drhjmacleod
New member
I think I finally bought the right mower for my yard! My backyard is on a hill and it can be a challenge to cut. When I moved in, I had an L110 which I realized was not going to last, so before any problems started, I sold it. I was planning on doing some landscaping and re-grading in the lower portion of my backyard, so I bought a used JD 2210. It was a great SCUT, but once I was done with my landscaping and spreading 15 yards of topsoil, I realized it was overkill for what I needed and it took up a lot of space in the garage. Not to mention, I did not have a great place to store the FEL, so I sold it back in 2012 to buy a new riding mower. Back then, I had two riding mowers on my list; a Simplicity Broadmoor and a JD X500. I agonized over which one to get and I ended up buying the Broadmoor. It was about a grand cheaper and I felt it would meet my needs. I was intrigued by the free floating deck that I had read a lot of positive things about. I also wanted the automatic traction control (ACT) that was standard with the Broadmoor's K57 transaxle. After living with the Simplicity for 2 years, I realized I had shortchanged myself and I should have purchased the X500. The ACT was more of a gimmick, as it would only work if you were driving straight. Once you started turning, it would not work. I also realized that although the 46" deck gave a nice cut, I could not cut my grass as tall as I wanted. I raised the deck to it's highest setting and could not get it close to the max height Simplicity claimed it would cut at. So, I took a bath and sold the Simplicity this spring.
As I reviewed the 500 series, I realized what I wanted JD did not offer which was a real bummer. I would have loved to purchase an X530 with a 48" deck. The 48" deck was a requirement as the 54" deck that I had on the 2210 would scalp several spots in my yard. I really wanted the power steering (which I have read many people say once you have it, you will not go without it), the HDAP tires and the hydraulic lift on the deck, however the most important was the 48" deck. I almost bought an X540 with a 48" deck, but I did not want to spend the extra money on a liquid cooled engine. I only put 25-30 hours on the mower per year and I just could not justify buying a liquid cooled engine, not to mention the extra maintenance and repairs later on. What really made the decision for me was in another post I read the radiator for the LC engine was over $500. Hopefully it would never fail, but I can't imagine spending that much on a tiny radiator.
So, I ended up buying an X500. The way I figured it, for the money I saved I could buy a bagger or a front blade and still come out a head by not buying the X540. The only thing I did beyond the base X500 was I had the dealer upgrade the rear tires to HDAPs. They are AWESOME!!! Once I got it, I added a JD brush guard, mulching kit and a rear single bucket holder. I could not be happier with the purchase and feel this will be the mower I use for the next 15-20 years.
Don't make the same mistakes I made, but a 500 series JD!!! I would like to thank all of the contributors to TBN as there is a wealth of information online from it's members to help people make the right choice.
As I reviewed the 500 series, I realized what I wanted JD did not offer which was a real bummer. I would have loved to purchase an X530 with a 48" deck. The 48" deck was a requirement as the 54" deck that I had on the 2210 would scalp several spots in my yard. I really wanted the power steering (which I have read many people say once you have it, you will not go without it), the HDAP tires and the hydraulic lift on the deck, however the most important was the 48" deck. I almost bought an X540 with a 48" deck, but I did not want to spend the extra money on a liquid cooled engine. I only put 25-30 hours on the mower per year and I just could not justify buying a liquid cooled engine, not to mention the extra maintenance and repairs later on. What really made the decision for me was in another post I read the radiator for the LC engine was over $500. Hopefully it would never fail, but I can't imagine spending that much on a tiny radiator.
So, I ended up buying an X500. The way I figured it, for the money I saved I could buy a bagger or a front blade and still come out a head by not buying the X540. The only thing I did beyond the base X500 was I had the dealer upgrade the rear tires to HDAPs. They are AWESOME!!! Once I got it, I added a JD brush guard, mulching kit and a rear single bucket holder. I could not be happier with the purchase and feel this will be the mower I use for the next 15-20 years.
Don't make the same mistakes I made, but a 500 series JD!!! I would like to thank all of the contributors to TBN as there is a wealth of information online from it's members to help people make the right choice.
