Grats on your new Deere. I bought an LT 190 back in January and have to admit after mowing with my old Husqy YTH 180, the Deere is similar to driving a sports car. I love the steering and sharper turns. Of course that old Husqy gave me years of good service but it just isnt built as good as my Deere. I also like not having to shift.
I have seen some post on the safety features but to be honest once you get use to them they arent difficult to work around. I especially wanted to do something about the presure switch in the seat but now its second nature to set the parking break if I want to get off and leave machine running.
Good mowing with your Deere.
Gator
PS
Dont let your wife or neighbors catch you washing or waxing it.

papasdeere,

Glad to hear you're pleased with your X300. Sorry about the forsythia bush. The good news is that very quickly the Deere 2-pedal hydrostat system will be so intuitive that you will find yourself going forward and backwards with no thought.

Cheers

JDFANATIC

How would you say the JD X300 compares with the 135? Is it worth the extra $800? What are the major difference? Is it mainly a quality of build?

Your going to like it. I just bought the x300 and use it for the easier mowing. The D160 JD (12.5 hp kawasaki) of 20 years is still doing well, but I'll use it for the mowing down small trees and brush, bagging the leaves (and rocks) and pulling the limbs and trees I cut down till it drops, then we will see if the x300 can take over that job. In fact, I move boats and trailers with the D160 still and the kids all learned to drive on it. 4000 hrs? Got my monies worth! I paid $1,700.00 for it 20 years ago.

JD 135 vs. X300
X300-Much better engine
better hydro
better pedal controls
wet brake
better tires
easier attachement mounting
beefier metal and frame
better seat and steering wheel and assembly
better PTO
Better Resale
BETTER TRACTOR-spend the difference you will be glad you did

papasdeere,

I had the same experience with my GX345! My previous tractor was a JD185 Hydro that moved with a lever on the fender and fast stop meant push down right the peddle quick! When I first drove the GX, I was going around the side of the house and noticed (at the last minute) that I was about to run over an extension cord! Well you guessed it I stomped on the brake (reverse) and burned out about 6 feet, just missed the chimney on my house by a hair and (yep) I stomped it again (harder but this time forward) and laid a patch of dirt about another 6 feet forward before I came to my senses. Holy crap was my heart beating out of my chest!!

Glad no one saw it. It's amazing how quickly you go on autopilot.

-greenhobby

I just purchase an X-340 and I also did about the same thing as far as the bush goes, only my experience was under a crab apple tree. Olny been mowing lawns for around 40 years. Man I felt stupid, had to look around to see if anyone saw me. Dang near took my head off. I'm used to the mower now,no problems. X series mowers are serious machines. Guy across the road has a Simplicity with 54" deck (same size as mine) and mine mows and stripes every bit as well as his. So far 12 hours and am very pleased.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with Hydro adventures. For the first few mows we're moving the cars out of the driveway and warning the neighbors. The 300 series is a much better tractor than the 100 series. The 100's frame weighs around 70 lbs and the 300 around 100lbs. Bearings in the wheels instead of bushings. Don't get pulled in by more horsepower and a lower price. I didn't bother with the extended warranty based on my previous ownership of Deere equipment.

I just purchased an X300 JD. (5.5 hrs.) I sold my 7 yr. old LT-155. There is no comparison between these 2 tractors. The X300 is: quieter, steers easier, seat is more comfortable etc. etc. I use a 6 Hp Cyclone Rake to clean my yard in the spring. The LT 155 was a little light in the front end when the bag got half full. The X300 can handle all 32 bushels without a problem.If I require, I can add weights on the front end if I feel the front wheels lifting. It's an all around super tractor.

I need help. My new X300 Deere has 2 irratating safety features. One is the seat which when getting off the tractor while it's running, will shut the engine down. I've bypassed that feature by looping the seat wire. The second safety feature is the reverse. When cutting and you have to back up, this safety feature shuts the blades off. You then have to shut stop, push the mower deck switch to the off position and then pull the switch to turn the mower deck back on again. I have to do a lot of backing up when I'm cutting my lawn because of tight areas and trees. I just can't see the mower deck on/off switch lasting very long. There has to be a way of bypassing this feature. Has anyone got any suggestions.

buffalobry,

If you set your brake, the engine will not shut off when you get of the mower.

If someone uses the cruise control and something like a branch knocks them off the seat, will it stop on it's own if the operator seat safety switch is by-passed?

If they are around, kids will eventually do everything you tell them not to. Don't use the tractor when Dad is not around. Yeah right.

IMO - The front wheels of a tractor won't and can't raise when using a Cyclone Rake. Unlike a tractor mounted rear-bagger which adds more weight to the rear of the tractor as it fills up, The CR is attached to the tractor via a 2-point hitch. It's a stand-alone unit with it's own frame/engine and supported by its own wheels. Load it up too much and all your gonna do is flatten a tire (believe me, I know:)), or, if you have a weaker tranny (K46) might be tough to pull uphill.

But I could be wrong:)

Just ordered my X300 (42") today. Got it for just under $2700 including tax and they threw in a maintenence kit but I had to ask for it. Got 2% discount for cash sale. Have to wait till Friday for delivery though. So long Craftsman push mower!

