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Hi everyone.
I'm looking for a 42" rider for my ~1 acre lawn. Its fairly hilly in couple spots. Will also use for dethatcher lawn, and light trailering.
I prefer to go new as the prices of newer used models are not that far off from new.
Will be purchasing from local dealers.
JD X330
Pluses-
- Seems like higher quality
- longest warranty
Cons-
- Price
- Much more expensive bagger and mulch attachment
- Stamped deck
- No locking Diff
- Not a Kawasaki engine

Cub XT2 (2021)
Pluses-
- Kawasaki motor
- Fab deck
- Well priced
Cons
- No locking Diff
- Manual PTO (if that's a con)
- Dealer further away

Husq TS 242XD
Pluses
- Well priced
- Kawasaki motor
- Fab deck
- Locking Diff (HUGE PLUS)
Cons
- Questionable frame... Although for what I'll use for, it should be fine
- Seat adjustment sucks.. Have to unscrew 2 bolts to adjust seat which stinks as my 13 year old will be mowing at times.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Getting tired of reading reviews... Thanks!

I am yet to actually see a real review.
Most of them are just a rehash of the brouchures.
Down side is a proper review happens after several years of use, not off the showroom floor .
Gone are the days when organization used to buy or borrow a mower & put it through it's paces over a test lawn then tear it down to see what broke.

I have a total distain for anything made by Husqvarna.
Am yet to get under one & see a well planed well made mower rather than a cheap work around to make a bannana look like an orange.

Cub used to be a good brand but slowly MTD are turning them into just another piece of MTD bottom end junk.

That just leaves the Dear Deere .
Fabricated decks are both a pro & a con
The pro is they will take more abuse than a pressed deck.
The con is their cut is so much poorer because they can not accomodate the extra volume of grass by the discharge chute.

If it was my money then it would be the JD & I would try to get the Technical Manual thrown into the deal .
While it is well worth the price as a stand alone purchase, it is the sort of thing that a dealer can toss in at minimum cost to them to push you over the edge.

Thanks a lot for the advice.
It seems like cub and husq are adding features to make up for the lack of quality.
It's a shame because that locking diff would be great to have, but I'm very worried about overall quality...
Wish I could drop the coin on a JD with locker...
Thanks again. Definitely leaning towards the deere.

I'd go with the JD, from what i can find, the engine is a Briggs 44J677 V-TWIN

paulyjsob said:

Hi everyone.
I'm looking for a 42" rider for my ~1 acre lawn. Its fairly hilly in couple spots. Will also use for dethatcher lawn, and light trailering.
I prefer to go new as the prices of newer used models are not that far off from new.
Will be purchasing from local dealers.
JD X330
Pluses-
- Seems like higher quality
- longest warranty
Cons-
- Price
- Much more expensive bagger and mulch attachment
- Stamped deck
- No locking Diff
- Not a Kawasaki engine

Cub XT2 (2021)
Pluses-
- Kawasaki motor
- Fab deck
- Well priced
Cons
- No locking Diff
- Manual PTO (if that's a con)
- Dealer further away

Husq TS 242XD
Pluses
- Well priced
- Kawasaki motor
- Fab deck
- Locking Diff (HUGE PLUS)
Cons
- Questionable frame... Although for what I'll use for, it should be fine
- Seat adjustment sucks.. Have to unscrew 2 bolts to adjust seat which stinks as my 13 year old will be mowing at times.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Getting tired of reading reviews... Thanks!

Click to expand...

From what I gather in your post, you are mostly concerned with operating on hills and the bagging performance of the machine. All of the three mowers have the same K46 Tuff Torq transmission, but the husqvarna simply has the locking differential. With that being said, these transmission are nearing the weakest of what is available on a riding mower. Yes, the locking differential will be beneficial on the hills but not necessary if you on dry grass and traverse the hills properly. The Briggs engine in the Deere is a good engine but I would take the Kawasaki over the Briggs; based on my own experiences. The bagging performance will be the same or similar on all, but I believe that the deck design if the Deere is superior. I have researched mowers extensively and found the most negative reviews and reports of early equipment failures on the Husqvarna machines. The Cub Cadet is a very nice machine and a great value, but the Deere will have a better warranty and will hold it's value much better than the Cub. If money is not option go for the "best" overall machine of the three that you picked, which is the Cub Cadet. If I were you I would actually look at the X350. You get a more powerful Kawasaki engine than in the Cub, a more durable frame, a better height of cut system, and despite the higher cost a better bagging system. Just my two cents.

Thank you for taking the time to post your advice. The last x330 in my area sold and now only 1 x350 left.. They're expecting more by mid May :/.
I think I may just bite the bullet and go with the x350... it's more than I want to spend, but I think it'll be worth it in the end.
Thanks again for all the advice.

good choice on the X350

Please keep in mind that my response was based solely off of the amount of money that you desire to spend and the three (or four) machines being discussed. In the end you might want to consider a machine with a more durable trans to begin with. Locking diff aside, something with the K58, K62 or K66 would handle climbing hills better and hauling loads with greater ease. The issue that you come across with John Deere is that the X380 is the start of the K58 and anything locking or more durable than that can only be found in the X500 or X700 line. I suspect that you either don't want to spend $8k plus or that the deck size is important since you specifically call out 42". If you want to look at the Cub Cadet GX50, this would be a great machine for about the same price as the X350. It has the K58 transmission, Kawasaki engine and a fabricated deck. Cub Also makes a larger, vac-less type bagger. The only issues that I truly see with the new Cub Cadets are the strange blade securement system (FastAttach) which not only causes many users grief when trying to change the blades, it also limits your blade options.

