Help with choosing new rider mower

[rgr33]

I decided about 20 years ago to start spoiling myself when buying things that I intend to use regularly, and will make life better for me.

Every item I have bought with that in mind, autos, z turn, tractors, shop tools etc, has really improved daily life for me, no regrets

 

[Oaktree]

The nice thing about the x370 is that the transmission is serviceable. Have 90 hours on mine and love it - except that Kawasaki engine is a gas hog for sure.

I'll check that one out next time I'm near a dealer, is a little more than I was looking to spend.
A 42" deck is about as wide as will fit in some of the places I have to mow, no way would I get a 48 there.

Gotta say though, don't think I've EVER had a transaxle problem with any mower I've ever had, even the box store ones. Frame or other structural stuff has been more of a failure point for me.

One thing I didn't like about the JDs was that adjusting the cutting height seemed to be overly complicated, not really something you could easily do on the fly.

I decided about 20 years ago to start spoiling myself when buying things that I intend to use regularly, and will make life better for me.

Every item I have bought with that in mind, autos, z turn, tractors, shop tools etc, has really improved daily life for me, no regrets

I'm having a hard time adjusting to that, I've always been quite frugal and it's not easy to change. My current car & truck were "only" 5 years old when I bought them, which to me is like buying new. Typically I'll get something 10-ish years old. So I'm getting there!

There's that Oaktree optimism!

I'm going to be the old man who really shouldn't be mowing anymore, but everyone is afraid to tell him to stop.

Just being realistic. To the best of my knowledge, no man on either side of my family has ever made it to 85. My father was the closest at 84. Not counting accidents, etc. the range seems to be 78-83. Brother didn't even make it to 65.

 

[dadohead]

Gotta say though, don't think I've EVER had a transaxle problem with any mower I've ever had, even the box store ones. Frame or other structural stuff has been more of a failure point for me.

Inside JD, we call the Select Series "Common Platform" because every model shares the same mainframe. Different rear hitch plates are bolted on which change the wheelbase. The X5 hitchplates accept the K72 transaxle and are massive. I seriously doubt you will have structural issues! Their duty cycle includes 30 hrs of moldboard plowing!

The biggest driver for transaxle life is machine weight and tire size. Mass tractors will often mate a K46 with 22" (or larger) rear tires making them appear more capable than they are. This greatly lowers transaxle life.

If you had a flat yard and only mowed, a X350 would be fine. If you had a sore shoulder or wanted to run a snowblower (higher lift and steering efforts), a X370 with PS/PL would be wonderful. Add in hills and want to pull loads or push snow: think X380. Maybe find a used one?

One thing I didn't like about the JDs was that adjusting the cutting height seemed to be overly complicated, not really something you could easily do on the fly.

Leveling a deck is one of the most important things to do to optimize cut quality. My dad and FIL said the same thing as you though. ;<) They found it wasn't complicated once I went through it with them. It also calibrates the deck to the deck height knob: you set 3" height-of-cut you  get 3" HOC! Make the dealer show you how it's done.... several times! I do it once a year when I prepare the machine in the Spring. Hope this helps! Randy

 

[WinterDeere]

Not sure how Deere does it now, but mine is just a knob you turn to the desired height, marked in 0.5 inch increments and with detents roughly every 0.25 inch. Step on deck lift pedal to take some weight off the height adjustment, turn the knob to desired height, ease foot off pedal. Done!

 

[dadohead]

Not sure how Deere does it now, but mine is just a knob you turn to the desired height, marked in 0.5 inch increments and with detents roughly every 0.25 inch. Step on deck lift pedal to take some weight off the height adjustment, turn the knob to desired height, ease foot off pedal. Done!

Yep... that's how HOC is still set. The deck leveling proceedure, however, levels the deck AND correlates it to the knob setting. Some users may not care but being dead-on is important in countries like UK that routinely mow at 1.5". There, being off 1/2" matters!

I have to pay extra attention when leveling my old GX deck to keep it calibrated to the HOC knob. The new mowers do it for you.

 

[WinterDeere]

Yep... that's how HOC is still set. The deck leveling proceedure, however, levels the deck AND correlates it to the knob setting. Some users may not care but being dead-on is important in countries like UK that routinely mow at 1.5". There, being off 1/2" matters!

Got it. I have checked mine a half-dozen times in the 15 years I've owned it, even bought a special guage for measuring height under each of the three blades, and it has never needed adjustment. Kinda makes me feel like I wasted money on the tool.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Avoid the Husqvarna, it doesn't really have a frame.

 

[dadohead]

Got it. I have checked mine a half-dozen times in the 15 years I've owned it, even bought a special guage for measuring height under each of the three blades, and it has never needed adjustment. Kinda makes me feel like I wasted money on the tool.

The yellow blade height gage? That's what I use. Honda made a nice gage too. Most years I have to tweak the linkage on the GX to get it perfect.

 

[JasperFrank]

What ever you get in your rocky and hilly areas, get something with a Limited Slip Differential, or a Differential Lock. I like my Cub Cadet, XT2 LX42, ... I would like it much better, with a manual locking diff. Just say'en......

 

[tacticalturnip]

What ever you get in your rocky and hilly areas, get something with a Limited Slip Differential, or a Differential Lock. I like my Cub Cadet, XT2 LX42, ... I would like it much better, with a manual locking diff. Just say'en......

The top-end XT2 has a differential lock, and sometimes I wonder if that's where I should have gone, lol.