X530/X540 Qustions

[TnWV]

Hi all,

Well I'm thinking about being a John Deere owner this saturday. I have an old troy built 54" mower that something has broke everytime I've mowed this year. Last night may have been that last time I deal with it. I have beat the snot out of this mower, and all in all it hasn't been to bad, but it is now just plain wore out and its time to replace it. I'm sick of working on it, and want to buy a mower that will last a long-time.

Several weeks ago I looked at and test drove an X740 Diesel. I was really impressed with how this mower held and climbed the slopes behind the dealership. I have been trying to rationalize spending 10K on a mower (dealer quoted me $9,649 + tax for the X740 with 60" 7-Iron Deck) but since we are planning on building a new house in the spring, I believe I have decided against spending that much.

I called the dealer back earlier and asked about the X530 and X540. I was quoted cash prices of $5,820 for the X530 and $6,420 for the X540. The only notable difference I can find is that the X540 has a liquid cooled engine. However, the X530 comes standard with the HDAP rear tires, and the X540 comes with the regular turfs standard and will cost me an extra $300 to get the HDAP tires. Both machines have power steering and hydaulic deck lift. Tax and all, the price difference would be about $954 between the two.

My main questions are:

1. Is having the liquid cooled engine worth the extra almost 1K? I'm leaning towards no.

2. After driving the X740, will I be dissappointed with the X530 as far as handling the slopes? There is about a 300 lb difference between them, but the X740 had turfs and I'm hoping that the HDAP tires will make up for part of it.

3. Does the pricing I'm getting seem fair? The X530's MSRP on the deere website is $6,899, so my quoted price of $5,820 works out to about 15.6% below MSRP. The price is lower than most of the used units I've seen on Tractorhouse.com and other sites, so I think it is pretty good. All 4 of the Deere dealers within 50-60 miles of me are owned by the same company, so I was actually a little surprised by what I think is a competitive price.

4. One of my main complaints with the troy built over the years has been the drive belt wearing out. Using the thing on a hillside, I could go through a belt per year easy. I know that the X500 series is not completely shaft driven like the X700's but am I correct to assume that it will be far superior to the drive belt system on the troy built that came from lowes?

Ive got by with the much lighter troy built for the last 10 Years, and for the most part it has worked just fine. When the troy built worked as it should, I only had traction issues in a couple of places, so feel that the X530 will be sufficient. I now mow about 3.5 acres or so of "lawn". At 7.2 miles per hour, I think that the X530 will be much faster than the troy built, and it takes me about 3 hours or so now. I'm not sure of the blade tip speed of my current mower or the X530, but i am satisfied with the cut the troy built leaves, so I doubt I could possibly be dissappointed with the cut of the deere. I originally started looking at zero turn mowers, but due to the slopes, I just dont feel confortable with them, but have'nt completely ruled that out. I figure any commercial ZTR heavy enough to trust on the slopes will be closer in price to the X740 or more. I will test drive the X530 on Saturday and see how it handles, and go from there.

Any opinions or experience is appreciated.


Thanks in advance,

Tony

 

[rekees4300]

My main questions are:

1. Is having the liquid cooled engine worth the extra almost 1K? I'm leaning towards no.
Pros - quieter and lasts longer
Cons - $1k extra, more complex engine, more stuff to fail
Answer - No

2. After driving the X740, will I be dissappointed with the X530 as far as handling the slopes? There is about a 300 lb difference between them, but the X740 had turfs and I'm hoping that the HDAP tires will make up for part of it.
I bought a X500 in April. The biggest selling point for me vs a X310 was the HDAP ties. They make a significant difference on slopes.
Answer - You will not be disappointed.

3. Does the pricing I'm getting seem fair? The X530's MSRP on the deere website is $6,899, so my quoted price of $5,820 works out to about 15.6% below MSRP. The price is lower than most of the used units I've seen on Tractorhouse.com and other sites, so I think it is pretty good. All 4 of the Deere dealers within 50-60 miles of me are owned by the same company, so I was actually a little surprised by what I think is a competitive price.
Answer - The pricing is fair. You get what you pay for.

4. One of my main complaints with the troy built over the years has been the drive belt wearing out. Using the thing on a hillside, I could go through a belt per year easy. I know that the X500 series is not completely shaft driven like the X700's but am I correct to assume that it will be far superior to the drive belt system on the troy built that came from lowes?
Answer - I don't know how fast the X500 drive belts wear out. I can tell you that the belt they use is not your run of the mill cheap-o belt. After using my X500 for 3 months on 20 degree slopes I feel safe. There has been no belt slippage. Note that if the drive belt did break, you would still be able to stop using the brakes and those HDAP tires.

Bottom line - I recommend you save yourself $4k and go with the X530 with HDAP tires.

