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John Deere X340 for 5 acres?
#1
D
dcx340
D
dcx340
I Have 5 acres of a mixture of grass and weeds (4"-5" tall) to mow. All flat, no trees. Do you think a John Deere x340 can handle this? John Deere has a mower selection tool on their website that says this mower can handle up to 4 acres. Choosing 4.5 acres causes it to recommend an x500 model. Not sure how they determine this but I can't afford that. The x340 is air cooled so Im concerned that the 4hrs or so mowing in the middle of summer might be hard on it. Any thoughts?...
#2
K
KennyV
K
KennyV
Buying more machine than you need is usually best...if you can't see the price of what you need... you might look at good used equipment in the size class that you need .. you could even go up to the level above that...
Good used equipment is always worth considering. :smile:KennyV
Good used equipment is always worth considering. :smile:KennyV
#3
JDgreen
Lot of variables here....you say "grass and weeds up to 4 to 5 inches" well what happens if it rains so much you cannot mow until they get double that height? How thick is the grass? Will you be mowing in the hottest part of the day or later in the evening? What width of deck will you be using and how high will it cut? I am doing a Google search on the models with my Blackberry as I compose this...lets see now, X340, 25 hp, 54 inch deck, 4 inch maximum cut height...the X500 seems to also be rated at 25 hp but also weighs 809 pounds with a 48 inch deck....
There is no reason the X340 would not be able to handle the job as long as you don't mow in the hottest part of the day, and you also do not have to cut the full width of the deck, but it WILL take more time to mow cutting only 1/2 or 2/rds the width at a time. If you keep the blades sharp it should do fine at cutting full width most of the time. I used to mow 4 1/2 acres with a 318 that had a 50 inch deck, with 18 hp it did the job but I often mowed at dusk or night time in the summer because the engine ran a lot cooler then. Hope this helps.
JDgreen
I Have 5 acres of a mixture of grass and weeds (4"-5" tall) to mow. All flat, no trees. Do you think a John Deere x340 can handle this? John Deere has a mower selection tool on their website that says this mower can handle up to 4 acres. Choosing 4.5 acres causes it to recommend an x500 model. Not sure how they determine this but I can't afford that. The x340 is air cooled so Im concerned that the 4hrs or so mowing in the middle of summer might be hard on it. Any thoughts?...
Lot of variables here....you say "grass and weeds up to 4 to 5 inches" well what happens if it rains so much you cannot mow until they get double that height? How thick is the grass? Will you be mowing in the hottest part of the day or later in the evening? What width of deck will you be using and how high will it cut? I am doing a Google search on the models with my Blackberry as I compose this...lets see now, X340, 25 hp, 54 inch deck, 4 inch maximum cut height...the X500 seems to also be rated at 25 hp but also weighs 809 pounds with a 48 inch deck....
There is no reason the X340 would not be able to handle the job as long as you don't mow in the hottest part of the day, and you also do not have to cut the full width of the deck, but it WILL take more time to mow cutting only 1/2 or 2/rds the width at a time. If you keep the blades sharp it should do fine at cutting full width most of the time. I used to mow 4 1/2 acres with a 318 that had a 50 inch deck, with 18 hp it did the job but I often mowed at dusk or night time in the summer because the engine ran a lot cooler then. Hope this helps.
#4
D
dcx340
D
dcx340
Thanks for the replies... The 340 has a 54" deck. I have also been looking at craftsman, and husky but, everytime i go back and checkout the 340 it just seems to be built more sturdy. Then again, for the cost I could almost buy two of either of the others. Anyway, Im still leaning toward the x340 but Just didn't want to ruin a new mower trying to do something it wasnt designed for
#6
JDgreen
JD models of that size are very well engineered, you will not ruin it UNLESS you run it hard in hot weather very early during ownership. I may be an exception but every time I buy a new engine in 4-stroke, be in a car, truck, mower, etc. after the first hundred miles in a vehicle or an hour of running in small engines I ALWAYS change the oil and if it has one, the filter...ALWAYS. The amount of debris and dirt inside a new engine makes it worth doing early. Flush the crap out in the beginning don't leave it in the engine for a long time.
