Deere X320 questions

[davebyers]

I am close to buying my first lawn tractor and have narrowed it down to a Deere. There is a very friendly JD dealer 30 min away that I will buy from. I have 1.5 acres of lawn to cut but I also wanted to do a other chores with it such as:

-light grading
-towing a small Kifco water wheel around the pasture
-maybe plowing snow when its not too deep (we get a lot of snow)

Is the 44" blade worth buying? Can I push crushed gravel around with it?

Can't decide whether I should mulch or bag. Any opinions there?

Any other must-have options?

Thanks.

 

[rxman]

I just bought a X324 and love it. I've got about 2 acres to mow with several trees objects to mow around. I've used it a couple times and love it. Coming from a 18hp 42" rider, the 4-wheel steering and 48" has honestly cut my mowing time in half.

I can't comment on the blade - don't have one and don't get enough snow here to need one.

On mulching vs bagging - I mulch. I've bagged in the past and the process is frustrating to say the least. The chute would get clogged if even the volume being cut was too high and don't even think about it if the grass is damp. I was constantly shaking the chute while mowing to keep it flowing. I asked about the power bagger when getting the JD. They were honest and told me that while they'd sell me the expensive power bagging system (something like $1000), I'd hate it. It helps keep the grass moving but it still clogs. They say people complain about them all the time. They clearly didn't want to sell me one.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I had a blade on my LX172 and it was fine for smaller amounts of snow, I never used it for dirt/gravel work however. I've had baggers before but would much prefer the mulch set-up for my needs.

 

[davebyers]

Thanks for the responses so far. Is the 4WS steer worth it if I don't have many obstacles to mow around?

Does the "mulching system" add-on consist of a different blade and a plug?

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I have a X534 AWS and I LOVE it! Now I have a bunch of stuff to mow around so if you don't it might not make that much difference. On my last mower the mulch kit consisted of different blades and a plug.

 

[MrWoodChips]

I have 1.5 acres of lawn to cut but I also wanted to do a other chores with it such as:

-light grading
-towing a small Kifco water wheel around the pasture
-maybe plowing snow when its not too deep (we get a lot of snow)

Is the 44" blade worth buying? Can I push crushed gravel around with it?

Can't decide whether I should mulch or bag. Any opinions there?

Be careful. The front blades on these machines do not make them bulldozers. There are limits to what they can push without damaging your frame. Light grading of gravel is fine.

They do plow snow very nicely, depending on the weight of you, your machine, whether you have rear weights, wheel weights, chains, tire style, etc. It also depends on the snow depth and the density. I plow about 1/2 mile of road as well as our driveway. I can easily do a foot of snow if it is light and fluffy, less on the wet, dense stuff. (4wd, no chains, turf tires, 100 pounds of rear weights, plus my butt.) I keep my blower for the once a winter stuff that I can't plow.

Mulch it, unless you intend to compost that which you pick up. Why take that source of food away, only to then add fertilizer?

John