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I just bought some property that has some significant hills on it. My Craftsman mows it, but I know that K46 trans-axle isn't going to last. I've been looking at a lot of Deere's because they hold their value FOREVER, and power steering, hydro lift, etc is nice. I can't invest in a brand new one right now, so I'm looking used. I want something with either the K71 or K92 tans-axle so I don't have to worry about it hauling my fat carcass up those hills and being able to handle attachments would be nice. I've used my buddy's 445 and that is a sweet machine! So I've been looking at 345's, 445's, ect. and recently realized that you can get into the x series for about the same money. So I'm looking for some advice. If the money is close which would you choose, the 400 series or the X series? Are the new X's built as well as the old? Thanks.

sschradle said:

I just bought some property that has some significant hills on it. My Craftsman mows it, but I know that K46 trans-axle isn't going to last. I've been looking at a lot of Deere's because they hold their value FOREVER, and power steering, hydro lift, etc is nice. I can't invest in a brand new one right now, so I'm looking used. I want something with either the K71 or K92 tans-axle so I don't have to worry about it hauling my fat carcass up those hills and being able to handle attachments would be nice. I've used my buddy's 445 and that is a sweet machine! So I've been looking at 345's, 445's, ect. and recently realized that you can get into the x series for about the same money. So I'm looking for some advice. If the money is close which would you choose, the 400 series or the X series? Are the new X's built as well as the old? Thanks.

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Listen for $2000 to $2500 more you can get a commercial ZT mower and yes personally with the comment of the significant hills I would be looking into the X 700 series.
Before I answer you more in depth, you say hills well tell us about them, can you post a photo of them, you being in MN I was in-visioning rolling knobs. LOL

This is what I probably should have.
Ventrac - Advantages: Slope Mowing
Actually, I'd love one! They are spendy though. I think the one in the video with duals is about $23,000.

The hills are steep enough that I usually spin out if I try to go up them & over power the rear end if I go down. I can mow them sideways if I lean out on the up hill side. A co-worker of mine had the same type of terrain and he actually broke out the center of the rear wheel on his MTD mowing sideways. Granted, MTD.....

I'll either try to get some pictures tonight, or some measurements.

sschradle said:

This is what I probably should have.
Ventrac - Advantages: Slope Mowing
Actually, I'd love one! They are spendy though. I think the one in the video with duals is about $23,000.

The hills are steep enough that I usually spin out if I try to go up them & over power the rear end if I go down. I can mow them sideways if I lean out on the up hill side. A co-worker of mine had the same type of terrain and he actually broke out the center of the rear wheel on his MTD mowing sideways. Granted, MTD.....

I'll either try to get some pictures tonight, or some measurements.

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Thanks for the info and if you are thinking you really need a ventrac then I am saying right now you DO NOT want to purchase a zero turn mower then, so take them off the table.
How much acreage do you have and mowing?

Yeah, I like the idea of zero turns, but based on input from folks like yourself I've ruled them out. I don't have a ton of grass, probably 2 acres. I've got a 54" deck now and that's plenty big. I know some of the bigger tractors have 60" which would be fine too, but I don't think I need anything wider than that.

Do you know why the newer x series (used) don't go for much more than the older 400 series? That kinda surprised me. I figured they'd be considerably more.

Heres a 445 http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=8678639

and a x485 http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/li...x=exact&bcatid=464&Pref=0&scf=false&HDROR=asc

Pretty comparable from what I can see, but I'm pretty new to researching JD mowers. I was looking at 435s, 445s, etc. But based on this I've started looking into the X series more. What are your thoughts there?

Well again from your response on the hills me personally if I was looking at the X series mower I would be looking into the AWD which I think it is the X738 and it might be the safest bet for you.
One more question, do you mow up and down or are you mowing horizontal on your hills?

Have you considered the husqvarna wad r322t? Should handle hills great and has a front mount deck.

Nwatson99 said:

Well again from your response on the hills me personally if I was looking at the X series mower I would be looking into the AWD which I think it is the X738 and it might be the safest bet for you.
One more question, do you mow up and down or are you mowing horizontal on your hills?

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A little of all three, but horizontal works the best. Though it probably isn't the safest.

Shughes717 said:

Have you considered the husqvarna wad r322t? Should handle hills great and has a front mount deck.

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Oh, that thing is interesting. Thanks for point that out! I'll definitely check into those.

Let us know what you went with. Very interested to see how the brands handle different terrain. Just noticed I misspelled awd. I hate the auto spell check on these iPads lol.

Shughes717 said:

Let us know what you went with. Very interested to see how the brands handle different terrain. Just noticed I misspelled awd. I hate the auto spell check on these iPads lol.

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I will. I'm going to see if I can find someplace that will let me demo that Husky.

I would get a ZT.

What is your budget?

Shughes717 said:

Have you considered the husqvarna wad r322t? Should handle hills great and has a front mount deck.

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The problem with this mower is if a operator has to turn on a incline it slips the way the unit turns "semi jackknife" you could have more problems that you want, the AWD X Series sschradle is looking at would be a better application for the terrain he has indicated.

I would just keep using the craftsman.
What makes you think the transaxle will not last long?
I have a k-46
And I know I abuse it more then you ever thought of.

The only time people have problems with this transaxle is if the fan on top gets broke.

Now junk Deere uses this same one and had problems on the L130 and the X300 because of sitting to close to the frame and not letting enough air pass threw the fan.

