Tractor Sizing Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor

   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #1  

jdmark

New member
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Oct 20, 2011
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14
Tractor
John Deere 1023e
Hello,

I am new to this forum so please bare with me as I do my best and I appreciate any feedback anyone has to offer.

I am really sorry but this post is double posted as the initial post was not in the John Deere Buying/Pricing category and I cannot figure out how to delete the other post or if it is possible. I am just looking for as much help as I can get on this and want to make sure the post gets in the right spot..

I am looking to upgrade my lawn tractor. I would like to upgrade to another John Deere as they have been reliable for my family for a long time (father, grandfather). I am John Deere dedicated ;-)

My current lawn tractor is a Deere X320, which works great for mowing and some light material hauling (wood chips, landscape supplies etc..). I put on about 50 hrs a year currently with mowing and landscaping work.

I only have to mow a 1/2 acre but it is very steep (all of it, there is not one flat spot really) and though the X320 works great for mowing, when going up the hill with a 17P utility cart can sometimes be challenging depending what I am hauling. Even with 2 rear weights the tires don't grab all the time and there are times where I have not been able to make it up the hill and have had empty carty halfway and make multiple trips (pain in the rear). I am concerned about adding more wieight (if it is possible) or HDAP tires as I don't want to burn out the tranny or tear up the lawn too bad (if the tires do spin).

So here is what I am looking for a lawn tractor to do and any insight from anyone is welcome and appreciated as I do not want to under do this or over do it.

Questions:
1. I would like something that can easily pull a 17p utility cart full of dirt or gravel up a steep slope (say 30-40 degree slope roughly)?

2. I am in Southeastern Wisconsin so I would like something that can handle all of my snow removal needs using a blade. I know some poeple might disagree but I will use the blade for snow removal and light landscaping purposes so it is more functional than a blower at this point. My drive is not very large 45 feet long by 40 feet wide, relatively flat with plenty of room to pile snow on the side. I would like something that can plow through the 2 feet of snow the plow leaves at the end of the drive.

3. I am also thinking of using the tractor and blade to clear sidewalks and driveways in the neighboorhood as some side work. The blade would make this go much faster than having to blow the snow.

4. I would also like it to be able to handle more attachments someday, rear tiller and some other PTO attachments.


So I think that covers most of what I am thinking and I apologize for the long post but I am really up in the air at this point.

I was originally considering a 4WD Deere X728, then thought maybe the X748 to go with the Diesel because I have been reading that it will last longer and have a little more pushing and pulling power??? Then I thought maybe I am overkilling this and could get by with a X540 or something in that range. I need to manuever around a 1/2 acre yard and mow so I am thinking 54" deck so I can still get around everything easily. I want to be able to get the mowing done as well as all of the other things mentioned above.

I also don't want to look silly in the nieghboorhood mowing a 1/2 acre yard with a giant tractor.

I will wrap up with this, my motto is always go big or go home, but I don't want to go to big in this case....whatever that may be. I would like to keep the cost under the price of say a new X748 or in that ballpark I guess.

If I am missing any info please ask a question and I will respond. Sorry for such a long post and a big thanks to anyone who can help provide some info to me so I can decide what to do...
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #2  
what you need is the 1026r then you will be future proof. i dont no if it hits your price range or not but i do believe it is in the sweet spot as far as size a ability goes for what your needing
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #3  
i just looked at some pricing on the x series mowers and WOW i would definitly be looking at the subcompact tractors
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #4  
what you need is the 1026r then you will be future proof. i dont no if it hits your price range or not but i do believe it is in the sweet spot as far as size a ability goes for what your needing

I agree with chevyman29.
Especially, if you were thinking along the lines of the X748. Cost,and size,these two are pretty darn close. The 1026R will definitely give you more bang for your buck,and will be much more versatile for your future attachments .:thumbsup:



JohnDeere X748 Select Series X700 Lawn Tractors JohnDeere.com


JohnDeere 1026R 1 Series Sub-Compact Utility Tractors JohnDeere.com

Greg
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #5  
For a half acre, go with the smaller setup. I have a 740 diesel and I love it for blading , snowblowing, rototilling and it can pull a ton. Maybe that 4wd would work our better on a hill, but I run chains on mine and I never have problems.

