2021 John Deere X380 First Impressions and Review

[cruzenmike]

Like I did with my Honda push mower, I thought I would share some experiences with my new John Deere X380. This is just the first of a handful of posts that I plan to make regarding this machine. Look for more to come throughout 2021.

Anyway, here are my first impressions of the machine after taking delivery and driving it around the yard for a bit:

BUILD QUALITY
The build quality of this machine appears top notch upon first impression. What can I say? The wheels are large, the tires are grippy, the frame and deck are stout and ready to take whatever I can throw at them. The steering is tight and responsive and the turning radius is much smaller than I expected. The seat is comfortable and somewhat reminiscent of a sports car bucket; nestling your backside deep into it. The engine is an Kawasaki FR691V, and NOT the FS691V found in prior years, but I still expect many years of trouble-free operation with proper use and maintenance. The transmission is a Tuff Torq K58 which is the first upgraded transmission in the John Deere lineup so it should fair better than anything with a K46 in terms of durability. Overall the X380 is a nicely built machine as with all others in the X300 series. While more expensive than similarly or even better equipped Husqvarnas and Cub Cadets, the quality of the Deere is apparent both before and after you sit on it.

LOOKS
What can I say here? The machine looks great. To my eyes the design language of the box store and dealer exclusive models are quite different. I have never looked at a D or E series mower at Home Depot and thought that they looked good. On the other hand the Signature Series mowers are attractive and look to me more like mowers from year past like my LT155. I have included a picture of the old and new machines for your viewing pleasure! Along the lines of looks I should also mention something about the size of the machine. While a very subjecting opinion, the X380 seems rather large for a riding mower, but then again I am comparing it to the LT155 which feels like a clown car when I sit on it now. Even within it's own lineup of mowers, the X380 will look and feel slightly larger than the X330 and X350 with it's larger tires and that nice high back seat.

OPERATION
The X380 operated as expected. I will say that it is much quieter than many of my previous mowers. Even the 15 hp Kohler in my LT155 seems louder. I have not ran the machine full throttle with the deck on yet so I am sure that my impression might change slightly. Engine alone when comparing the X380 to my LTX1050, Radius E, or even the GT50, this one is the quietest by far. Outside of how quiet it is, there isn't much else to say here. The transmission is smooth and responsive although it doesn't feel as quick as I expected. I believe that the K58 in the X380 propels the machine to about 6.2 mph but I couldn't tell that from the 5.5 mph that the LT155 goes. Controls are what I am used to after having the LT155 for a year. The display is nice and somewhat useful and the steering wheel big. I will admit that when looking at the X390 I found the tilt steering wheel to be positioned better for driving but I will just have to make due with a fixed steering wheel position.

Mowing
Nothing to report here yet.

In the coming weeks I plan to use the X380 to dethatch, roll the lawn, haul some wood around the yard and finally cut the grass. I will report back once I have more feedback to provide!

Until next time.....

 

[xray man]

Shoot, I believe I could sell my old
98 Z71 with 326k miles and get enough out of it to get one of them. Naw, I ain't selling my truck but that's a good looking mower. I enjoy tinkering with stuff too much to get a new one. (Most of the time. I have opened a can of worms more than once.)

 

[cruzenmike]

Just thought I would get on here and give you all an update on the X380.

I have about 15 hours on the meter now. So far I have dethatched, swept and rolled my yard. I have also hauled around a couple of trees that were cut into pieces and moved 8 yards of dirt and a couple of thousand pounds of slate stone. Finally this weekend I got around to mowing the lawn. At this point, I think I have done about as much with this machine as I had planned, with maybe the exception of plug aerating which may come at a later time.

While my impressions of this machine have remained relatively unchanged, I do have a couple of things to add just in case someone else is looking to buy one.

