318 vs x485 questions

[deereguy58]

hi,
ok, i been reading post on here and i have a question. Seems like a lot of you appear to make out the 318 as one of the best jd ever made. Now i recently traded my x540 for a x485 which because of winter i havent had a chance to really play with it. So i was wondering, do you think the 318's are better than the x400's x500's. if so why? I value all the input from you all, tons of great info on jd and also personal experience is to be found on here and i am looking for your insight. Now i am not looking for the personal choice answer lol. I like the techinal stuff answers if you can.
thanks.

[KATT]

It's an Icon
DDogg wrote one of the best summaries on the 318 I've read.

Many have said I went backwards trading my 318 ??? I'm happy with the modern aspects, but I will never minimize the impact of the 318.

Hope you get to drive one some day

[D-Dogg]

Which one of my soapbox moments was that Katt?

But basically, the 318 was the best GT of its day, and is a good choice for us average working stiffs with a wife and family and a Craftsman budget.

If we don't mind a little wrenching and the fellowship that comes with keeping a classic machine running and working, it's the perfect mower/tractor for our suburban/exurban needs. Today for example, a few of us got together to mount a snowcab, and had a good time.

If I would have had $5,000 or more to drop in one shot, sure, a 445, 455, x485, x495, x585, x595, x748SE, or even 2305 would have been my picks (in increasing order of expense).

If I had just bought the x748SE with a 4 year warranty, I wouldn't have met any of the awesome folks I've met by owning a 318.

But to answer the question, I suppose you would have to lend me your x485 for an eval period then I could let you know for sure which is better.

[deereguy58]

well d-dogg,
if we lived close enough i would not have one bit of problem letting you eval my x485.
btw i am looking forward to see glockem cab mounted, which i assumed you were talking about.

[DeereMan]

In terms of number of units sold, the 318 is the best selling garden tractor JD ever manufactured. The X400 series were only in production a for a couple of years and then were rebadged as X700's. A side by side comparison of the 318 and the new X700 series is probably not valid. Deere really does not build a current model that could be considered the 318 equivalent.

[slkpk]

Your X485 is a much better tractor than the 318. The 318 in it's day kicked everything else s butt. Deere has continued to improve it's GT line up of tractors and cost has increased also. There is absolutely no reason the X485 shouldn't be around 30 years from now and performing like a new one. slkpk

[Bakrauf]

Yup the best part of owning a 318 is getting to buy all the great stuff for them, and meeting people from this forum...If i did not find this website and did not listen to folks like D-Dogg, I would of wound up with a JD from Lowes or Home depot that i would be complaining about for a long time. The 318 is versatile, powerful and still running strong. I could not be more satisfied. I don't even care about trying a new JD at this point.

To me the bottom line is Value-For the price you cannot buy a new JD to match what you get for a 20+ year old 318.