[emory 123]

I think it's cold is better because they have more air ventilation

 

[beenthere2]

Looking for an older {affordable for me) JD mower/garden tractor - maybe GX series. I'm not sure I'll have a choice but I would like to read opinions on the Kawasaki air cooled vs the water cooled. I'm leaning toward the water cooled but it does add another system to maintain.

Also, while here, comments on the Yanmar diesel,

Thanks, Bob

I go with water cooled and Yanmar diesel, as mice cannot stuff the air shroud with nesting material (neighbor had early death of his air cooled engine running with a nest and cooked the engine) and the Yanmar diesels in my JD 455 and 4300 are unmatched, IMO.

Neighbor has a 3-4 yr old Kubota diesel in his RTV X1100C and it has been a hard starter in cold weather.. not a good thing in WI. But is completely decked out with a V-plow and cab with all the luxuries. As an aside, I helped him out with my new Portable Li-ion jump starter to get his dead battery in a -10° F morning up and running again.
Impressed me what that little egg-carton size battery package could do as a 12v jump starter. The $100 investment is good security.

 

[Joelk]

I go with water cooled and Yanmar diesel, as mice cannot stuff the air shroud with nesting material (neighbor had early death of his air cooled engine running with a nest and cooked the engine) and the Yanmar diesels in my JD 455 and 4300 are unmatched, IMO.

Neighbor has a 3-4 yr old Kubota diesel in his RTV X1100C and it has been a hard starter in cold weather.. not a good thing in WI. But is completely decked out with a V-plow and cab with all the luxuries. As an aside, I helped him out with my new Portable Li-ion jump starter to get his dead battery in a -10° F morning up and running again.
Impressed me what that little egg-carton size battery package could do as a 12v jump starter. The $100 investment is good security.

Good point about the mice factor.

I agree that the GOOD LI-ion Jump Starters are impressive, but not sure all of them are good. Exactly what model did you get?

 

[beenthere2]

Good point about the mice factor.

I agree that the GOOD Li-ion Jump Starters are impressive, but not sure all of them are good. Exactly what model did you get?

Volcano2000
Off Amazon..

 

[Sergeant]

air cooled don't last as long.

It depends on the Vehicle with That statement I have several 60 year old Plus air cool engine that are still running strong In equipment I own Liquid cooling only Came to the JD Line of outdoor Power equipment in 1983 with the JD 430 Most of the Machines In My signature are air cooled except for My 1993 Cub Cadet 2182(Kubota Gas), 2012 JD X748(Yanmar Diesel) & 2018 JD 2025R (Yanmar Diesel)

I will say to the OP Be careful of the Early JD 345, JD320 and even early X540 all Had Issues with the Liquid cooling system do to the design Deere thought Kawasaki had it fixed during the GX300 series Production and the early X540's Had some Hiccups as well Yanmar even Had some Hiccups with the engine In the 355 that even followed it into the GX355

Do to those Hiccups I Bought a used 2004 GX335 in 2016 I wanted air cooled!

X540 was Popular its first several years of Production Until the X530 was Introduced and sales Just dropped off So Deere decided to abandon a Liquid cooled engine altogether By 2016 Last few years of X540 sales was very Low compared to what it was in 2006 & 2007.

In 2016 the wife & I Purchased a used 2012 X540 for a friend who's Simplicity regent Just wasn't Up to his Needs for snow Blowing and It has been a Great tractor for his needs these Last 5 years No Issues with it I Like the X500 series But Hate the Hydraulic lift lever compared to the one that is On the GX300 series tractors

2004 & 2005 GX300 series Liquid cooled Models don't seem to Have any Issues that were associated with the Liquid cooling system in the earlier 345 or early X540

 

[whx595]

i had a 1st generation (1994?) JD 425 & a No. 40 FEL on it. It had the 20 HP liq. cooled kawasaki. - put over 4000 hrs on that motor, then sold it -it's still going! now have a YANMAR in my x595. the gas motor ran good, but the diesel beats it on all accounts - except maybe on noise. more power, torque, lower fuel consumption, greater longevity. have 2,100 hrs on the x595, just getting broken in!!
You can't go wrong with either motor. even used - the diesel will be 1.5 to 2x the price of the gas tractor, if you can find one somebody is willing to sell? good luck!

 

[beenthere2]

Volcano2000
Off Amazon..

Just found the YT video of the diesel engine in the excavator that was started using a Li-ion jump starter that impressed me enough to order one, and now realize it is the same one I purchased off Amazon. TopDon Volcano2000

Starting issues show at 2:25 minute mark. It's a Komatsu PC75 with a 68 hp diesel.

