48" will work fine.
x300...42 or 48 in. mowing deck?
Hello All:
I need any and all opinions/suggestions on this one. I am finally buying my first new JD rider! I am trying figure out if I should get a 42 in. or 48 in. mower deck. First off, is the x300 (18hp) engine large enough to handle the 48in.? It is the smallest in the X series, so I was surprised that 48in. was even an option.
I mow 1.5 acres of smooth lawn. Half is true "lawn" and the other half is a combo of weeds and such. I am wondering if the 48in. would work well on the irrigated, "beautiful" part of my lawn. I want to continue to put the criss-cross pattern into the lawn as I cut. Is 48 in. just too big?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Drew
I need any and all opinions/suggestions on this one. I am finally buying my first new JD rider! I am trying figure out if I should get a 42 in. or 48 in. mower deck. First off, is the x300 (18hp) engine large enough to handle the 48in.? It is the smallest in the X series, so I was surprised that 48in. was even an option.
I mow 1.5 acres of smooth lawn. Half is true "lawn" and the other half is a combo of weeds and such. I am wondering if the 48in. would work well on the irrigated, "beautiful" part of my lawn. I want to continue to put the criss-cross pattern into the lawn as I cut. Is 48 in. just too big?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Drew
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
an acre and a half of grass with 48"? I would have at least a 54". I have an acres of grass between me and my neighbor and I wish I had a 54 instead of a 48 on my X324. it takes at least 1.5 hours to mow it all.
I would go with the 48". I have an X320 with the 48" and taking the deck off is awhole lot easier with the 4 antiscalp wheels.
Good luck in what ever you decide.
Good luck in what ever you decide.
fore the money I would look at the high end L to D series 54"deck and more hp bigger tires I have the la145 at 22hp 48 deck very please with it neibour has the 320 with 48deck we swich one day to try it if we found a diffrence we bouth agree that the la was more fun to cut and easer to manover compare to 320 now there will be some againts what I'm saying this is a guy that has a 320 I did like the 320 but the la out turn the 320 and was easer to turn they don't make the la145 anymore thinking that it was too good
I was trying to make the same choice a couple of months ago I ended up going with the 42'' deck because I wanted a bagger and the 42'' doesn't need the power flow attachment for the bagger and to get the power flow cost double the cost of the bagger it's self I just couldn't see spending the extra money but I hope I don't regret the smaller deck later.
With a new JD, you`ll find yourself enjoying more seat time. The 18 hp Kawasaki will handle a 48" deck just fine.
I have an X300 with a 42" deck. I mow 2 acres. The whole thing, including push mowing, takes just about two hours.
BTW, :MTF_wel2:
I have an X300 with a 42" deck. I mow 2 acres. The whole thing, including push mowing, takes just about two hours.
BTW, :MTF_wel2:
I would certainly go with the 48" deck because it is allot easier to trim the edges around trees and landscape because to larger deck sticks further out that the 42". Unless you are going to be hogging high grass I don't think power will be an issue at all.
Good luck with your new tractor!:fing02:
Good luck with your new tractor!:fing02:
I would go with the 48" deck. As said above, it sticks out more to trim around edges and landscaping.
my x300 had the 42 inch dek. if I had my time back, I'd have went with the bigger deck on that tractor for sure. the extra bit it sticks out helps with being able to go closer to edges and the swivel anti-scalp wheels will make it easier to install/remove the deck. it wasn't that hard with the 42, just a bit of a pain to drag it across the floor.
I have the 42 on my x300 because of some gates, but the tractor will have more than enought power for the 48.
This question is asked Often will 18HP be enough for a 48inch deck The simple answer is Yes 40 Years ago 10HP single cylinders Lawn & Garden Tractors were Handling 48inch decks. Heck that 18Hp could even handle a 54inch deck without a problem If You want to spend Less Than a X300 as some have suggested I would Not Go Below a D160 Or D170 Because they at least Have the same Transmission Meaning a K46 The t40J used In the Models Below the D160 Is Good for a 1/2acres or Less for Mowing and occasional snow removal The T40J seems to be a transmission that can Be easily Taxed or develop Problems faster than Most Tuff-torq Transmissions. The Nice thing about the X300 series You will have a 4year warranty over a 2 year Warranty you get with the D series. The X300 with a 48inch deck Should Handle Your Yard Just Fine. If Your think about another Model because You don't Think the X300 is enough than I suggest a X320 as Other Have stated Basically The X320 Has a Better Trans Than the X300 Model The X320 has a few More Horses, Bigger rear Tires and a K58 Transmission which is still a sealed Trans Like the K46 which means You Have to remove The trans from the Tractor to service It. The Only serviceable transmissions In the X300 Line are the X310 & X360 which Have Hydraulic Lift & Power steering. But as I said the X300 with a 48inch deck Should Be Just Fine:thThumbsU
I have mowed one and a half acres with my 1998 LX 188 with a 17 HP Kawasaki for the last fourteen years. I just recently sold a 1967 112 round fender with a 47 inch deck and an 10 hp Tecumseh that did a great job also. As far as the 54 inch deck as opposed to the 48, I doubt there would be more than a 10 minute time difference in the time it takes to mow your lawn. That 18 hp Kawasaki can handle either deck with ease. Good luck with your choice and enjoy! Gman
One thing you might want to consider here is where your tractor goes. Measure any gates you might have and make sure an 48 inch will fit. And then then measure any tight spots you might have like the distance between a tree and a retaining wall, or the distance between two trees. Maybe you have a tight walkway you need to travel to get from your garage to your lawn. Maybe you will need to trailer you tractor for whatever reason, the 42 will fit on a 4X8 with sides, the 48 won't. Also take into consideration the extra width with a bagger attachment. Will a 48 fit into your shed or garage? If the 48 will fit where ever you go, then go for it. I chose the 42 so I did not have to re-size my gates.
