itorque engines

[TimberXX]

What's the deal with the Deere itorque engines? For example in the x300 or x500 series? Are they just standard Kawasaki's, with a Deere sticker? They say have have "lugging ability", but I don't buy it.

How long can one expect from one in hours? 1500 hours like a normal air cooled engine?

Could they have cheapened these engines?

 

[ctlguy]

The kawi's have usually been a pretty good power plant. Can't tell you if internal parts are different but if you take a s/n of a JD Kawi and take it to a Kawi dealer and ask for an internal part like say a piston their system will not allow them to get it. That part is probably more of an agreement to keep the parts business at the dealer but is also possible that certain items where specced out by Deere as what they wanted for their units but then again maybe not. As far as hours are concerned 1500 seems like a lot of seat time for a residential machine. Don't know your use but maybe a commercial duty machine is what you are looking for. Good Luck

 

[OneMarineE5]

The kawi's have usually been a pretty good power plant. Can't tell you if internal parts are different but if you take a s/n of a JD Kawi and take it to a Kawi dealer and ask for an internal part like say a piston their system will not allow them to get it. That part is probably more of an agreement to keep the parts business at the dealer but is also possible that certain items where specced out by Deere as what they wanted for their units but then again maybe not. As far as hours are concerned 1500 seems like a lot of seat time for a residential machine. Don't know your use but maybe a commercial duty machine is what you are looking for. Good Luck

Hey ctlguy,

pure question here, no argument or emphasis implied etc.

I was always under the impression that while sold under residential....the x series were commercial grade! For my edumication, other than some zero turn type machines, what might a true commercial grade machine be?

 

[ctlguy]

There really are not any commercial grade lawn or garden tractors under the Deere umbrella. Better to think of them as a premium residential machine. There are a lot of x700 (previous x4 &500's or 425,455 etc) that stood up pretty well to a commercial environment and saw the 1500 plus hour level on a lot of them. Can any of them be used commercially, absolutely but that is also why you see the hour limitation on the warranty. 300 hours on an x300 series will typically be just fine for a homeowner over the 4 year period but using it to make a living you would probably use up that warranty in the first year and that is the intent of that limitation. Don't worry about insulting me after nearly 20 years of a past life working at a Deere dealership you devolop a thick enough skin that even if insult was intended it is usually not percieved. All of that being said if going to use a residential unit for a commercial duty life Deere units would be at the top IMO as far as reliability but I would lean twoards a liquid cooled unit if each time you are on the seat will consist of long hours as opposed to a quick mow here and a quick mow there.

 

[TimberXX]

When you look on machinetrader, there are plenty of units between 2000 to 3000 hours (x7 or x4) units. Is 1500 high for a x3 or x5 machine?

 

[ChuckinNH]

I put 1480 hours on a splash, and paddle 12.5 hp Briggs in a Simplicity that I had. It took 12 years, and sure was a lot of seat time. I got a good trade in on that machine, and the engine was still running fine, and using no oil. The trick there is that I was very good about maintenance on that machine, and the oil was always changed every 25 hours, or a bit less if it worked out that way. It took nearly 7 hours to do a complete mowing job on my land with that machine so it didn't get babied when used. That engine had no oil filter, and I found long ago, and far away that the more simple, and open the engine is, the more important frequent oil changes are. It was the difference between 300 hrs, and 1200 hours on the Cessna's we flew out of dirt runways, and taxied in blowing sand. The "air filters" on those engines was pretty crude, and open. Most any well made engine will last a long time if you really take care of it. Most folks want a new machine long before they reach those hours. I have 700 on my Kohler now, and I'm looking.

 

[mbrun]

I have seen the FH721v engine (same series used on x500) referenced as the engine on some "commercial" grade mowers.

Featuring a manufacturer warranty without the typical "commercial use" limitation would seem to indicate the manufacture at least takes not exceptions to it being used for commercial use.