JDgreen
Thanks for the replies... The 340 has a 54" deck. I have also been looking at craftsman, and husky but, everytime i go back and checkout the 340 it just seems to be built more sturdy. Then again, for the cost I could almost buy two of either of the others. Anyway, Im still leaning toward the x340 but Just didn't want to ruin a new mower trying to do something it wasnt designed for
JD models of that size are very well engineered, you will not ruin it UNLESS you run it hard in hot weather very early during ownership. I may be an exception but every time I buy a new engine in 4-stroke, be in a car, truck, mower, etc. after the first hundred miles in a vehicle or an hour of running in small engines I ALWAYS change the oil and if it has one, the filter...ALWAYS. The amount of debris and dirt inside a new engine makes it worth doing early. Flush the crap out in the beginning don't leave it in the engine for a long time.
#7
J
jenkinsph
J
jenkinsph
I think the X340 is a good choice for 5 acres but that is alot of hours of use each year. I could get by with an X320 for my lawn area but need the X749 for my work. As suggested keep it blown off and clean, change the oil and filters and you should be good to go.
#8
F
figtide
I just bought an X340 to cut my 4.5 acres, and it handles that job nicely. The model was discontinued after 2010 due to the fact that it was stealing sales from the 500 series. The only major difference between the x340 and the 500 is the 500 has a locking differential and a 1 gallon larger tank for about $1200 more than the x340. They both have the same motor (air-cooled). I've cut areas well over 5 inches tall with mine and had no problems whatsoever.
F
figtide
I Have 5 acres of a mixture of grass and weeds (4"-5" tall) to mow. All flat, no trees. Do you think a John Deere x340 can handle this? John Deere has a mower selection tool on their website that says this mower can handle up to 4 acres. Choosing 4.5 acres causes it to recommend an x500 model. Not sure how they determine this but I can't afford that. The x340 is air cooled so Im concerned that the 4hrs or so mowing in the middle of summer might be hard on it. Any thoughts?...
I just bought an X340 to cut my 4.5 acres, and it handles that job nicely. The model was discontinued after 2010 due to the fact that it was stealing sales from the 500 series. The only major difference between the x340 and the 500 is the 500 has a locking differential and a 1 gallon larger tank for about $1200 more than the x340. They both have the same motor (air-cooled). I've cut areas well over 5 inches tall with mine and had no problems whatsoever.
#9
R
robert
R
robert
From a brand new zt convert; mowing five acres with any tractor is insanity, unless you really really like to sit on a mower growing basil cell carcinomas' (sp?) even with a 12 volt cooler with a six in it-thanks but no thanks.
When my brand new Quest will start I can mow our 3/4 acre yard and my neighbors-about the same size-in much less time than it took me to mow just ours with the Simplicity lawn tractor and it had a fairly tight turning radius, 14" or so.
As for used equipment; what I found is that the prices are nuts, especially JD, in a year of serious Ebay/Craigslist hunting not a single unit turned up that was priced low enough to make me buy-for about another 1000 bucks whatever model advertised could have been bought new, broken in by me and maintained by me. The John Deere models, without exception, could have been bought new for about $500 more and this included some units that were 5-10 years old, fancinating really.
Plus, there are some really-really-really wierd people out there, I am a 'well nourished' person, my docs description not mine, just over six feet and I have a very 'diverse' background and I went to a few addresses where the people made me a bit uncomfortable, and I still carry.
My advice; go only during the day with a friend AND be certain ownership can be proved BEFORE you put a desposit on any equipment-one situation got real ugly on me fast-I am afraid that you will find that there are many very desperate folks doing what they have to do to either survive or support a habit-or screw the spouse out of assets.....
On ebay especially the most frequent scam I encountered was to place the 'winning' bid only to have the sale withdrawn-insurance fraud I am certain and Ebay does not care.
When my brand new Quest will start I can mow our 3/4 acre yard and my neighbors-about the same size-in much less time than it took me to mow just ours with the Simplicity lawn tractor and it had a fairly tight turning radius, 14" or so.
As for used equipment; what I found is that the prices are nuts, especially JD, in a year of serious Ebay/Craigslist hunting not a single unit turned up that was priced low enough to make me buy-for about another 1000 bucks whatever model advertised could have been bought new, broken in by me and maintained by me. The John Deere models, without exception, could have been bought new for about $500 more and this included some units that were 5-10 years old, fancinating really.
Plus, there are some really-really-really wierd people out there, I am a 'well nourished' person, my docs description not mine, just over six feet and I have a very 'diverse' background and I went to a few addresses where the people made me a bit uncomfortable, and I still carry.
My advice; go only during the day with a friend AND be certain ownership can be proved BEFORE you put a desposit on any equipment-one situation got real ugly on me fast-I am afraid that you will find that there are many very desperate folks doing what they have to do to either survive or support a habit-or screw the spouse out of assets.....
