54'' deck on X700 series.

JDTank · Mar 7, 2013

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 · Mar 7, 2013

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 · Mar 7, 2013

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 · Mar 7, 2013

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 · Mar 7, 2013

. 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 · Mar 7, 2013

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 · Mar 8, 2013

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 · Mar 8, 2013

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 · Mar 8, 2013

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 · Mar 8, 2013

Dashe said:
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.