After 5 years of using my "fake" home depo push
honda mower,I purchaced the john deer x 300w/42 inch deck and bagger. I was like a kid in a
candy store as the truck pulled up yesterday and it had 3 jd's on it. my first impressions were that it gave my lawn the best cut it had ever had, I removed the bag and side discharged the clippings. the 16 inch turning was very tight. the kawi engine was so quiet. my neighbors lawn tractors sound like the are ready for takeoff from the local airport. the tractor was a joy to ride as it took 1 hour to cut my lawn. I was very nervous with making up my mind with the many choices out there but i am very happy with my x300

I agree with "fouracres". How hard it is to set the brake before getting off the tractor?

Unless someone wants the tractor to keep going when nobody is on it. That'd be cool, especially if you keep the mower running. That way you could just hop off and go inside to get a beer, while the tractor will happily keep mowing on it's own. Children, pets, rose bushes, traffic on the road, etc, should know enough to get out of the way of the tractor, so I can't foresee any problems with this solution.

Just a note, the X300 has the same K46 tranny as the JD135.

Note that the tranny is good - and came standard on many of the L100 series and LT series machines of the prior JD generation. Albeit it's a little light on torque, when pulling hard loads up hills.

A fine machine the X300 is, nontheless.

I just bought a (new to me) LX178 yesterday and when I picked it up today I needed some help pushing it up onto my trailer since it had rained and the tires were slick. When I had it on the guy told me to set the park brake. I put it all the way down (the forward pedal that is) and drove the darn thing over the front 1"x6" rail on the front of my trailer. Luckily I got it stopped. The rail was stuck between the wheels and the deck. The two guys helped me lift it back on the trailer after they were done laughing at me. Maybe that is why they made me drive it onto the trailer, so they could get a few laughs in.

Buffalobry If you pull the knob out just before backing you do not have to shut the blades off to backup.Also setting the parking brake will allow the engine to run.Is John Deere shipping these tractors without owners manuals?

Purchased an X300 with a 42" deck and bagger on Monday and Mowed Monday and Today (Thurs). Mowing just over 1.5 acres with obstacles and nothing flat but about 1/4 acre in front yard. House is set on a hillside with one section of yard 90' wide and 100' long with a 24 degree slope. I had bought a Craftsman LT1000 5 years ago and it had been mowing fine until this spring and the tranny just gave up the ghost. It was also getting sloppy as the bolted frame really took a beating from the hilly terrain. I thought I had settled on the LT125 as a suitable replacement but the Sr. Lawnmower guy at Home Depot said that although the LT was a step above everything else in his store I would still only get 7-10 yrs out of it and that I should really be looking at the X series as the Kawi motors and Tranny were much better suited for the torque I needed (not to mention my wife hooks up a 4x8 utility trailer with a cubic yard of wet mulch and drags it around) and that he was surprised the Craftsman lasted as long as it did...
So off to the local Deere dealer and purchased the X300. SO the X300 is like riding a caddy compared the the Craftsman, It is actually comfortable and produces a far better cut (In every way a FAR better machine), but... When I am going up that hill it still slows down quite a bit, and the tranny seems to growl about the chore. I know the X304 has the K57 tranny rated for 188 ft-lb with 22" tires verses the X300 having the K46 tranny rated at 171 ft-lb with 20" tires. I really just want a tractor that will last me 20 years pulling and mowing. Should I upgrade to the 304 or am I just being paranoid? Does going down a hill at a CONTROLLED rate of speed put any less stress on a tranny than going up? Is it possible to custom order a JD X300 with the 304 K57 tranny in it?

With 20" tires, the K57 has only 3 ft-lbs more torque than a K46. From a torque standpoint, the two hydros are essentially the same. BTW, I believe that your LT1000 was rated 160 ft-lbs.

In my opinion, none of the above hydros are well suited to your mowing conditions. I suggest getting a tractor with at least a K62 (217 ft-lbs with 20" tires). You need a heavy duty LT hydro or light duty GT hydro at a minimum. Think about it, if you don't need a heavy duty LT hydro, who does?

-Deerslayer

New 304 has 8hrs I have very hilly property, I do lots of pulling,I was pulling a trailer with I guess 800-1000 pounds of oak, starting up hill. All I heard was the wine from the diff. I hope it can handle it. I have ATV tires so there is extra traction. The 4 wheel steering is great for a trailer,espesially when backing up. I find the cut with the 42in. deck to be poor. I really just have to cut twice.

OH YEA when trying to put away my NEW 304 the first day I pushed hard on the brake that was really the forward peddle and ran into a brick wall (no joke) luckily just bent the NEW bumper.

