My first John Deere!

[JohnnyRebKY]

Hello folks. New member and glad to be here. I'm 29 years old and bought my first home and property 3 years ago. 5 1/2 acres in a valley in Kentucky. After mowing grass with a old Famall tractor the past few years I figured it was time for a nice mower. My dad has only owned 2 mowers in my lifetime. A 1980 JD 116 that ran for 19 years until it burned up in a barn fire. He replaced it with a GT235 that is 13 years and going strong. So naturally my first instinct was I need a JD around my place that I won't have to replace every 5 years.

So anyhow I found this 2009 used JD x340. The fella bought it brand new in 2010 from a dealer and it only has 128 hours on it. I couldn't afford a brand new one so this was the way to go. I had to drive 200 miles to go see it because a X series is hard to find used around here. I guess folks who buy them keep them unlike the Home Depot D series which are for sale left and right everywhere I look. Anyway what I found was a nice older gentleman will a very wall maintained machine. Original bill of sale and all the paperwork. He said he bought a new zero turn mower and wanted someone to take his JD and enjoy it. He was asking 3,000 for it but I only had 2700 to spend. He accepted the 2700 and I couldn't get the money out fast enough!!! Judging from prices online for used X340 I got a killer deal on it.

Got home late last night. Took a spin around the yard and what a Cadillac it is! Smooth as silk and the hydro transmission is pert near silent. I'd had a cub cadet from Home Depot the past 2 weeks that I returned to them in order to buy this and the difference is daylight and dark. Like getting off a old nag horse and onto a well breed gaited Kentucky saddle horse.

A few observations that you guys may help me understand. It has a 25hp Kawasaki engine that runs smooth as silk. But it doesn't seem as powerfull as the 24hp Kohler I had on that cub cadet. That Kohler was a fearless powerhouse. Maybe it's just a illusion of the mind because the Kaw is so smooth. It is a smaller engine though, 675cc vrs the 725cc Kohler. The Kaw supposivly has 1 more HP but doesn't feel like it. Doesn't have that mean bottom end torque that Kohler had. I have no doubt the Kaw is a better longer lasting engine than the Kohler Courage.

Also after running full throttle it doesn't want to come down to a idle easily. Seems to hang up around a quarter throttle sometimes. If I goose the engine and pull the throttle back it will come down to idle. Could the throttle linkage be a little sticky? I may try a little wd40 and see if it helps

Here she is

[econometrics]

Congrats on the new Green Machine!

[AlexMarshall]

This is great. Keep us posted with the work it does!

[fordmantpw]

Congrats! Nice looking machine you've got there!