Buying Advice 650 vs 750

   / 650 vs 750 #1  

Olympus

Platinum Member
Joined
May 24, 2012
Messages
773
Location
Cape Girardeau, MO
Tractor
LS R3039
Hopefully this is the correct section. Forgive me if it's not, as I'm not completely familiar with the classifications. Let me start out by saying we just bought a house with 6 acres (3.5 lawn and 2.5 woods). I would like a small tractor to use for mowing so that I have the option of larger attachments in the future as money becomes available. I'm thinking a 48" brush hog to keep the woods clear and a 42" or 48" rototiller for a nice size garden. Mowing will be the number one priority though. I found two tractors for sale that I like equally as much. Both have their pros and cons, but hopefully by explaining my intended uses I can get some expert opinion on which direction I should consider more. Both tractors are absolutely primo in terms of condition. Almost look brand spanking new and neither have been restored.

1986 JD 650 with MFWD, 60" factory belly mower, turf tires in good shape, 1200 hours, always garage kept, serviced at JD dealership, battery tender hookup, and ROPS for $5500. The only negative disclosed is that the ignition key occasionally won't turn the motor over. Owner says that you have to turn the key a couple times to get it to turn over when this happens. Motor starts without any problems, sounds like a short in the ignition to me. Not sure how serious that is.

1989 JD 750 with MFWD, 48" finish mower that needs a new belt, ag tires in good shape, only 350 hours, always garage kept, ROPS for $7500. Nothing negative about the tractor at all, finish mower is in so-so shape, but it's mounted to the 3pt rather than a belly like I'm used to.


So which is the better buy? And would one be better suited for my intended uses than the other? The kicker is that I only have $7000 (might be able to borrow an additional $500 if the 750 seller is firm on the price, but this would not be preferable) to spend and that's completely wiping me out for money, so whatever I end up with needs to be able to function as a primary mower right off the bat. Like I said, I like both tractors equally, and they both have their pros and cons. I like the lower hours of the 750 and the bigger motor, but I'm concerned the finish mower may not be as good for mowing my yard and the price wipes me out if something needs replacing on the finish mower. I like the 650 because it has a factory JD belly mower that is much wider than the mower on the 750 and price is MUCH more affordable right now, but I'm concerned the 650 may have too many hours and might not be big enough for my needs.
 
   / 650 vs 750 #2  
I'd go for the 750...specifically because of this comment (from your post):
but I'm concerned the 650 may have too many hours and might not be big enough for my needs.
Rear finishing mowers are, IMO, quite versatile and much easier to remove and hook up. And, unless you have a lot of trees and other obstacles, the RFM will do as good a job as the Mid Mount of the 650.
Also, when you do get some more money together, used RFMs (you'd want a 60") aren't overly expensive.

However, one thing to seriously consider...you have about $7K, and buying a tractor would wipe any spare funds out.
You may need that money for other purposes since you just bought the house/property.
Perhaps you should consider a cheaper lawn tractor for a year or so...
 
   / 650 vs 750
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I don't know of the 650 will have enough power so that's why I was asking on here. My concern may not be valid. From what I read, it should do what I want it to do.
 
   / 650 vs 750
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Well I went and checked out the 650. Cosmetically, it was very clean. One thing I noticed right off the bat when the motor started was that it has a terrible rattle in the front end around the front PTO. I opened the hood and could not find the rattle at all. It had to be further up inside the motor where I couldn't reach. Sounded terrible at idle speeds but smoothed out and disappeared at 1500 rpm and above. The second thing I was not very happy with was that the whole tractor would shudder and vibrate terrible at idle speeds. It's not the smooth idle I'm familiar with on Yanmars. It was enough to turn me off on the tractor. I don't want to constantly have to run the tractor at 1/2 throttle or more all the time.
 
   / 650 vs 750 #5  
Well I went and checked out the 650. Cosmetically, it was very clean. One thing I noticed right off the bat when the motor started was that it has a terrible rattle in the front end around the front PTO. I opened the hood and could not find the rattle at all. It had to be further up inside the motor where I couldn't reach. Sounded terrible at idle speeds but smoothed out and disappeared at 1500 rpm and above. The second thing I was not very happy with was that the whole tractor would shudder and vibrate terrible at idle speeds. It's not the smooth idle I'm familiar with on Yanmars. It was enough to turn me off on the tractor. I don't want to constantly have to run the tractor at 1/2 throttle or more all the time.

I have no experience with 650's...in fact, I can't say I've ever seen one.
However, IIRC, that's a 2 cylinder diesel. The low RPM vibration may well be the nature of the beast.
As far as idle setting...a fast idle (1500 or more) isn't going to hurt the tractor. I always idles mine at 1500 except when engaging the PTO. Then I lower the RPM...
 
   / 650 vs 750
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I know the higher rpm won't hurt the tractor. It just annoying and i would prefer to idle about 800 or so. Not to mention the increased fuel consumption. It just wasn't something I was not going to be happy with.

As far as the 750, I may try to wait a few more weeks and see if I can save up a little more money and buy it and not be completely wiped out. I know I risk losing it to someone else, but I will just have to gamble.
 
   / 650 vs 750
  • Thread Starter
#7  
K7LN said:
Remember that the 650 is only a 2 cylinder and a majority of the Yanmars are 3 cylinders. That's probably the cause if the idle issue. I'd still opt for a good sized lawn tractor for now.

We have a small Dixon ZTR with a 33" deck that we will still keep. I thought I could let the wife use the Dixon to mow around the house and the few trees first. Then it would be easy for me to use a tractor and finish mower on the rest of the yard. Took me more than 2 hours to mow just the front yard with the Dixon yesterday. Still have the side, back, and a small soccer field to mow.
 
   / 650 vs 750
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Yeah, that's why we are looking at tractors/finish mowers. But the Dixon is all we have now and the yard is looking pretty ragged so I had to do something. But a couple passes around the house and trees and I think a tractor and finish mower should be just fine to use. And the tractor would be beneficial for a lot of other things too.
 
 
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