Garden Tractors

[JDgreen227]

The liquid cooled X540 has captured my attention. Is the liquid worth the extra $900 (it sure is in snowmobiles!)
Still also tempted on the X720 or X740 and believe it or not, a Kubota BX. I tested the BX and it seems to ride rougher, requires more steering wheel turns and has a clunky powerflo. But it has an FEL and 3 pt. hitch. Hard to decide.

Given the climate in Maine, I don't know if the liquid cooling would be enough of an asset to justify the extra expense. And you would have to factor in the cost of coolant changes down the road.

 

[mjm1]

Thank you. Economically, the X530 is probably my best choice. I will get the powerflow, 54" deck and perhaps the Snowblower. Plus a comfortable aftermarket seat from Northern Tools. My back cannot take the two piece Deere seat.

 

[JDgreen227]

What you said about the Kubota having a FEL and 3 point hitch...those add a lot of cost to a tractor, much of it because of the additional hydraulics required. Unless you actually expect to really use those two items, there is little sense paying for them. I probably only have my FEL and rear blade WORKING on my tractor ten to fifteen of the actual 110 operating hours I use it a year, but when I need them, I NEED THEM. If you think you may need the FEL and 3 point in the future, get a tractor that has them NOW. It is very costly to trade in a two or three year old smaller tractor and upgrade to a larger one after only a few years.

My first Deere was a 318 with a 50 inch deck and snowblade, I lived on 11 acres and thought it would handle my needs, but after the first year I wanted to kick myself because I should have purchased a 755 with the 3 point and FEL, because once I had a tractor, I kept finding things to use it for that mine wasn't capable of doing because it didn't have the power or hydraulic capacity I needed. Yet I could not afford to upgrade for a long time. My mistake !!

Hope this helps you....and I am happy you want to buy Deere, I would NEVER buy any other brand.

 

[jenkinsph]

The 540 rear pto and limited act 1 hitch work well on the x749, good for 48 to 60 inch implements. These small models are great in close quarters but will not take the place of larger compacts. If considering a fel I would consider a 35hp and up compact tractor.

 

[expedoman55]

Not to rain on the John Deere or anyones parade but I have an 07 TC22da New Holland 3 cyl diesel Hydro. I have a 60 inch deck, FEL, Hydro 3 point hitch. Awesome tractor. New model number is different this year. I will say the mower and FEL are super easy to put on and take off. First raise deck all the way up, pull pins and turn the mower deck wheels turn sideways( cool design), drop deck, pull 6 pins. raise the deck arms(no deck attached) pull back collar on driveshaft slide shaft back. roll deck out the side. poof done. more than 15 minutes.. your cokin and smokin! reverse procedure to put back on. maybe 20 minute to put back on to line it up.
Love my New Holland. I have no experience with Kubota at all and only with my sisters Deere but it has no mower only FEL.. So not knocking any others, just saying.

 

[RaydaKub]

I will say the mower and FEL are super easy to put on and take off. First raise deck all the way up, pull pins and turn the mower deck wheels turn sideways( cool design), drop deck, pull 6 pins. raise the deck arms(no deck attached) pull back collar on driveshaft slide shaft back. roll deck out the side. poof done. more than 15 minutes.. your cokin and smokin! reverse procedure to put back on. maybe 20 minute to put back on to line it up.

Similar procedure to drop the mower off my Kubota BX. If I just drag it out, 2 minutes and it's off. If I take the time to turn the wheels, maybe 4. Drop the FEL off in about 2 minutes too. Mounting the FEL is maybe 5 minutes (still a rookie at lining it up). Worst thing is mounting the mower. The drive shaft can be a pain, but still is less than 5 minutes.

 

[jenkinsph]

Not to rain on the John Deere or anyones parade but I have an 07 TC22da New Holland 3 cyl diesel Hydro. I have a 60 inch deck, FEL, Hydro 3 point hitch. Awesome tractor. New model number is different this year. I will say the mower and FEL are super easy to put on and take off. First raise deck all the way up, pull pins and turn the mower deck wheels turn sideways( cool design), drop deck, pull 6 pins. raise the deck arms(no deck attached) pull back collar on driveshaft slide shaft back. roll deck out the side. poof done. more than 15 minutes.. your cokin and smokin! reverse procedure to put back on. maybe 20 minute to put back on to line it up.
Love my New Holland. I have no experience with Kubota at all and only with my sisters Deere but it has no mower only FEL.. So not knocking any others, just saying.

On a Deere x749, you rotate the deck wheels sideways similar to yours, lower deck, release the front yoke with a lever type binder, release the pto with pull back collar, raise the deck arms and roll the mower out. No pins to pull, no loose hardware.

I find the hardest thing is reconnecting the pto shaft with short arms.

 

[Don87]

Similar procedure to drop the mower off my Kubota BX. If I just drag it out, 2 minutes and it's off. If I take the time to turn the wheels, maybe 4. Drop the FEL off in about 2 minutes too. Mounting the FEL is maybe 5 minutes (still a rookie at lining it up). Worst thing is mounting the mower. The drive shaft can be a pain, but still is less than 5 minutes.

Same with the Massey Ferguson GC series.

 

[XSKIER]

Vastly different with the one thousand series JD. Check out mustangary on YouTube!

 

[murphy1244]

If your just cutting grass and snowblowing check out a Simplicity.Nothing cuts grass better. Nothing.:cool2: