John Deere x590 - we use it hard and have had no problems in 4 years. I've bought a bigger tractor and a JD Gator from same dealer in past 4 years.
Love John Deere.
dude, an X590 is about $9,000
if the guy has a flat, 1/2 to 3/4 up to an acre parcel he’s got several reasonable options that wouldn’t be as stupid as killing a fly with a x590 sledgehammer
a) new S series from HD/Lowes/JD retailer... $2000 gets you an s130 with 42” deck.... $2500 for an s170 with the 48” deck
the good: it’s new.... mfr warranty. The not-so-good: the “quick change” oil change gimmick is reason enough to skip this line entirely... 42” on 48” Edge decks offer only 2 bogey (anti-scalping) wheels vs. a proper 4 or 5 (Deere being chintzy) Briggs engines are not my preference even though the ones spec-built for JD are better than those they supply to other mfrs, they are good enough ( the newer Briggs units in my snowblower and 6hp leaf blower are actually pretty damn good) ... better have flat property cuz the TuffTorq k46 is not serviceable and will eventually give up the ghost with the heat generated by hilly demands or yanking around heavy loads... flat property you should be fine.... option A would be my least-attractive option, based on what you’d get for that spend on the pre-owned market would be MUCH more stout
b) used x300 with anywhere btw 400-800 hrs... Should be less than $1500 for an x300 in
pristine condition.... some clowns try to list these for much higher but I don’t want to deal with “I KNOW WHAT I HAVE” shmucks..... many x300 can be found in well maintained condition as these continue to be very popular models... make sure the hood is not cracked, if it’s cracked the machine should be listed considerably cheaper ... seat cracked (like every JD rider)? No big deal replacements are $140 and they go a long way to make a beater look better....OEM replacement hood though is $500 alone... if its the original owner and you can see what type of terrain he applied it to and that his garage is in tidy nick - you can score a deal .... these machines started around $3300 new.... if you find a higher level x3xx with the 48” 48c 4-bogey deck (better built) that’s a huge score.... skip the water-cooled Kawasakis unless you earn a living by mowing, they’re sublime but there a lotta bits in there that can ruin your day if they fritz... not a huge fan of all wheel steer (x304, x324 etc ) but some guys really like’m... to me it’s more mechanical oily bits that needs maintaining... rode a x534 testing for my neighbor last week and was taken aback by how wiggly rear-wheel-steer is, but guys swear by them once you’re used to it, apparently.... when shopping used, among the things i do is to ask to run a compression test on each cylinder to check ring wear, some guys get snippy when you ask to pop out the plugs... 120# + is what i’m looking for on the gauge... look for owners who have extra sets of good blades and mulching kits , rear baggers (worth $250 alone) , and any owner who can furnish the original paperwork/records/manuals gets a reach-around from me... option B is what I’d suggest.... an X500 would be even better, but these are $3000 used ... it is a hoss, would take up more room in your shed
c) older used Deere like a LX277, LX280 (skip the water-cooled Lx278 and LX288) are worth their weight in gold, I find them when older guys are moving to FLA or opting for a (gasp) lawn service.... again, fragile hoods ... these will have kawasakis.... look for one where the oft-missing front bumper (green thermoplastic) is present, good indicator of how hard a unit was flogged... missing bumpers are only a cosmetic flaw and a replacement is $80 on ebay... ask if the tires hold air... these tires will dry-rot with age, replacement tires Will set you back $140.... check the filters, oil (obviously).... when you test drive, drive it on grass (not just the driveway) and uneven surfaces to check for steering slop (excessive play) which is indicative of worn front axle bearings /bushings (easy fix)... deck should have no repairs... i check spindles for wear, a set of spindles on a 3 blade 48c deck will run you $100 just for the pieces.... look for any damage to the fan over the rear hydro unit... likewise for any obvious leaks on the hydro housing... other good older (early 2000s models which are built like tanks) are GX and GT series which are REAL garden tractors.... LT series are merely okay as these are all Briggs / Kohler but are unappealing to me accordingly... but a mint one would be all you need (LT 166 / LT180) and these can be found easily below $900.... the smaller STX 38 models are acceptable only if they are mint and have the preferred Deere yellow deck....these are a Kohler 12.5hp which are pretty decent... the black deck STX 38s are trash as they were sourced from MTD and are a much less quality gauge steel... these should be super cheap around $500 but they were real Deere and built quite well even though they were tasked as an entry level rider...
d) pre-owned L/LA/D/E series (these are essentially the same, minor cosmetic differences) .... lightly used examples are out there, if the owner keeps a tidy garage and you see no red flags (transaxle whine / struggles , low compression, loose / worn bearings and spindles , oil burn / blow-by , deck issues) you can get one for less than $800... enjoy it for 5-7 seasons or so then sell it for $300
feel free to update me on what you find, If you tell me where you are, I can search Craigslist / FB marketplace in your area for candidates.... best time to buy has ended , everyone will be looking soon so you’d need to be prepared to strike like a cobra