Each of the makes and machines has their advantages and disadvantages but with regards to the Deere, the only disadvantage is usually the price paid for options given. No matter what price you pay for a Husqvarna, the "quality" of the machine will never be better than an dealer exclusive John Deere. The XT2 series from Cub Cadet gets close, but long term reliability on these machines is nothing like the older Cubs and considering options for features, most people can live without a fabricated deck or more robust transmission even though it's offered at the same price as a John Deere. My suggestion, have some really in-depth conversations about your desires and intentions with the dealer and see what they say based on those needs/wants and then ask about warranty claims on all machine considered. This should give you an idea of where you should be spending your money. And, it's always beneficial to have a good relationship with your dealer as they will be the ones to help if you need it!

Thanks.
I was actually going over the deere lineup with my wife and she likes the X370 because of the power steering. And the PS would be nice for my 13 year old as he starts mowing this year. It also appears the K57 is a little better because of the serviceability.. plus it's $300 off right now. But that $4k is really pushing the budget.
I have a 46" deck cutoff as any larger I cannot get along a whole side of my pool..
Thanks again for the the advice. It's greatly appreciated.

paulyjsob said:

Thanks.
I was actually going over the deere lineup with my wife and she likes the X370 because of the power steering. And the PS would be nice for my 13 year old as he starts mowing this year. It also appears the K57 is a little better because of the serviceability.. plus it's $300 off right now. But that $4k is really pushing the budget.
I have a 46" deck cutoff as any larger I cannot get along a whole side of my pool..
Thanks again for the the advice. It's greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

I agree with you 100% on the X370 being a better choice because of the serviceability. Another great thing is that you get the upgraded seat on the 2021 model. I was tempted to get an X390 over the X380 that I just purchased simply due to the serviceability of the transmission but in the end I didn't want to spend the extra $1000 on top of what I was already spending. That $1000 can buy me a replacement trans if mine ever goes out. I do still plan to pull the K58 out each year and change the fluid. Pain in the behind but I enjoy doing things like that!

Picked up the X370 today.
Chatted with the dealer for a while and let him steer me in the right direction. Didn't go in there saying I want the 370.
I described my yard and what I wanted to accomplish and we landed in the 350 or s240.
He said they've seen very few K46 failures over the years when we started discussing K46 and K57 differences.
Now have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to get it. They are slammed with close to 60 machine orders.
Anyway, thanks everyone for the advice.
Looking forward to the Z370 with mulch kit. I'll wait a month or 2 to get the bagger.

paulyjsob said:

Picked up the X370 today.
Chatted with the dealer for a while and let him steer me in the right direction. Didn't go in there saying I want the 370.
I described my yard and what I wanted to accomplish and we landed in the 350 or s240.
He said they've seen very few K46 failures over the years when we started discussing K46 and K57 differences.
Now have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to get it. They are slammed with close to 60 machine orders.
Anyway, thanks everyone for the advice.
Looking forward to the Z370 with mulch kit. I'll wait a month or 2 to get the bagger.

Click to expand...

Congrats on the new mower. I am sure that you will be quite happy with it. Are you planning on getting the mechanical or electronic mulch control? I too have been considering this for my X380. On my old machine, an LT155 with 38" deck, I actually thought that the wavy mulching blades without any type of chute block actually left a nice cut. The 15hp Kohler was a bit too under-powered to actually mulch my lawn with some of the dense, heavy growth areas but with the 23hp Kawasaki and a better deck I might be able to do it now. I think that the one primary difference between the 42A and 48A decks on your machine and mine is that the bagger system on the 42A requires a high lift or bagging blade to work properly whereas the 48A can use any blade since it has a powerflow attachment to help move the clippings up into the hopper. Again, another cost to having the larger deck. I have seen many other 3 blade decks on Husqvarna and Cub Cadet machines that do not require a powered bagger unit but I am guessing that the types with a belt-driven impeller will give the best cut quality and remove more of whats laying on top of the grass after it has been cut. As for your current setup I think that you will be very happy with your new machine and be sure to double check engine oil level, transmission oil level, tire pressure and deck level before taking it out to do some work!

I am going with the manual mulch control. I figure I'll be mulching 80% of the time.
I have one of those lawn sweepers that actually works very well. I used it after thatching a few times and it picks everything up.

paulyjsob said:

I am going with the manual mulch control. I figure I'll be mulching 80% of the time.
I have one of those lawn sweepers that actually works very well. I used it after thatching a few times and it picks everything up.

Click to expand...

At the end of the season I picked up the Agri-Fab 44" Smart Sweeper to use on my leaves. They were wet and heavy but the sweeper did a pretty good job of picking them up. Dumping the leaves on the other hand was not fun; they just don't want to fall out when the hopper is tilted upward. I think that this year I will go ahead and mow over the leaves first to chop them up and then follow up with the sweeper. I will hopefully getting out this week to do some dethatching and will follow up with the sweeper to pick up the dead stuff. You have got me thinking of the mulch kit. I really want to try it but I like the idea of the electronic system. While I would like to side discharge for the sake of looks, the ability to only close it as I pass my landscaping or against the house would be nice with the flip of a switch from the driver's seat!