John Deere 997 Zero Turn (Diesel Powered)

[@shanekasper4587]

We have owned 2 997's. Both had "72 inch decks. They are used on a farm and are abuses. They are the most reliable machines we own. They will now, bush hog, and grind.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

They are tough machines with a ton of torque! Not too much that bogs these babies down

[@Omegadoomship]

We had several John Deere 997 mowers and they were excellent mowers. Very reliable and dependable machines. These things sip fuel and have power to spare. We could mow for the entire week on one tank while we would have had to refuel every other day with our gasoline mowers. The diesels are quieter than the gas engines but that might be because it has a hood and it’s liquid cooled. Ours had 60” decks with hydraulic deck lift which was very nice for quickly raising the deck to mow over roots and rocks. We put over 1700 hours on our 3 mowers and haven’t had too many problems. The only issues I had was the cooling system and grass would get packed on the radiator in dry conditions and if you weren’t careful the engine would overheat and the mower will automatically shut itself down sometimes at the worst of times. This didn’t happen too often but we had to pay attention to make sure grass didn’t build up on the radiator screen.

[@bobblack3870]

Interesting video. Want to hear from someone with over 12 years experience? I have a 6.5 acre lawn, mowed by my 997. I bought mine with 69 hours and have added just over 1000. Mine has the 72" deck and it is not too big for the machine. Without asking, I had heard that these engines are tough and reliable. I can verify that statement. When the grass is dry and there is wind, the rear radiator screen or the radiator itself can get covered up, starving the radiator of cooler air. Because of this, my engine has overheated many, many times. When it does, the machine turns the deck off and an alarm sounds. Remedy the situation and you are good to go. My wife is now the exclusive operator. Don't ask me how I worked that deal. I keep telling her that the mower is not made for cutting tall pasture grass, but she proceeds to do it anyway and the machine succeeds in the challenge. Normally when the yard needs to be mowed, the total area is at least 7 acres. I originally had the JD blades but am now nearing the end of the second set of "Predator" blades. I like these because when the grass is tall, they tend to shred the grass into smaller pieces. Grass flow with the deck is excellent. The deck is nearly indestructible, as I can attest to the abuse that it has taken. The deck blade bearings will last 1000 hours under tough conditions. It hasn't always been true, but now I make sure those bearings get a shot of grease every 10 to 20 hours. Fuel tank is so large that it uses 50-75% of a tank each time we mow (12 hours). The deck height has a large adjustable range. When I drop the deck down, the setting says 1.5", but it actually cuts at less than 1", which I use as a blower while I drive up and down the concrete driveway when finished. The highest setting is 5"; maybe 5.5". In summary, we love this hard working machine. It is tough as nails and super dependable. There have been only normal maintenance needs for us. The only improvement that I would make is to add an engine temp gauge to help determine when it is getting hot.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Great feedback Bob! One thing is for sure, there are very few (if any) types of mowing that can bog one of these machines down. Glad to hear you are getting your money's worth out of yours.

[@Omegadoomship]

We had a few John Deere 997 and they are great mowers. 1,700 hours on all of them. I was impressed when I first used them. They cut great and were easy on fuel. Engine had a lot of power and had twice the fuel economy compared to gas engine of the same power. A few issues we had was overheating in dry dusty conditions where dry grass would accumulate on the radiator, but that only happened in really dry conditions. The other thing is that the ride height is taller and it the mower is very heavy in the rear, so be careful on hills. Other than that, it’s worth it’s weight in gold.

[@kentcooley2647]

What is the oil fill cap on top? Is it just another oil fill area?

[@MarkViecelli-sf5bk]

Need too know onchanging both fuel filters

[@thefurrymaster]

i use it at work and it only has 2 relays and the thing to lift the deck is on the levers with a kill switch

[@carllemoine3176]

Im having trouble finding the clutch assembly between the engine and transmission where the shaft fits the transmission is broke .do you have any info that will help? John deere wants 6g for the assembly

[@wills1mudder]

We bought a 2014 Diesel 997 zero turn at auction. Can't for the life of us locate a manual online. Any direction you could provide would be appreciated!

