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Real John Deere thread

Discussion in 'General' started by sheepofblue, Jul 5, 2021.

  1. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    So mine is dead with no desire to bring it back this time. A 20+ year old 345 so I think I got my moneys worth.

    Looking at a new one and like the X390 or X590 but was wondering how nice is EFI for anyone that owns one. The big differences seem to be EFI, bigger engine and cost. Don't like cost, don't care on engine but wondering on the EFI as I am a huge fan of it on other vehicles.
     
  2. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    Holy Crap, the prices! You coulda bought a 4x4 garden tractor for that money in the pre-cooties days.

    What's the need for such an high-end lawn mower? Do you really need power steering and a power deck lift? What else is making those tractors better at cutting grass than a $1500-$2500 model?
     
    FastByKids likes this.
  3. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    I have PS now and I can tell you it $#@ ROCKS. Lift deck less so but it is a nice to have. Yes I could buy low end stuff or get something that lasts 20 years like the 345 did (it has PS and hydraulic lift). Yes if I was 30 years younger I would be looking far lower. However going on 60 now and I worked long and hard for the ability to have nice stuff :beer: Oh and the 'available' 2K ones are 42" which are two blade and suck ass leaving stripes all over my lawn. If I get one of them it will be a stopgap until I can find a nice one.
     
    j cal and StaccatoFan like this.
  4. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    Oh and I would consider a zero turn but they can't handle the grade in my yards. So big question is availability and EFI. I know where there is a X380 48" but if I am spending the coin I want a nice one.
     
  5. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    I can relate. I'm 60 and still climbin' under my $1K Ariens to fix stuff...for the hundredth time. :D Until my property no longer has "features" that destroy any manner of machinery tho', I'll keep throwin' out nickels-n-dimes and gettin' dirty.
    Would really like a 4x4 garden tractor, but damn...the prices! I don't need a grass whip to be that nice. lol
     
    sheepofblue likes this.
  6. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    If I get my master plan to work I also plan on getting a mid-size tractor for digging, making dirt tracks etc. :beer:

    Oh and I fixed the 345 but unfortunately the deck has corroded enough it is not fixable. Last time I did it the fix was questionable and I knew it would not hold. The same thing is happening so it likely tore a bigger section out of the deck than last time.
     
  7. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    One of the smaller issues with my lawn mower has aways been the discharge chute. I figured I was just bangin' it against trees, stumps, whatever and cracking it to the point where "pieces" went missing. Bought a new chute recently, $27, and about the second time I used it, having been careful not to bang it into stuff, I noticed it was now in a similar condition to the old one. Seems I'm shooting stuff out that the plastic can't handle. Ruthless yard. lol

    As far as my deck, so far so good. Nothing a little Rustoleum Stop Rust didn't cure. :)
     
  8. Motofun352

    Motofun352 Well-Known Member

    I have a JD X540, Everything on this 6 year old tractor works like it should with no repairs required. The real deal breaker is how Fing difficult it is to drop the deck to sharpen the blades. Totally unacceptable design, the engineers should be shot. Also, the deck belt is exposed to grass clippings which pack in around the pulleys. It's never slowed down the operation but it is nearly impossible to clean without, again, dropping the deck. A deck drop takes me about an hour of extreme struggling. If I ever buy a new mower I'm going to have the dealer sales guy show me how to drop the deck...right there in the show room. If he can't do it in 10 easy minutes then it's bye bye.
     
    969 likes this.
  9. zertrider

    zertrider Waiting for snow. Or sun.

    My Ferris zero turn handles my ditches almost without issue. The only problem area is where it is about 45deg, then is slides away. There is no way to roll it over either. I have tried.
    Why does the deck have to come off the sharpen blades? Impact gun and a floor jack is all I need to remove them for sharpening.
     
    NemesisR6, ducnut and sheepofblue like this.
  10. Banditracer

    Banditracer Dogs - because people suck

    Yeah, I'm curious too.
     
    NemesisR6 likes this.
  11. Motofun352

    Motofun352 Well-Known Member

    I remove the deck to sharpen the blades, clean the packed in grass glop from the bottom of the deck and to pull the grass from around the pulleys. True, if all I wanted to do was sharpen the blades I could do that from below. I stand by my eval that the deck design sux. I could pull my deck off my old Craftsman in 1 minute and never have to get down on the floor.
     
  12. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    Cleaning pulleys - pressure washer.
    Sharpening blades - floor jack and impact.

    Granted the Kubota zero turn deck comes off pretty easily.
     
    zertrider likes this.
  13. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    Tractor nazi says no John Deere for you sheep..... going to have to borrow my brothers on and off for a bit as they are unobtanium in the X390 and X590 either 48" or 54" around here. @!$#@%^#$@^#$% worthless wuhan slug @#$#@'s should have been making tractors, I was working.
     
  14. j cal

    j cal Well-Known Member

    Did they give an ETA? In the market, looking at the x350 but none to be found

    Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk
     
  15. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    One dealer org said November. The other (closer) said they are 'expecting' some the end of the month. I asked his guess on odds, he said 50/50 but then said he figured 100% by end of August. Not sure if he meant which one as we talked on X390 or X590. Since my shot of one in TN fell through I am headed over at lunch tomorrow to get in the queue. I think he told me the X590's on order were all 54" decks. Kind of prefer a X390 with 48" but either with a 48" or 54" would be acceptable.
     
    j cal likes this.
  16. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    An Altoz TRX will handle all the slope YOU can handle and be a better mower than any tractor. If you need a great dealer, with inventory, at great prices, let me know. He’ll ship, too.

    As far as grass around pulleys, always leave all the covers off and use a HH leaf blower to blow out the debris, after EVERY mow. Never skip it, as the grass WILL ignite and burn your mower to the ground. Happens all the time.

    Never use a pressure washer to clean out a deck of debris. The water sits between the layers of metal and starts rust. And, bearings don’t like it, either.
     
  17. sheepofblue

    sheepofblue Well-Known Member

    How do the tracks hold up running on pavement?
     
  18. Motofun352

    Motofun352 Well-Known Member

    I've tried all those tricks, well, except for the pressure washer on the under side of the deck. The deck did come with a silly hose connection where you hook it up and run the blades all while flushing....stupid gimmick. I don't know what you folks do with your mowers but I have about 4 acres, some of it is wet. I should clean it after every mowing but that ain't gonna happen.....
     
  19. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    Altoz offer two different tracks. One is a shorter lug and would be better suited to conveyance on concrete, mowing, “normal” usage, etc. The other is a deep lug and is better suited to land clearing, retention ponds, municipality maintenance, etc. Their tracks are of a stout construction, much like a skid-steer, mini ex, etc.

    This is my buddy’s FB page. Under the “videos” tab are several demo videos of what a TRX can do.
    https://www.facebook.com/MaconRentalCo/

    An old broom handle with a drywall knife hose clamped to the end makes easy work of cleaning a deck, if you keep up on it.

    If you can mow in the late-afternoon, most of the moisture will be dried off, by then. Mowing in the morning is sure to be wet. If you have a lot of clover and weeds, there’s nothing that can be done because those plant materials retain water.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
  20. pickled egg

    pickled egg Tell me more

    I’m still curious what went to hell on the old 345 that made it not worth repairing?
     

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