patchnball
Bronze Member
x530......HDAP tires......power steering worth every dime. Maybe you should trade that orange in for more green....two for the price of one.
X500?
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- john deere x500
rekees4300
Elite Member
Congrats :thumbsup: My mowing time went from 3.5 to 2.5 hrs. vs. Craftsman
OregonCraig
Bronze Member
I picked up the X500 on Saturday and put it right to work. Very happy with the initial outing. It seemed to cut my mowing time in about 1/2 vs. the L130 that I had.
Congrats on the purchase! I forgot to mention it earlier, but the X500 has a very robust transmission (TuffTorq/Kanzaki K72) that will have no problems on your hills and slopes. Many on this forum have reported problems with lesser transmissions that some of the X3xx series have.
mikehaugen
Elite Member
Congratulations... I'm jealous. I would love an x540 but the wallet won't allow it. I cut my mom's grass with her 345 sometimes and I love it. Oh well, guess my bunton will have to get me by for a few (or 10) more years. :laughing:
Here is the obligatory picture. The only regret I have is they didn't have one with the HDAP rear tires. In fact, they claimed no one had ever asked for them on an X500 before. They did offer to swap some from an X540 that was coming in but said it could be a week or two and it was going to add $100 to the price plus $50 to install. I'm gonna run the turfs and see how they do (they did fine in my initial outing). If I decide I need the HDAP's I can get a pair new for $200 and have a them mounted on my rims and keep the turfs for backup.
rekees4300
Elite Member
Looks good. Tip: for your deck hose connection use a Dramm 22729 Heavy-Duty Quick Disconnect Brass. Available at Amazon. They don't leak.
Thanks, after using it once I knew I would need a quick disconnect
I am almost in the same position as the OP except that I have a smaller area to mow. I do need a heavy duty tractor because of the terrain...hills and rather rough ground. I also have an extensive system of trails on my forty acres that I have maintained with my JD 1070 and shredder. If I buy an X530, I'll use it to do the ones that are close to the house.
I am considering the X530 over the X500 because my wife and I are over 70 and I think the hydraulics and power steering of the X530 would be a plus for us....especially my wife. She has bugged me for twenty years to show her how to drive the 1070 and I have always said no way. Knowing my wife, I felt that it was too a bit to complicated for her.
Most of my questions have already been answered in the above comments but I do have a couple more. How maneuverable is the X500 series with a 54 inch deck? I will regularly be mowing about an acre but it is cluttered with lots of plantings...trees, shrubs and flower beds. How difficult is it to clean and maintain that huge deck? Does rinsing it off after every mowing work? What about blade removal for sharpening? The dealers that I have talked to want a bunch to service these machines.
By the way for the past twenty years, I have used a 21 inch walk behind mower and the 1070 and shredder to maintain my yard. It's time to spoil myself with a riding mower.
I am considering the X530 over the X500 because my wife and I are over 70 and I think the hydraulics and power steering of the X530 would be a plus for us....especially my wife. She has bugged me for twenty years to show her how to drive the 1070 and I have always said no way. Knowing my wife, I felt that it was too a bit to complicated for her.
Most of my questions have already been answered in the above comments but I do have a couple more. How maneuverable is the X500 series with a 54 inch deck? I will regularly be mowing about an acre but it is cluttered with lots of plantings...trees, shrubs and flower beds. How difficult is it to clean and maintain that huge deck? Does rinsing it off after every mowing work? What about blade removal for sharpening? The dealers that I have talked to want a bunch to service these machines.
By the way for the past twenty years, I have used a 21 inch walk behind mower and the 1070 and shredder to maintain my yard. It's time to spoil myself with a riding mower.
OregonCraig
Bronze Member
The X5xx series mowers are good machines, but they do have some limitations. In my case, I wanted the ability to mow while driving down long steep slopes (measured at 25 degrees of slope; up to 80 yards in length). I needed 4WD/AWD mainly to get four-wheel braking. My X500 would go up those slopes with turf tires if the trail was dry enough to provide traction. Of course, going uphill the weight of the tractor is over the drive wheels. Driving forward down the slopes, my X500 didn't have the traction to hold the hill, even if dry. A lot of the weight comes off the rear wheels, making them lighter, and transfers to the front wheels, which have no brakes. The Kawasaki engine and K72 transmission are plenty strong, traction is the only issue.
You may still find it easier to use your walk-behind mower up against the house and around some other tight spaces. The X500 is quite agile (mine had the 48" deck), but not as agile as a walk-behind. Depends on your layout.
For cleaning the top of the deck, I like using my shop vac on "blow" mode. It gets all the little nooks and crannies clean.