1200 hours on a X485?

[ishiboo]

I desperately need a new tractor for mowing... my D130 is on its last legs with a whopping 150 hours on it on its second K40. Perfectly flat ground. I have about 2-2.5 acres to mow, mostly open space.

Looking at a X485 with 1200 hours. I know it's 15X the tractor, but is that a lot of hours for a garden tractor? How much life is reasonably left? I only mow about 50 hours a year so it wouldn't add up to much... but I want some sale value left when I can afford a new machine.

 

[ishiboo]

Oh, and I'm looking at the X485 because I would like to pull some implements like a lawn sweeper/dethatcher and want the heavier duty transmission.

Also in the running are the 345, GT235/245/etc., GX345, X500/X534/X540, etc.

 

[beenthere]

I like my X485 tractor.. not the mower deck so much as it doesn't do a good job of cutting grass.. not near (or even close) to the job the 455 and 425 can do.. so I have them too. I'd say, if good maintenance has been done and continues, that you can trust it with those hours. But take a 445, 425, or 455 if you find one with those hours or less. IMO, better design than the X series due to the side panels and hood being better for dust exclusion than the one-piece hood design of the X's

 

[ishiboo]

What's wrong with the mower deck, and which deck do you have? This one has the 62c with the power flow cart. I don't need golf-course cut quality... I'd rather save time than have the perfect cut. I have too much grass and more on the way.

 

[beenthere]

I can speak only of the 54" decks.. no experience with the 62c. But my 54c gets no more use whatsoever since picking up the 425 and the 455.

 

[oldnslo]

2250 hrs and counting. This is what my son has on his X485 with 62C deck. Make sure the deck is leveled properly since that seems to have the mose effect on how well they cut.

Don't be surprised if it starts hard though, especially in the winter.

 

[Smoothas]

485 is a fine tractor, but its at least 15 years old, and it might be a little overkill for your needs. How are you only putting 50 hours a years on machine with 2.5 acres? And going through 2 transaxles in 150 hours doesn’t sound right either. You don’t say the price of the 485? Considering how tough you are on equipment, you need at least a X500 series, and of course if price is right the 485 is a lot of tractor, if it was well maintained

 

[ishiboo]

485 is a fine tractor, but its at least 15 years old, and it might be a little overkill for your needs. How are you only putting 50 hours a years on machine with 2.5 acres? And going through 2 transaxles in 150 hours doesn稚 sound right either. You don稚 say the price of the 485? Considering how tough you are on equipment, you need at least a X500 series, and of course if price is right the 485 is a lot of tractor, if it was well maintained

I'm only through one transaxle and not tough on equipment at all, it's on the second and it's fine... the dealership thinks there was something wrong with the first one. I think the low hours is a combination of the fact that part of the area is a field which stays somewhat damp until further into the year... I just saw I bought the tractor in 2011 so I've been averaging about 38 hours a mowing season. In addition, I had much less grass when I purchased it... I definitely added a lot of the grass in the last 3 years, including a full acre last year.

I actually purchased a GT235 with a 54" deck and power flow bagger today, put it through its paces mowing everything and it's a night and day improvement over the D130. I'm still going to keep an eye out for a newer, heavier tractor as I could use a diff lock from time to time on the slopes, but the price was right, it's in excellent condition, and I don't anticipate having any problems with my uses. No hour meter which is somewhat scary, but it drives like new, starts and runs AWESOME with no smoke, etc... couldn't be happier thus far.

Thanks all!

 

[Smoothas]

GT 235 is a great tractor with strong tranny, only concern is if it has plastic Cam?

 

[ishiboo]

GT 235 is a great tractor with strong tranny, only concern is if it has plastic Cam?

Well, I screwed up then. My understanding was the GT235 had the Kawa only since 2003, at which point the plastic cam situation had been resolved. I'll have to see. To be honest, I'm not even sure if it has the Briggs or the Kawasaki - it's JD branded but it looks like a Briggs to me.