Hey all,
It's been years since my last post, and I couldn't have thought of a better place to come back to to seek advice on my new purchase. My LA130 of 11 years is weak and I desperately need an upgrade. Quite frankly, I'm surprised it has lasted as long as it has. I have used it for snow blowing up a steep driveway, dethatched, aerated, swept, and rolled with it. Already fried 1 transmission on it and the 2nd one is extremely tired. Can barely get up the hill while mowing when she's running hot. Time for a major upgrade!
I visited my local John Deere dealer today and was initially interested in something in the 700 series, but think it might be a little ambitious for my 1.4 acre property. So I decided on something in the 500 series, both with the 54" deck with the mulch control option. I test drove the x590 first, and then the x584. I was really impressed with the turn radius on the x590 compared to what I am used to on the LA130! But when I test drove the x584 with the 4WS, I think I fell in love with the extremely tight turning radius. But as for the x590, initially what I liked better about it is the EFI and the nice fat rear tires.
I did have a couple of concerns with the 4WS since this is all new to me. I live on a corner property and like to get close to the embankment on the left side. If I get too close and try to steer away, will the back-end of the tractor actually be in danger of steering itself off the side?
Regarding cutting the lawn, I really love my lines to be nice and straight. Will the 4WS make my lines look squirrelly as I make very minor steering adjustments, and possibly leave uncut areas due to the rear wheels kicking out when this happens?
As for my needs, my property is 1.4 acres, almost evenly split between the front and the back, with the front being a constant uphill grade (about 20% I would say). The back slopes down (not as steep as the front) away from the house and levels out. I do have large garden beds that are curvy, so I would think the 4WS would really help with this. I plan on using the tractor for snow blowing as well for my steep driveway, which is about 250' long. I would really love the 4WD of the 700 series for this purpose, but overall, I just don't think the astronomical extra cost between the 500 series and the 700 series is justified for my size property and what I'm looking to do with it. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.
I was torn between the x584 and x590, so I asked to test drive them again. Once again, I was blown away by the way the 4WS felt, and I could make such nice tight turns end-to-end. But again, EFI and the very attractive fat rear tires are pulling me to the x590. Ten minutes past closing, I told the salesperson to put a sold tag on the x584 and will come back Monday to put the deposit and sign the paperwork. This buys me a little time to ponder my decision before making it final on Monday, as well as to seek the advice of you wonderful people on this forum in between that time.
So basically what I would like advice on is the following:
1. Am I correct in looking at something in the 500 series over any other series based on my needs and property size/type?
2. Can you tell me any information about 4WS, pros and cons over 2WS? Can you do straight lines without looking squirrely? Can you overshoot your mowing area when steering away from a close edge and the rear tires steer outward?
3. Can you give me some reasons as to why I should choose one over the other? Or a different series altogether? If 500 series is good, which one of the two would you personally go with?
All information will be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much guys!!!
Best regards,
Paul
It's been years since my last post, and I couldn't have thought of a better place to come back to to seek advice on my new purchase. My LA130 of 11 years is weak and I desperately need an upgrade. Quite frankly, I'm surprised it has lasted as long as it has. I have used it for snow blowing up a steep driveway, dethatched, aerated, swept, and rolled with it. Already fried 1 transmission on it and the 2nd one is extremely tired. Can barely get up the hill while mowing when she's running hot. Time for a major upgrade!
I visited my local John Deere dealer today and was initially interested in something in the 700 series, but think it might be a little ambitious for my 1.4 acre property. So I decided on something in the 500 series, both with the 54" deck with the mulch control option. I test drove the x590 first, and then the x584. I was really impressed with the turn radius on the x590 compared to what I am used to on the LA130! But when I test drove the x584 with the 4WS, I think I fell in love with the extremely tight turning radius. But as for the x590, initially what I liked better about it is the EFI and the nice fat rear tires.
I did have a couple of concerns with the 4WS since this is all new to me. I live on a corner property and like to get close to the embankment on the left side. If I get too close and try to steer away, will the back-end of the tractor actually be in danger of steering itself off the side?
Regarding cutting the lawn, I really love my lines to be nice and straight. Will the 4WS make my lines look squirrelly as I make very minor steering adjustments, and possibly leave uncut areas due to the rear wheels kicking out when this happens?
As for my needs, my property is 1.4 acres, almost evenly split between the front and the back, with the front being a constant uphill grade (about 20% I would say). The back slopes down (not as steep as the front) away from the house and levels out. I do have large garden beds that are curvy, so I would think the 4WS would really help with this. I plan on using the tractor for snow blowing as well for my steep driveway, which is about 250' long. I would really love the 4WD of the 700 series for this purpose, but overall, I just don't think the astronomical extra cost between the 500 series and the 700 series is justified for my size property and what I'm looking to do with it. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.
I was torn between the x584 and x590, so I asked to test drive them again. Once again, I was blown away by the way the 4WS felt, and I could make such nice tight turns end-to-end. But again, EFI and the very attractive fat rear tires are pulling me to the x590. Ten minutes past closing, I told the salesperson to put a sold tag on the x584 and will come back Monday to put the deposit and sign the paperwork. This buys me a little time to ponder my decision before making it final on Monday, as well as to seek the advice of you wonderful people on this forum in between that time.
So basically what I would like advice on is the following:
1. Am I correct in looking at something in the 500 series over any other series based on my needs and property size/type?
2. Can you tell me any information about 4WS, pros and cons over 2WS? Can you do straight lines without looking squirrely? Can you overshoot your mowing area when steering away from a close edge and the rear tires steer outward?
3. Can you give me some reasons as to why I should choose one over the other? Or a different series altogether? If 500 series is good, which one of the two would you personally go with?
All information will be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much guys!!!
Best regards,
Paul