X540 Fuel Use.

[atschirner]

I'm mowing 1/2 acre of hills with a X-534. Including dragging my 275# around it takes about a gallon per mowing. I also have a 455 at the other house. I can mow all day on two gallons with the diesel. If I was doing it again I would find a clean 455 with around 1,000 hrs instead of buying another rubber band drive gasser.

 

[JDTank]

There craftsman uses about 20 liters in 6 hours, and I thought that was bad.

Isn't 20 liters in 6 hours almost 1 gph? Since 1 gal equals about 3.75 liters[/QUOTE]

Considering it is a 19 HP engine, using as much gas as a 26HP engine...that's pretty bad in my books. I attribute it's fuel usage to just being old. If the grass is even remotely long, it will suck down 20 liters in 4 hours. The lack of maintenance is probably it too. Before I came into the family, they would let it go 3 years on the same oil, spark plugs, and using it for over 100 hours a season. The fuel and air filters were so clogged it was starving for air and fuel I think, it started very hard. Sometimes you had to crank it for 20 seconds.

I just finished "rebuilding" it for them and I mentioned to repair the steering and order all the parts it needs, including a deck, is way more than the machine is worth itself. Hopefully it will last one more season.

It's just a piece of junk and I am having a **** of a time convincing them to buy new. I showed them the holes rusted right through the deck, steering assembly is so worn you can turn the wheel a full half turn before it even starts to move the wheels. Basically, it went in one ear and out the other. Now some may say, why do I care, it isn't my mower. I go over there and mow there grass for them 80% of the time. I don't want to just go buy my own machine because than it is like I assuming all responsibility and cost for the maintenance of there lawn, but at the same time, I am sick and tired of dealing with a broken down wreck that barely runs and couldn't cut dried leaves with new blades if it tried.

Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws, they have been great to me, but sometimes, you just want to grab people by the shoulders, shake the dust off of them and say "WHATS WRONG WITH YOU?!" You get what you pay for, and you get what you give in maintenance and how you operate it.

 

[mbrun]

There craftsman uses about 20 liters in 6 hours, and I thought that was bad.

That works out to be .88 gallon per hour, and that is for a 19HP engine. So 25% more horses for only 15% more fuel is not bad.

Edit: BTW, although my former mower (GT5000) used about the same amount of fuel as my x500, and had a larger deck (50 vs 48in) my mowing time has been cut by 30-40% so I am actually using less fuel. The reason for the difference is tractor speed and cut quality. I can (and do) cut at a much higher speed now and I achieve a superior cut..

 

[fgross335_2210]

I would try to get something with a liquid cooled motor....I had a 335 with the 20HP air cooled kawi motor and it was a gas hog.....also had my mom's 345 running alongside it for a summer and the liquid-cooled kawi motor in the 345 was about 20% better on fuel....same horsepower. I later traded the 335 for a 355 with the yanmar diesel and it uses about 1/2 the fuel of the 335 air cooled gas motor. Not entirely sure why the liquid kawi motor was so much better on gas, but my theory is they run the air-cooled motors richer to help with cooling and avoid pre-ignition. In any event, the 345 was much quieter and noticeable better on fuel with the liquid cooled motor......

 

[JDTank]

That works out to be .88 gallon per hour, and that is for a 19HP engine. So 25% more horses for only 15% more fuel is not bad.

Edit: BTW, although my former mower (GT5000) used about the same amount of fuel as my x500, and had a larger deck (50 vs 48in) my mowing time has been cut by 30-40% so I am actually using less fuel. The reason for the difference is tractor speed and cut quality. I can (and do) cut at a much higher speed now and I achieve a superior cut..

I forgot to add that into the calculations.

Because the Craftsman is so old and worn out, we have to mow really slow with it, at a snails pace if it gets even a little bit to long. To mow a area that is 300 feet wide, and 75 feet deep, takes an hour, up to 2 hours if the chute clogs a lot.

The in-laws insist on bagging. I don't know why, but they absolutely must bag. Personally I don't like to, your taking something away from the nature of things, why not give it back, let the grass take the moisture and nutrients from the clippings.

