Hello all, wanted to start off by saying I love the site and have learned a lot just from browsing the last few days. Thanks in advance for any and all help here.
So I have just bought an old 1890's farm house in northern VT; It's got 3 acres with one decent (20°-25°) slope near the back of the lot, a few trees and a decent sized driveway. I want to use the tractor to mow (obviously,) as a snow plow in the winter and the wife wants to be able to tow a 10P cart for soil/mulch/plants/etc. Also we would rather spend what it takes upfront to get a good piece of equipment that can last 15 to 20 years minimum with proper maintenance. We chose to go with JD since the dealer is so close and their customer service is second to none from everyone we talked to.
After a trip to the local dealer I walked away unsure of what we really need. They have X300/48" deck for $3300 which I thought should be enough. After reading to 'Decide what you need and buy the next size up' I went back and took a second look. Great news is they had a brand new X340/54" discounted to $4300 (close to the price of the X320) so I thought that was a no brainer w/ the upgrade from the K46 to the K58. They also got the X500 for about $5300.
So I am assuming the 300 is not enough and trying to decide if I need the 500 or if the 340 will do the job. My main concern is plowing ungodly amounts of heavy, wet snow after a big storm with the 44" two stage blower on the 340, year in and year out for 20 years!
Will the cold temps stop the transmission from getting too hot? Will I be taxing the tractor too much and really need the 500? Also in the summer it can get pretty hot, though I plan on tapping the K58 case to be able to flush it and change the oil if cannot be done stock, will the 340 be able to handle 2-3 hours in 90°-100° heat without straining the K58 too much?
Any and all advice is welcome. We just moved in this Monday and it's not gonna be long before we have to mow so we got about a week or so to make a decision.
So I have just bought an old 1890's farm house in northern VT; It's got 3 acres with one decent (20°-25°) slope near the back of the lot, a few trees and a decent sized driveway. I want to use the tractor to mow (obviously,) as a snow plow in the winter and the wife wants to be able to tow a 10P cart for soil/mulch/plants/etc. Also we would rather spend what it takes upfront to get a good piece of equipment that can last 15 to 20 years minimum with proper maintenance. We chose to go with JD since the dealer is so close and their customer service is second to none from everyone we talked to.
After a trip to the local dealer I walked away unsure of what we really need. They have X300/48" deck for $3300 which I thought should be enough. After reading to 'Decide what you need and buy the next size up' I went back and took a second look. Great news is they had a brand new X340/54" discounted to $4300 (close to the price of the X320) so I thought that was a no brainer w/ the upgrade from the K46 to the K58. They also got the X500 for about $5300.
So I am assuming the 300 is not enough and trying to decide if I need the 500 or if the 340 will do the job. My main concern is plowing ungodly amounts of heavy, wet snow after a big storm with the 44" two stage blower on the 340, year in and year out for 20 years!
Will the cold temps stop the transmission from getting too hot? Will I be taxing the tractor too much and really need the 500? Also in the summer it can get pretty hot, though I plan on tapping the K58 case to be able to flush it and change the oil if cannot be done stock, will the 340 be able to handle 2-3 hours in 90°-100° heat without straining the K58 too much?
Any and all advice is welcome. We just moved in this Monday and it's not gonna be long before we have to mow so we got about a week or so to make a decision.