1) One thing that I did notice about using this machine, which I did not notice with my other machines is the exhaust fumes. Every time that I am using the machine I will get random smells of exhaust fumes. While the smell never hangs around and is likely the result of the wind blowing it back at me, it is not something that I find to be pleasant at all. I only really noticed this on the LT155 just prior to the engine blowing and that was because it started burning oil as the piston seals were going bad. Prior to that I never noticed the smell. On my two Exmarks, I never smelt the engine exhaust at all, but this could be due to the rear engine configuration. Either way, I do not know how to take this as I am quite certain that the machine is running just fine, but it is a bit annoying!

2) When using the machine with various attachments I have definitely noticed the "limitations" of the X380 and more specifically the K58 transmission. A few years back I had a Cub Cadet LTX1050 with the Hydro-Gear 310-0510 transmission, which was by no means a "heavy-duty" or ground-engaging transmission. I used some of the same attachments that I have now and between the two machines, I do not feel as if the X380 had any easier of a time getting around while under a load. Based on design and specs alone, the K58 should ultimately last longer and experience less wear from the type of work I am putting it through, but I can certainly see where an X500 series with the K72 transmission might have been a better choice. With that being said, I only plan to use the dethatcher, roller and sweeper twice per year, and I am always sure to take it easy. At this point I do not regret choosing the X380 for how I am using it, I am just now more aware of what I can and cannot do with it.

3) The overall build quality of the machine still remains excellent in my opinion but I have noticed a couple of rattles and odd sounds while operating the machine. Nothing feels loose or like it is going to fall apart but I guess with the amount of plastic on this machine, not everything can be rigid and tight. I will have to pay more attention to where the sound is coming from; could just be the cruise control button or something shaking around.

4) Now for the one thing that I am struggling with; the cut quality. I am going to premise this by saying that I have elected to use a specific deck set up that is likely to blame for my dissatisfaction. While this was not exactly my decision, I ended up installing the one-touch mulch control on the mowing deck. My wife and I just spent a significant amount of time and money redoing our landscaping and adding in a few gardens. Of greatest concern was the blowing of grass clippings into the new landscaping areas while making alternate passes so we decided that there was no better way do to this than to simply "turn off" the discharge while passing by the beds. I am aware that I could do double or even triple passes away from the beds before alternating, but I am not a big fan of that look. Anyway, this is what we decided and I have very mixed feelings about the deck is performing in this configuration. I will start by saying that the chute is only closed when near the landscaping and open the rest of the time and just side-discharging the clippings. My lawn is about half and half KBG and Rye that is very dense in the back yard and somewhat thin in the front yard. In the back yard where the grass grows thick and lush, there was a lot of windrowing. This was primarily due to the fact that the deck just wasn't moving the grass clippings out and away from the deck. I attribute this to the fact that the mulching blades in the kit have a very low lift and subsequently move less air through the chute opening. I used the same wavy mulching blades on my LT155, but I did not have any baffles or chute blocking device and the cut quality was significantly better. This leads me to believe that the issue is the baffles and the plate installed at the chute opening. I think at this point I am going to try and see how the mower does without all the baffles and blocking plate and then eventually try out the stock high lift blades. I have even considered one of the two aftermarket blade options, either the Gator G3 or G5. This is not my final judgment on this topic but I just wanted to share my personal experience with this specific deck configuration.

Other than these things, I am still happy with the mower. I just need to figure out the deck and blade configuration that gives me the best quality of cut and to put a few more hours on it before reporting back. I have included a couple of pictures of it at work these past few weeks.

 

[gotomow]

Excellent write up and you have a very nice looking lawn Mike

 

[cruzenmike]

So, I have some good news. I decided to pull the mulch kit off of the deck and just use as set up from the factory with the high lift blades and have seen a noticeable improvement in the cut quality. It is by no means as good as either of my Exmarks, but there is a night and day difference between the mulching setup and side discharge setup. I guess with this mower and the all of the marketing "hype" behind the One Touch Mulch, I was expecting the mower to perform better than it did. I am still cutting a bit shorter than I typically do so I am hoping that the striping turns out even better in the months to come. I have included a picture of the mow that I did today.

