John Deere LA125
The John Deere LA125 lawn mower is from the 100 series of garden tractors that was produced by JD for 2 years from 2008 until production ceased in 2010. Other lawnmowers in the 100 series include the smaller John Deere LA115 and the more powerful John Deere LA135. The JD LA125 has a 0.54 liter (33 cubic inch), 1 cylinder engine that produces an output of 21 hp. A 12 V battery is used to start the lawnmower via a key start. This battery is charged by a 9 amp alternator. This air cooled, Briggs and Stratton engine uses a foam air filter and needs 1.4 liters of oil to remain fully lubricated.
The John Deere LA125 does not have a gear stick as it uses a hydrostatic Tuff Torq T40 transmission which makes the lawnmower an automatic. To control the speed and direction (forwards or reverse) of this tractor you just need to use one of 2 pedals. The turning radius for the JD LA125 is 0.46 m (18 inches) which makes it very adept in tight and confined gardens. But thanks to cruise control it’s also very easy to use on large open spaces such as parks and playing fields.
The mower deck that comes with the JD LA125 as standard has a cutting width of 42 inches, but once attached to the lawn mower, it gives it a total width of 1.32 m (52 inches) due to the fact that it’s made from 12 gauge steel and has a discharge chute that protrudes out from the mower deck. If you bought the John Deere LA125 brand new, you would have gotten a safety video for free with it. If you are buying it secondhand, it might be a good idea to ask the previous owner for the safety video to make sure that you don’t make any mistakes when operating it that may endanger you. For more info on this model you can consult the official John Deere website by clicking here.
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Have Your Say! Leave A Review Do you love or hate this tractor? You can have your say below by leaving review.
I have 1-1/2 acres of lawn to mow and after 8 years and over 500 hrs of run time this mower is still going strong doing what it was intended to do. I haven’t had any problems with the drive train and it still uses the original drive belt. The engine doesn’t use or leak oil and I change the oil and filter and give it a lube once each year. The mower belt has been replaced once and I have replaced the blades twice. The only issues I have experienced with this mower is weld failures where the deck hangers are welded to the deck. Easily repaired the problem myself in the shop. That was 3 years ago and the repair is still holding up fine. I have also had to replace the starter solenoid once. Over all I am very satisfied with the performance of this little mower. If it were to bite the dust today I wouldn’t have a single complaint.
It is true that this is a department store mower which obviously doesn’t match up with the quality of other JD equipment. That being said, I feel that the type of performance one gets out of a piece of equipment depends on the care and maintenance that goes into it.
everyone complains john deere look at an engine in the other tractors most are briggs its like this either u get a lemon or u don’t just like a car
Briggs and Stratton sure needs to invest in their Q.C.
I’m in the fourth year with my LA125. Its been a great machine. It runs much quieter than the Poulan it replaced; cuts the lawn faster; maintenance is easy.
I bought a JD snow blade and chains last winter. It works wonders compared to a blower. I live on a golf course and the drifts pile in the driveway day after day. The LA 125 make it a breeze to keep clear.
Fast
Easy maintenance
My wife loves to use it for grass or snow
love it
DONT,get somting else.worked for 20 hrs then shit.never getting another one.
Junk! Should have purchased a different brand! Could have payed the same price and got 3 tractors and would not be cutting my grass with a push mower!
John Deere has been used for decades by my relatives in Sask.,Alberta and Ontario. After paying $3000.00 to cut the lawn for 31 hours we all agree that John deere will never rob us of another cent! John Deere was a name to be trusted for many years? I am only one person that got screwed for $3000.00. As a result they have lost about 2 to 3 millions per year. Do the math John Deere! I give John Deere 2 to 5 years at best.
Why screw yourself right out of business? Makes no sense at all?
$300. “snow blade”
at first air pump to fill the front tire up from day one!
Then a tube for $20
Mower that wont cut and burns belts when works!
While it’s quite capable at grass cutting the tube connecting to the bags tends to clog up if there is any moisture at all.