They say if they don't bag, it comes out in clumps. I explained that it comes out in clumps because the blade tip speed is slow, and the mower deck has not been cleaned in years, so the airflow in the deck is severely affected by this. A clogged deck and low blade speed are going to clump even with dry grass. Every 10 minutes you have to stop because the chute is clogged. That 19HP just does not have the power to push grass clippings around a corner, up a hill, and then into the hoppers.

I cleaned that deck out completely, went over the entire underside with a wire wheel on a drill. I primed it, and I painted it with a rubberized undercoating. I coated that with a very slippery silicone type sealant, I can't remember what it is. It went straight into winter hibernation from the garage, so who knows how well it will work come spring. At most I give it one more summer before the steering falls apart and the deck turns to dust.

 

[TimberXX]

I would try to get something with a liquid cooled motor....I had a 335 with the 20HP air cooled kawi motor and it was a gas hog.....also had my mom's 345 running alongside it for a summer and the liquid-cooled kawi motor in the 345 was about 20% better on fuel....same horsepower. I later traded the 335 for a 355 with the yanmar diesel and it uses about 1/2 the fuel of the 335 air cooled gas motor. Not entirely sure why the liquid kawi motor was so much better on gas, but my theory is they run the air-cooled motors richer to help with cooling and avoid pre-ignition. In any event, the 345 was much quieter and noticeable better on fuel with the liquid cooled motor......

Great insight, thanks

 

[Scooby074]

I had an x540.

Fuel use wasnt that bad. I cant quote GPH or anything, but it doesnt stand out as being excessive.

I will say that its a VERY good mower. Better than my BX. Very smooth and fast. Nice even cut.

Hydraulic steer / lift is very nice and worth it IMHO.

 

[jenkinsph]

I forgot to add that into the calculations.

Because the Craftsman is so old and worn out, we have to mow really slow with it, at a snails pace if it gets even a little bit to long. To mow a area that is 300 feet wide, and 75 feet deep, takes an hour, up to 2 hours if the chute clogs a lot.

The in-laws insist on bagging. I don't know why, but they absolutely must bag. Personally I don't like to, your taking something away from the nature of things, why not give it back, let the grass take the moisture and nutrients from the clippings.

They say if they don't bag, it comes out in clumps. I explained that it comes out in clumps because the blade tip speed is slow, and the mower deck has not been cleaned in years, so the airflow in the deck is severely affected by this. A clogged deck and low blade speed are going to clump even with dry grass. Every 10 minutes you have to stop because the chute is clogged. That 19HP just does not have the power to push grass clippings around a corner, up a hill, and then into the hoppers.

I cleaned that deck out completely, went over the entire underside with a wire wheel on a drill. I primed it, and I painted it with a rubberized undercoating. I coated that with a very slippery silicone type sealant, I can't remember what it is. It went straight into winter hibernation from the garage, so who knows how well it will work come spring. At most I give it one more summer before the steering falls apart and the deck turns to dust.

I agree with you, as I am not a fan of bagging up the grass clippings, no sense in removing vital nutrients from the lawn. About the Craftsman deck, I had nothing but problems with spindle failure and clogging. Have to say that I did buy a bagger for the Craftsman (19,5 hp) and it collected better than the Deere L130 setup. Didn't buy a bagger for the x749 though, bought a mulching plug kit and it does a good job with less hassle.

I mow a little over two acres at home each week with my L130 and it does a satisfactory job, if I were to buy a new rider for my lawn only the x320 comes to mind. Much lighter than the x749 that I use for customers work.

About the fil and his mower, good of you to help out but imo I would leave the mower choice in his lap. Help where you can and see fit, sooner or later he will have to replace the old mower. I would make a suggestion of what I thought was the best choice and leave it at that.

 

[JDTank]

I am sure it isn't long before a rock comes shooting right through the deck anyways.

Thanks for all the help everyone, the best I can do is share my knowledge and hope they see the light...or rather, the green light.

 

[scootermec]

I have a 2011 X540 that I use strictly for mowing duties. I do love the machine. I can't remember the fuel capacity, but I use a full tank approx. every 4-5 hours. I think it equals out to be around 1gal/hr. It is a little higher consumption than I had expected, but I can live with it. I always cringed when I knew it was time to mow before I bought this machine, now I actually enjoy my seat time and wish I had more to mow.