Riding Lawn Mower Purchase: CVT vs Hydrostatic Transmission

[Nighthawk]

Hydrostatic Transmission

 

[Shadowrider]

Hey guys, I stumbled onto a really nice John Deere X300 42" deck, 2007 model, Kawasaki engine, 340 hours. What would it be worth in great shape? It basically looks new, it's been taken care of meticulously.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I somehow got a wild hair up my arse this morning. After getting a buffer pushed out with my push mower, I decided to keep going. Low and behold, two and a half hours later, the beer isn't cold enough... I'll be pulling reels again next week.

 

[pb2624]

I would be in the $1200 - $1300 neighborhood considering that the season is already half over. Things to watch on that unit is the notorious K46 transaxle which is a high failure item. The link to the Deere forum will give all the pro and cons of the X300 series.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/12-john-deere-forum/

 

[Shadowrider]

I would be in the $1200 - $1300 neighborhood considering that the season is already half over. Things to watch on that unit is the notorious K46 transaxle which is a high failure item. The link to the Deere forum will give all the pro and cons of the X300 series.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/12-john-deere-forum/

Yea, I think I'm gonna pass on it because of the trans. Plus the deck doesn't have a hose connection for clean out. Too bad it looks to be a good machine except for those.

 

[_CY_]

Hey guys, I stumbled onto a really nice John Deere X300 42" deck, 2007 model, Kawasaki engine, 340 hours. What would it be worth in great shape? It basically looks new, it's been taken care of meticulously.

x300 Transmission problems
http://www.mytractorforum.com/12-john-deere-forum/585218-x300-transmission-problem.html

 

[Perplexed]

Unless you really need the tractor functions a zero turn will do the mowing much better and faster.

Used commercial will hold up well and be about the same or less money. Welded deck not stamped, as heavy as you can afford....

I had a zero turn mower with a 54" deck and a 20 hp engine, and it took me about 1.5 hours to mow 2 acres - when the grass wasn't too thick. After a good couple of rains, the mowing time stretched out to 2+ hours since I had to cut half the width of the mower deck to prevent the engine bogging down. And this was with sharp blades and letting the grass grow no more than a half inch above cutting height! After I switched to a Cub Cadet Yanmar 32 hp tractor with a 72" finish mower, my mowing time was cut to less than an hour, no matter how thick or tall the grass was. Plus, I use the FEL to move dirt and to lift heavy objects, and I can use it to move snow in the winter.

I have a hydrostatic transmission, and it's held up well over about 100 hours so far.

 

[CHenry]

x300 Transmission problems
http://www.mytractorforum.com/12-john-deere-forum/585218-x300-transmission-problem.html

Ug...I bought an X 320 last season and had no idea about this. I did notice last Sat. when I mowed it acted like it was slowing down on a slight grade. Paid $2400 for the damn thing. Its a 4 wheel steering model and I cant afford the replacement.

 

[Shadowrider]

Ug...I bought an X 320 last season and had no idea about this. I did notice last Sat. when I mowed it acted like it was slowing down on a slight grade. Paid $2400 for the damn thing. Its a 4 wheel steering model and I cant afford the replacement.

I've read the whole internet on this in the last week. lol

It seems that it all depends on how much you mow, how flat it is, whether you pull trailers or use implements, etc. These units sound like they just don't have the ability to dissipate the heat they generate well enough. So it all depends on how hot you routinely get them as to whether they last or not. They really don't like pulling ANY loads or climbing hills. Have you ever changed the oil? That seems to be the preventive thing to stave off failure. Use synthetic and I think tuff torque specifies 5W50 but JD fills with dino 30W? It's beyond my comprehension that JD hamstrings their upper tier tractors like this.

http://www.tufftorq.com/products/lawn-garden/transaxles/k58.html

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with a Craftsman built by Husqvarna that has a CVT trans and a Kohler 7000 engine.

 

[Boehlertaught]

Spend the money on a Dixie Chopper. It will become a family legacy gift because it will never die.