If so, it will be a heck of a bagger. I notice they have a limited selection which is probably a good thing. Some manufacturers like Toro get carried away trying to please everybody which increases inventory for the dealer and overwhelms the consumer.

I have the Deere JS20 pushmower from Lowes and plan on trying it out this weekend. It does look like some of the Snappers. I had a new Lawnboy but ended up returning it in favor of this new Deere one. Hope it's a good one...Only time will tell.

You returned a LB? What model...do not tell me it was a 10323. What did you not like about it?

bigctm,

Hope you'll give us a performance report after your JS20's first workout. Would be interested to hear what you have to say about it.

It was one of the new 4 cycle models (10685). I have lots of obstacles in my yard and did not want to deal with the sensa speed propel system. I want to be able to flat out turn the propel sysytem off when I want to and I understand you cannot do this. I could have tried the 10684 with the variable speed but went with the Deere instead.

snuffy--

After looking at one, I think you're right. If it isn't a green Snapper, it sure ought to be. Not only are the decks identical, so are the bags.

All I can say is, at least it isn't one of the MTD pieces of junk that Lowes usually sells (not that they don't still sell them).

canguy--

Moved from Alberta to British Columbia, eh?

I purchased the JS40 JD this week and hope to try it out this weekend, if weather permits. I just hope this thing has enough power to pull me up my yard. I just moved into a new house with a 45 degree slope for my front yard.

I also hope that the engine dont burn up while mowing on such an incline. I thought heavily about getting a 2 Cycle for this reason.

The deck is a Snapper deck, but without the underturned lip to provide extra suction that Snapper Hi-Vacs have. It's more similar to the AIR decks they made, although the outturned lip isn't as wide. The bag may be Snapper. But that's about the extent of similarity. The drive system is _NOT_ Snapper - it looks like the AYP or MTD (I forget which) drive system. This alone makes this mower inferior to a real Snapper, both in terms of function and durability. The handle and controls are all different, and even the chute appears to be different. I couldn't measure, but the chute looks to be of smaller cross section, more like the AYP chute (a la Craftsman, Husqvarna). If so, it's more likely to clog.

So this mower is not equal to a Snapper Hi Vac. Of course, it sells for less, too, so there's not one correct answer for everyone. With that deck, I assume one could use any Snapper blade, including the Ninja, as well as a Snapperizer attachment. So that does bring some benefits.

So how about it? How are the new JD's holding up? I was very interested in the JD40 at Lowe's, but the salesman told me they had lots of returns due to failures with the John Deere self-propelled Mowers.

bigctm - I have the 10685 and was also concerned about not being able to 'turn-off' the SP feature. I have since learned that there is a 'cruise control' accessory that can be added to the sensa-speed system. It will let you set a fixed speed, and/or set the mower to be push only. Unfortunately it doesn't help you out now, but I wanted to let other users know that they have options.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old auction for Cruise Control module.

Don't be confused. John Deere @ Lowe's = Snapper/Briggs. No two ways about it, end of story. If you think the transmission loooks cheap, just wait till next year.

I'll bet there's at least 2 Snappers in at Lowe's in 2007, and talk about cheap. Remember, Snapper is no longer the "company who said no to WalMart". It's now Briggs and they don't say no to anyone. Also to look for - when Briggs starts bringing engines in to the US from their plant in china and puttin them on Snappers! You guys will love that move! Hah!

So you're saying John Deere is now owned by Briggs and Stratton? Can you provide a reference for this? Otherwise, these green mowers are not Snappers, but rather assemblies of shelf parts that JD is marketing on its own. Again, just because it uses a Snapper deck doesn't make it a Snapper. A real Snapper EZ Speed push mower, as sold at a dealer, still has the same good transmission that the Hi-Vacs had, which is also the same that the Ariens steel-deck mowers use. They aren't cheap, and they don't suck.

I bought a John Deere JS40 primarily to mow the uneven yard at a beach house and to serve as a backup for regular mowing at home. So far I am very impressed with the rear wheel drive power and the mower's ability to handle rough terrain. A blade clutch would be a nice addition but it would probably add to the price of what seemed to me to be a somewhat pricey mower. It takes three pulls to get the Briggs & Stratton 7 hp engine to start for the first time, but after the initial startup, one pull does the trick.

I looked at a number of different makes with large rear wheels but rejected them because they were all front wheel drive. In my opinion, the JS40's caster wheels provide the same ease of handling touted by the large wheeled mowers.

The John Deere vacuums up leaves and yard waste just like my old Snapper, and I didn't have to buy it in a box from Lowe's. I bought my mower for the same price as Lowe's from our local John Deere dealer.

I returned my John Deere JS40 to Lowe's this past week, the front caster wheels made cutting in a straight line, around landscape walls, house and curb very difficult. I found the hinged cover on the bag chute to be very inconvenient when reattaching the bag. For a $500 mower, it felt cheap!

I liked the high torque engine, it cut anything I threw its way - mulched thick wet grass without as much as a burp - I added a Snapper Ninja blade for added performance.

I'm going back to Ol' Red, Bought a Snapper SPV21 with the 6.5hp B&S Quantum engine, straight front axle and saved myself $200. With a Ninja blade I'm sure it will mulch well.

This weekend will be the test!!

I had a John Deere JA65-aluminum deck, 6.0 HP engine, BBC ect. The whole nine yards but what a piece of junk.

I paid $600.00 and sold it for $330.00 2 years later.

Deere doesn't make many of their tractors so why should they make all their own lawn mowers? They contract it out and slap their name on it. You could have figured that out when they started mass marketing them at Home Depot and Lowe's. These brands are trading on their former glory and reputation.