First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!! We will want many pictures when she arrives in May. Now to your questions:

My x748 has handled every storm this winter without chains. I still believe that in the worst case senario (smooth ice under snow up hill) she will probably slip, but I haven't suffered that since I have had her. I keep meaning to get a set of rear chains "just in case." I have 4 suitcase weights (168 lbs) and cast iron wheel weights (100 lbs) on the rear. I'll get two more suitcase weights when I find a good deal on them, just 'cause.

I have a Bercomac remote chute control on order. It should be in in the next couple of days. It's $100 and I like the design. It looks plug and play with the holes drilled in the Deere model 47 chute. I will report here when I get it installed.

Yes, float mode is exactly how it sounds. The upper hydraulic lever will rotate the chute right and left (no float mode). The lower lever has three positions. Pull back and it will lift the blower (you'll like that, much easier than your x3 series) click it to the mid position and it will lower the blower, even lifting the wheels off the ground with "down pressure". Click the lower lever all the way forward and the blower will float and follow the contours of the ground. Make sure your salesman goes over all the features with you. Tell him you are new to hydraulics and shaft drive so you are not guessing when you get home.

Can't help with the Cyclone Rake questions, I don't have one, but I'd like to.

 

I would say 'no' to chains/Terra/Grips. I have no issue pushing snow with my x595 on turf tires with a few weights hanging on a rack.

Float mode allows the snowblower or blade to follow the contour of the ground/driveway.




Andreas

 

Thanks guys for the comments, that really helps. Learning more about this awesome machine everyday. I'm sure it will be quite a step up from the x320 in every use. I agree, I will start out without any belts or chains for snowblowing and see how it goes. ggsteve, I only had the worst case you mentioned once in four winters with the x320, the weather conditions lined up to end up with a layer of smooth ice under the new snow. I was still able to get through it by only blowing on the down-hill pass, and then driving back up the hill in the clear path..

Thanks for the Bercomac remote spout tip also, I will check it out. The hydraulics sound great, the leg-lift on the x320 is getting old..

The salesguy mentioned he will be coming when the machine is delivered also. Can hardly wait till spring now!

 

Congrats on the X739, I'm looking forward to seeing the pics!!!! :tango_face_glasses:

I plow snow with my X748 and have never needed chains on it. Like the others have said, you may need some weight on the rear.

 

Keith,

I have an x585 with six suit case weights, one set of iron wheel weights (one each side, don't know the weight yet) and HDAP tires. I do have chains available if I need them, but have not had a need yet. Here is a video of me coming up our driveway with the 47 blower without chains. The long section of the driveway is a 10 degree pitch (I've measured it) or 17% grade. This will give you an idea of the traction available. Sometime I can get away with two wheel drive going up hill other times I need the 4wd depending on what is under the snow.

https://goo.gl/photos/uJe49WmZDs6BMxwc6

 

Oh man that video made me freezing cold just watching it. I will stick with the high heat, high humidity & mosquito's down here in the pine belt of MS.

 

Congratulations on the new X739!

Just get 3 more weights and you'll be golden.

 

Awesome link gtunney! Thanks again everyone for the advice on the weights, pretty sure I won't be needing the belts or chains. I currently have (3) suitcase weights that I will keep from the present x320 setup, and I purchased (2) more with the x739. I will also check out the wheel weights, but maybe that is an issue with the AWS??

 

The 50# steel weights will work with aws, but they need to be installed backwards. In both of these photos there are 2 sets of 50# weights. A single set barely sticks out past the tires. The plastic weights most likely won't work very well. Congrats on the new machine, glad we could help encourage the upgrade!!

 

Thanks badgerland, I'm relieved I could could change to the x739 before the point of no return. I would have had that thought in the back of my mind forever..
Great to hear the setup detail for the wheel weights with the AWS, I like your deck setup for weight also!

 

Wow! Congrats! X739 with a good mix of accessories! Just wanted to give you my side of the story regarding chains...I grew up on a farm in Minnesota. In November we always just put the chains on the loader tractor with the snowblower on the back. Farming, real farming, is about productivity. We had to be ready for anything at any time. No wasting time getting stuck or having to have another person help. In my teens I raced modified 440 snowmobiles (and stock cars for that matter too, but that's dirt...) and a sled that is set up properly, with the right amount of carbide on the skis and the right choice of studs with the proper pattern...I can tell you that there is nothing like running on a half mile oval of ice and having that inside ski 2-3 inches off the ice in the corners @ 50-60 mph, slice through your line out of turn two and hit it down the back stretch! Just try doing that with skags and a rubber track...I know that we are all entitled to our own opinions and conditions do vary, but as far as I'm concerned about chains...JUST DO IT!

