# John Deere X300 series



## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

Im strongly considering pulling the trigger on one of these, the X380 specifically. Does anyone have any experience with them? Ive been looking for a good lawn tractor for maintaining my large back yard and pulling stuff around the yard. It will do as much cutting grass as hauling stuff around so I know I need a good solid machine and want to buy one that will last a very long time. Ive been looking at some older ones but Im thinking I just need to buy a new one and be done with it. What do you guys think, these good tractors? Should I spend 5k on a machine or will I be better off buying a big box store machine for 1500$ or so. I like quality, but are the dealer deeres that much better?


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Take a look here. There's some great info about JD

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12610


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## TonyC (May 17, 2018)

@bp2878 Did you pull the trigger on an X300 series? I bought a used X300 because it was an amazing deal, and it's been a real workhorse for me. If I was going to buy new I would option up to the higher end models, or make the jump to the X500's to get into a ground engaging class of tractors.

Cheers!


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## GreenerAcre (Oct 14, 2019)

The X300 series is a much more durable and stronger built mower than the box store models. They hold their value better as well. I had a X320 48" and it served me well while I had it. Sold it after 6 years and stepped up to a zero turn stand on Wright. Much better on the back and more efficient.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

TonyC said:


> @bp2878 Did you pull the trigger on an X300 series? I bought a used X300 because it was an amazing deal, and it's been a real workhorse for me. If I was going to buy new I would option up to the higher end models, or make the jump to the X500's to get into a ground engaging class of tractors.
> 
> Cheers!


I did! The x350. I really wanted the 500 but could not justify another 2k for it. I only had to decide between the 380 and the 350. I think I went with the 350 because I wanted the 42" deck, not the 48". A friend of mine bought the highest end one Lowe's had, the e140 I believe and it isn't even close to mine. The difference in quality is obvious everywhere on the mower. Couldn't be happier with it so far.


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## TonyC (May 17, 2018)

bp2878 said:


> I did! The x350. I really wanted the 500 but could not justify another 2k for it. I only had to decide between the 380 and the 350. I think I went with the 350 because I wanted the 42" deck, not the 48". A friend of mine bought the highest end one Lowe's had, the e140 I believe and it isn't even close to mine. The difference in quality is obvious everywhere on the mower. Couldn't be happier with it so far.


That's awesome! Glad to hear you stuck with an X-Series, you won't be sorry. Lots of towable options, if you haven't looked into a towable cart or a sweeper, they are really useful.

Cheers!


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## Aggie_Aloha (Apr 13, 2020)

Considering a used x300 42". For those who recommend this over the big box version, what's your take on the k46 transmission. I've read that it is the weak point that is prone to failure, unless you take off the transmission and service it yourself. If that's the case, is it worth spending the extra money on better frame/build if you are stuck with the same transmission as Big box versions? My choice is buy new(club cadet or similar) for same price but with warranty , or used and pray the k46 keeps up.

I'm wanting a tractor type due to my steep hill in the front yard. My house is sitting on a half acre.

TIA for your thoughts.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Aggie_Aloha said:


> Considering a used x300 42". For those who recommend this over the big box version, what's your take on the k46 transmission. I've read that it is the weak point that is prone to failure, unless you take off the transmission and service it yourself. If that's the case, is it worth spending the extra money on better frame/build if you are stuck with the same transmission as Big box versions? My choice is buy new(club cadet or similar) for same price but with warranty , or used and pray the k46 keeps up.
> 
> I'm wanting a tractor type due to my steep hill in the front yard. My house is sitting on a half acre.
> 
> TIA for your thoughts.


I had a K46 transmission in my LT155 and never had a problem with it.

I had a 0.67 acre lot with a ski slope down into the woods and a creek.

I rode up that slope with full bags many times a week, and hauled mulch, firewood, compost, and tree limbs with it for almost two decades.

People overload the K46 with too much weight and then complain when their abuse of their equipment results in failure. Then they bark online....

Talk with the service techs at a JD dealership. They will tell you the same.

The number one reason John Deere tractors fail: failure to clean the air filter. That should tell you something about how some owners failed....

All machines can break. But certain machines earn their reputation as reliable and durable over time for a reason. John Deere has a very good reputation for a reason. Ask farmers what they think of them....


