch wheels and I'm told the K46 was designed for 20 inch wheels, so the S240 might be a better option for going up hills. But if the TLT transaxles have the same torque as the K46, I might just get the E130.
@@mrbubetube also keep in mind that there is a lot of plastic in these transmissions and they are not made for a ton of us at one time. even pulling things like a cart firewood brush etc do not pull more than tractor weight and driver weight also pull it at 1/2 speed anything faster will tear up your tranny more quickly.
Hey I like these videos. Someone gave me a L130 with 400+ hours.
Can you do a video showing how a John Deere rear tire can be tubbed?
Can not find a video with any information.
We will get it added to the list! Thanks for checking us out!
Great video guys. 54inch made a big difference in time shaved off. Are y'all going to the X series next?
I'm thinking we are going to do the Z's next and maybe sprinkle in the Z's.
@@WesternEquipment Z's would be good too. See how much quicker Z's are over the lawn tractor. I love my new Z740R. Great machine and cuts the grass nice. Wish I got the 60in.
the deck control handle is not Inches its more of a guide than 1 = 1" 3=3" etc
Very true, i got ahead of myself in these! They will be correct from now on! Thanks!
What's the cost for the e180
Well the E180 has changed to the S180 in 2021 and it runs somewhere around $2899.
As of 9-3-23, the sob is now $3599.00.... F J B....
@ainttakenanyshit what's the difference in lowes version vs jdb at a dealer?? Besides cost
@@Gokywildcats11 I have read that they are the "same" and the big box stores get them delivered by JD....
The only difference I see between the E180 and my E170 is the Deck size.
That really is the main difference.
Bud u should lower the deck wheels one notch their a tad to high
I agree, totally missed that step when getting this thing ready to cut.
Song?
I'm really not sure to be honest!
I thought the engine was John deere not brings and stratton
It is labeled John Deere on top, but if you look on the side of the engine you will see the manufacturer sticker which on this model is Briggs and Stratton.
@@WesternEquipment ok they deceive people a little because the manufacturer label says John deere brand engine
Yeah, It is a Briggs & Stratton (ELS)Extended Life Series. According to B&S it has a 40% longer engine life when compared to expected life standards of a Briggs & Stratton Intek.
until the belt gets cut by the deck 😅
I want your (JOB) !!!!!!!!!
I can't lie, I love it! Glad to be able to make informative videos for all you fine people!
I got a L120 what a piece of shit! After that purchase i will never buy a new john deere again. Sold it and put the money into 318, a real tractor.
318 is a good machine so I can't blame you there!
How about doing this video without the weird screechy music.
Haha! We are a bit limited on music choices but stay tuned we will have more to come and we will try to do better on the tunes. Thanks for watching!