 

Wow! Congrats! X739 with a good mix of accessories! Just wanted to give you my side of the story regarding chains...I grew up on a farm in Minnesota. ... I know that we are all entitled to our own opinions and conditions do vary, but as far as I'm concerned about chains...JUST DO IT!

I could very well end up doing the chains at some point as a few times a bit of ice formed under the snow and even with 4wd going up hill, if the blower blade was in contact with the driveway, I was spinning. Not a huge deal, though. Driveway is short enough and the tractor fast enough that scooting up the hill on the cleaned side and then coming back down doesn't add too much time. But I can see situations where I'm going to want to have them on. :tango_face_glasses:

 

Congrats on a great machine!

1) For snowblowing, I have been running Terra-Grip belts on my present x320, but wondered if I would still need them on the x739, or will the AWD+HDAPs be enough? I presently have (3) weights, and it seems the x739 weight bracket can support up to (6) on the rear. Seems like wheel spacers might be needed if I do end up using belts or chains?

Depends how much snow you get and what's underneath. If your 320 can get by with terra-grip belts, you probably won't need anything on an x739. Chains will fit just fine, however, without any spacers.

2) Also on the blower parts, it seems odd that the ‘Remote Spout’ control and cable is a separate option (about $125). I’m guessing most people get this? This was standard on the belt driven 44-inch blower I have for the x320, and I use it on almost every pass depending on how strong the wind is blowing.

If I'm not mistaken, that remote cable links the chute rotation to one of your hydraulic channels, letting you operate with with the stalk controls. Much better than a manual linkage.

3) Lastly for snowblowing, I thought I heard of a ‘float mode’ (I think..), is this just how it sounds – to release the hydraulic pressure so the blower follows the contour of the driveway? Is it controlled from the lift/lower control? The x320 is presently leg-lift so I don’t have any experience with the hydraulics yet.

Go to the dealer and play with an x7xx. Push the lower stalk forward until it clicks. The first time you do this you'll think you broke it. That's float mode.

 

Congrats on a great machine!


Depends how much snow you get and what's underneath. If your 320 can get by with terra-grip belts, you probably won't need anything on an x739. Chains will fit just fine, however, without any spacers.

I agree that you can likely get away without chains and I think that's a big advantage of the AWD.

Have there been some changes to the rear wheel steering mechanism with the 2013 to 2017 models? I don't think there is room for chains on the rear of my x729 AWS without using spacers. The clearance from the tie rods to HDAP tires is really tight.

 

Congrats! I have 8 suitcase weights on mine and blowing snow up hill it never spins a tire.

 

Congratulations on the new tractor!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

You should have no problems moving that kind of snow with your rig. Have fun and let us know how it went.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

And post some glamor shots too.

 

It's a beautiful machine. I love my X739 and there is nothing it can't handle. It's one of the few things in life that makes you grin from ear to ear when you see the snow falling.

I have the 54 blade. I use only 4 suitcase weights on the back with no wheel weights or tire weight and it plows with no problem for me, even on ice and with heavy wet stuff. The HDAP tires really grip hard, plus it's a pretty heavy machine given the size of the plow. I use float mode 99% of the time, and Downforce only if needed to scrap but then it takes traction from the front tires away.

 

With the blower in "float" there will be times when you loose steering ability. To overcome this simply raise the blower just a bit to put pressure on the front tires and relieve the desire of the blower to keep you going straight. Otherwise float works the best unless you have extremely deep snow where you have to take two passes. Of course you will have to remember this until next year. :tango_face_crying:

 

^^What he said. :thThumbsU

 

Well - No Pictures - but it did awesome! 10" or so.

First 3 minutes had me fuming. But after that smooth sailing!

I made the stupid assumption that the dealer would have tightened everything down when they assembled and attached it. In the first five minutes my bolts backed out of the right side foot and the foot turned up into the blade with snapped the sheer pin. I noticed this when the snow was coming up over the top of the hood on the blower only on that side.

I figured it out pretty quickly and fixed both. Worked beautifully after that! Loved it so much I plowed out the three other neighbors mailboxes and our cul-de-sac!

