X380 with 7 bushel rear bagger inbound!

[deathtoblackberries]

I pulled the trigger on a X380 and bagger today, should arrive sometime this week! Swapping the loader, backhoe, and mowing deck on the big Kubota B2920 got old, more so with my bad hip. It got so I dreaded doing this. Plus the Kubota was just too big for mowing my 1 acre lawn. With the huge beat juice filled R4 tires the thing weighs over 2,000 lbs. This little X380 is like 650 lbs. I also had issue with grass clippings covering/killing the grass and making a big mess so a rear bagger is something I have wanted for a while. I have a bunch of landscaping to do this year after taking last year off so being able to leave the loader and backhoe on the Kubota full time will be great.

 

[Dutch445]

Very Nice!
they put a lot of time and effort into those new mower decks this year, you should find that mower
to broadcast very nicely when you don't want to bag. the baggers work well, esp for leaves in fall
congrats!

 

[deathtoblackberries]

We'll see how it works on pine cones and pine needles the bane of my existence. I have 11 large fir trees and this stuff rains down at times. Also it looks like I could just remove the bags (they come right off) to hook up the spreader. Again the big Kubota being so heavy its like driving around a lawn roller when using the spreader.

By the way as big as my Kubota 2920 is, dang the John Deere 1025 is even larger. I thought when I purchased my Kubota they were about the same size.

 

[mapper]

I bought a 324x with the same bagging system last year. The bagging system is great, I was able to mow in the rain without it clogging up! I went with JD because my previous one lasted about twenty years, I mow about an acre or so and it is any thing but clean and smooth, we fight a constant battle with moles and the lawn started out as hay field originally. We went with the four wheel steering model because we have a lot of trees and obstacles to get around, with its 18" turning radius it does an amazing job. You will find the blower takes a bit of getting used to, it's sticks out a long way, and you really don't want to hit it ($$$)!
I did find that the wash port is not very efficient, I usually just hoist the front end of the mower up with the fel and scrape and wash the goop off, you will also have to swing the blower out and hose it out as well. Not too bad when it's warm out but a bit of a chore during leaf season in the fall.
Enjoy your shiny new tool!

 

[deathtoblackberries]

That's great feedback on the rear bagger, I was just taking it on faith that it would work well. Good point on the blower stick out, since I wrecked one of my down spouts with the FEL I'm a bit more careful. It took 3 years but I have mole eradication down pat now.

 

[mapper]

I haven't hit the house yet with the fel but have managed to nudge the post on the garden fence gate enough to break them (old and rotten), the opening is 10' wide - one would think you should be able to fit a 5' wide tractor through it! I did manage to take out a downspout with a 6x8 x 20' beam heeled on the scraper blade with the 8n a few years back ��
In any case I think you will like the bagger, the only way it plugged on me was when I thought I could get one more lap around the lawn - it stuffed the lid and chute completely full! I also had it plug one time when the grass was heavy enough that it bridged over the gap below the deflector into the right bag. The guy that I dealt with at Washington Tractor advised trimming a bit off of the bottom edge of the deflector. I did and that problem was solved. Still nothing goes into the right bag until the left is full up to the top of the cover.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I haven't hit the house yet with the fel but have managed to nudge the post on the garden fence gate enough to break them (old and rotten), the opening is 10' wide - one would think you should be able to fit a 5' wide tractor through it! I did manage to take out a downspout with a 6x8 x 20' beam heeled on the scraper blade with the 8n a few years back ��
In any case I think you will like the bagger, the only way it plugged on me was when I thought I could get one more lap around the lawn - it stuffed the lid and chute completely full! I also had it plug one time when the grass was heavy enough that it bridged over the gap below the deflector into the right bag. The guy that I dealt with at Washington Tractor advised trimming a bit off of the bottom edge of the deflector. I did and that problem was solved. Still nothing goes into the right bag until the left is full up to the top of the cover.

Mapper did you have to add weights to the front of your mower due to the rear bagger?

 

[mapper]

No I have not had to, the bags full of green grass are probably about thirty to forty pounds. Between me, the engine and deck, the front end seems to stay on the ground just fine.

 

[s219]

So how did you settle on the 380? I have been eyeing a new Deere X300 series, since the deck on my 15 year old Deere LT-150 is rotted out and they no longer sell a replacement deck. I probably have one more season at best.

I sort of go by tire size, since I don't want tires any smaller than my LT-150, which got me going in the direction of the 380. But the various models in the X300 series sure cover a spectrum. I am also thinking of maybe jumping to a X500 series, but the prices are obscene.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

Well I already own a Kubota 2920 (29hp diesel) with a FEL and backhoe so that eliminated the 500/700 series. I don't need any of their beyond lawn tractor features since I have the Kubota. I just wanted a lawn tractor to mow my 1 acre with a rear bagger that was lighter than the 2,000 lb Kubota which is like driving a steam roller across the lawn. So that put me into the 300 series.

