A few JD X748 fitment questions.

[JDTank]

Well, after much, much consideration, I think I may follow all the advice I have heard about buying a dedicated mowing machine, instead of trying a "one tractor will do it all" approach. Since I intend to get a 2520 (will most likely move up to a (3520) I want to only have diesel equipment, and avoid having to purchase and store 2 different types of fuels, and 2 different engine types to maintain.

I have a few questions about the JD X748 I am hoping can be answered.

First off:

- Can this tractor handle a rotary broom? If so, would it handle it well? I am just looking to sweep off a 100 foot asphalt driveway every now and again. I have never seen a broom on a X748 before.
- Is there a bagging attachment available for it where I would not have to leave the seat? I am in favor of side discharge, but I intend to mow other peoples lawns on occasion, and I know at least a few of those people want it bagged, and there mighty stubborn about it.
- Does a bagger work on the 7iron deck? I really have no interest in ordering a tractor WITHOUT a 7iron deck, I have seen the difference they make and I feel it is a superior deck to the standard yellow decks.
- The John Deere fan attachment I see sometimes on mower decks, is this worth it's money? Does it actually provide any useful airflow?


Is this a good bagger?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U8wqwTAleQ]Protero Residential Lawn Bagger/Vacuum on John Deere x700 Series - YouTube[/ame]

I have never heard of that brand before, but it seems like a good setup.

 

[JDTank]

I was just looking at the website.

I wonder if a X740 isn't a better option for me?

This machine will strictly mow, pull a utility cart, and a rotary broom. I have no hills to contend with. In this situation, I don't see 4WD as worth it. It would almost be a comfort to know I wouldn't have to worry about those individual motors and valves up front on the X748.

 

[jenkinsph]

The x748 is capable of using either the 54" or 60" front brooms. I tested one on a 7xx? series last year and it worked extremely well. Haven't bought one yet it is on my list.

I have been well pleased with the x749 so far and feel the 4x4 is worthwhile to limit scuffing in turns. Sounds to me if you are not going for a fel that an x749 would be a good choice too if you are considering something such as the MC 519 material collection cart. Just me but I finally decided the 4 wheel steer was more important than the 7 iron deck.

About the ashpalt driveway, I use a Stilh 600 backpack blower to clear the driveway of grass, leaves and gravel sized rocks. Much faster than a broom imo.

 

[TimberXX]

There are videos of people using a broom on you tube.

But it may be an earlier x485 or x475.

The broom is over 3k, I would also vote for the blower for a 100 ft area. Also, to replace the brushes isn't cheap.

 

[ccsial]

I had a broom for one season and sold it. It didn't do well with pine needles. I also had to drive through a lot of dust. I now use a blower and it works much better. I have one you push down the drive. Very fast, very good cleaning. I also added a removable tounge so I can tow it with my 748 for blowing leaves off the grass.

Unless you have dirt packed down I think you would like a blower better.

 

[8086bruce]

For what you are going to do the X740 or X744 if you want all wheel steer would do the job perfect.

 

[JDTank]

Thanks for all the help guys!

I had no idea the brooms were so useless, good to know!

I am not in favor of blowers because all your doing is moving junk from one place to another, it needs to be discarded.

Also, All-Wheel steering is a definite out for me. I have very few obstacles to mow around, and the ones I do have to contend with have such a wide area, I will still have steering left in those turns. I don't like the complexity of the X748, I like being able to choose 2WD/4WD. I also don't see a need to worry about fixing AWS either, since it is of no use to me. For my operation, it wouldn't help me anywhere.

The X740 seems to be the best long term machine. No 4WD or AWS to fix down the road. Just a solid diesel engine and a beefy steering axle!

Now how about that bagger I attached a video of? Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[10ford]

Thanks for all the help guys!

I had no idea the brooms were so useless, good to know!

I am not in favor of blowers because all your doing is moving junk from one place to another, it needs to be discarded.

Also, All-Wheel steering is a definite out for me. I have very few obstacles to mow around, and the ones I do have to contend with have such a wide area, I will still have steering left in those turns. I don't like the complexity of the X748, I like being able to choose 2WD/4WD. I also don't see a need to worry about fixing AWS either, since it is of no use to me. For my operation, it wouldn't help me anywhere.

The X740 seems to be the best long term machine. No 4WD or AWS to fix down the road. Just a solid diesel engine and a beefy steering axle!

Now how about that bagger I attached a video of? Anyone have any experience with this?

I don't think the brooms are useless. I have the 60", and it works great! Everything from clearing snow up to 6", to de-thatching my lawn. If you work with the wind, you hardly ever eat any dust. If you read the manual and set it up right, bristle wear is almost zero. The brooms are very versatile IMHO.

 

[TimberXX]

It all matters how you use your broom. We ran it 4 hours per week picking up sharp chips of concrete

They wore out easily based on how we used the machine. If you use it for yard debris, im sure it would last longer.

 

[JDTank]

To bring this back a little bit.

I ran the numbers, and between an X540 or a X740, It would only save me $500 a year in fuel. Meaning, for the price difference of the machine, which is $5,000 I figure, if not more (at least it is here) It would take 10 years for me to break even. In 10 years time, things like spindles, pulleys and bearings would likely be worn out, and I would likely want the next best thing 10 years from now.

My concern however is with PTO engagement on the X540. If I factor in how many electric PTO switches I hear I would have to replace, it likely throws the numbers off by a considerable amount.

I know the X7xx series is a shaft driven deck, but how is that shaft engaged? Is it still some form of an electric switch that goes bad just like the X3xx and X5xx series?

Overall, I love Diesel's like nobody's business, but unfortunately, the only reasons I can find to justify it are fuel savings, which would take years upon years to repay, and the 7-Iron deck seems to do a lot nicer job then the regular decks that tend to clump.

This is something that I intend to use strictly for mowing, and towing a utility cart around to move leaves and branches around the yard. MAYBE it will see a blade on the front once a year, if that. We usually don't get any snow at all in my area, so the blade could go years sitting in the garage.

My other concern is Gas engines are easy to maintain, spark plugs, air filters, and oil changes, and your set to go. If something went wrong on the gas engine, I could very likely fix it myself, and if I couldn't, it would probably be cheap to have repaired. If something happened to that 3 cylinder diesel, I would likely have to pay out the nose to have it repaired. However, Diesel's usually live longer, and don't require as much maintenance (no plugs or wires would be nice for a change!) The Kawi motor in the X540 would likely live 10 years anyways, if not longer, so maybe engine longevity is not such a factor?