54'' deck on X700 series.

[JDTank]

I know this is obviously too late, as I have already purchased my X740 with the 54 inch deck. However, I am wondering if all the claims about poor cut quality are true?

How would gator blades be on this deck? Right now I have not cut anything with the deck and it will still be another month or more before I start cutting. I had gator blades on the last riding mower I used and it made a huge difference.

I am just hoping all the poor reports of the yellow decks isn't true, otherwise I have a $1,500 boat anchor.

I am assuming the complaints are coming from X300/X500 owners who have a considerably lower blade tip speed due to being belt driven. Since my deck has the gearbox on it, I think it has significantly higher blade tip speed correct? The first time I engaged the deck just to see what it was like, I felt like there was a tornado under the tractor! It appears that gearbox is running pretty fast because the airflow coming out of the deck was insane.

So, other X7 owners with yellow decks, do I have anything to worry about, and should I be changing to gator blades now right from the start?

Thanks!

 

[KennedyDiesel]

I have the old 54" deck and it is poor at best in tall wet grass. It stripes when turning etc. There is insufficient blade overlap as well as insufficient volume particularly under the rear part of the deck.

We did some demos last season with the newer (non HC) decks and found the cut to be much better. The machines were redeigned several years ago with increased wheelbase so that they could swing longer blades and therefore increase overlap plus an increase in volume. The 60" 7 iron took this even further and they say it blows the others away, but I have not yet tried this one.

I think I would be satisied with the mid series decks for much of what we do, but 7 iron should put an exclamation point on it.

 

[ovrszd]

I had a JD455 with 54" deck until I lost it in a fire. It cut great!!!

My "yard" is 3 acres of pasture that I plopped my house on 30 years ago. So it's uneven and every kind of grass naturally grown in NW Missouri.

Now I have a JD2210 with 62" deck. It doesn't do nearly as good of job as the 54" did. But I sure get done quicker...

 

[KennedyDiesel]

I should add that most times when we mow here the tires are wet. Not so much from the earth, but from the grass.

 

[chin]

. You haven't gave the deck and mower a chance yet so why even stress over it. Worry about gator blades later on after you try it out.

 

[RonS]

I had a 54 on my X540 and it did a fine job. Don't worry you will be more than pleased. Sometimes there appears to be some deck "snobbery" on these sites. The 7iron is a great deck but the Edge models are no slouch.

 

[jenkinsph]

JD,
I would suggest you try it out before you get too far along with this. All of these decks do a pretty good job with sharp blades. You might find one type of blades works best for you such as the gator's but I would see what you have first.

 

[Dashe]

I have a 54C on my 2012 x720 and I think that the deck provides a great looking job. If I am mowing with the mulching kit installed tall, wet grass, it will clump up but that should be expected and I shouldn't be mowing tall wet grass. I would dare to say, that after a day, I bet you couldn't tell if the lawn was cut by a 54C or a 7iron. There is always something newer and better, but my 54C deck has been great in its first season of mowing.

 

[Oldoak]

Having had no experience with the decks in question, I would say Dashe's comments sound right on. I am sure your 54C is a cut above my 318's 46" deck which I have been satisfied with for many years, although it is not as good as the new decks that came after it. Every deck has it's limitations, you just have to know and accept them, as Dashe pointed out.

No matter what we buy today, manufacturers are always striving to improve upon for tomorrow. That's what keeps good companies in business. But having the latest and greatest isn't always necessary to meet our own needs.

 

[JDTank]

I have a 54C on my 2012 x720 and I think that the deck provides a great looking job. If I am mowing with the mulching kit installed tall, wet grass, it will clump up but that should be expected and I shouldn't be mowing tall wet grass. I would dare to say, that after a day, I bet you couldn't tell if the lawn was cut by a 54C or a 7iron. There is always something newer and better, but my 54C deck has been great in its first season of mowing.

Thanks for the input Dashe! I have a feeling I will be more than pleased now after thinking about it. I usually get a little antsy when something better comes out than what I have, I always have the upgrade bug. However, that is slowly going away with age and wisdom. I am 25 right now, so if I can learn that lesson now, I should be in a good shape!

Oldoak - your definitely correct. I will probably only put 30 - 50 hours of mowing on this machine in a year, so I couldn't justify the extra $1,000 for the 7-Iron deck. My grass/soil isn't very high quality here, so I think no matter what I do it will never look like a golf course, and I am OK with that. This is my first machine ever, so starting with an X740 alone is pretty amazing in my books. I used my in-laws Craftsman machine for 2 years before buying my X740. Coming from a craftsman mower deck, I am pretty sure my 54C will feel like a 7-Iron.

 

[arlen4720]

I have a 62C on my X748. I've put 970 hours on it in 6 years (maybe 7). It cuts very good. I mow 7 acres with it. I'm sure the HC or 7 iron would be better, but I have NO complaints.
It's good that you have such a nice machine. When I was 25...I had other things on my mind. I'm glad that you at least have your priorities straight.

 

[JDTank]

I have a 62C on my X748. I've put 970 hours on it in 6 years (maybe 7). It cuts very good. I mow 7 acres with it. I'm sure the HC or 7 iron would be better, but I have NO complaints.
It's good that you have such a nice machine. When I was 25...I had other things on my mind. I'm glad that you at least have your priorities straight.