 

[TnWV]

rekees4300 - Those are exactly the type of comments I was hoping for. I don't have a lot of slopes that are 20 degrees, but want to mow them a little safer than I do now. The majority of my mowing is pretty flat actually. On the slopes I do have, when turning downhill, my current mowers will break loose and slide to the bottom. Does your x500 hold pretty well when turning downhill?

kL7N - I'm with you that the x740 is preferable. I would love to have a diesel so that I could use bulk off road diesel for all of my tractors and not have to deal with 5 gal gas cans. The x700 series is a sweet machine. However, I've decided that I just can't put 10k in a mower right now, due to starting the house building process. Fortunately I have two larger tractors that cover everything I do that is not mowing.

While I would love a little bigger deck, I also mow my family cemetery so staying with a 54" deck helps there as it is pretty tight in places. Plus my trailer is only 60" wide, so I would have to upgrade that if I went with the bigger deck.

The dealer has all of them in stock and I'm taking my trailer with me Saturday morning when I go to test drive the x530. As long as it handles the slopes behind the dealership pretty good, it will most likely come home with me.

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[rekees4300]

Does your x500 hold pretty well when turning downhill?

In 3 months the HDAP tires haven't slipped or spun even once. I have turned downhill, uphill, driven cross-slope without using the differential lock! The X500 weight of 800 lbs. plus the HDAP tires result in a very stable ride.

 

[Scooby074]

i had a x540. Without a doubt the best mower i ever had.

I also mow 20*+ slopes. The 540 preformed flawlessly.

Dont worry about the HDAP's. I had them on my 540 and they werent that great. They plugged very easily in my clay soil. No difference between them and the old turf savers on my old mower. They both plugged when spinning in clay. If you want a good treaded tire that will self clean, look at the Bar tread tires, Carlisle makes a bunch.

The Diff lock is a huge help on the slopes.

Personally I think the liquid cool is worth it and would recommend the 540, but its up to you.

If your going larger than the 500 series, look at the 1026r. Cost wise not much different than the 700 diesels but a much more capable machine that could be useful landscaping at the new house.

 

[TnWV]

Reading your guys experience, I get the feeling that the x530/540 either one will work out well for me. I always were ear protection when running any equipment, so I think the noise difference between any of them will be negligible. Right now my mower is so loud with all the wore out pulleys, loose/broken panels, aging muffler, etc. that anything will be an improvement there. I also had the same idea that if going with the x700 the 1026r wouldn't be much more money. That would be my dream mower, but just can't justify it with the other tractors I have and other projects/expenses we will be starting in the next 6 months as we began preparing our property for building. In the end I just need something that will be a good machine that will last a long time with proper care. It will also be nice that the wife will be able to use it some if she wants to. She won't even touch my current mower with all the issues it has. It's just plain wore out in every way.

I'll try o post a couple of pictures tomorrow evening of the slopes I'm dealing with to see how they compare to what you all mow with your mowers.

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[Eric Barney]

I have the X540, and like it alot!

The water cooled engine is very quiet and powerful. My previous tractor, a LX188 was also water cooled. The engine still runs perfect after 19 years.

The traction drive belt on the X540 is different from some other models in that it always has tension on it. When the park brake is on, the trans input shaft is still spinning to provide the hydraulic pressure. It also runs straight back with only a tensioner pulley to go around. Since the belt is never 'slipping', I suspect that it will extend it's life by quite a bit. It is also a very large HD belt.

I have used my X540 for pulling, and dragging heavy loads, and so far nothing has even challenged it's power. I did have to use the diff lock for traction and it just plain jumped forward like there was nothing attached. Mowing does not pose much of a strain on the engine either. I can't comment on the hills, as I am in Florida and it is pretty flat around here...

 

[TnWV]

Eric,

Thanks for the drive belt explanation. I can see where that setup is far superior from the system on my Troy built. Any time I put much pressure on it, I can smell the belt burn a little. I plan to try and get the dealer to narrow the difference in price between the 530 and 540, but I think at 15% below the Deere website msrp, he may already be as low as he will go. Won't hurt to try.. I imagine they use the same drive system, but will find out for sure as that may make a difference in whether the 540 is worth the extra. I also like the fact that your 19 year old liquid cooled engine still runs good.

 

[Eric Barney]

Sounds like you are getting a good price Tony. Once you drive either tractor around your lawn, you will probably freak out! They really do drive nice. The difference from your old mower will be huge. I used to dread the summer mowing season before I got the LX188. Now I look forward to cutting the grass! The X540 has me doing even more, and I love it!

May the best tractor win!

