Man Oh Man, I think this was one of the harder purchase decisions I've made in a while.
My late '80s JD 170 is starting to show it's age. After mowing as much as it did, I don't blame it. The Kawasaki engine is still strong and doesn't use any oil but other things were starting to show signs of pending failure. Plus I wanted a larger machine to be able to tow a dump trailer more safely.
I decided to set a budget constraint and stay within it or not buy.
Kubotas in my price range just didn't give me the value for dollar feeling on the lawn tractors like their CUTs do.
Huskys don't have enough of a dealer network in my area.
I knew I didn't want any of the branded mowers sold at the large discount stores (HD, Lowes) and felt pretty much the same way about the Craftsman mowers. My girlfriend just bought one of the best LTs that Sears sells. You can't even diagnally cross a ditch because there isn't enough articulation in the front axle to prevent it from loosing traction if you do.
The GT2000 series Cub Cadets were really interesting but I couldn't find a dealer within 100 miles of me that had one in stock and I wasn't going to buy without looking at it in person. Plus I'm a little concerned about parts availability on the Cubs. Not a lot of dealers around close to me other than true International tractor shops and they didn't seem interested in helping me with the lawn tractors. Not enough mark up I guess compared to the large 8 wheel drive articulating tractors they mostly sell to farmers. Still I had it narrowed down to either a JD or Cub.
First JD dealer I stopped at on my way home from a business meeting, I looked at a X300 then I was drawn to the X304 and thought I had found my new mower. That evening I read a few different forums about the "sealed" Tuff Trac transaxles in the new JD lawn/garden tractors. I also read about the K46 trans and how most people thought it was a flop by JD to use it in a tractor that costs this much. I'm sure it's fine if you just plan to mow grass but like I said I have other intentions for the tractor upon occasion. :confused2:
I decided to go to another JD dealer that is closer to me. There I started out looking at a X310 but I didn't want to have to pay for power steering and power implement lift. Those two features I really didn't want or need and they would just add more complexity, something else that can fail and be expensive to fix. Plus it's not a lot of difference but the 310 and 360 don't have as tight a turning radius because of the power steering. Those things steered me away from the X310. The main advantage the 310 has going for it IMO is that it has transaxle drain and filter replacement capability. Then I saw next to it a X320 with it's larger tires, slightly more HP and better quality deck (310 had a 42" and the 320 had a 48" with the easy adjustable gauge wheels and thicker metal) More thinking and research that night. Then on another forum I found out that you can get a kit from Tuff Trak to install drain plugs in the K58. Yes, I will have to wait till the 4 year warranty is out but at least I will then be able to change the fluid without having to drop the transaxle out of the tractor. Hopefully it will last that long or go out during the warranty period so I will then be able to do that to a fresher unit.
The Cubs have drains and spin on filters on their transaxles but since I couldn't find one to look at I decided to go for the X320 and took advantage of the $300 incentive.
Picked it up at lunch time today and went and mowed at the old homeplace my 2 brothers and I inherited. It probably only took me about 80% of the normal time to finish compared to my 170 and since I'm learning the new machine, I'm sure I was going slower than I eventually will. I must say, I'm really impressed with the mow quality, speed, comfort, quietness and over all quality feel of the new tractor.
Sorry I didn't take any before use pics while it was really shiny but here she is anyway:
My late '80s JD 170 is starting to show it's age. After mowing as much as it did, I don't blame it. The Kawasaki engine is still strong and doesn't use any oil but other things were starting to show signs of pending failure. Plus I wanted a larger machine to be able to tow a dump trailer more safely.
I decided to set a budget constraint and stay within it or not buy.
Kubotas in my price range just didn't give me the value for dollar feeling on the lawn tractors like their CUTs do.
Huskys don't have enough of a dealer network in my area.
I knew I didn't want any of the branded mowers sold at the large discount stores (HD, Lowes) and felt pretty much the same way about the Craftsman mowers. My girlfriend just bought one of the best LTs that Sears sells. You can't even diagnally cross a ditch because there isn't enough articulation in the front axle to prevent it from loosing traction if you do.
The GT2000 series Cub Cadets were really interesting but I couldn't find a dealer within 100 miles of me that had one in stock and I wasn't going to buy without looking at it in person. Plus I'm a little concerned about parts availability on the Cubs. Not a lot of dealers around close to me other than true International tractor shops and they didn't seem interested in helping me with the lawn tractors. Not enough mark up I guess compared to the large 8 wheel drive articulating tractors they mostly sell to farmers. Still I had it narrowed down to either a JD or Cub.
First JD dealer I stopped at on my way home from a business meeting, I looked at a X300 then I was drawn to the X304 and thought I had found my new mower. That evening I read a few different forums about the "sealed" Tuff Trac transaxles in the new JD lawn/garden tractors. I also read about the K46 trans and how most people thought it was a flop by JD to use it in a tractor that costs this much. I'm sure it's fine if you just plan to mow grass but like I said I have other intentions for the tractor upon occasion. :confused2:
I decided to go to another JD dealer that is closer to me. There I started out looking at a X310 but I didn't want to have to pay for power steering and power implement lift. Those two features I really didn't want or need and they would just add more complexity, something else that can fail and be expensive to fix. Plus it's not a lot of difference but the 310 and 360 don't have as tight a turning radius because of the power steering. Those things steered me away from the X310. The main advantage the 310 has going for it IMO is that it has transaxle drain and filter replacement capability. Then I saw next to it a X320 with it's larger tires, slightly more HP and better quality deck (310 had a 42" and the 320 had a 48" with the easy adjustable gauge wheels and thicker metal) More thinking and research that night. Then on another forum I found out that you can get a kit from Tuff Trak to install drain plugs in the K58. Yes, I will have to wait till the 4 year warranty is out but at least I will then be able to change the fluid without having to drop the transaxle out of the tractor. Hopefully it will last that long or go out during the warranty period so I will then be able to do that to a fresher unit.
The Cubs have drains and spin on filters on their transaxles but since I couldn't find one to look at I decided to go for the X320 and took advantage of the $300 incentive.
Picked it up at lunch time today and went and mowed at the old homeplace my 2 brothers and I inherited. It probably only took me about 80% of the normal time to finish compared to my 170 and since I'm learning the new machine, I'm sure I was going slower than I eventually will. I must say, I'm really impressed with the mow quality, speed, comfort, quietness and over all quality feel of the new tractor.
Sorry I didn't take any before use pics while it was really shiny but here she is anyway:
