Buying Advice Looking for a Recommendation for a new lawn/garden Tracktor

[66cuda]

Hello Everyone, first post, and I'm looking for a recommendation for a new tractor. I live on three acres but only mow 1 to 1.5 acres. The rest is high weeds, which I will mow a bath through for the kids. I have a walk out basement at my house and have a slightly moderate sloped hill on one side and a more gradual hill on the other.

For the last 5 year's I've been using a 20 year old MTD Yardman mower that I inherited from my Grandfathers estate. it has a 42inch mower deck with mulching blades. it has worked surprisingly well, however every year i'm replacing parts and i'd like to upgrade to something new that will last 20 years and provide a better cut quality as well as provide other features.

The big thing I was thinking from other features was being able to add a snowblower attachment. I have 75 feet or so of driveway that I would like to snow blow. the drive way is completely level.

I went to two local JD Dealers and both recommended the same unit for my end use, an X380 with a 48" deck and the 44" snowblower with weights and chains. What is everyone's opinion this? Is this the right option? both dealers said that this unit would be best suited for my needs and would have the strongest transmission which should last a long time without having to step to a 500 series. which both thought would be more than what my needs would be.

The only other concern I have right now is storage space for the unit. i'm worried that the overall width of the X380 with 48" deck might be too wide for the area I have for storage in my garage. I have to do some additional measurements and see, how much space I have. it's much tighter in the winter when I'm parking my pick up in the garage. I'm hoping that I'm not going to have to downgrade mowers and continue to use a walk behind snowblower in the winter.

looking forward to everyone's thoughts. Thank you!

 

[kevin37b]

Always buy more than you think you will need if budget allows . No looking back with the more capable machine . 2wd is fine with weights and chains .

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

"..both dealers said that this unit would be best suited for my needs and would have the strongest transmission which should last a long time without having to step to a 500 series. which both thought would be more than what my needs would be. "

Well..... Maybe, maybe not. The x380 uses the TuffTorque K58 transaxle which is a sealed unit with an integrated internal filter that is not serviceable unless you disassemble the unit. (Strider™ XD - Tuff Torq Corporation) It's a "average" lawn/estate tractor transaxle that will give about 10 years of service before the lack of serviceability starts to get to it.

There is a web site that makes a business of replacing K46/52's in X300 series with the larger K66/72 Tufftorque garden tractor units when they fail. The page has a good graphic to show the size and power handling difference in the transaxles (RJR TRACTOR SUPER 500 K72 UPGRADE KIT)

The X500 series use the K72 transaxle, a large, fully serviceable unit with a spin on filter and large fluid capacity. (Ox™ - Tuff Torq Corporation) If your looking for a 20 year transaxle, this is the start of the class of transaxles that will give that length of service, and more.

The x500 series is designed to be the entry model garden tractor which means the transaxle is strong enough to use ground engaging implements such as tillers, grader blades, rippers and such. Tractors that are meant to use ground implements are built far stronger than lawn or "estate" tractors whose main job is to mow grass.

I would seriously look at the base X500 series model, the X570. (X5 Select Series Lawn Tractor | X57, 48-in. Deck | John Deere US) You get a larger, heavier tractor with a differential lock which will make snow duty much better because you can lock both rear wheels so they both turn and push, the X300 series doesn't offer that. You will also get larger diameter wheels and tires, which add traction and make for a smoother ride. You also get a larger engine with higher torque, oil cooler and a larger choice of attachments and implements.

My 2 cents,
Tom

 

[66cuda]

Hiya,

"..both dealers said that this unit would be best suited for my needs and would have the strongest transmission which should last a long time without having to step to a 500 series. which both thought would be more than what my needs would be. "

Well..... Maybe, maybe not. The x380 uses the TuffTorque K58 transaxle which is a sealed unit with an integrated internal filter that is not serviceable unless you disassemble the unit. (Strider™ XD - Tuff Torq Corporation) It's a "average" lawn/estate tractor transaxle that will give about 10 years of service before the lack of serviceability starts to get to it.

There is a web site that makes a business of replacing K46/52's in X300 series with the larger K66/72 Tufftorque garden tractor units when they fail. The page has a good graphic to show the size and power handling difference in the transaxles (RJR TRACTOR SUPER 500 K72 UPGRADE KIT)

The X500 series use the K72 transaxle, a large, fully serviceable unit with a spin on filter and large fluid capacity. (Ox™ - Tuff Torq Corporation) If your looking for a 20 year transaxle, this is the start of the class of transaxles that will give that length of service, and more.