[@ptdfbwprhq]

John deere dealer. Or John deere facebook groups.

[@maloleleiapelila7646]

Hi just wanted to know what the belt size on your mower pls got the same mower but struggling to fine the right v-belt for my mower. Thanks

[@inthedark334]

I'm driving mine right now and I ran out of water do you put regular water in these

[@oby-1607]

Been looking at an ad for one of these. What kind of blades does this use. Regular lawn mower blades or the better bolt on swing blades. Might get this for the orchard.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

They are a good solid mower!

[@keithhylton4631]

I think they’re high lift blade

[@johnurby6074]

Would have liked to see the seat lifted and view the battery area.

[@shanepipkin4041]

my question is I have a 930 and it's rough riding mainly because of the front tires are 13 inch is the castor forks the same and will 15 inch tires clear?

[@musicmadantidevil3688]

These mowers are epic if kept up with usual maintenance they keep going ive been mowing council lawns in new zealand since late 2001. The newer model of 997 has a gay azz roll bar thats its only down fall im a professional mulch mower operator and pretty good on side discharge az well the 60inch is a mulch mower that you can take out the plate and put a shoot on it for side discharge operation. The normal size for a side charge is 72inch deck:) one thing with john deer that is anoying is they are made for Americans who tend to cut higher and groom the lawn. So we dropped the chains on the deck for high profile parks to get rid of those dam daisys in the spring:)

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Great feedback. Thanks!

[@karencooksey2172]

My mower is shutting off after about 30 seconds, and it won't restart for about 24 hours. I've replaced the fuel and air filers, and have cleaned the strainer at the end of the fuel tube going into the tank. I have been told it could be the heat sensor relay, but I don't know which relay is the heat sensor relay. Any assistance would be most appreciated.

[@Artreyus]

I have this exact mower and I've had a hell of a time trying to find a manual that covers this model with that kind of electric foot switch for raising the deck. This is EXACTLY the same as mine and I was wondering if you could help me? Everything seems to function just fine but I can't get that deck switch to respond!

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Deere dealer is the place to start. Or one of the John Deere groups on Facebook.

[@MarkViecelli-sf5bk]

Fuel filter the one down by the fel sutt off how too take it off

[@CNKCLAN2]

Nice review man. You don't see too many videos of these around, although here in Texas, they're fairly common in the commercial lawn maintenance industry. I'm looking at possibly picking one up for larger commercial maintenance accounts. Would you suggest one or should I just stick with more stand on units?

[@EshlemaniaTV]

That's a tough question! These mowers are great for clearing thick heavy grass because of the torque of the diesel engine and shaft driven deck. But upkeep for a diesel always cost more than on a gas engine for some reason. The big plus for stand on mowers is that they are shorter so you can get 3 of them on a trailer to 2 zero turns. They are also more agile and save time. Here in the North East stand on mowers are being used more and more by larger landscape companies, but zero turns are still WAY more common because of the need for a collection system to collect leaves in the fall.

[@CNKCLAN2]

@@EshlemaniaTV Found a deal on a 997R I couldn't resist. Basically got the machine at half the price of a new one and it only had 82hr. Ending up buying one with the 37.4hp Yanmar and 72in. deck. This mower is an absolute monster. I cannot stress to someone looking through the comments how powerful and productive this machine is. It will cut through 4 foot tall field grass with no hesitation and at full travel speed.

[@kevinbancroft6532]

Anyone deal with intermittent stalling problem???

[@EshlemaniaTV]

If it is intermittent you should check your fuel to make sure there is no moisture in it or that the fuel system is not getting air in it.

[@dejavu6475]

The payoff on the diesel is that the engine has a longer lifespan.

[@EshlemaniaTV]

Yep! And a ton of torque

[@priscillas2327]

How long do these last typically?

[@Freedomlawnservice87]

I run diesel too but I notice how much longer it will cut on a tank of fuel over gas comparable. I keep my machines for long time so the diesel pays off for me:)))

[@Mojorizzon84]

How the hell you lower the mower deck?

[@keithhylton4631]

On that one it’s a button on the control sticks