Awesome machine!

 

I fixed the loose shoe problem by inserting "thickness selected" washers so the bolts have something to tighten against. Washers in the store bins are of different thicknesses...pick through them to find the proper stacked dimension.

 

It's called a shoe, or a skid shoe. Glad you were able to diagnose and fix the problem though.

 

I'm curious how you've made out with or without weights. This spring I bought an x739 with 54" deck, 47" blower, 3 pt hitch, and hydraulic tiller. I'd had an X500 that like yours was leg lift. I've got 4 suitcases I use when tilling, but I don't know if I will need them when snow blowing with the AWD. I seldom had significant problems with the X500 with just 2 weights and the Terra-Grips.

I'm thinking about getting the Click-n-Go and the weight bracket to keep them closer in. (I'd rather not have the weight as far back on the 3 pt for manuverability).

What was your experience last winter?

 

Congrats on the great machine!, I think you will be very happy with the performance in the snow. I'm not familiar with the 3pt weight setup, but I presently run five suitcase weights on the quick hitch, without any terra-belts or chains and have no slippage at all, I was really impressed. This also turned out to be a pleasant surprise of how much the AWS helps the maneuverability in the snow with the increased length of the machine due to the blower. Really great not to have the 'leg-lift' any more either, I'm not getting any younger

Out to set up the Cyclone Rake today, been raining leaves here for about a week now..

 

Thanks. I'm likely going to get the same weight bar.

 

It looks like this hangs down low enough, it would mess up the drive over deck function.

 

I think the photo distorts the relative heights a little bit. The points that the deck rests on - the entire backside, and the front double-hook, are still slightly taller than the blowout kit pieces. I drove over the deck during the re-install and the new pieces still cleared the ground without any issue.

The only minor adjustment I had to make was the rightmost carriage bolt had to be turned around so that the carriage end was outside the deck, in order for the anti-scalp wheel to clear..

 

I upgraded from a Craftsman GT3000, to the x739 in June this year. I tried both mulch configurations on the 54HC deck, and found the Mulch Kit (BM23977) to perform the best. Unless it needs servicing, it stays on permanently. I'm content with the operation. Since bringing the x739 home, I've added:


54" (JD140) 4-Way Hydraulic Snow Plow (Custom Mount)
3-Point Hitch (Ruegg)
Auxillary Hydraulics HD Stop valve
48" (LandPride) BB0548 Box Blade Scraper iMatch Compatible
60" (Woods) LRS60 Landscape Rake iMatch Compatible
48" (JD) Core Plug Aerator. Tow Behind (have added up-to 380lbs on top)
40" (JD) Lawn Dethatcher
Boom Pole (Tarter-Standard) 85-1/2" 500lbs/1000lbs
JD 22 Utility Trailer
Quick-Attach (Rear) Suitcase Weight Bracket.
Suitcase Weights, 6/42lb ea
Poly Lawn Roller (JD) 18"x36"(sand) 560lbs (Plan to build a 1200+ pound model)


I used the 54" 4-way blade, Box Blade Scraper, and Landscape Rake to move and groom about 80 yards of rock. The x739 now has 60+ hours since taking ownership. It performs beyond my expectations.

 

I upgraded from a Craftsman GT3000, to the x739 in June this year. I tried both mulch configurations on the 54HC deck, and found the Mulch Kit (BM23977) to perform the best. Unless it needs servicing, it stays on permanently. I'm content with the operation.

Yes, looking back now I probably wouldn't have bothered with the 'mulch control' since I never use it with the gate open, and I now remove it completely every fall..

Would be interested to hear your opinion/experience with the core aerator:

48" (JD) Core Plug Aerator. Tow Behind (have added up-to 380lbs on top)

Thanks

 

Well, I was all excited about this, and I had moved to to the top of my short list. Last year, using my Cyclone Rake, I had some leaves blow out the front of the deck, it was more of a nuisance than a life altering event, but I thought it would be nice to get as many leaves as possible.

Stopped by the dealer this morning and found out the parts would cost almost $143.00.

Now that I think about it, maybe there weren't that many leaves blowing out. Maybe I'm making too big a deal of it. I think I'll wait to hear back from Better Homes and Gardens. Unless they're coming out to do that photo shoot, of my yard, I think I'll just put up with a few leaves escaping. It would be nice to have, and it would be worth $100.00 to me, just not $143.00