Thank you for bringing this up, Sergeant. As I was replying to the thread, I was thinking how my 10hp 210 with the 47" deck handles thick grass just fine, even while mowing on a slope.This question is asked Often will 18HP be enough for a 48inch deck The simple answer is Yes 40 Years ago 10HP single cylinders Lawn & Garden Tractors were Handling 48inch decks. Heck that 18Hp could even handle a 54inch deck without a problem If You want to spend Less Than a X300 as some have suggested I would Not Go Below a D160 Or D170 Because they at least Have the same Transmission Meaning a K46 The t40J used In the Models Below the D160 Is Good for a 1/2acres or Less for Mowing and occasional snow removal The T40J seems to be a transmission that can Be easily Taxed or develop Problems faster than Most Tuff-torq Transmissions. The Nice thing about the X300 series You will have a 4year warranty over a 2 year Warranty you get with the D series. The X300 with a 48inch deck Should Handle Your Yard Just Fine. If Your think about another Model because You don't Think the X300 is enough than I suggest a X320 as Other Have stated Basically The X320 Has a Better Trans Than the X300 Model The X320 has a few More Horses, Bigger rear Tires and a K58 Transmission which is still a sealed Trans Like the K46 which means You Have to remove The trans from the Tractor to service It. The Only serviceable transmissions In the X300 Line are the X310 & X360 which Have Hydraulic Lift & Power steering. But as I said the X300 with a 48inch deck Should Be Just Fine:thThumbsU
I've had everything from 36" up to 54". The SMALLER the mower, the better the cut. It sounds like you're looking for nice looking lawn. Personally, I find that 38" is optimal for the best cut with some coverage, so I use the LX178 with the 38" deck for the "gotta be pretty" places and the cc2550 with the 50" deck for the large, flat fields. Any change in the slope of your land, and the larger decks will either leave high spots or dig in.
I used to have a 50" GT. When I set out to replace with a new tractor I had choice of 48 or 54" deck. I mow an acre but I have a 600' stretch along my drive that is on an angle. The 50" was always digging into the ground along this stretch and I was afraid it or the tractor was going to get damaged. I settled on the 48" which is the right size for this area. If I had gotten the 54" I would have had to revert to push mowing of this long stretch. This would take a lot more time to mow manually than what I would have saved elsewhere with the 54". Sometimes bigger is not always better. So yes, look at the obstacles in your yard before deciding to upsize.One thing you might want to consider here is where your tractor goes. Measure any gates you might have and make sure an 48 inch will fit. And then then measure any tight spots you might have like the distance between a tree and a retaining wall, or the distance between two trees. Maybe you have a tight walkway you need to travel to get from your garage to your lawn. Maybe you will need to trailer you tractor for whatever reason, the 42 will fit on a 4X8 with sides, the 48 won't. Also take into consideration the extra width with a bagger attachment. Will a 48 fit into your shed or garage? If the 48 will fit where ever you go, then go for it. I chose the 42 so I did not have to re-size my gates.
If you can fit it through your gates, into your storage area and onto your trailer, got for the 48". It's a better deck. But remember that the deflector will add to the width (unless you install a mulching kit, in which case you can remove the deflector).
Model 47 and Model 48 decks where Both 46inch width of Cut Though But You could Buy a 8Hp 200 or 208 with a Model 47 deck or even a 110 Fender deck Model with a Model 47 deck:thThumbsUThank you for bringing this up, Sergeant. As I was replying to the thread, I was thinking how my 10hp 210 with the 47" deck handles thick grass just fine, even while mowing on a slope.
X500 on it's way
Thank you all for helping me make my final decision. My new x500 will be here in 7 days. It came down to the 500 and the x320...
Thank you all for helping me make my final decision. My new x500 will be here in 7 days. It came down to the 500 and the x320...
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
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