Only post in case someone wants to know where the idea came from. Don't recall for sure, but may have used the link given in the video.

 

[whx595]

there is a reason why the old Caterpillar dozers had pony engines! takes a lot of power to start a diesel in the cold. check out the batteries on a old farm tractor like a JD 4020 ?

 

[donmac]

fuel consumption is the biggest advantage in a diesel! water/air cooled gas both work well if the operator runs them as required!air wot/liquid with attention to cooling system. and allowing oil cooling time before shut down same as turbo diesel. if your putting more than 200hrs. a year on the machine diesel is the way to go,handsdown the fuel savings will outweigh the maintenance costs over time!

 

[whx595]

the additional torque of the diesel and the way it makes power out-performs the gas engine - even if the gas engine is rated at a higher (say 28 HP gas vs. 24 HP diesel). My 24 HP yanmar in my x595 will out-pull / push the 28 HP 700 series my friend has all day long. HP rating is not so important w/the diesel..

 

[Joelk]

I don't own any diesels(I don't put thousand of hours on my stuff), but from what I have seen it seems to me that much longer engine life should be at/near the top of the list of diesel benefits.

 

[donmac]

I don't own any diesels(I don't put thousand of hours on my stuff), but from what I have seen it seems to me that much longer engine life should be at/near the top of the list of diesel benefits.

that may be true but i found the cost to do a complete rebuild on my yanmar was higher than buying 2 new gas engines and then you need to factor in the original purchase price increase! may be different in usa but when I priced pistons,crank,rods, bearing ,gaskets it came to over 3k cnd. and that's not including labour/machining and all the external components that are wore out!
I got rid of the diesel simply because my fuel costs are split 42 ways. I worked on highway tractors for years and Low Sulphur diesel stinks!
I'd drive a gas truck if I could find something that compares to my 6.5TD for mileage. my son is a gm tech and he sold his duromax to go back to 6.5!

this is getting off topic of air/watercooled! my.02 diesel for farming/commercial landscape, gas for residential grass/snow ,watercooled for extreme hot locations!

 

[Joelk]

that may be true but i found the cost to do a complete rebuild on my yanmar was higher than buying 2 new gas engines and then you need to factor in the original purchase price increase! may be different in usa but when I priced pistons,crank,rods, bearing ,gaskets it came to over 3k cnd. and that's not including labour/machining and all the external components that are wore out!
I got rid of the diesel simply because my fuel costs are split 42 ways. I worked on highway tractors for years and Low Sulphur diesel stinks!
I'd drive a gas truck if I could find something that compares to my 6.5TD for mileage. my son is a gm tech and he sold his duromax to go back to 6.5!

this is getting off topic of air/watercooled! my.02 diesel for farming/commercial landscape, gas for residential grass/snow ,watercooled for extreme hot locations!

How many hours were on the Yanmar when it needed rebuilt?

 

[Frogmore]

This thread seems to be staying far from the original question. There are advantages and disadvantages for each choice of fuel and cooling technology, with price, fuel economy, power, and longevity being major ones. There is no one right answer. Everyone has an opinion and preferences. If I regularly mowed in 90+ degree F weather, I would get water cooled. If I used my machine for more than 300-500 hours a year, I would get diesel. If not in those categories, I would get whatever was cheapest/available/though was cool.

I think diesel is cool, but I don't think I would pay an extra $1000 for it. I have one in my CUT, but all CUTs have diesel engines, so it didn't cost "extra". I have air-cooled gas engines in everything else. I was looking at an X749 a few weeks ago. It was in my price range, but it had 2700 hours on it. There are those that say that is just broken in for a diesel. They might be right about the engine. But, the rest of the tractor was well worn and needed some repair/refurbishment. It was such a good price that it sold within days of being on machine finder.

My point is that each of these technologies works when maintained and used within the design parameters. So, it largely comes down to the availability, initial cost, preferences and how you intend to use the machine. For mowing, any of them can work fine.

If you find a great deal on a low hour diesel in great shape, buy it. If you are looking for a "real" GT (one which has real hydraulics, not just deck lift) unless you want from from last millennium you will get water cooled. If I had to choose between a GT with diesel (but no real hydraulics) like the 355D or GX355 and a gas powered "real" GT like the 425/445/X475 etc, I would choose the non-diesel one. But, you might really like the smell of diesel in the morning, and make a different choice.

