John Deere 2305 or X748

[LBrown59]

Originally Posted by jenkinsph

John M,
I would agree that the 2520 is a far better choice than a 2305.

I would suggest that people who have rough lawns should where possible fix the problems so that routine mowing can be done with a lighter less costly mower. In every case though there is the perfect size mower/tractor to handle 90% of the chores at hand, glad you are happy with your combination.

Sure why not that's what ya got the tractor for so why not use it?

[LBrown59]

A garden tractor is not equal to a sub compact.

Originally Posted by jcmseven

I do not like that the X series machines do not get the "cred" they deserve. I have had two of them and have had some compact machines also. Without doubt my 595 (the equivalent of the current 748) one one of the nicest machines I have ever operated. The ONLY issue it really has from doing what we would call "tractor work" is the lack of a solid hydraulic system to operate a loader well and/or two attachments. Otherwise it is a great machine. For mowing and snow removal and light duty ground engagement, it is the equal of a 2305. I sold mine to go larger, but it pulled a 48" box blade up and down my steep drive better than the 2305 I tested later pulling the same attachment under the same conditions--so I do not buy that one cannot do real work with it. For loader work, aside from just basic wheelbarrow type hauling, the 2305 is the better machine as the 45 loader is pretty weak. In addition, the tires on the X series are meant for traction on wet grass, and have very pliable sidewalls. They tended to distort if there was much weight in the bucket, thus the R4's on the 2305 are better. As for the post about the 2520 being somehow more tippy than a smaller 2305 or 700 series, it is not. The 2520 has a long wheelbase and wide stance. It has the lowest COG of any of the JD machines and is frequently used on Christmas tree farms in my area due to its stability advantage over most other conventional compact tractors. It might slide, but it would be really hard to turn over; and that's why you have the ROPS also. I am not a 2305 "hater" but for about $2K more (or less if someone wants mine) one can buy a 2320 which has the same engine, but a larger, heavier frame, bigger tires, higher top speed, stouter and much quicker hydraulics, a folding ROPS, incremental rockshaft control and the ability to run full Cat 1 implements--among other things. Having used it v. the 2305 the 2320 is a lot more machine, but does not take up much more space in the shop or garage. That might be another option for our OP. One also can can the 54d or 62d deck with that machine, which I think is better than the 62c and easier to attach than a 7 iron would be on the X series.

John M

[JDGREEN4ME]

Originally Posted by LBrown59

A garden tractor is not equal to a sub compact.

Take quotes out of context much? The poster sited specific task functions for his example of comparison, not baseless generalities.

[turbo36]

Originally Posted by JDGREEN4ME

Take quotes out of context much? The poster sited specific task functions for his example of comparison, not baseless generalities.

Welcome to the wonderful world of LBrown

[ChuckinNH]

Originally Posted by gcrabb

Our driveway is black top and 21000 sqft with rolling hills and curves. The primary issue is I travel for business a lot and it only snows when I am gone. My wife always starts with the smallest tractor 1st(LX279 with a 42" snowblower) and then moves up. Last year she drove a JD 4600 with a soft cab, 8' Boss Plow, and 8' Loftness snow blower off the other end of the road pushing snow. It is not a consideration for her to drive backwards using the Loftness snow blower.

Essentially the new JD will replace the LX279 which I never liked and it's primary duties will be snow blowing, thatching, and leaf collection. A JD F1145 does most of the grass cutting around the house and a JD 60 or H with a 3 point finishing mower does most of the large open areas.

The engines are the same, the 2305 is a little heavier. I am currently leaning toward the 2305 primarily because of the financing 0% for 4 years. The 2306 also has a 3 point, but I may not use the 3 point because it's to small, most of the 3 point stuff is sized for the JD 4600. The X748 does have a full time 4 wheel drive that sounds like it would be really nice cutting on hills without tearing up the grass.

Attachemnts that we also getting with both tractors is a cab with heat, 54" snowblower, and 62" deck.

What are your thoughts on which tractor, would there any other attachents you would consider, like the 7 iron deck?

We have already considered a JD 3720 with a JD cab, but it isn't large enough to replace the JD 4600 and we really like the 4600.

Hmm, I thought I would drift back to the OP's questions for a bit.
Without consideration for having a loader, I do like the X7xx series. The 7 iron deck is an easier install / remove option, and by all accounts it does a really nice job mowing. I don't see the mention of the Materials Collection option, and for me that would be a deal breaker if it weren't available for that deck. I'm also not sure about whether, or not it would be better for picking up leaves...... The regular decks can be had with baffles that are really supposed to help pick them up as opposed to the "blowout" that you often get with mmm's that don't have baffles. My Simplicity mmm with the turbo collector (very similar to the JD powerflow) does a good job in taller grass since the grass helps keep the leaves in, but I have to run the deck pretty low where grass is really short, or around my driveway, etc. to keep from blowing a lot of leaves out the front of the deck. Things like that make an impression after the first few hundred, or thousand bushels of the crispy things.