 

[lilguy]

Your reports are very informative. I’m moving down from Kubota diesels and 16 acres to a JD on 1 acre I think. No lawn tractors available locally except for JD 3 series and up. Thanks

 

[cruzenmike]

Your reports are very informative. I’m moving down from Kubota diesels and 16 acres to a JD on 1 acre I think. No lawn tractors available locally except for JD 3 series and up. Thanks

I think that the X300 series is a perfect mower for anyone on an acre or less and within that lineup you have choices of deck size, manual or power steering and a couple of different transmissions. I was set on the X390 originally thinking that the serviceable transmission was a must have, but the added cost and larger turning radius is what put me in the X380. I did have to get something with the K58 transmission with all of the tools that I am pulling around, but if I was simply cutting the grass and nothing more, I would have ended up in an X350 with the 48" deck. I do also like the fact that my 48" deck utilizes a two belt setup. There is just something about running a 100" in long belt around 5-6 pulleys/idlers that I have found leads to quicker wear and more frequent belt failures. It is not to say that this would happen with a single belt design on the 42" Deere decks, but I had a 50" Cub Cadet with a single belt and that deck loved to eat at least one belt a season.

If you are shopping around for an X300 series, I would say that you should be pleased with any of them if they are paired well to your desired uses and will last a long time if taken care of.

 

[lilguy]

The Deeres available are a 42” x350 and a X380 48“. Sales says corporate is not guaranteeing quantity or delivery time now any new equipment.

 

[bkeller500]

I just took off the mulching baffles on my X590 with the MOD kit. I discovered ( second season) that cutting my 1.5 acre KG lawn in the spring, I get a lot of under deck clogging and am forced to scrape the deck after each mowing. By removing the baffles, I get less build up and a better looking cut. I tried the Gator G-5 blades but they made it worse. I believe the extra wings on the G-5's just beats the cut grass into mush. My plan is to reinstall the left baffle and MOD door in the summer and leave the right mulching baffle off. In drier grass the build up is less. It defeats the mulching option but I am forced to do a minimum cut anyway so mulching is a non issue. The windrowing may be part of getting the deck level at the cutting height being used........as it can change slightly as you raised for lower the height of cut.

 

[cruzenmike]

I just took off the mulching baffles on my X590 with the MOD kit. I discovered ( second season) that cutting my 1.5 acre KG lawn in the spring, I get a lot of under deck clogging and am forced to scrape the deck after each mowing. By removing the baffles, I get less build up and a better looking cut. I tried the Gator G-5 blades but they made it worse. I believe the extra wings on the G-5's just beats the cut grass into mush. My plan is to reinstall the left baffle and MOD door in the summer and leave the right mulching baffle off. In drier grass the build up is less. It defeats the mulching option but I am forced to do a minimum cut anyway so mulching is a non issue. The windrowing may be part of getting the deck level at the cutting height being used........as it can change slightly as you raised for lower the height of cut.

So far I am much happier with the look of the lawn after passing over it with the factory high lift blades but now I am noticing that at more than a handful of passes there is a noticeable “edge” where the two passes meet. The deck has been leveled to within a mm using a precision cut block that I pass under the leading edge of the blade when side to side and front to back leveling. I had read before that someone else had a similar issue with the X380 or more specifically the 48” or 54” not making a level cut. I also tried setting the anti-scalp wheels so that the deck is practically riding on them to try and see if that helps but that way and set as normal (1/2” above ground) it doesn’t seem to matter. I do have some unlevel ground so this is simply an issue of the overhang on the left side of the deck and how I am making my passes which I typically run the edge of my tire just outside of the cut edge. Ideally a mower with a deck that is 2” wider on each side of the wheels would make for easier wheel on wheel passes. I guess I will have to mess around with some more things to see if I can clean it up some more.