My Tractor Forum banner

JD or Husqvarna

14K views 122 replies 41 participants last post by  still.try.decide 
#1 ·
Hi everybody
I will need to buy a garden tractor to cultivate a couple of acres, 2 at first, then maybe clear some land and work on more. I really like the specs of Husqvarna GT52XLSi, (dif lock, strong enough tuff torqe transaxle) but I don't like their frame twisting and buckling. I want to use my tractor with a moldboard plow, cultivator, harrow etc. and maybe even with the front plow/loader. So I am really leaning towards JD x570, it's more expensive but in the long run what good is Husqvarna if the frame buckles. Also my terrain is uneven and we got a little bit of a slope. What would you guys choose? Someone said not to discount Cub Cadet, but I also have to look at dealerships, and around Fredericton New Brunswick there are not that many choices, I need to look at the future service, parts etc. Would JD X570 be a good choice?
thanks
 
#95 ·
Hi
I want to thank everybody for chipping in. I haven't decided yet, I got time till spring. But I have to tell you all that this forum changed my thinking about tractors already.
No more HuskandSharawma for me, it's a nice lawn mower but it's become clear I need more. I won't buy a big tractor, that's too much for me but I'm thinking of moving up from John Deere X500 series to a SCUT.
I'm also going for a John Deere exclusively. I saw this video about Kubota BX25, at 2:22 min. Eric explains a design flaw with the fuel line. the vid. is here

So I would find it hard to trust a company that makes such bad designs. Although many Kubotas may serve people well I don't have time to take chances, since I'm not a mechanic.

As for the idea that buying an older tractor is buying a reliable machine, because "in the good old days things were made solid" I have this video, which some may have seen. Listen to the guy at 16:44 min.


So now I believe I need to go Green, and I need to go a little bigger. As much as I can afford to strike a balance between size, price and year/hours.
I will post my choice at the latest in May 2020.
And I hope I can still ask you guys some questions as time goes by.
thank you very much
 
#97 ·
I think a SCUT is a wise move and remember that they hold their value very well.

In your case you could buy and use a SCUT with a FEL to get your property the way you want it then sell it.

Especially if you buy a used SCUT with loader and mower you probably won't even lose money when/if you sell it.
 
#96 ·
I saw this video about Kubota BX25, at 2:22 min. Eric explains a design flaw with the fuel line.
So I would find it hard to trust a company that makes such bad designs.
I have the same model Kubota, the BX25D. I've had mine for a little over 5 years now and I have never had the problem that he described, which was that something foreign got inside the fuel tank that was blocking the outlet line. That is not a design flaw, that is operator error. If you allow junk to get in the fuel tank then the outlet line can get clogged on any brand or model of tractor. He claimed that the elbow in the outlet line was the cause of the issue, but he never said exactly what it was that was in there causing the clog. If it was too big for the diameter of the outlet pipe then it wouldn't matter if the pipe had the elbow or if it was straight.
 
#98 ·
I agree. Stuff in the fuel blocking the line/L fitting is not a “design flaw.” My friend is finishing his second summer of mowing with his BX2380 and loves it. The only wrenching he has done on it is oil changes and adding grease. Other than that he adds diesel fuel. He has a new snowblower on order for this winter, so I would say to cross off Kubota as an alternative would mean you are missing out on a great tractor! Keep reading and test driving all you can to find the right fit for you.

The comment of the ROPS and hitting tree branches is true, but is the same for all SCUTs. One of the reasons Deere made the X7xx lighter so it didn’t have to have a ROPS.
 
#99 ·
Well my neighbor just had this same issue with their Kubota BX25D. Fuel starvation caused by junk getting into the tank and blocking the fuel line. The fix was pretty easy, blew air into the blocked line so I could empty the tank then took a small shop vac ran the hose into the tank and sucked out the crud. Took a whole 30 minutes tops. Further investigation of the fuel cans used to supply the machine yielded the cause,,, dirty cans!
 
#102 ·
It's really not a design flaw, if one does as they are suppose to and only put in clean fresh fuel it won't happen. If you don't it won't matter what color the machine is. Fuel storage systems need maintenance to! Usually an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure when it comes to fuel and their storage systems. I give my storage cans, gas and diesel a visual inspection a few times a year. I'm fussy about where I buy fuel. I don't store my cans out in the weather. I repair or replace any can that has compromised sealing properties.

The green or orange thing,,,,, both are good machines. I bought a new sub compact last year drove both and put a BX23S in the shed next to my JD, I just liked the Kubota better, I liked the dealer better, I liked the fact that the Kubota dealer is 10 miles away and the JD dealer is over 40 miles away. 260 hours later I'm still happy with the Kubota.
 
#101 ·
All brands and all models have some sort of design flaw/quirk. There is no perfect brand or model. Pick what brand/model you think is best, and someone else will tell you what’s wrong with it the manufacturer should have done different. It could be a fluke, maintenance issue, bad design, or chronic problem.
 