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

I asked the salesman about this when I bought mine and he said the same. These mowers shouldn't be towing allot of weight, they are not made for that. 200 lbs is about the max you want to pull with it. It will pull ALLOT more with ease which is why people think it can handle no problem and then have problems with the transmission. I just make extra trips when hauling bags or clippings, dirt, and other heavy stuff to not overload it. Can enjoy more Heineken that way too.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

I have a 15 year old LT180 with a K46 under it. It ran a front mount snowblower for 5-6 years, and hauled around a 10P cart loaded with a little more than 200lbs :wink: of firewood. I've got video on YT to prove it. It's doing fine. I have done nothing to that trans other than make sure it gets cleaned off once a year whether it needs it or not. :mrgreen:

Also, not all K46's are created equal. There are not major mechanical differences between them but the ones found in the 100 series models were "internally dampened" which means they engineered a calibrated leak :lol: to make the accel/decel less harsh and save the cost of adding a damper to the pedal linkage. This adds internal fluid friction/heat which contributed to the shortened service life of some of those transmissions. 84.2% of my statistics are made-up, but I'd say 9.9 out of 10 of those failures were pump failures due to oxidized, read: cooked, hydraulic fluid. This is just a SWAG on my part but I'd venture a guess that they may not have been filled with Hy-Guard Low Visc like the premium series transmissions were. There are an awful lot of them out there in LT series and X300 series tractors doing just fine with light snow removal duties and non-ground engaging implements. But there were more than a couple 100 series machines that roasted the transaxles with nothing more than some hilly mowing.

It also has to do with how we as operators operate the tractors. The instinct is to push harder on the pedal to go up hills or push snow banks. You wouldn't up shift a manual trans to climb a hill, so why do we ALL do it to a hydro? The problem lies in that there's plenty of engine power to enable this and so all that surplus power, fluid friction, and load combine to roast the trans fluid. Throw in a healthy blanket of dried out grass clippings and maybe a fan that's missing a blade or ten due to a loose belt guide/thrown belt or renegade tree branch, and we make a marginal situation terminal.

TLR = Don't be afraid of the K46. Thousands of them in reasonably well cared for machines are doing just fine at 10+ years of service.

EDIT: I was a pro-wrench for a JD C&CE dealership from 2003-2008 and have replaced/repaired one or two of these for beer money.


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## TonyC (May 17, 2018)

I'm with @MasterMech on this. My new to me X300 wasn't moving forward to specs. I thought the transmission was shot. I opened the case to find nothing wrong with it. The fluid wasn't burnt, no broken parts, nothing.



Turns out this $4 pedal linkage spacer had cracked.



Oh, and I load up my OHS trailer with hundreds of lbs and haul loads up my hills. No issues, and over 430 hrs on it.

Cheers!


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

Most fried K46 transmissions are from heat. Avoid abusing them on hot days and let the machine idle to cool the transmission in between activities. When pushing the machine make sure the throttle is on full to maximize the cooling fan rpm. Even if the machine can pull the load at half engine rpm, make sure to run it at max when it is hot or your are asking more from the transmission.


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## Aggie_Aloha (Apr 13, 2020)

I appreciate the feedback and decided to trust the forum and the reputation of JD and got the X300. Will be reading up on this forum to do my best to treat it right and keep it going as long as I can. It's my first tractor mower and I'm excited. Got a good deal on a 140hrs 42". Already have my to do list - research good mulching blades (saw on forum gator g6?) and design a way to fabricate/weld rear anti scalping wheels on the deck. Thanks again for your thoughts and taking away my doubts! Based on the great responses, I'm looking forward to learn a lot on here.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Aggie_Aloha said:


> I appreciate the feedback and decided to trust the forum and the reputation of JD and got the X300. Will be reading up on this forum to do my best to treat it right and keep it going as long as I can. It's my first tractor mower and I'm excited. Got a good deal on a 140hrs 42". Already have my to do list - research good mulching blades (saw on forum gator g6?) and design a way to fabricate/weld rear anti scalping wheels on the deck. Thanks again for your thoughts and taking away my doubts! Based on the great responses, I'm looking forward to learn a lot on here.


If you really like the nuances of the X300 series, MY2006 was the first and best year. They had better scalp wheels, a swing away front bracket, and the hood had the black mesh inserts like the X500 series. All done in the name of holding that $2999 price point. The X304 was introduced with the same trans as the X324 for MY2006 and was downgraded to a 4WS version of the X300's K46 for MY2007+.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> Aggie_Aloha said:
> 
> 
> > I appreciate the feedback and decided to trust the forum and the reputation of JD and got the X300. Will be reading up on this forum to do my best to treat it right and keep it going as long as I can. It's my first tractor mower and I'm excited. Got a good deal on a 140hrs 42". Already have my to do list - research good mulching blades (saw on forum gator g6?) and design a way to fabricate/weld rear anti scalping wheels on the deck. Thanks again for your thoughts and taking away my doubts! Based on the great responses, I'm looking forward to learn a lot on here.
> ...


