# Hi All. My report on my new x500 as promised



## gmccall (Aug 19, 2006)

Hi Guys,

Well last week I got my new baby. My X500 with the 48" deck and the Powerflow bagging system.

I am pleased... I like my bigger JD. Most of you told me I'd be satisfied with difference in the much bigger tractor.

I waxed her up before I began to get her dirty! 

I started to cut my ridiculously long 2 acres of grass at the 3.0" & 3.5" settings. It was about 11:30am, a nice morning, yet the grass was still wet half way down. I had to get started anyway, which is why I wanted a bigger machine in the first place -- to combat Mother Nature.

The bagger actually did pretty well for a few passes. 

The power head or shoot clogged twice, but the deck never bogged, and kept on going at full speed. I did not think to look at the power head "belt" to see if the turbine was moving or if this was a pure shoot clog. I just took off the head and cleaned the head and shoot.

Since this was a big deal to me and my buying decision, I decided that I might as well remember that the x500 is not a "farm tractor"... so I relented emotionally, and bumped up the deck height up to 4.0" and then I was able to move right along. Of course my previous L120 would have never handled this kind of bagging stress, so I was OK emotionally. I knew I was getting perfromance, even at the 4.0" setting.

I then spent the remainder of the next day and a half trudging through my yard and bagging. I gotta tell you that those 14 bushels of grass clipping are a lot of work to handle.

After my initial pass over my "field" I mean yard, I then spent time determining just where to have my deck height set at. After some trial runs, I discovered that with the deck and bagger system, this x500 was weighing in at just under 900 pounds -- and that was leaving tire tracks in the grass at the 3.0+" setting. I finially found that the 2.5" height setting seemed to even things out and I get a rather nice cut. It seems that the deck height setting on the X500 are different than they were on the L120.

I also had to re-level the deck because the bagger head made the shoot side rather lower than the left side. This is a rather painstaking task because I found that if I am not very carfull in how I do this, the deck will not lock in the Up position and I have to re-think my leveling approach.

One thing I don't like is the Foot Lever concept of pushing up the mower deck to lock it. 

The lever is just way too far forward for me and I am 6 feet tall. This lever can NOT be moved closer to the driver. That is a pain and it is not a Wife Friendly feature. I move the deck up and down a lot to avoid bad spots with tree runners, and driveway stones. 

I cut my grass without the bagger and I get a nice cut now there too.

I have used it to cut my overgrown garden down so I can turn it under, and also to pull out my ground embedded chicken wire fence.

Now I have to figure out how to deactivate that RIO option!

Even without power steering, the unit turns like a dream.

So my final report is that I am happy I have a bigger, more powerful John Deere to sit on, and I am happy I got the x500 as it is less limited than the x300 (not knocking the x300's), and there is no comparison to the L100 line, as that is an apples to oranges comaprison to be fair about that. The belts are heavier, the deck is heavier, the blades are heavier -- it's just a whole different, bigger machine. 

I have never owned a powerful "Garden Tractor" before and I like the power. 

This unit is not quite as "wife friendly" as the smaller tractors.

Best Regards,
Mac


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## JDFANATIC (Dec 28, 2005)

Mac,

Thanks for the nice write-up. One thing you have to ask yourself, if the lift system is that unbearable, would the extra $1700 or so for the hydraulic lift X534 be worth it?


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## gmccall (Aug 19, 2006)

Hi JDFANATIC,

(sigh) Man that's a hard question. Price is always an issue with me.

I like the "simplicity" of this X500. 

Sometimes I get scared off by too much gingerbread. More to go wrong...??? I dunno...

I can buy a lot of Guinness for the price difference!

But seriously, if you have the money, I imagine it would be great, especially for the wife. It has to be a good thing, right??

My friend... I spent all the money I could emotionally afford to spend on this decision. 

I never started out to own a $7,300.00 John Deere.

TTYL,
Mac


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## JDFANATIC (Dec 28, 2005)

Mac,

I hear you. That is a lot of chin yang to raise and lower the deck!


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## lb59 (Jan 2, 2006)

> _Originally posted by JDFANATIC _
> *Mac,
> Thanks for the nice write-up. One thing you have to ask yourself, is if it's that unbearable, would the extra $1700 or so for the hydraulic lift be worth it?
> *


* 
hydraulic lift   My BX23 has me spoiled for PS and hydraulic lift *


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## lb59 (Jan 2, 2006)

> _Originally posted by gmccall _
> *Hi JDFANATIC,
> 1*and bumped up the deck height up to 4.0"
> 2*I gotta tell you that those 14 bushels of grass clipping are a lot of work to handle.
> ...


1*I never mow any lower than that:
It:
Keeps the grass greener.
Reduces clippings.
Looks better.
I get a kick out of seeing my neighbors (on the left and right) brown burned out lawns because they mow to low. My pretty nice green grass really stands out sandwiched in between their brown lawns.
2*That's why I just leave them lay. More than enough work finds me without my hunting it.
3* For me that is the only to go.


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## gmccall (Aug 19, 2006)

Hi lb59,

Just curious... when you cut your gras at the 4.0 deck hight, do you have the tire marks to contend with like I do? 

When I cut at the higher setting, my wife tells me the result looks lumpy, so I experimented a bit and I seem to even out my cut on the X500 at the setting of 2.75 or 2.50.

Regards,
Mac


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## lb59 (Jan 2, 2006)

> _Originally posted by gmccall _
> *Hi lb59,
> 
> Just curious... when you cut your gras at the 4.0 deck hight, do you have the tire marks to contend with like I do?
> ...


I think this is caused more from to tall of grass or wet grass .


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## HYDROGUARDIAN16 (Feb 14, 2007)

im 6'5'' and i Have to bend over to lift my JD STX38's cutting deck. first bend over, then push down on lever and then pull up, next say ouch because I moved my back wrong and oh I too wish I had a lift motor on it. Same with my Simp. Regent


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## mark777 (Jul 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by gmccall _
> *...............I am pleased... I like my bigger JD. Most of you told me I'd be satisfied with difference in the much bigger tractor.......
> 
> .......The bagger actually did pretty well for a few passes......
> ...



Mac, this has to be the best owner 'equipment review' I've read in a really long time. Boy, you gave us all the little details others often omit and the pluses and minuses you've experienced too.

Great (and informative) post...Thanks,

Mark


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## gmccall (Aug 19, 2006)

Thank you Mark!!! It's a nice machine...

Mac


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## Morgan (Oct 26, 2006)

Great Post gmccall, thanks for sharing your experience with us. I have an Old Yazoo mower with a 60" Deck and it has a Wisconsin 20hp motor and I leave my deck set at around 2.5 inches any shorter and you will get those dreaded brown spots in the yard at least thats my experience. The higher you cut your grass the more places the clippings have to go and I am a firm believer in letting them lay because as they decompose they are actually fertilizing your lawn. As for the tire marks you will get them when cutting higher however given a little while the tire marks will go away as the taller grass relaxes from being ran over and then you wont see them anymore.


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