Trying to decide on a JD SST18 (Spin Steer) replacement - X384 or ZTrak Z540R

[nikdfish]

The 17 year old SST18 is getting a bit long in the tooth & held together with pop-rivets & duct tape. I have been looking at two different possible replacements. One is an X384, it has the 48" deck & all wheel steering. The other is the ZTrak Z540R zero turn, probably with a 48" deck.

Mowing around the house is a mixed bag of terrain, lots of ins & outs but not much in the way of slopes (I use a 3pt finish mower behind the 1025R for about 1/3 mile of development road edge which drops off pretty quick to the ditch/woods). The SST18 handles it akk pretty well (not, of course, the steeper road edge areas - the front mounted engine would have it nose down in no time... )

The one thing that has me concerned about the ZTrak is the agri-fab Mow-n-Vac we use in the fall. If memory serves, the hitch for the Z500 series mentions a 250 lb. limit on towed items, I believe the Mow-n-Vac is about 325 lb empty (at least that is the shipping weight).

Any thoughts?


Nick

 

[tomplum]

Putting the bagger aside, in most instances I would take the AWS X series. Both are nice pieces of equipment, but the rider is more stable and versatile. It sounds like you have that part worked out though. Part of this is personal preference on how you like to mow too. For example, there are those who flat out live to run their Z fast as they can. The AWS is a very nice tractor in either the 3 or 5 series. Be sure to factor in how much towing you will need to do and there could very well be advantages w/ the 5 series for you. These just glide around obstacles. A little seat time at the dealer will get you closer what is right for you. We already know you're hands on if you can keep an SST for 17 years!

 

[beenthere]

X2 what tomplum said.

Also impressed you could run that SST for 17 years. You da man !!

 

[jgayman]

Also impressed you could run that SST for 17 years. You da man !!

That's for sure! I just watched a YouTube video about repairing a steering problem on one of those. Wow... what a complicated mechanism for steering a lawn mower.

 

[nikdfish]

Yeah, the last year or two the self centering spring mechanism has been kaput ... makes steering more like running a boat. Didn't feel it worth the effort to address it.

Now leaning towards the x394 ... power steering & you can replace the transmission oil & filter.

 

[tomplum]

Yes. You are going to be so spoiled. Good choice. Are there rebates this year on the X's? I remember 500$ rebates a couple of years back this time of year.

 

[nikdfish]

Going in tomorrow AM to do paperwork on an X394 w/48" deck. They will have to bring one in from another store (none on hand here), but doing the paperwork tomorrow gets us in under the wire for the $500 off deal (expires noon tomorrow). I'll use the Costco Visa for the transaction, that gives me a free additional year added to the standard 4 year warranty (a Visa benny).

Nick

ETA: talked with the JD sales guy again & decided to go cash for a discount ...

 

[nikdfish]

It will be middle/end of next week getting in. It is the showroom model over at another store (as opposed to one stored outside under a canopy), so should have no weather exposure. They are transfering in a bunch of equipment from other locations & mine is towards the end of the list. I'll pick it up myself when it shows so I don't have to wait for a slot on the local delivery truck.

Will post pics when it comes in

Nick

 

[tomplum]

Good God man, how many Christmases do you get in a year! Enjoy the ride.

 

[nikdfish]

Not here yet, but have done a bit in anticipation of picking it up. We have had the little tilt-bed Sno-Bear trailer for about 12 years now. It is a good size for smaller loads like moving mowers, etc. And easier to load a mower on than the 10'x5' dumper. Over the past year, the plywood decking had gone soft & I wanted to replace it before loading the new mower. The decking was soft enough to pry it off over the heads of the nails used to secure it to the ribs using a couple of crow bars.

This left the nails sticking up so I cut those off with an angle grinder cutoff wheel. Could have used the crowbar, but grinding was easier.

I had already cut some 1/2" plywood to fit and pre-treated it with some solid Thompson's waterseal stain. Set one piece by the old to verify my cuts had been correct.

I marked the rib locations with some masking tape & then used some wide-headed self tapping screws to secure the new decking to the ribs.

Don't know if the replacements will last another 12 years - only time will tell - but will make me happier about transporting the 700+ lb x394 ...

Nick