X748SE
Model Year: 2009
I wanted a commercial grade cut and speed for 2+ acres of lawn and needed to be able to maintain a 1/4 mi gravel lane as well. I went whole hog and got the SE along with the 3-point and the 540 PTO, as I expect this to be the last machine I will ever purchase. For that reason, the diesel was the only option for me. I bought the 60" 7-Iron mower deck since I had been disappointed with the cut of the JD yellow deck in the past. The cut of this deck rivals the Grasshopper and Turf Tiger I demo'd, even at full speed. The roll-on/roll-off feature of mounting the deck alone is worth the price of admission. What really justified this purchase for me was the quick-mount front blade, since we got hammered with some great snow this year. I plowed snow at my place of work with a JD 445 with chains and weights. When I got home and broke out the X748 it far outshined the ole 445 and I don't have any chains or weights on it. The 4WD really helped and it made plowing the lane a dream, whether it was the 4" of fresh snow or the 2' of drifted snow across our lane through the course of the winter. I have the 3 pt because I want a box blade to crown and shape the lane, which I still really need. I imagine I'll need weights once I pick up one of those. For now the front blade has done a good job of leveling out the pot holes and ruts and pushing around the gravel. The front class II hitch mount on the front has proven to be super useful for pushing around loaded utility trailers between the house and the shop. I have been very impressed with the tight turning radius of this tractor, even after testing out the Z-turns. I can hardly imagine how the X749 with all-wheel steer turns. The Michigan seat on the SE is another functional piece that makes driving this machine a dream. I imagine a Michigan could be purchased for less and mounted on any X7xx, but with the brush guard and cool wheels with front fenders, well, I just took the plunge. This purchase was pricier than buying the 2305 compact tractor, which gets great reviews. But for me, at a long-legged 6'5" the 2305 cockpit was just too cramped. I always felt "right" when mounting an X7xx series machine. So far my only minor flaw in performance would be the somewhat slower response of the hydraulics when doing a lot of raising and lowering during blade work when compared to the response of hydraulics on a full-size tractor. Probably not a fair comparison. Of course this is more noticeable when maneuvering simultaneously while manipulating the blade, as this is a hydro tractor pumping fluid for all four wheels and the blade at the same time. Additionally, the top traveling speed of a geared tractor is probably higher than the hydrostatic drive of these tractors at 8.5 mph, but then again, hydro is the only option for these X series machines. A shuttle-shift type transmission on these would be an improvement for me, but we only see that on big tractors (and some compacts?). My cons are me just being hyper-picky. This truly is an amazing machine. Too bad it's built from gold bullion.
Pros: Cut quality of 7-Iron deck, power, manueverability, utility with the front hyd blade, the 3 pt, PTO, front class II mount, etc...
Cons: Up/down hydraulic response when working the front blade hard, top traveling speed
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