My X744 and Our X749

unit40 · Dec 1, 2009

I have owned an X744 tractor for the past several seasons and have absolutely loved it. I have resumed clearing more acreage with it and i tell you, there is nothing better than that feeling of a 24 horse diesel powering a three-point chipper. The tractor is very manueverable through the brush too. So since i purchase equipment for my Town Parks dept. and it was time to trade-in some equipment, I purchased an X749 with a 62" deck and a 14 bushel powerflow bagger. I as well as the crew are just totally amazed with this machine. We have to maintain several properties that are a combination of fine manicured lawns with trees and landscape beds, sports fields, and some incredible slopes, as well as one field that is perpetually wet/under water. This is the only machine that can maintain these properties thoroghly and safely. This tractor can handle the hills better than our 4WD front mount mowers that couldn't climb them or would skid down. Some slopes you have to cut across and this tractor is stable and secure where the front mounts would start to lift a tire. It can turn around mulch beds, fire hydrants, flag poless, trees better than ANY of our zero-turn machines. And it holds as much or more grass than our commercial baggers too !! At least one of the guys never wants to get off it !! I'm used to the handling and comfort of the AWS X744, but the AWD/AWS version is an absolute must for hilly terrain, and I'm talking serious slopes. The tires look wicked agressive at first, and we were all pretty aprehensive thinking they were going to tear the places up, but it does not tear the grass up at all. it is pretty amazing. Yes, I'm bleeding green right now, but in all fairness one of the guys prefers his Kubota F3060 mower, the other likes the small size of the Exmark navigator, and I can't keep the crew boss off of that new 997....do you blame him !!! The X749 has it's place as well as my belief that my x744 with the rear three point hitch and PTO is the ultimate landscaping machine, I wouldn't call it a tractor or a mower anymore.....no comparison to anything else out there.

unit40 · Dec 1, 2009

I forgot to add that the new X749 deck has the wash port. It doesn't do squat for us except make a miserable mess. Better to just blast a high pressure hose under there or pop the deck off and flip it gently over...only takes a minute.

sargex595 · Dec 1, 2009

Nice set up. I have a X595 and was wondering what make and model chipper you have on the X744? Do you think it would work on my X595?

Thanks,
Curt.

unit40 · Dec 1, 2009

I have the DR three-point hitch chipper, made by McKissick. It is the older style, meaning not the rapid feed version. It'll take 4.5 or 5 inch branch I think. I forget, sorry. I had to modify it though. the pins are narrow spaced Cat.0 so i had to bolt on a Cat1 draw bar to fit the X or any Cat1 tractor for that matter. I've run a lot of brush through it. had to tighten up some hardware and opened it up and sharpened the knife and adjusted the wear plate which was waaaay off. All better, runs awesome. MAde in USA too, I like that. Now the DR two speed electric splitter of mine .....made in peoples republic of china......make me not so happy but I love it too. BTW, don't try chipping up multyflora rose with the brush. It'l grab your gloves or sleeve and try to pull it in. Thats when the tooth bar comes in handy on the Johnny Bucket, I just dig 'em out and drag them away. then there's the buckthorn...OUCH !!!