Always mow a hill side to side.

What you need is a four wheel turn ztr.
Like the cub cadet rzt s54. It will handle hills othe ZTRs won't.

Remember a ztr will not hold a hill as good as a rider.

Nwatson99 said:

The problem with this mower is if a operator has to turn on a incline it slips the way the unit turns "semi jackknife" you could have more problems that you want, the AWD X Series sschradle is looking at would be a better application for the terrain he has indicated.

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I don't know that it would slip. I would like to hear from someone who owns one. With all four wheels pulling I wouldn't think slipping would be a big issue. If you turn on a hill that is too steep any mower may slip.

Carscw said:

I would just keep using the craftsman.
What makes you think the transaxle will not last long?
I have a k-46
And I know I abuse it more then you ever thought of.

The only time people have problems with this transaxle is if the fan on top gets broke.

Now junk Deere uses this same one and had problems on the L130 and the X300 because of sitting to close to the frame and not letting enough air pass threw the fan.

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I hope you're right. That K-46 just isn't rated for a lot of torque, and I know they generally only advise it for "mostly flat" ground with no ground engaging implements. I'm glad to hear yours has taken a bunch of abuse. Gives me more hope. My dad has the same Craftsman that I have and he's run it for probably 6-8 years without a problem. It's been a damn good mower for him. They put a good motor in it, I just wish they wouldn't have used the smallest trans tufftorq makes. A k-66 with a little bigger rear wheels and that tractor would be a lot better.

The one reason I keep thinking about replacing it is that I can still get some money out of it if I sell it now. If I wait and do end up blowing the rear-end it won't be worth much.

Are you planning to do anything other than mow with the machine you are looking to purchase sscrhadle? I see that you are pretty far up north, and I assumed you would have more than one purpose for it. I suggested the husky because There are options for other attachments for the front, such as a flail deck, a snow plow, and a snow blower.

Shughes717 said:

Are you planning to do anything other than mow with the machine you are looking to purchase sscrhadle? I see that you are pretty far up north, and I assumed you would have more than one purpose for it. I suggested the husky because There are options for other attachments for the front, such as a flail deck, a snow plow, and a snow blower.

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I saw that. I could probably use just about all of those. I'm going to talk to our local Husky dealer before I buy something. I'd really like to Demo one of those. Not sure if they do that though...

I borrowed my buddy's 445 last night and put it through the paces. Two things stood out; 1 - the distance from outside tire edge to outside tire edge in the rear is considerably wider than mine, probably close to a foot which makes a huge difference on side hills. 2 - the trans has enough torque to control the tractor on steep down slopes, mine doesn't. The diff lock is a really nice feature. I used it a couple of times, but could probably live without it. I believe the 445 is almost twice as heavy as my craftsman too and that likely makes it more stable on side hills. Power steering is a sweet bonus.

My craftsman is a 26hp with a 54" deck. The 445 is 22hp (I think) with a 54" deck. Usually when I mow I have to plan my route to tackle the hills a certain way. Last night I just started going around the outside and worked my way in and didn't deviate. That cut my mowing time from 2 1/2 hours to 1 1/2. I think another difference is the 445 has considerably larger rear tires which seem to roll over the rough ground a lot better which meant I could go faster. You wouldn't think it'd make that much of a difference, but it seemed to. That's one concern I have with that husky. It has pretty small wheels. I'd like to try it though.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a machine similar to a 445.

So the zero turn gave you no problem on the terrain you indicated?

Nwatson99 said:

So the zero turn gave you no problem on the terrain you indicated?

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I think he is talking about the 445 tractor not the Z445.

Carscw said:

I think he is talking about the 445 tractor not the Z445.

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Sorry guys. I was using a 445 tractor not the zrt. I don't have access to try one of those right now. A guy I work with has a eXmark zrt that he said he'd let me try sometime. ZRTs are interesting. Some folks swear they're fine on side hills, others claim it's a death wish. I don't know that I want to wade into that argument :smile:

Carscw said:

I think he is talking about the 445 tractor not the Z445.

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DOH, I should have picked up the power steering. LOL

I wanted to give you guys an update. I couldn't find a dealer who'd let me test out the Husky. I ended up settling on a X475 with 425 hours on it. I've been very happy and impressed with it so far. I've attached a couple of pics, and looking at the view from the back you can really see why it handles side hills better. Both have 54" decks, but the Deere is just a LOT bigger machine.

Not a bad choice. The jd has a wide wheel base, and wider tires. Looks like it suits your needs. Congratulations

Nice tractor.

Have you tried it on a good hill yet.

Congrats very nice mower and excellent choice, If you slide a little bit take that unit back to the dealer and have the rear tires filled with Rim Guard and I bet you the little slide will be out.

I've mowed twice with it now and it really handles the hills great. There's one spot where I come around a side hill then turn up the slope that the front end actually gets a little "light". Diff Lock is amazing I was reading another post about fluid in the tires too, and that may be in the future. I know it makes a HUGE difference in my old 504 Farmall.

On top of all that it really leaves a nice cut. I think Deere must run a little higher RPM on the blades than Craftsman, it seems that way anyway. Or maybe its just the deck design, but it does a lot better job of lifting the grass that gets run over by the front wheels and cutting it at the same height as the rest. My old mower if the grass got a little long you could always see right where the front wheels went because that didn't get cut evenly.

Anyway, I'm very happy and want to thank you all for the advice! I'll have to start shopping for a snow blower for it now