 

[TnWV]

Before my mower started falling apart a couple of years ago, I really looked forward to mowing each time, but for the last couple years I have dreaded it due to having to work on my mower so much. I'll be glad to get back to enjoying it again!!

 

[rekees4300]

The difference from your old mower will be huge. Now I look forward to cutting the grass!

Ditto that! As they say "you don't know what you don't know". Going from a 22 year old Craftsman to a new X500 was an education. :teacher:

 

[rekees4300]

I HATE IT!

Get an X500 and your life will be changed forever. You will LOVE it. Mowing will become a spiritual experience and the 4 acres will be your church. :cheerful:

 

[JDTank]

It's already a spiritual experience. Everyday I pray that it won't grow or else that dies. :thumbsup:

Spray the lawn with undiluted round up, or salt the entire place, either way should make sure you don't mow for quite some time.

 

[TnWV]

Attached are some photos of the slopes. The first three are the bank in front of my house leading down to my driveway. This isn't much of a concern because it is flat on both ends. My current mower handles it ok if I sit on the uphill fender. The rest are my uncles yard across my driveway. This is steep, and I'm not sure the pictures really due it justice. He is not healthy enough to mow it anymore and I help him as much as possible. His granddaughter and her fiancé mow it once a month and I mow it once a month.

Do you x500 owners think it'll get the job done? I'm sure at worst it will be better than the cheap made light weight mowers I've been using.

 

[Eric Barney]

For years I have mowed using various walk behinds, and then a Craftsman rear engine rider with a 32" single blade deck. It took hours in the Florida summer to mow. That does not include all the trimming, raking, etc. Talk about hating it! When I finally got the LX188, My first 'real' lawn tractor, everything changed. With the time saved mowing, I now am able to spend more effort on all the other work that is needed to have a decent lawn. And, I am not beat tired when I am finished. The X540 has shortened the time even more.

Now I am looking for a larger lawn to mow with my tractor..... About half the size of K7LN's. I suppose that the day might come that I just do not want to get on my tractor and mow. (Along with many other chores it helps me with.) I just hope that day isn't anytime soon.

The Craftsman rider was a real piece of junk to mow my lawn with. My turf is not real smooth, and I believe that I would compress several vertebrae during each mowing. The mower itself seemed like it was about to break in to many pieces from the very rough ride. Both of the JD's on the other hand, handle it just fine with a much smoother ride. A strong argument for spending a bit more for a quality tractor.

 

[Eric Barney]

Attached are some photos of the slopes. The first three are the bank in front of my house leading down to my driveway. This isn't much of a concern because it is flat on both ends. My current mower handles it ok if I sit on the uphill fender. The rest are my uncles yard across my driveway. This is steep, and I'm not sure the pictures really due it justice. He is not healthy enough to mow it anymore and I help him as much as possible. His granddaughter and her fiancé mow it once a month and I mow it once a month.

Do you x500 owners think it'll get the job done? I'm sure at worst it will be better than the cheap made light weight mowers I've been using.

On the X5XX, you will be thinking: What hills? Nice place BTW. Looks like a beautiful piece of land you have there...

 

[TnWV]

Eric,

Your description of the rough ride and mower feeling like it is going to come apart from it is my situation as well. I hope I see the same improvement with the Deere as you have.

I head out in the morning to test drive and bring my new mower home!! The decision between 530 and 540 will be made while at the dealer.

 

[TnWV]

I hope your right about the hills and all the positive comments have got me excited!!

Thanks for the compliments on the land. It's been in my family for about 175 years, and I have been fortunate enough to inherit it. I spend every minute I can cleaning it up and improving it. I can't wait to build my new house over the next two years. I just have to decide between two building sites and it is a tough call as both have Pro's and con's.

I will be sure post pictures once I get the new Deere home tomorrow.

 

[rekees4300]

Do you x500 owners think it'll get the job done?

It's difficult to judge the degree of slope from pictures. Personally I'd feel uncomfortable on slopes greater than 20 degrees. Along the lane I think you would be okay following the lane going cross slope. The other slopes look steeper and I would only mow those going up and down (not across). When you get the mower included will be a safety DVD. It will explain in detail how to mow slopes. Try backing up the slope first. If you can not back up the slope then it is too steep to mow. Perhaps the dealer will let you try the mower for a few days before purchase? Doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[TnWV]

I do currently mow the steepest part cross slope, but the problem is that there is no good way to do it without having to turn downhill. That's when the sledding begins and what I hope to eliminate or at least lesson. My current mowers will not even begin to back up any part of it without spinning out. I can go up most of it but again lots of spinning. There is a significant slope behind the dealership that I tested an x740 on. That machine crossed, backed up, and and went straight up with no problem at all. I will be testing the x5xx on it before making the deal. I just hope with the HDAP tires it handles close to as well as the x740 did.