john deere choice

[shanemsb]

trading in my jd z930a zero turn.
trying to decide between a jd z997 or x749
3 acres to cut. 1/2 has obstacles other 1/2 completely open and flat
x749 would be more comfortable but im am nervous about the lesser speed
11.5 mph vs 8.5 mph
please help

 

[magicheater]

What is the deck width and what other features stand out between the two besides the speed. Rarely do you ever mow at full speed.

 

[shanemsb]

z997 60"
x749 62"
and your right i only mow full speed half the time

 

[shanemsb]

worried about maneuvering

 

[shanemsb]

4wd helps
some low spots after it rains
been stuck a couple a times before in my z930a

 

[Wnc3]

If all you are doing is cutting grass, the 997 is great.
We love ours and covers ground quickly.
If you ran them at the same speed, you will be done sooner on the ztr.

If your not in a hurry to finish and are ready for a change, the x749 look better...

 

[Martian]

The 997 is as sweet of a ZTR I've seen - it'd be my first choice for one, just as the x749 would be my first choice for a lawn and garden tractor. With having multiple other tractors and equipment my choice would be the 997 for the maneuverability and I wouldn't need the extra stuff of the x749. If you don't have any other equipment the x749 may be a better choice and then you can have a 3pt hitch as well.

 

[rsewill]

If all you are doing is cutting grass, the 997 is great.

Completely agree. The 997 is a one trick pony and does it very, very well.

 

[jenkinsph]

Those are two very different mowers first of all. If you are nervous about the speed of the x749 I would stay with the z997. I don't think you would be satisfied with the speed of the x749. But just remember that when you get stuck. I base this on the fact that your 930A is about the same speed as a 997 and if you can mow full speed 1/2 the time you would miss this.

The other important consideration is the 62" deck on the x749 is not as good as the 60" 7iron deck on the z997.

I have an x749 and really like it, it is fast enough for me and very versatile equipped with the 3PH and rear 540pto. I use it more for building landscapes than mowing. You didn't mention needing anything else just mowing.

My recommendation is for the z997 and fix the low spots that are getting you stuck.

 

[shanemsb]

i have a bx2360 that i was going to trade in for the zd331 to kubota
i really have no use for it anymore. not even a year old yet
john deere doesnt want it. havnt had any luck trying to sell it
but john deere wants my z930a and giving good trade in value
i wanted to upgrade to diesel which is my main reason for changing

 

[jenkinsph]

Seems like a lot of tractor and mower for 3 acres imo, but I would keep the BX for the maintenance chores, fertilizing, reseeding and ground repairs. Then if you must upgrade the mower to the diesel since it will be used for the brunt of the work. This is a personal choice obviously, trading frequently costs alot of money. You could buy alot of gas for the upgrade costs moving to the z997 diesel.

 

[shanemsb]

yea it is
I got the bx2360 to fix up my yard and finished with that
really don't do anything else in the yard but cut grass and a lot of poisoning
nice to have a tractor when u might need it but seems to be wasting time in my shed
figured I could get better use out of a new lawnmower
so that's why I was thinking about trading it in for the zd331
but I need something to be able to poison that's why I was considering the x749 with the mounted sprayer 4wd and 4ws
only major drawback is the speed and time to spend cutting probably will be a little longer
minor drawback is 62x deck is not as good as 7 iron deck and maneuvering

 

[jenkinsph]

I use the x749 (2011) and an L130 (2005) for my lawn work. Figure I wiill put as many hours on the light mower as I can. With two of the mowers and trimmer mowers I have more than I need for my personal use.

I would think an x749 would work for you too but have this question, why won't the BX acomplish the same thing? What is the top speed mowing with it?

 

[Martian]

I'm with Steve here. I think you should pick up a mid mount mower (MMM) for the BX2360. No sense in loosing a good tractor to get a one dimensional tractor nearly the same size and paying to do so. When you average all of the mowing around trees and turning, one tractor is not substantially faster than another to the point it takes a 3 hour job down to 30 minutes. I'd keep all the goodness of your 2360 and spend the same amount of money for a nice mower for it, then you have a tractor when you need it and take the FEL off and have a mower when you need it.

 

[jenkinsph]

Not to be too nosy but did you get some numbers on the trade of the 930A for the 997 or 749? If you purchased the 749 would you then sell off the BX?

I worked over a weed patch with gullies to make my lawn in 2009, but there are still times I need to be able to use tools on a garden tractor seasonally. So I wouldn't want to be without some type of 3PH tractor. Thinking about ordering an MC519 cart with blower Monday.

I bought the 749 more to use in the business for the most part so it sees more use than if I had it solely for my own lawn. My lawn is pretty smooth and was planed when I put it in but still 8+mph mowing seems fast enough to me.

Pictures of your lawn would help, heres a pic of mine. just a few trees to mow around but mostly open. This is after mowing with the L130 box store mower.

 

[shanemsb]

nice green yard
$7000 trade in on z930a
bx2360 has 60" mid mount mower but does not maneuver very well and has r4 tires

 

[shanemsb]

x749 $12500
z997 $13999
zd331 $13995

 

[shanemsb]

never took off fel
afraid it would be too hard to put back on

 

[shanemsb]

top speed of bx2360 is 8.5mph

 

[jenkinsph]

How do you feel about the $5500 to $7000 ezpenditure for an upgrade? I know I would want to be sure this was the right selection.