Since I would be opting for the rear bagger I wanted all the HP I could get so that eliminated a bunch of 300 series. I went with a 48" deck again knowing the rear bagger would be consuming some of the HP plus I have a 60" deck on my Kubota and that has proved to be too wide. I did not want 4 wheel steering which eliminated a bunch more 300 series. That left the X320, X380, and X390. The X320 doesn't have the new Accel Deep Deck so that eliminated it.

So it was down to the X380 or X390. All you get for the additional $1,000 on the X390 is the hydraulic deck lift and power steering. Not worth $1,000 more imo. The foot operated spring assist deck lift on the X380 takes minimal effort and there is a lock on the dash to lock it in the up position. I operated it a few times and there wasn't anything to it. They have improved the manual steering on the X380 it steers with minimal effort plus I have popeye forearms it won't be a problem. That I'm eliminated the possibilities of hydraulic steering and deck lift issues in the future, a bonus.

I have hydraulic everything on my Kubota, at 2,000 lbs with the mower deck and north of 4,000 lbs with the FEL and backhoe power steering made sense. The 60 inch deck weighs a lot so again hydro's make sense. For this little X380 it will be fine.

 

[Richard001]

That's a great looking machine.

From the photo you posted, it looks like there is a blower just outside of the deck chute.

How is it driven?

Richard

 

[deathtoblackberries]

They add a pulley to the mower deck and its driven off there.

 

[jenkinsph]

That's a great looking machine.

From the photo you posted, it looks like there is a blower just outside of the deck chute.

How is it driven?

Richard

I have this blower on my MC 519 cart (19 bushel) and it does a good job with a high air flow. Does good job for me. The belt drive is easy to attach and I haven't had any problems with it. Easy to install and remove the blower and chute in a minute or so.

 

[jenkinsph]

We'll see how it works on pine cones and pine needles the bane of my existence.
By the way as big as my Kubota 2920 is, dang the John Deere 1025 is even larger. I thought when I purchased my Kubota they were about the same size.

Try a pine straw rake, the new ones by Everything Attachments are nice. I find they are a very useful tool to have. I use it with my x749 but should be fine with your Kubota.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I will be ordering a pine straw rake next week thanks! Not much use for my pine needles as they are like 1 inch long but my big fir trees rain branches and twigs and that looks like just the ticket for that.

 

[s219]

Well, I tipped over the edge no thanks to this thread. Stopped by my local JD dealer and they had a couple 380s on the showroom floor. There was a $300 rebate, plus another $150 test drive coupon, plus they knocked another $250 off as part of a garden-show promo they are running this weekend. At $700 off, I thought it was a good time to buy -- enough incentive to make up my mind. Got the 48" deck. They were going to throw in free delivery too, but I would have had to wait until next week, so I offered to transport home myself. Will pickup tomorrow morning.

Now I need to figure out what to do with my old LT-150. It would cost $500 for a new deck shell, and probably another $75-150 for any rusted parts that can't be salvaged to transfer over to the new deck shell. I just didn't want to throw that much into a 15 year old mower that's only worth about $400-500. I may keep it around for oddball jobs or see if I can sell it to someone who doesn't need it for mowing or wants it for parts.

 

[s219]

Here's my new 380 and a pic next to the old LT. Not much to mow here right now, but I gave her a quick spin and she's smooth and quiet. Looking forward to cutting the grass in another month or so!





Looking back in my records, I paid $2400 for that LT back in 2001 (gear transmission, 38" mulching deck, and single cylinder engine). Considering the 380 is a bigger/better machine with HST, heavier 48" deck, v-twin, and larger tires, the price jump to $3700 isn't bad after 15 years.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

Congrats! I stopped at my JD dealer yesterday to ask them why they had not delivered mine by end of this week as promised and gave them the stink eye. Not that it mattered it rained all week and will keep on raining until next Wednesday.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

Your LT looks in good shape for 15 years old, and not that different style wise.

 

[pjmsj21]

Count me in on a new 380 and blower/bagger as well. I also have a compact tractor Kubota B7610 that I use with the brush hog and FEL for most stuff on our property. So I really just needed a good mower that could deal with the hilly terrain of our yard. I took a look at the Husqvarna GT48xsi and was tempted. But in the end I read a mixed bag of reviews on the mower and the fabricated deck that prompted me to go with the JD. If I find that the X380 isnt up to the task of dealing with our hilly yard, I can upgrade within 30 days. But I am pretty confident that with some judicious routes to attack the hilly areas the X380 will be able to handle it fine.