Noticed a lot of people complaining about smoke. This is the head gasket on it’s way out. Eventually it blows and oil sprays up out of the filler tube. Not the quality I expected from a green and yellow tractor.
Started out at decent, not great and went downhill from there.
wished i didn’t rely on the name “John Deere”. Thought I had purchased a brand that stood for reliability, wrong. I had other ride on mowers over 20 yrs old that the motor still worked like the day it was purchased.
Price paid for this mower, could have bought two MTDs from Canadian Tire. At least i would have had a spare.
I know that the engine is a briggs and strattom (B.S) and that’s were the real proplem starts. However, John Deere got in bed with this company and built a piece of scrap. A new engine sells for approx $600.00, labour not included, may as well purchase a MTD. should be able to get one on clearence now that fall is here, and be further ahead.
I paid too much, got too little. Not satified at all. Live and learn.
like other reports, my engine started blowing puffs of blue smoke and now fills the air with it and engine dies. made a small adjustment to valves and was able to cut the lawn without the engine cutting out and burnt far less oil.
Buying the John Deere LA125 has to be one of the worst decisions I have every made. I bought this mower to save time. WRONG.
FLAWS: 1) The bagger clogs no matter how high you set the blade. 2) The battery dies in a week. 3) The rubber clips that attach the bagger to the mower degrade after a year and break. 4) The plastic chute comes loose and hits the blade. 5) The most uneven cut I have ever seen.
TYPICAL USAGE:
1) Go out and try to start L125, battery is dead and engine doesn’t turn. Hand push mower to front. I then go find jumper cables and move car to get close to mower. I start the mower and am ready to mow. Wrong, the mower is so wide it won’t fit through a typically average gate in back. So I take of all attachments and push mower through gate. Ready to mow.
2) Start mowing with blade at 3″. Bagger clogs after one row. So I get off of mower and am careful not to turn if off because I might have to repeat step 1. Reach in to chute and pull out four arm fulls of grass. Ready to mow.
3) Adjust blade to 4 inches, see 2)
4) Decide to mow only half rows see 2)
5) By this time, the driveway is covered with 1/2 inch of clippings because the clog throws everything out from under the mower to everywhere except the bag.
6) Decide that because of 5) mowing without bagger can’t be bad because I have a 1/2 hour of sweeping ahead of me anyway.
7) Make sure not to bounce while mowing because the switch on the seat detects the slightest weightlessness and loves to turn the mower off. Don’t want to repeat 1). But unfortunately kids have left their toy bricks in the grass and now I have a decision to make. Should I turn everything off, and unmount the mower to move the bricks or should I risk amputation. Well, I am so mad that amputation seems like the easy way out.
8) Put the mower into high gear and floor it, ignoring kids, dogs, neighbors and anybody who dare get in my way. By this point I am ready to light this dang thing on fire. But I must preserve because my neighbors are watching and wondering why there are 4 inch green tread marks all over my driveway, and why I am completely covered in grass clippings.
9) Finally done. Huge clump of grass all over my yard. Grass everywhere, and the yard looks like cr@p.
10) Go get Toro law mower and start over.
Anyhoo, things you want to watch out for:
1) None of the reasonable things (grass catcher, pipes, blade, rubber things that break, battery) are covered under the warranty. They are considered ‘reasonable wear’ items
2) Dealer in Escondido loved to offer no help at all and then ask ‘Is there anything else I can help you with’. Uhhh, how about helping me not kill myself because I hate this stupid mower so much.
One might wish evil thoughts on whoever designed this piece of Winnie the Pooh, but remember, there is always Craigslist and I might be able to get half my money back.
Surprised that your TuffTorq K46 Hydrostatic trans has not failed you yet… mine did after only 72 hours of use… JD Tech told me that, “if I want a machine that will really work for me, I should “upgrade” the K46 to a K66″… cost $1,500 plus labor. I checked with another dealer… Tech told me that JD considers the K46 tranny to be a “throw-away” trans.
Sold my machine on cl… bought an older Wheelhorse… will NEVER buy another JD product.
Everything still functions like they should
Easy to maintain (except for the stupid “sealed-for-life” trans)
Trailer hitch