X740 5HR review/18 Steel cart and compatible info.

[JDTank]

Well, I have just shy of 5 hours on my X740 now. I love the machine, there really is no other way to say it.

The few gripes I have are minor, but annoying ones. I recently picked up a front brush guard, and a #18 steel cart. First of all, you cannot remove the mower deck, without first removing the brush guard. I find this an annoyance and borderline lazy engineering. The next item, my tractor has the receiver hitch kit on it. With this kit, the hitch on utility trailers actually wedges itself into the receiver hitch kit when turning. I have included a picture for people to see what I mean.

Fuel consumption. I personally find it just a hair high right now, but, this engine is nowhere near broken in. Right now I am using about 2.5 - 3.0 Liters per hour, depending on how hard I am working the machine.

2 Wheel Drive. I am actually VERY impressed with the traction this machine has even for being a 2WD unit. I do notice however, that since the front wheels turn so sharp, if your on slippery ground, the tractor has a tendency to push forward slightly, even with the tires turned. I FINALLY managed to get the machine to slip today. I was on VERY slick wet muddy ground pulling a heavy load of wet dirt/moss. One tire slipped only for a few seconds, but it didn't slow down any. I still do not regret passing up on the X748, I saved $1,800 by doing so.

The ride. Extremely comfortable. Even the basic factory seat is very comfortable and padded. With the proper tire pressure, I do believe this machine is the Cadillac of garden tractors. I love sitting up high and having a commanding view over a big square hood.

#18 steel cart. I am very pleased with the cart, but not as impressed as I had hoped to be. The dump angle is actually quite tame. I found with the tailgate attached, it was stopping my leaves/moss from exiting the trailer. If I removed the tailgate completely, everything dumped without an issue. The latch that holds the cart body down while in use is somewhat primitive in my opinion. For a $400 cart, I would have liked to see a better system for releasing and locking the body. Assembly is a PITA, especially if you are by yourself. It is easy to assemble, but tedious at points. I also strongly dislike using a half inch pin to connect the trailer to the tractor. It allows a lot of slack, and as you are going over uneven terrain, you feel the cart constantly moving in and out, banging against the tractor hitch. I will be cutting the nose off of the cart frame this week and bolting on my own ball hitch mount. This way I can use the trailer with my receiver hitch, which will eliminate the clearance issue with the factory design, and it will eliminate all of the slack as well.

I purchased the brush guard today by fluke actually. I had wanted one since I purchased the machine, but my dealer had none in stock, and I didn't bother to order one, as money was tight. Well, I phoned them on Thursday afternoon, asking the parts man if they had any in yet. He laughed and told me he JUST came inside from removing one off of a brand new X728 they just sold, believe it or not, the customer did NOT want the brush guard! I asked him if it was "heavily discounted" since it was used, and he said I will see what I can do. The normal selling price at my dealer is $282, he gave it to me for $180, already assembled, brand new! I couldn't passed that up so I jumped on it. I really think the brush guard completes the look of this machine. I always felt like something was missing before I had one.

Overall, I can't think of a better machine in existence if you have some serious yard work to do. I used to dread any type of yard work because I was using my in-laws cheap, ill maintained equipment. Now that I can finally afford my own, I look forward to every minute in that yellow seat. I take extremely good care of my things, and I know this machine will last me a lifetime.

[rubadub]

No doubt a new John deere is hard to beat, and theses x700's are really nice looking as the pictures you took show it very well. Enjoy your new Deere they are a really, really nice tractor.

Rob

[glgeek]

I also strongly dislike using a half inch pin to connect the trailer to the tractor. It allows a lot of slack, and as you are going over uneven terrain, you feel the cart constantly moving in and out, banging against the tractor hitch. I will be cutting the nose off of the cart frame this week and bolting on my own ball hitch mount. This way I can use the trailer with my receiver hitch, which will eliminate the clearance issue with the factory design, and it will eliminate all of the slack as well.

hi JD

i think you will find that there will be a lot of slop in the drawbar with the receiver kit as well. if you figure out how to tighten it up, let me know. i use a couple different drawbar drops to keep whatever i connect fairly level. both of them bang around when driving over uneven ground.

after you cut off the front of the tongue and bolt on a ball hitch, paint it yellow or green

[murphy1244]

What does a tractor like that go for?

[JDTank]

What does a tractor like that go for?

A LOT.

By the time it was all said and done, I paid just over 10K. I don't regret it at all. Yes it's a lot of money, but now I enjoy yard work, which has to be done whether you like it or not.

We spend our entire lives working just to survive. If I only get to live once, and I have to spend that life working, to make another man wealthy, than your **** straight I will be happy at home!

[chin]

That lip around the bottom of the cart at the rear has a tendency to get hung up on stuff or will pile up dirt sometimes while dumping and pulling ahead. If that happens to you find a way to slope it some. I used to have a similar cart

[murphy1244]

A LOT.

By the time it was all said and done, I paid just over 10K. I don't regret it at all. Yes it's a lot of money, but now I enjoy yard work, which has to be done whether you like it or not.

We spend our entire lives working just to survive. If I only get to live once, and I have to spend that life working, to make another man wealthy, than your **** straight I will be happy at home!

Whoa! I was just asking not laughing at you. Did you look at Simplicity or just go green?

[arlen4720]

A LOT.

By the time it was all said and done, I paid just over 10K. I don't regret it at all. Yes it's a lot of money, but now I enjoy yard work, which has to be done whether you like it or not.

We spend our entire lives working just to survive. If I only get to live once, and I have to spend that life working, to make another man wealthy, than your **** straight I will be happy at home!

I hear ya...My X748SE was around 15K fully decked out with 3pnt, rear and front PTO and all other goodies. I never regretted it.

[JDTank]

That lip around the bottom of the cart at the rear has a tendency to get hung up on stuff or will pile up dirt sometimes while dumping and pulling ahead. If that happens to you find a way to slope it some. I used to have a similar cart

John Deere must have updated this. When did you buy your cart?

Underneath the bottom lip of my cart at the back, is a rolled, angled piece of steel, welded onto the underside. When the back of the cart drags on the ground, it simply goes over everything, doesn't dig into the ground at all.

[JDTank]

Whoa! I was just asking not laughing at you. Did you look at Simplicity or just go green?

LOL, you have to be joking.

Simplicity machines are absolutely, without a doubt, 150% god awful looking. Looking at those machines makes me want to puke.

The John Deere is a superior product, I believe, and not only that, it's a very sexy looking machine too. There is no better garden tractor on the market, than the X700 series.