John Deer lawn mowers are made by Deere and Company, which was founded in 1837 and was the maker of the first commercially available steel plow. Currently Deer and Company is #102 on the Fortune 500 list for 2008 and manufactures lawn and garden power equipment, industrial construction equipment and provides financial services to its dealers to help them sell the company’s products. Deere and Company has several hundred licenses for its logo to be placed on toys (Ertl), hand tools, bedding, clothing, and just about anything else you can think of. They produce their own John Deere lawn mower parts and are not a part of another mower company.
John Deere lawn mowers command a premium price but are also known for their durability. My father in law bought a new John Deere riding mower (I think it was a 16 HP model) in 1987 and my brother in law is still using it today and he has mainly had it in for maintenance on a yearly basis. As a result John Deere lawn mowers are worked on a great deal so the need for John Deere lawn mower parts is steadily growing from year to year.
As expected since John Deere is not produced overseas and does not share a platform with other brands you will find that official John Deere lawn mower parts are more expensive that than comparable parts for an MTD mower. The ball joint for a Cub Cadet mower that was $6.51 is $19.25 for the John Deer model. The electromagnetic clutch for a John Deer is $120 and less than $80 for a Simplicity model. Spindle shafts are slightly more expensive but bearings, spark plugs and fuel caps are all in line with other manufacturers. With John Deere you get what you pay for. I have never heard of an MTD mower lasting twenty two years.
