"I replaced everything possible but the motor and transmission, and I do mean everything. The motor cranks 200 or more times before starting It won't mow grass for nothing. The brand new and razor sharp blades keep breaking deck wheels. It dies constantly when mowing and does not like any kind of slope when mowing. Every part costs an arm and a leg, and to top it off - the brand new front axle just broke in half at the bottom of my ditch that it hates mowing. This is the worst mower ever made. John Deere should be ashamed i will never buy a John Deere again. I can't wait to shove it off the trailer at the dump. I am too ashamed to take it to the scrape yard ! I wouldn't waste a dime on one if your considering buying a riding mower."

"I purchased it new in 2003. Besides using it to cut anything you put in front of it, I use it to pull a 5-foot spike tooth pasture harrow and a wagon for picking rocks. The only thing replaced, besides spark plugs,blades and filters, is the fuel pump."

"Transmission started slipping at 45 hours, changed the fluid to 50w aviation oil. Works okay now."

"This thing is honestly the worst lawnmower in existence. Ever since we bought it twelve years ago, it has been nothing but trouble. The engine has been replaced twice, the mower belt has fallen off dozens of times, the blades break anytime you go over a hill, and other stuff is just constantly breaking. You get about 1 hour of mowing for every hour-and-a-half of maintenance. Finally, the thing doesn't just suck because it's old; it has always been terrible--ever since we bought it."

"The tractor seems to be well made for the most part although the Tuff Torq K46 axle is a real deal breaker. Its cost prohibitive to upgrade to a K66 transaxle so the only option is to rebuild the current one. Check YouTube for info. This forum has lots of info on this axle which is why I joined."

"After many decades of purchasing the cheapest tractor I could find, I was in a position to purchase a John Deere tractor for my residential needs. Mind you, that I am in excess of 6'4' tall @ 232 lbs. It fit and had the automatic transmission. You must understand, the primary operator will be my wife, whose idea of a clutch is something you mash when you hit something. I also purchased a front bumper with the package as well as a cart and cutting collector. I am pleased to say she has not been able to harm the riding mower in almost 10 years. Yes, I perform all maintenance and the worst to date is the battery died and I destroyed the start solenoid by high amp jumping. Other than the fuel line that is due to be replaced and the fuel cut-off valve I installed, it is a bullet proof machine and I would recommend to any soul contemplating a purchase of a residential riding lawn mower. I've noticed that the L120A is no longer available but, I feel the D120 would be very similar. "

"Always wanted a John Deere mower. Well I bought this one and I am terribly disappointed. The twin cylinder engine runs great and has plenty of power for the mower. However the transmission gave out at about 120 hours. Now I have a mower that I can use for about 30 to 45 minutes before it begins to groan and loses the ability to back up or climb the slightest grade. "

"The season is coming to the end, after fixing the gas cap problems no more stalls engine cutting off! Time to due one more grass cutting and to due winter clean up on the John Deere, stabilizing gas, battery charging setup, cleaning the under deck, blade sharpening, lubrication."

"Still working and cutting my lawn faithfully for the past 8 years. The transmission started to get slower going uphills around 140-150 hours, so I removed the transmission, turned upside down to drain it, and replaced the 10w/30 conventional oil with synthetic Mobil 10w/40. I will do this again when it hits 500 hours. No problems, except for normal maintenance: blade sharpening every spring, oil changes every 50 hours, and I did have to replace the deck belt around 400 hours when it started to squeal badly."

"I have owned this tractor for 7 years and have had no issues that was the cause of the manufacturer. I have a fuel issue that was due to debris and one fuel pump replacement due to ethanol in the fuel."