The x500 series is designed to be the entry model garden tractor which means the transaxle is strong enough to use ground engaging implements such as tillers, grader blades, rippers and such. Tractors that are meant to use ground implements are built far stronger than lawn or "estate" tractors whose main job is to mow grass.

I would seriously look at the base X500 series model, the X570. (X5 Select Series Lawn Tractor | X57, 48-in. Deck | John Deere US) You get a larger, heavier tractor with a differential lock which will make snow duty much better because you can lock both rear wheels so they both turn and push, the X300 series doesn't offer that. You will also get larger diameter wheels and tires, which add traction and make for a smoother ride. You also get a larger engine with higher torque, oil cooler and a larger choice of attachments and implements.

My 2 cents,
Tom

Thank you for the information Tom. I was surprised that both dealers recommended the exact same unit, after listening to pretty much the same story that I wrote here.

I've read quite a bit of information on this forum about the different transmissions. both dealers seemed to think that the K58 unit is strong enough for the work that i d, but after reading the forums i'm not sure. Then again, I've been using a 20 year old MTD and it's done the job just fine so I would think the 380 would be good? but who knows.

I started thinking about the whole X500 Vs. X300 series questions too but I don't think I can afford a 500 series a this time. I may be able to in a couple of years. Thought I'm not sure I really want to keep fixing the MTD for 2 more years.

 

[Wagtail]

Well it sounds to me that two different JD dealerships listened to you and to your described needs. Both then proceeded to recommend a rig that would competently do the job without trying to over-sell you into the next, higher priced rig.

That's what good tractor dealerships/salesmen (any colour) do. They want your business long-term.

 

[66cuda]

Well it sounds to me that two different JD dealerships listened to you and to your described needs. Both then proceeded to recommend a rig that would competently do the job without trying to over-sell you into the next, higher priced rig.

That's what good tractor dealerships/salesmen (any colour) do. They want your business long-term.

That's what I thought too.

Once I got home and started doing more research I had second thoughts. But I may be way over thinking this. Based on what I was told by the dealer and what I've read here it seems like the 380 would work well for my needs.

 

[Wagtail]

Yes, you could be overthinking it, or all of your 'vehicle' purchasing experiences are limited to "cars" or "boats". Tractor dealerships are somewhat different (which isn't to say that some of them are just out to get your money... they don't last long.)

Reputation is a major factor for all (again, any coloured) tractor dealership. Service, parts and also your loyalty to them, is where they make their money over the long term. This is because (typically) tractors last a loooong time and, make no mistake, a Lawn tractor is a tractor.

I'll wager that, not only did both of these dealerships listen to you & what your requirements are, they also asked pertinent questions. That both of them, independently, recommended the same model says a lot. They could have tried to sell you the 'next up' model X384, but you probably said that you don't have a lot of tight turning to perform... so why sell you something that you're not going to use to its full potential or leave you feeling 'ripped off'.

Look, it's a big decision. Not only for the money you're going to spend but for the long term investment of having/using it. Both of these dealerships sound as they're being fair to you, a potential long-term customer.

 

[tletourneau]

I'm not the person to ask, I bought a 1025R for a .17 acre lot.

That being said, if you don't plan on expanding its duties in the future and your lot is fairly flat that recommendation makes sense. As others have said it seems like the dealers listened to your requirements and recommended a capable machine without any extraordinary upsell.

 

[dragoneggs]

I'm not familiar with the engine (options) that come with the X380. For long term, from personal experience I recommend a Kawasaki engine if gas. I have a JD garden tractor that was mowing an acre (smooth lawn) for 25+ years with basic DIY maintenance only. Several years ago, I bought a dedicated mower in a 42in Kubota Z-turn mostly because it also had a Kawasaki engine. But I could do that because I bought a SCUT (w/backhoe) to do some serious landscaping.

Weight vs. lawn cut quality is a trade off. Weight is your friend if snowplowing, blowing, or other earthy tasks, but not so much if you are aiming for a manicured lawn. Finding that sweet spot is a challenge if buying and operating one machine for all. Now I have a dedicated BX tractor for everything but mowing and Z turn mower that goes in tight spaces. Best of both worlds but finances might not allow that. Just something to consider. Having a dedicated tractor even a SCUT can do so much if you have landscaping plans. I'm not a fan of a belly mower on a tractor if your terrain isn't already as tame as you want it.

 

[RyeThomas]

Have you considered looking for a X500 series used? Just a thought. I understand the new tractor and a warranty and how reassuring that can be. In my experience (not saying I'm right) most machines if they are going to have issues have them up front, once they get some hours if they are maintained will run a long time. I always buy used equipment and it has saved me $ and allowed me to buy more machine than I could ever afford new.