Loader 45 installed on my X585

[Chunin]

I picked up the tractor with the loader this Saturday from my local Deere dealer. I had to use my beat up Harbor Freight folding trailer for this as it would not fit in the bed of my little pickup truck. It was like Christmas for me when I saw it. Have been a long time I have not had that feeling. It was gorgeous. When to work at my acre and it worked wonderful. It is all I need. Great size and easy to maneuver on tight spots. It handled full bucket of soil and rock with no problem. It felt safe without counterweight and I will not be adding it as I don't feel I need it. Here is the pic of when I picked it up. The weight was well over the 1,200 lb limit of the trailer but it handled it like a champ. Thanks to all.

 

[beenthere]

Looking great. Enjoy the "ride".

As to counterweight, keep the load low, as tip-over is (can be) sudden and surprising if load is high and turning, or when catching a tire in a small dip or bump.
Sometimes instinct is to raise the bucket when the feeling comes that the rear wheels are lifting off the ground. But the opposite reaction is needed.. drop the bucket as fast as possible to get balance back. Feeling safe and being safe may be two different things. Be safe. :thumbsup:

 

[Chunin]

Ok. Will keep the load low. I don't need it high anyway. And will definitely lower the load if anything happens. I'll rather fall on the load than the load on me.
On another note. The sales person corrected me two times when I said that the tractor would do fine in my one acre farm. He said that it was not a tractor but a lawn mower.

 

[TimberXX]

Nice machine.

Next time you need to move the machine consider uhauls utility trailers. Some even have ramps.

I've used the dual axle utility, it's a beast.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[beenthere]

The utility trailer U-Haul lists is only 40" inside rails. The X585 lists width to be 46.8"

Or is there a larger utility trailer available from U-Haul?

 

[beenthere]

On another note. The sales person corrected me two times when I said that the tractor would do fine in my one acre farm. He said that it was not a tractor but a lawn mower.

Correct him back and suggest he read his own company's literature that calls the X485 a garden tractor. Not a lawn mower. Might even send that note to his manager of the dealership and/or the owner.

 

[Deere Dude]

Very nice tractor. That loader will save you a lot of backaches.
One tip though. Never take that tractor on that trailer again on the highway. It is to light duty and a wheel may break off and dump the tractor in the ditch or into a lane of traffic. Springs can break and wheels can break and fall off. I once hauled 20 bags of cement on a converted boat trailer with 14" wheels, a wheel broke off and the trailer rolled over it and flipped every bag of cement into the ditch. I reloaded it after I changed the wheel with the spare and 3 miles down the road the other wheel broke off, but this time I was driving slow and didn't lose anything. I am not the safety police but know what can happen when a trailer is overloaded and I would hate to see that with that great garden tractor.

 

[Chunin]

I was going local and doing 35 MPH max. Would slow down when there was any unevenness on the road like railway crossings. I was going to call a flat bed tow truck but after reading the reviews on the harbor freight website of people claiming to haul 2000 lbs with no issue I decide to do the short trip with the little trailer. The cost of the tow truck would have been more than I could have sold the trailer for. A few years back when I just got the trailer I damaged it in my first outing. I did not know how to use a trailer and while backing sharply my truck went into the trailer and bent both front arms. That is why now I only go forward with a trailer no matter how far I have to go to find a place to turn around. The only time I had to backup and make a turn was when the old Key Largo bridge was closed due to an accident and I had to use the new road.

Regarding the counterweight for the tractor I was thinking that maybe it would be cheaper and more useful to just add an inexpensive 4 ft box blade to it. That would act as a counter weight and can be used to grade the soil too.

 

[Dutch445]

with the 3ph you have many options for weight: ballast box, 3ph weight bracket, or like you say an implement.
i have my tires loaded and I can handle anything i can load into the bucket fine.. although on hillsides
i would put on rear weight if i had to lift heavy loads,.

 

[Chunin]

I'm looking at it since the tractor has the 3ph installed already. I saw on Craigslist a box blade but it is 5 feet instead of my targeted 4 ft. I don't know if it would be too large. I was trying to keep the whole tractor with about the same profile regarding width. He is asking $200 but since it is old I will try to get it for around $100 to $150.