Lawn tractors, yard tractors, garden tractors, SCUTS, and mowing

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Yes, my property is different. I do have a half-acre spot that is level, and we use that for parking when we have large gatherings. The old L120 handles it fine. Then there's the hillside behind the house and shop, with grades running up to 25% estimated. I can't get to all of it with my tractor - trees and rocks have conspired together to make that unfeasible - and so it's a lot of weedeating. I hope the x570 can tame that.

The most difficult part is dealing with the dealer.

I have found once you get into the liquid cooled machines, you get into the premium machines and ones that will greatly outlast the competition.

If you get a liquid cooled Kawasaki powered JD that's in the 5xx or preferably 7xx series then you get a tractor that is closer to the last purchase mower. I would pay extra for the liquid cooled model for sure.

 

[Teachu2]

I have found once you get into the liquid cooled machines, you get into the premium machines and ones that will greatly outlast the competition.

If you get a liquid cooled Kawasaki powered JD that's in the 5xx or preferably 7xx series then you get a tractor that is closer to the last purchase mower. I would pay extra for the liquid cooled model for sure.

And what model in those is liquid cooled?

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

And what model in those is liquid cooled?

I just looked I was thinking the x570 or x590 were liquid cooled but there not. Only the x7xx are liquid cooled and there a big jump in $$$$

It says the cooling method on the JD website under "specifications"

Most air cooled engines are good for 1000 hours, I feel that's a safe bet. Liquid cooled gassers are getting 2-3k hours like the old 445s, I haven't seen any x7xx yet with much over 1000 hours used.

From what I have seen the big box store tractors fall apart around the engine due to a rough life or neglected maintenance.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

It's like buying a compact tractor lol, where do you draw the line? Sure a EFI liquid cooled Kawasaki will last 2-3k hours but that's saying everything else holds up also. A liquid cold engine will maintain its temp better and a more stable engine temp means a higher engine life.

So basically the jump from the x5xx series to the x7xx series MSRP is 6k to 10k in the x7xx series, but you get power steering and some other things that will keep the tractor running a long time.

You will absolutely love the x7xx series mowers and it will prob be the last one you buy, the 445 my dad has which is comparable to the x7xx series is built like a tank and will pull so hard with deff lock it will stand the front end up. But at that price it's 3-4 huskies, you could buy a new husky every 5 years and still come out in the same place you will be with the Deere. Idk

 

[Teachu2]

It's like buying a compact tractor lol, where do you draw the line? Sure a EFI liquid cooled Kawasaki will last 2-3k hours but that's saying everything else holds up also. A liquid cold engine will maintain its temp better and a more stable engine temp means a higher engine life.

So basically the jump from the x5xx series to the x7xx series MSRP is 6k to 10k in the x7xx series, but you get power steering and some other things that will keep the tractor running a long time.

You will absolutely love the x7xx series mowers and it will prob be the last one you buy, the 445 my dad has which is comparable to the x7xx series is built like a tank and will pull so hard with deff lock it will stand the front end up. But at that price it's 3-4 huskies, you could buy a new husky every 5 years and still come out in the same place you will be with the Deere. Idk

Lol people really do like to spend other people's money on here, we went from a 2-5k to 10-20k lol

I'm going to let this ride a bit - I may still go back to the Husky GT48DXLS, and change the rears out to ags.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I'm going to let this ride a bit - I may still go back to the Husky GT48DXLS, and change the rears out to ags.

This got me thinking and I was looking for some X vs X videos or articles of best garden tractor of 2017 or heads up videos and although there are lots of lists of best garden tractors of 2017, the few times I see Deere on those lists they always rank towards the bottom of the top 10 lists.

I have been seeing Husqvarna at #1 or #2 every time and Poulan pro is top 2 or 3 usually which was a surprise till I looked at it a bit, 7.75mph with a 16in cutting radius is very impressive, it's also very heavy for its size.

Seems they all rate the garden tractors by weight in weight classes, seems not very many that include deere think there a best bang for your buck garden tractor. I found that interesting and personally came to that conclusion myself. They make a fine product but there just so dang gone expensive.

 

[Teachu2]

I appreciate that. Thanks, BrokeFarmerJohn.

 

[plowhog]

Surprising about Poulan Pro. I bought one chain saw, and decided to not buy that brand again. Not a good experience. Maybe they are better with mowers.

Poster sledgehammer wrote in another thread he had difficulty finding a GT48DXLS. Four dealers knew nothing about them, suggesting he had the model number wrong. He wrote he is traveling to a dealer an hour away to get one today, so he must have found one somehow. Somebody else wrote they are "limited distribution," but I'm guessing that just means they are dealer units, not models for big box stores.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Surprising about Poulan Pro. I bought one chain saw, and decided to not buy that brand again. Not a good experience. Maybe they are better with mowers.

Poster sledgehammer wrote in another thread he had difficulty finding a GT48DXLS. Four dealers knew nothing about them, suggesting he had the model number wrong. He wrote he is traveling to a dealer an hour away to get one today, so he must have found one somehow. Somebody else wrote they are "limited distribution," but I'm guessing that just means they are dealer units, not models for big box stores.

I had the same experience, bought a Poulan pro saw and didn't even run a full tank of gas threw it before I traded it off, that was the only and last Poulan product I bought, so the mower was a surprise also.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

So after doing some research this afternoon I have come to this conclusion about the JD garden tractors.

There in a League of there own, the 700 series anyway. Its absolutely not fair to compare them to any other garden tractor out there because they will last longer and feel superior to the competition. So there a garden tractor that is closer to a subcompact than it is a lawn mower. There higher than most garden tractor lines but they can't really compete with commercial mowers, there like a do it all kinda tractor, they mow well but not as fast as a commercial mower, they are work horses but aren't as capable as a compact but can out work anything other than a compact.

As far as there X3xx and x5xx series, I think those lines are great garden tractors but maybe not as great as there price suggests.

I can take a competition garden tractor and still get the work done, maybe the deere does better at ground engagement work and lasts longer but I don't feel it will outlast two of the competitions garden tractors because that's what the price difference is between them.

I have had this debate a lot lately and have been asking the question of: Can the Kawasaki in the deere last twice as long as the B&S or Kholar in the competitions? some even sport the FR Kawasaki engine.

I can find articles after article about how the Deere X series is superior but I can't find a hours rating on each tractor, nobody will say the JD X series anything is good for 1500 hours where the competition (cub, toro, husky, craftsman ext) is only good for 500-600 hours, that information simply doesn't exist.

I simply don't see enough data to suggest that any of the X series lines will out last 2 of the more reasonably priced competition.

I simply don't feel that a bit more comfortable ride, a slightly faster mowing speed, a slightly quieter mower is worth double the price.

I hope someone sometime can prove me wrong on this idea, until then I won't have a new JD mower in my garage, maybe a used one that's reasonable with lower hours.