 

[whx595]

there are a lot of used SCUT - CUT machines out there now, they have been around long-enough to generate a good used market. if you are looking for hydraulics - the SCUT maybe the better bang for the buck than large GT??

 

[Frogmore]

I already have a CUT and an X300 and an X534. So, getting a super garden tractor with hydraulics is the next thing for me.

The OP doesn't and didn't say what he needed to accomplish other than wanting a mower/GT. Knowing the scope of the work the machine is expected to do, would help determine the ones most capable of doing it. Deere makes lots of different products to serve lots of different needs, but there is a large overlap.

 

[whx595]

I have a x595, which i guess is a super GT? LOL it's a great machine - lots of power, hydraulics work good (after you boost the pressure a little). When i bought (used) it many yrs ago - the 1023 & 1025R , 2210, 2305's were not out yet. I would have seriously looked at them too. My budget only went so far, at the time the 755- 955 series were top dollar. THe only issue is if you want a 3-pt rear lift or rear PTO, you have to find the parts and add it on. The 3-PT operates off the mower lift, which is the same circuit as the bucket roll. I would like to add a 3-PT at some time - but i have to separate the hydr. functions and space under the tractor is very tight to say the least!!.

 

[Rarefish383]

I was mowing my yard with a JD 265 17 HP Kawasaki, since 2000. It's a 1990 model. Then I retired and took on 11 yards, two of them 2 acres, the rest 1 acre, and did them all with the 265. Bought a 52" Snapper Pro walk behind with a 20 HP Kawasaki, used it for 2 years, then 2 years ago, my friend moved to a gated community in SC. He sold me his X540 with 47" snow blower, and a Cyclone Leaf Rake for a song. Now the 265 is on my farm in WV. It has over 3000 hours on it. The X540 has just over 1000 hours. The only real difference I see in the 265 and X540, "for mowing", is the power steering and trac-loc. The 265 has very nice steering being non power. I have 48" mowers on both machines, and if I'm mowing long straight swaths, like my field in WV. I can see little to no difference. And, when you start looking, let every friend you know that you are looking for a mower. I get almost all of my equipment from friends and friends of friends. My 52" Snapper Pro was about $6000 new. We got 2 of them, for $900 each, because my best high school buddy's sister worked with a a company that let one of the employees keep his side lawn business equipment in two of their cargo tainers. They needed them and told him he had to empty them ASAP. Mine had 420 hours on it when I got it. The X540 above, was $2500, with all the stuff. Yeah, they were good deals, and yes they are out there. But, you are not likely to find them in the want adds.

 

[inspectorudy]

I have bought and sold many of each and have done work on almost all of them. If you are not in a commercial or farm setting where you need the lower fuel consumption and the many extra hours that a diesel will provide, I would always take the air-cooled engine. I have had more than one water pump change on the Kawasaki engines and it is one of the most time-consuming jobs that I have experienced. I live in Georgia where the summers can be very hot and have NEVER had an issue with overheating of an air-cooled engine. Think about forgetting tp put your tractor up overnight in sub-zero weather. The air-cooled one no sweat. The liquid one, "Did I put the new antifreeze in or not?". There simply is no day-to-day advantage of liquid over air-cooled engines. I used to have an RV and the old argument was that diesels will last forever but gas ones won't. That may be true but everything on the diesel RV would still need to be replaced in 10 years just like the gas ones. The engines may last longer with liquid-cooled but the rest of the tractor won't. Ford or Chevy? There is no correct answer.

 

[Sergeant]

I have a x595, which i guess is a super GT? LOL it's a great machine - lots of power, hydraulics work good (after you boost the pressure a little). When i bought (used) it many yrs ago - the 1023 & 1025R , 2210, 2305's were not out yet. I would have seriously looked at them too. My budget only went so far, at the time the 755- 955 series were top dollar. THe only issue is if you want a 3-pt rear lift or rear PTO, you have to find the parts and add it on. The 3-PT operates off the mower lift, which is the same circuit as the bucket roll. I would like to add a 3-PT at some time - but i have to separate the hydr. functions and space under the tractor is very tight to say the least!!.

2210 was Introduced 9 Months after the X400/X500 Heavy Duty series( Introduced in Sept 2001 But Not releases for sale Until Jan 2002) at the 2002 Dealer show In September for 2003 Model year. Backhoe wasn't Introduced Until the 2305 Came into Production. Had several Members over On the Garden webs Tractor forums that Upgrades there 2002 X500 series 4WD models to a 2210 in 2003