If you can do without a loader, since in your original post you mentioned that a cart would suffice, I might look hard at the X530. Very useful machine for it's price. I think just about all the tasks mentioned originally could be done with patience with the X530, plus you would have a real tractor "feel" vs a zero turn, and save a substantial amount of cash vs an X700. If money is not an issue, and you can still do without the loader, you will get a smile every time you get in the seat of an X700. It is quite an impressive machine. If I didn't have a constant need for a loader, I would have one of these in a heartbeat.
Thanks for your thoughtful insight. I see from your profile that you have a 1026R and a D100. Which one do you use to mow your lawn?
One thing that's making the decision especially challenging is that I can't seem to find a dealer that stocks the X700 series. I would really like to see and drive one before making a decision. There are 6 dealers within 30 miles, but the biggest lawn tractor any of them stock is the X500 series. After that, they all skip up to the 1000 series sub-compacts.
I did go back to see my closest dealer yesterday and I drove a D140, an X500, a 1023E and a 1026R around their parking lot. I didn't get to mow with any of them, but I was able to drive around and test the speeds, back up, see how the controls worked, etc. Not having really ANY experience with any kind of tractor at all, I felt like the D140 was too small for what I have in mind, the X500 felt ok/good, the 1023E was great, and the 1026R was fantastic. It was really hard not to have a big silly grin on my face as I drove the 1026R past the salesman and my wife.
Honestly, I don't know if any of that giddiness had anything to do with the suitability of the 1026R for mowing. But I sure got a kick out of driving that machine and the loader made it feel like a "real" tractor.
The salesman I've been talking with really doesn't seem to know very much about the X700s. He said that he looked up pricing for an X748 and X748SE, but came out even higher than the 1026R (not sure if he was trying to add the loader into that price for comparison's sake, though). Regardless, he seems to strongly lean towards the 1000s over the X500 and especially over the X700. Perhaps because he doesn't have any X700s stock. I'm not sure.
$10-15K is a lot of money to me, but I'll spend more than that to hire someone else to mow the lawn over 3 years (the lawn guy wants $6600/yr for mowing, edging, removing leaves, applying Roundup on weeds in the beds, and keeping the bushes trimmed). The way I see it, if I'm going to spend the money either way, I can do the work myself and get a real nice "free" tractor after about 2.5 years. OTOH, I suspect that between my wife, 11yo son, and 13yo daughter, I'll have lots of volunteers to drive the tractor. That will probably leave me to do all the edge trimming. Yuck.
I expect to be mowing every week during the warm season, of course. I think I'll be doing quite a bit of landscape work over the next 5-10 years, too. A parking pad, a couple new working beds, a garden, several pathways, a new shed, and a new garage are all planned. A loader would be handy for these things, not to mention annual mulching, firewood unloading, and probably the occasional new shrubs. BUT, I know the most important thing for me is the mower. I want to be able to achieve a really nice cut and I'm going to want a mulching kit. I want a nice looking lawn.
By the way, there's only one tree with branches low enough to interfere with the ROPS. All the others are mature and trimmed high.
I haven't completely ruled out the X500 ("only" $6K or so). Wish I could see the X700 someplace. Seriously considering the 1026R with a 60in 7-Iron deck, at this point.
Matt