I've never been a party/drinking type. You could fill a shot glass with alcohol and that is probably equal to the amount I have had in my entire life. I am not religious or anything like that, I was just raised by very hard working parents who rubbed off on me. When others in high school were partying and doing drugs (90% of them still are) I was working, making money, living on my own, and buying all of my own stuff.

I have a 2011 Chevy Silverado truck I bought new, and my X740, plus a garage full of tools. I have things to show for the money I have spent. I make early payments when I can, and my goal is to not finance anything in my 30's. At that point, the wife to be and I will likely have a child, AKA, dad's helper/tractor greaser!

 

[engine29]

Have an X475 w/ 54, no problem.

 

[Dashe]

JDTank, You will love your 54C cut as you are riding on top of that X740. These machines are fantastic. These decks have been around for over 10 years and I have yet to hear of one rusting out or failing. In my opinion the guage of the metal of deck after a point doesn't matter (is a 6iron better than a 7iron) as much as the design of the deck. The 7iron and the new HC decks have more cutting capacity and maybe resulting in a better cut but my lawn wouldn't look any better with a better cut. I think I will spend the extra money on getting a better lawn. It is tough to mow crap grass and make it look good, you know what I mean. Have fun with your new tractor and enjoy every minute of seat time.

 

[Grateful11]

I have a 54C on my 2012 x720 and I think that the deck provides a great looking job. If I am mowing with the mulching kit installed tall, wet grass, it will clump up but that should be expected and I shouldn't be mowing tall wet grass. I would dare to say, that after a day, I bet you couldn't tell if the lawn was cut by a 54C or a 7iron. There is always something newer and better, but my 54C deck has been great in its first season of mowing.

Same here. Our 54C does a great job.

 

[Carl Bert]

You're 25 years old with the best lawn and garden tractor money can buy. What are you worried about? You have a John Deere with a 54" deck that has been around for many years without any complaints. Enjoy your tractor and enjoy the peace of mind knowing that IF you ever grow that "golf coarse" quality lawn and you do want to switch to a 7 iron deck, you can. More than I can say with my X595, I don't even have that option. Stop worrying and enjoy your tractor.

 

[JDTank]

You're 25 years old with the best lawn and garden tractor money can buy. What are you worried about? You have a John Deere with a 54" deck that has been around for many years without any complaints. Enjoy your tractor and enjoy the peace of mind knowing that IF you ever grow that "golf coarse" quality lawn and you do want to switch to a 7 iron deck, you can. More than I can say with my X595, I don't even have that option. Stop worrying and enjoy your tractor.

Your absolutely right!

I cut grass with the machine for the first time today, and I was actually very impressed. The grass was thick and damp, and it didn't clump, and I am using the OEM blades too. The discharge distance was amazing, it was shooting grass 6 to 8 feet away. The old 42'' Craftsman I was using before just kind of "belched" the grass out of the chute.

I really have to get used to the dimensions of this tractor. This machine scalps in spots my Craftsman didn't, because it is a much longer frame. The greater the distance between the front and rear wheels, the more a machine will scalp on a hump. I definitely think I had my anti-scalp wheels set too high, as I did scalp a few areas. I had them set so they were half an inch below the deck, but as you can see from the pictures, I don't think that was near enough. Tomorrow I am going to lower them 2 more spots so the wheels sit about 1 to 1.5 inches below the deck.

I have put 5 hours on the tractor now and only used half a tank of fuel. Basically at that rate, it works out to slightly over 2 liters per hour.

 

[Gittyup]

You are probably just cutting your grass too short. With these bigger decks, a longer cut works best. The gauge wheels should just kiss the ground, barely rolling, if at all, on flat ground. If you set them too low they can leave gouge marks on certain terrain variances and while turning.

 

[North585]

I have a X748 and both a 62C and a 54C (kept from my sold X585). Both have always cut well and no issues. I'm not sure the 62 cuts any better than the 54. The 62 has a mulch kit (as did the 54). If I'm cutting more than 6" off the grass and it's wet it does clump....but I'm sure most decks would. I now use the 54 as a rough cut and it works excellent for that too.

 

[Oldoak]

Re: 54'' deck on X series.

"The gauger wheels should just kiss the ground, barely rolling, if at all, on flat ground."

Now that is how I set my mower deck gage wheels. Set your mower height first using the mechanical stop. Then adjust your deck gage wheels in relationship to the ground, not the mower deck.

If you feel the mower deck is still scalping too much, I believe Deere sells an anti scallop roller that attach駸 on the front in the center of some decks as an option. Some decks comes with them, others it is an optional item.

For those looking for the healthiest and nicest lawn, I have always understood not to cut more than 1/3 of the height of the grass when ever it is mowed. Though I find that is almost impossible to do in early Spring due to the wet weather conditions and the rapid growth rate of the grass. Now my three acre orchard is a different matter. That doesn't get mowed as often and I always cut off more than what is left standing.

I have no doubt, you will find what best suits your needs after a couple of mowings.