On ebay especially the most frequent scam I encountered was to place the 'winning' bid only to have the sale withdrawn-insurance fraud I am certain and Ebay does not care.
#10
B
benski
B
benski
Put some premium synthetic oil in your JD, along with a new filter, drive it intelligently, and enjoy.:thumbsup:
#11
C
cvarc
C
cvarc
HI,
We have an X340 - now with about 420 hrs on it, that we use to mow our 5.5 acre RC airplane flying field. We have had some mechanical issues with it - namely the PTO clutch - there is another post under 'X340 Slow' . Leaving that aside, the advice would depend on how often you plan to mow it. If you plan to mow it once a month, then you will need to do as others say and go slow, mow at the max setting of 4", only cut on the right side, etc. (ours has the 54" deck) If you plant to mow often enough that you're only cutting off a half inch or and inch of new grass, and can mow at full mower width and at full travel speed, then again, it will do the job (this is our case). It takes an experienced driver (mE!) typically 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 hrs, non-stop, to mow the 5.5 acres, half at about at 1-1/2 " (the runway & taxi strips) and the rest at 3". It uses about 3 gals of gas in that timeframe. The biggest frustration for me is that it would be great if it moved faster. Our older standby JD (from 1993) can mow circles around this one, but just isn't as comfortable to ride and only has a 48" deck. So, I would say to think about how you'll be cutting and the trade off between speed and toughness of the cutting you will be doing. If it's all toughness and you won't be able to travel at full speed anyway, then the X340 can do it. It it will be lightly loaded and traveling faster is important, look at a higher travel speed model. On the mechanical issues, research the x300 PTO bold breakage issues. Hope this helps.
We have an X340 - now with about 420 hrs on it, that we use to mow our 5.5 acre RC airplane flying field. We have had some mechanical issues with it - namely the PTO clutch - there is another post under 'X340 Slow' . Leaving that aside, the advice would depend on how often you plan to mow it. If you plan to mow it once a month, then you will need to do as others say and go slow, mow at the max setting of 4", only cut on the right side, etc. (ours has the 54" deck) If you plant to mow often enough that you're only cutting off a half inch or and inch of new grass, and can mow at full mower width and at full travel speed, then again, it will do the job (this is our case). It takes an experienced driver (mE!) typically 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 hrs, non-stop, to mow the 5.5 acres, half at about at 1-1/2 " (the runway & taxi strips) and the rest at 3". It uses about 3 gals of gas in that timeframe. The biggest frustration for me is that it would be great if it moved faster. Our older standby JD (from 1993) can mow circles around this one, but just isn't as comfortable to ride and only has a 48" deck. So, I would say to think about how you'll be cutting and the trade off between speed and toughness of the cutting you will be doing. If it's all toughness and you won't be able to travel at full speed anyway, then the X340 can do it. It it will be lightly loaded and traveling faster is important, look at a higher travel speed model. On the mechanical issues, research the x300 PTO bold breakage issues. Hope this helps.
#12
S
SeniorCitizen
S
SeniorCitizen
QUOTE: John Deere has a mower selection tool on their website that says this mower can handle up to 4 acres. Choosing 4.5 acres causes it to recommend an x500 model.
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I've never determined why any manufacturer would use that kind of measurement to classify their mowers. Utterly stupid in my opinion.
Another measure the warranty people want is " how old is it - when was it sold new". Well that's real stupid too. So if I bought a new tractor, used it for a couple of hours and was shipped out of the country on assignment for 3 years it would be out of warranty with 2 hours of operation. Ridiculous. Put a fool proof hour meter on it when manufactured and stop all the eyebrow raising nonsense.
A mower is good for xxx number of hours period. Some more than others.
When it finally fails, and it will, the first thing the mechanic wants to know is how many hours and rightfully so to assist in determining a course of action, not when you bought it or how many acres were being mowed or how tall the weeds were .
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I've never determined why any manufacturer would use that kind of measurement to classify their mowers. Utterly stupid in my opinion.
Another measure the warranty people want is " how old is it - when was it sold new". Well that's real stupid too. So if I bought a new tractor, used it for a couple of hours and was shipped out of the country on assignment for 3 years it would be out of warranty with 2 hours of operation. Ridiculous. Put a fool proof hour meter on it when manufactured and stop all the eyebrow raising nonsense.
A mower is good for xxx number of hours period. Some more than others.
When it finally fails, and it will, the first thing the mechanic wants to know is how many hours and rightfully so to assist in determining a course of action, not when you bought it or how many acres were being mowed or how tall the weeds were .