So....
I ended up putting 3 hrs on the X300 with the K46 tranny. It "groaned" going up the 40' long 24 degree hill and lost about 1/2 of its ground speed doing so. As I had lost my last lawn tractor (Sears LT100 with Hydro-gear 0510 tranny)due to transmission failure I decided to call Tuff-Torq and talk about the K46 vs. the K58. Although the K58 is only rated for a few more ft lbs of torque it has a charge pump that does a better job feeding the pump under adverse conditions. None of the tranny's are rated to pull beyond an 18 degree incline (JD OEM spec) but the person I spoke to at Tuff Torq said that given my conditions that over the long run the K58 was a much better choice. He also said it was more likly to run sub 200 degrees celcius on the oil due to the pump and he said that the heat was what would kill the tranny over the long haul under those loads. My JD dealer took the X300 back no questions and I filled him in on my findings. He had the X304 ready to go when I got there and I loaded it up and brought it home. Straight out I went and... Not so sure I love the 4WS but... the K58 tranny pulls up the hill. Very small drop in ground speed and no groaning at all from beneath me. The 17 hp kawi motor is more than up to the task and I am sure I will adjust to the 4WS but for the money the K58 makes all the difference in the world with my application. As for the cut on the 42C deck I found that if I used the "leveling point C" on the front edge of the bracket I was getting a poor cut. After looking at things for a while I decided by using that leveling point, the deck had a forward rake and was only cutting on the forward half of the blade rotation. I re-leveled the deck using the bottom lip on both sides and in front and now the deck is almost perfectly level front to rear and the cut is substantially better.

PS: Deerslayer I brought up the K62 with the folks at Tuff-Torq and he said that because of the charge pump on the K58 it was actually better than the K62 under my load conditions. There just wasn't a mower with a LT or GT hydro in my price range and this X304 stretched things a bit as it was. Sure hope I get 15+ yrs out of this machine.

Thanks for the info, wchp.

-Deerslayer

Test drove the X300 tonight and I really like it. Looks like it is the one for me. REALLY solid easy to handle and once I was used to the controls had no problems.

Dealer won't budget on price but since it's out of state no sales tax.

Looking to get a X300, have read most of the posts on this form and I too think it is an upgrade over the 135 (abiet less hp). I considered a Cub LT1046 but read bad things about the tranny, so for the extra I'll go with the JD. I considered the X304 ...IS the $700 dif is worth the Tranny upgrade and 4-wheel steering?? I could be wrong but I doubt it.

I Test Drove the X300 tonight, no doubt I'll be an owner on Monday morning....pending delivery....

Ok guys, is it worth bypassing the RIO or not?
I have an X320 and it is a wonderful machine but i do find it a bit aggravating when i forget to hold up the switch when i back up. Makes me wonder how long the pto for the mower deck will hold up since i have to restart the deck in this situation. There are no children ride on this LT so that is not a problem. Also, if i do decide to bypass the switch, just how is it done? Can you tell me?
Thanks in advance,
Kas.
PS. Congrats on your new deere papasdeere. Great choice.

To jump my RIO, I located the polarized plug at the reverse pedal switch which has two wires in it. The connections are the 1/4" solderless connectors. I made a 1.5" wire with a male 1/4" connector on each end and plugged that into the polarized connectors slots (jumping it), applied elect grease and then wrapped it with good tape to keep it clean. The switch is normally closed.
Your going to get a lot of flack for doing this- so prepare yourself. :)
I have to do way too much backing up to worry about that switch and have done fine for 20 years without one. Kids are grown and women don't follow me around anymore- so I feel it's safe. :))

I appreciate the information, Daddo. Thanks very much.
Kas.

New to the boards. I just purchased a X320 thanks in part to the posts / comments in this forum. I don't have a huge lawn but it is quite uneven. I do gets tons of snow which is the primary reason I bought this model with the 44" 2 stage blower attachment. I'll keep ya posted on how it performs in the great white north.

Got my x300 on Saturday.....Sweet!
Never owned a rider before so nothing to compare it to but the 42" mower cleaned up all the leaves and even picked up most of the pine-needles.

Hi- I am very near buying my first Deere. I have dibs on the X304 at my local dealer. But, I wonder how it will handle the ramp going into my minibarn. There is a 17 degree slope (18" rise over 6' run). Will I slip on the ramp when it's wet? Also the Barn is 12' deep, will I be able to drive in and do a u-turn or will I have to back it it to the barn?

I don't imagine the ramp would be a problem. I've taken my X304 up slopes of wet grass far more steep then that w/o a problem. As far as the u-turn is concerned, I'd be more concerned w/ the width instead of the depth. That machine turns on a dime; see if your dealer will let you test drive it so you can measure the radius along the outside.

Hi all,

Its time for a JD, but I can't decide between the X300 (~$3000) and the LA130 (~$2000). What is the main reason I would pay 50% more for the X300 series?

This would be a great time to start a new thread instead of reincarnating this one.

I am tryting to compare the x300 with the Simplicity Regent 22/44. The obvious difference is the JD uses the Kawasaki while Simplicity uses the B & S twin. The Simplicity 'clones' use a bit larger rear tires, 22" as compared to the JD's 20". I give the deere the advantage on the engine, even though it's a little smaller, but the Simplicity cuts better. Can anyone shed additional insight into this comparison? I have come to realize that Simplicity, Snapper and now Allis are all about the same tractor with the exception of the mower deck.