I know a guy that does a pretty challenging driveway with his 2wd X720, and the 47" snowblower. He says that once in a while, in difficult spots that he will lose steering control, and have to raise the blower a bit to regain it, but other than that it works well for him. (rear weights, chains, and basic cab / weather enclosure) From watching videos on youtube, my impression is that the X700's, and 2305's both do a good job with snow! Both are more manuverable than larger tractors. I have also looked one size smaller since I do have a separate tractor with a loader, etc. now, but am not sure they have the weight, and traction needed.

[jenkinsph]

Originally Posted by gcrabb

Our driveway is black top and 21000 sqft with rolling hills and curves. The primary issue is I travel for business a lot and it only snows when I am gone. My wife always starts with the smallest tractor 1st(LX279 with a 42" snowblower) and then moves up. Last year she drove a JD 4600 with a soft cab, 8' Boss Plow, and 8' Loftness snow blower off the other end of the road pushing snow. It is not a consideration for her to drive backwards using the Loftness snow blower.

Essentially the new JD will replace the LX279 which I never liked and it's primary duties will be snow blowing, thatching, and leaf collection. A JD F1145 does most of the grass cutting around the house and a JD 60 or H with a 3 point finishing mower does most of the large open areas.

The engines are the same, the 2305 is a little heavier. I am currently leaning toward the 2305 primarily because of the financing 0% for 4 years. The 2306 also has a 3 point, but I may not use the 3 point because it's to small, most of the 3 point stuff is sized for the JD 4600. The X748 does have a full time 4 wheel drive that sounds like it would be really nice cutting on hills without tearing up the grass.

Attachemnts that we also getting with both tractors is a cab with heat, 54" snowblower, and 62" deck.

What are your thoughts on which tractor, would there any other attachents you would consider, like the 7 iron deck?

We have already considered a JD 3720 with a JD cab, but it isn't large enough to replace the JD 4600 and we really like the 4600.

I don't know much about snow blowers but I would have to consider something along the lines of a 4520 or 4720 cab unit with a large front mount blower such as a Lorenz 630 or 730. You could keep the implements you currently own for the 4600 and trade the tractor in for a new model. Much more comfortable cab with heat, way better visibility, and could run it easily with the economy pto setting. You may also want to do some checking to see if you could use the Lorenz mounting kit (which is basically a 3 pt adaptor) and your existing 8' blower. Lorenz does make a kit for your 4600 too.


John Deere also makes the 76" front mount blower for the 400 X and 400 CX front loaders which would also work, SB2176 I think.


Steve

[wolfmanmd]

Originally Posted by turbo36

Well said! Why buy a bazooka when most of your hunting will be small game?

Because sometimes you'll NEED the bazooka, and you won't have it.

Your decision comes down to what you're going to use it for. Going back to your original post, I understand that your WIFE is going to use it to help blow snow, correct? If that's the case, consider 2 things;

I have the 2210 (same tractor different year), and my wife and daughters have NO trouble using it. We don't live on a farm, just a large lot, so I'd say they are much less equipment-savvy than your wife is, so as far as her being able to use it, no problem.

When blowing snow, know that I've had a 400-series garden tractor and a 4100 compact utility, which I traded in for my 2210 (moved, thought the 4100 was too much, regret it...long story!). I had these tractors in North Dakota, so I got a LOT of use out of them for snow-blowing. When trying to blow snow on a windy day, or if the snow is wet and heavy, or it's icy, you're going to want the larger tractor. Period.

HOWEVER, if you're truly going to use this to mow, consider the fact that the 4ws (749) tractor has an internal unmowed radius of 6", while the 2305 (with a 62" mower deck) has more like 20". That doesn't seem like much, but I'm here to tell you it adds a lot of time to your job. I've never had a problem with the weight of my 2210 in terms of hurting my lawn, even when wet.

So, what will you use the tractor most for? And remember, that few times that you could use a larger machine for a job (the bazooka) and don't have it will make you wish you'd picked the larger tractor. My grandfather always used to say; "you can never have too much horsepower."

Bottom line is I think you'll be happy with either tractor, but each will make you wish you'd picked the other at some times, depending on what job you're doing at the time. If you REALLY want to score some points, I'd suggest you let your WIFE pick between the two; then she'll be more likely to use it, you'll be a major stud in her eyes, and you can always blame her for picking the "wrong" tractor if you end up with a job that is harder to do with the one she chose!!

[mrtfelton]

Originally Posted by wolfmanmd

Bottom line is I think you'll be happy with either tractor, but each will make you wish you'd picked the other at some times, depending on what job you're doing at the time. If you REALLY want to score some points, I'd suggest you let your WIFE pick between the two; then she'll be more likely to use it, you'll be a major stud in her eyes, and you can always blame her for picking the "wrong" tractor if you end up with a job that is harder to do with the one she chose!!

Very true..