Little's FAQ

While employees at mass merchant retailers are generally knowledgeable, they are not residential and commercial lawn care experts. Little’s team members are certified John Deere professionals with decades of combined industry experience. We work directly and exclusively with John Deere to resolve any issues or problems that may arise. Your Little’s dealerships provide everything you’ll need for your equipment, including service and maintenance plans, repairs, parts, attachments, accessories and more. When you purchase from a mass merchant you will need to deal with them for any issues not covered by warranty.

No. We offer a wider and more comprehensive selection of John Deere tractors than is available at the mass merchants.

The mass merchants only sell John Deere’s entry-level D Series and select EZtrak mowers. We offer these models, but also sell a full line of John Deere equipment for customers requiring superior performance including the X Series, most EZtrak mowers and John Deere’s premium lawn and garden tractors that are not sold at mass merchant retailers.

With Little’s, you simply have more options when it comes to John Deere tractors and mowers, and our sales staff knows how to guide you to the right model for your needs and budget.

Call the John Deere Customer Communication Center at 877-264-9547 (toll free) for assistance.

This typically depends on how many hours you have used your tractor. Recommended service intervals are always listed in your operator’s manual, and under the hood or driver’s seat of most newer machines.

For single-cylinder engines every 25 hours is a good rule of thumb. Twin-cylinder engines should be serviced every 40 hours. For lawn and garden tractors, service at least once a year is recommended. Blades may require more frequent sharpening to prevent grass from being torn off rather than cut.

Regular service and maintenance on your equipment is key to protecting your investment and having a machine that works at peak efficiency.

Winter. Schedule your annual maintenance around November or December. You will get free hauling/travel with purchase of a full service (maintenance) plan, and our best price of the year.

This depends on the size of the property you need to mow. Whether you just have a small lot or you have many acres to cover, Little’s lawn care and landscaping experts will help find the best machine for you. We won’t encourage you to purchase a machine you don’t really need. When you come into one of our five locations, a knowledgeable representative will happily have a conversation with you about your lawn care needs and help you select a mower that’s right for you.

Lawn and garden tractors are the classic John Deere machines you’ve seen all your life. These tractors are available in an array of sizes and configurations, and a wide range of attachments are available to make these machines even more useful. Zero-turn mowers were initially a product for commercial lawn care professionals, but over the years these speedy, convenient machines have become popular with residential customers, too. Is a lawn and garden tractor or a zero-turn mower the best choice for you? This really depends on your specific needs. Call or stop by your Little’s dealership to have a conversation with one of our knowledgeable team members. They know the questions to ask to help you select the machine that’s right for you.

Because lawn tractor engines are low compression, regular 87 octane gasoline is best. In two-cycle engines we recommend high-octane fuel such as 93 octane. Fuel without ethanol for two-cycle engines is available for purchase at your Little’s dealership.

Honda has a good document about avoiding fuel-related problems in lawn mower engines.

A similar document detailing snow blower fuel recommendations can be found here.

For most equipment, we recommend that you store it covered in a garage or under a John Deere cover and full of fuel with a stabilizer additive for safer storage. For two-cycle engines, it’s best to run the engine until the tank is empty and store it empty.

Purchase a “battery tender” or “battery maintainer.” These are low-amperage chargers that keep the battery fully charged at all times without overcharging or “cooking” the battery. We carry several good battery tenders in our parts department.

First, let the tractor cool down for 30 minutes. Never spray hot bearings and mower deck spindles with cold water. Next, pull up on the green wash port, attach your garden hose, re-attach the hose to the mower deck and turn on the water. With the operator in the seat, start the tractor and engage the blades, and allow to run for 2-5 minutes. This will remove most debris from the underside of the mower deck.

We only offer at-home/mobile service for John Deere equipment. We will be glad to service non-John Deere equipment at any of our locations. We can perform full-service maintenance at your home or site location, as well as minor repairs on mower deck belts, blades and batteries. More extensive repairs must be done at one of our facilities.

John Deere tractors and mowers are made in Horicon, Wis., Greeneville, Tenn., Fuquay-Varina, N.C., Grovetown, Ga., Dubuque, Iowa, Waterloo, Iowa, and other factories throughout the world.

We’ve tried to list the most commonly asked questions in this section. If you have a lawn care, landscaping, or John Deere equipment, parts, service or repair question not answered here, please call your preferred Little’s dealership. A representative will be happy to help you.