#103 ·
thank you everybody for your help with my purchase. I decided to go with a used John Deere x530. It's a 2014 model, 54 deck. I also got the brinly plow, cultivator, the agri fab disc harrow and a scraper. It's all on the JD manual sleeve hitch. I am quite happy how things run. I plowed and broke new ground for our garden and then tried the other implements. It worked, mostly. Like some people said here, the implements need weight to cut through the soil, and you need more than one pass through the field. I wish I got the electric hitch from Johnny Products. but other than that the set up works. The tractor itself is great, very strong, I actually managed to bend a couple of those attachments, it is too strong for the light duty implements. And it mows very well. So now I'm thinking of getting the universal hitch and I don't know how much I'll have to pay in customs and duties
Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Riding mower Grass
Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Riding mower Grass
Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Riding mower Grass
Land vehicle Vehicle Lawn Agricultural machinery Grass
Land vehicle Vehicle Automotive tire Tire Soil
Land vehicle Vehicle Automotive tire Tire Lawn
Vehicle All-terrain vehicle Off-roading Soil Off-road vehicle
to get it shipped to Canada. Anways, thanks again, here are some pictures.
 
#107 ·
That is awesome. It's great that it can be put to serious work.

For those of us new to that stuff, what's the benefit of the Johnny Bucket sleeve hitch, vs the one it has now?
 
#108 ·
I am new to that too, but what I know so far is, there are two sleeve hitch options available: manual and electric (actuator). I bought the manual from J. Deere, the electric is sold by Johnny Bucket, although you could make it yourself if you weld. The electric costs twice as much and offers convenience of not using your arm, you lower your implements with a switch. It's nice to have, or so I was told. But the electric offers much more than just convenience. It gives you the downward pressure, which as I notice now is essential. Without the downward pressure you have to put weights ( I use stones) on your implements to be of any use. If your disc harrow is not weighed down it just bounces up and down not breaking the clods, the soil. So you put the weights on but sometimes it's too much, sometimes they are too light, and so have to stop, adjust, carry those stones and hope for the best. WIth the electric you just flip the switch as you need it, to lower or raise your attachment, applying more or less pressure to the ground. And my sleeve hitch is showing signs of fatigue, with those heavy stones I put on my implements it's not easy to raise the sleeve hitch arm and there is some bending happening in one spot or two. The Johnny Bucket hitch claims the force of 350lbs of downward pressure, so I hope the metal is stronger than in the manual JD hitch. So if someone hopes to put a garden tractor to serious work, an electric sleeve hitch can make all the difference. That is my opinion for today, but I haven't tested it yet. I only see that the manual sleeve hitch has serious shortcomings. The tractor is fine, the attachments could work , but the sleeve hitch is not up to the job. It will do, but it is far from perfect.
 
#109 ·
Very interesting, and helpful, thanks! That does help with understanding the additional benefits of the electric version.

Looking forward to seeing more pics of the tractor at work. I like the rear tires. Have you had to use the differential lock yet?
 
#119 ·
I have it on youtube.
I'm not an expert by any means, but I believe your plow needs to be adjusted so it's flush with the ground. You're basically stabbing the ground with it.

I think there's about 986 threads on Brinly adjustments - so a quick search should come up with some.
 
  • Like
Reactions: still.try.decide
#113 ·
That was really cool, thanks for the video!

I guess the answer is a definite Yes, to using the diff lock already. Wow. I'd hoped that with the more aggressive tires, you'd have plenty of traction. But it looked like there were a few times that you locked the diff, and still spun the wheels.

Not like I currently have a need to be doing anything like what you're doing. But my machine doesn't have a locking diff, so all I could do is change tires, and add weights, and I'd still have less grip than you do. It's interesting to see what the machines are capable of.

For all I know, maybe the plow's depth could be limited somehow, so it wouldn't engage quite as hard, and maybe you could "just" do 2 passes, if traction was a problem.
 
#114 ·
yes, eventually I got out, but every now and then I spin. I see people use chains even with ag tires. I think chains make a difference. Again I haven't tested that, just watched videos. The diff lock is useful though, sometimes I couldn't get out, then I pressed that yellow switch and the tractor moved. Have you thought of putting on chains?
 
#115 ·
I just got mine, and my uses are much less impressive than yours :) So I haven't had traction problems yet.

Just curious to learn from other people's experiences, to get some sense of how my machine might perform, if I pushed it harder in the future.
 
#118 ·
That's a good point. If you had weighted the implement, and the hitch allowed for small up/down adjustments, could you use that to help with traction?

If you had 100 pounds on the implement, and you raised the hitch a little bit, it seems like 2 things might help you, with traction. The implement would push down on the rear wheels, and you'd raise the implement a little bit away from the ground, so it wouldn't engage as hard.

That seems to make a case for keeping weight on what you're pulling, but also for having up/down adjustability.
 
#117 ·
Hi everybody
I will need to buy a garden tractor to cultivate a couple of acres, 2 at first, then maybe clear some land and work on more. I really like the specs of Husqvarna GT52XLSi, (dif lock, strong enough tuff torqe transaxle) but I don't like their frame twisting and buckling. I want to use my tractor with a moldboard plow, cultivator, harrow etc. and maybe even with the front plow/loader. So I am really leaning towards JD x570, it's more expensive but in the long run what good is Husqvarna if the frame buckles. Also my terrain is uneven and we got a little bit of a slope. What would you guys choose? Someone said not to discount Cub Cadet, but I also have to look at dealerships, and around Fredericton New Brunswick there are not that many choices, I need to look at the future service, parts etc. Would JD X570 be a good choice?
thanks
No such thing as a Husqvarna garden Tractor.

Do you have to mow or just do ground engaging tasks? Both?
 
  • Like
Reactions: still.try.decide
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top