I have a 3720 that is going to get parked this year and I am going to blow snow with the 740 because it doesn't make such a mess of everything. Diesels will be a lot better with fuel usage, but I am sure they cost more up front.
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks for the feedback everyone....

My only concern with a Sub Compact is the ability to mow around obstacles, trees, mulch beds, etc... I will have to check on the specks of turning radius and whether or not a sub compact will handle mowing on slopes as well as something like and x7xx series. I thought I saw something once from a sub compact owner that they are not as stable mowing on steep slopes as an x5xx or x7xx series would be....I dont know though I have never owned any of them..

Again thanks for the feedback thus far...any more thoughts just throw em at me..
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #7  
if you can demo a 1026 i think you will find it to be very agile and able to get in to some tight places to me its like a x series on steroids . my 2520 was plenty stable on hills even with no water in the tires .
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #8  
I use an x749 to work where the 4520 won't fit for landscaping work and am very satisfied with it. The four wheel steer makes this very manueverable and is why I chose it over the subcompacts. Traction with the HDAP tires is very good and it can go up and down steep slopes with out problems. Pulling your cart should be a piece of cake. The 3PH and 540 pto work well too and enable me to handle a variety of landscape jobs from boxblading, tilling, chipping to raking pine needles and leaves.
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #9  
It sounds to me like you are the perfect customer for the X534 4 wheel steering tractor. The 4WS is an excellent poor mans 4WD. I know because I own a 4WS. Go drive a conventional X on a hill at your dealer and then immediately get on a 4WS of the same range of machine. You will be amazed at how well they keep traction turning uphill from cross camber (when most traction problems happen).

The X5xx series are garden tractors, not just lawn tractors, so you can attach 3PT PTO implements. Pulling trailers of gravel are all in a days work.

The X7xx and 10xx series tractors are awesome, but definitely large by your standard.
 
   / Help Sizing/Upgrading John Deere Lawn Tractor #10  
I have an X495 diesel, with a 62C mower deck. I think the x495 is in the same class as the 700 series today. This unit works great for mowing. When I originally purchased the outfit, I also bought the JD 54" blade and quickhitch, to plow snow. I live in southern Ontario, not far from Buffalo NY, and we really don't get all that much snow, although we can get the odd 12" dumping every now and then.

The x495 is only a 2wd and it wasn't long before I had a set of chains on it, and all in all it did a pretty decent job. The problem was that for one of the 10-12" dumpings, because the tractor isn't all that heavy (this is what makes it a great grass cutter) it would slide off line depending which way the plow was angled. This was very frustrating, and really added to the time required to clear the snow.

I also had a Yanmar 27hp diesel which was 4wd, but it had no loader or any other means of pushing snow, so I traded it in on a JD 2520. At the same time I traded in the Quickhitch from the X495 for the proper hitch to use the blade on the 2520. Another of my goals was to hopefully be able to plow the snow withough having to use chains. Following suggestions from forum members, I also purchased a ballast box for the 2520, as I was told it would make a significant difference.

Difference.....wow, with the ballast box on, I rarely even use 4wd on the 2520when plowing, even without chains. That added weight over the rear wheels really helps.

My feelings are that to plow snow effectively, you need a tractor with weight, and preferably weight over the rear wheels, like a ballast box. To me, this adds as much to the plowing ability as 4wd. The other side of the coin is that a lighter tractor like my x495 is a lot more manouveravable around things, (don't know if I spelled that right) and easier on your lawn.

If you can justify it, I think a 1026 series would be your best bet to do both jobs. You will still have to be careful mowing in soggy conditions, and possibly have to use chains for plowing, given the terrain you describe. There are also a ton of attachments available.

Do yourself a favour, and make sure you get the loader with it. Believe my, that's the way to go. I actually bought my 2520 primarily for the loader, and I can't count the times I said to myself "I should have had one of these years ago"

Sorry for the long post, but thats my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
 
 
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