John Deere JS 63

by Mark Davis
(West Chester, Oh)

I have owned and thoroughly enjoyed my John Deere Model JS63 for the past two mowing seasons. This model is powered by a 6.5 horse power Briggs and Stratton engine that has plenty of strength to both cut thick grass and drive the rear wheel drive propulsion system.

This model allows you to cut in either, recycle/mulch mode, side discharge mode, or be used with the rear bag attachment. With a relatively lush lawn, I have only had to use the bag attachment after missing a week of mowing in the spring. Other than that, I have always had sufficient power with this mower to mulch my grass and leave it both fertilized as well as looking great. The Intek engine by Briggs and Stratton has been a real dream for yard cutting. If you follow the 5 pump priming instructions, you will find that it starts on the first pull 100% of the time.

The mechanism that you must keep engaged for the engine to run is placed well on the handle as is the secondary mechanism to engage the rear wheel drive. The rear wheel drive is a joy to work with as soon as you get used to it. Whether working on flat ground or on hills, this mower has plenty of strength to pull itself with three selectable speeds.

With a minimal amount of maintenance, like keeping your oil changed and you blade sharpened on a yearly basis, you will find that this mower takes a lot of the pain out of caring for your yard.