@MasterMech Just curious if you know why some of the x300 series have the anti scalp wheel on the front of the deck ONLY...and some have them on the front and the back of the deck?


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> MasterMech said:
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Same size deck? Typically the 42" decks are front only on 100 series, LT's and X300 series. IIRC - the 38" and 48" decks have front and rear anti-scalp wheels. It is possible that MY2006 X300's and X304's had front and rear scalp rollers, but I can't remember for sure. The downgrade for MY2007+ was purely for cost reasons.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> ENC_Lawn said:
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No the deck size or different.

After looking at there website again...no 42 inch decks have the rear scalp wheels.

In your experience working with John Deere is that because the small decks size of 42 inches doesn't need the rear scalp wheels...or is that just a cost cutter?


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## TonyC (May 17, 2018)

@bp2878 & @Aggie_Aloha , You'll want one to upgrade the hitch attachment, and at $26 they are worth their weight in gold. You can attach to both a ball (trailers & cart) and a pin (sweeper) without any changes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078MKV7Z6










Also if you're handy with a jigsaw and a few screws, you too can add one of these. The hitch is still useable even with the bucket in place.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> MasterMech said:
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It's a cost thing for sure, but there are mechanical challenges to it as well. The operator has to be picky enough to "need" them IMO. There were 3 wheeled 42" decks available on the older LX/GT series machines. Tractors like the LX255/266/77/288 and the GT225 were commonly avail with the better/stronger height adjusters and one rear scalp wheel on the left side. All 42C decks have a cavernous discharge opening and the deck is angled towards the right rear wheel which makes placing a right rear gauge wheel a challenge.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

MasterMech said:


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Gotcha...thanks for all the info.

Last question... 

For personal lawn would you recommend x300 series or x500 series....there obviously a big difference in price...but just curious if the x500 is too much for a personal lawn?


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

@ENC_Lawn I would make the leap to the X500 only if you were going to be towing heavy on the regular, Using a large front mounted snow blower in a Buffalo-like climate or needed to run something like a garden tiller or small disc harrow. Used to be that if you wanted things like a 54"+ Mower, power steering, power deck lift, and a diff lock, you needed to be in an X500 or GX series machine from years gone by. Now the X3's have all that Except perhaps the diff lock.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> @ENC_Lawn I would make the leap to the X500 only if you were going to be towing heavy on the regular, Using a large front mounted snow blower in a Buffalo-like climate or needed to run something like a garden tiller or small disc harrow. Used to be that if you wanted things like a 54"+ Mower, power steering, power deck lift, and a diff lock, you needed to be in an X500 or GX series machine from years gone by. Now the X3's have all that Except perhaps the diff lock.


Sounds good!

Thanks again for all your help! :thumbup:


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## Aggie_Aloha (Apr 13, 2020)

TonyC said:


> @bp2878 & @Aggie_Aloha , You'll want one to upgrade the hitch attachment, and at $26 they are worth their weight in gold. You can attach to both a ball (trailers & cart) and a pin (sweeper) without any changes.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078MKV7Z6
> 
> ...


Thanks Tony! Cool recommendations and amazing yard! I was hoping to get Zoysia sod eventually as well. With the new to me JD, and electric mower to get to those hard places, and replacing my truck's suspension projects - and Covid, I'll probably hold off on tackling any new improvements and projects to avoid the wife's side eye. Got my first cut in yesterday and it was great. Tried it with the side discharger and it confirmed my preference for the mulch kit.


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## NewHomeOwner (Apr 11, 2020)

We had our x350 (42 inch deck) delivered this week. We got it delivered with the brush guard and mulch kit. So far, I'm loving it. Having a pull behind dethatcher and aerator has been great, but the gorilla cart has been the most convenient.

We were looking at the 500s, but we came to the conclusion that it would be way more tractor than we'd need for our 8600sqft yard.


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## TonyC (May 17, 2018)

NewHomeOwner said:


> We had our x350 (42 inch deck) delivered this week. We got it delivered with the brush guard and mulch kit. So far, I'm loving it. Having a pull behind dethatcher and aerator has been great, but the gorilla cart has been the most convenient.
> 
> We were looking at the 500s, but we came to the conclusion that it would be way more tractor than we'd need for our 8600sqft yard.


Welcome to the party!


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> @ENC_Lawn I would make the leap to the X500 only if you were going to be towing heavy on the regular, Using a large front mounted snow blower in a Buffalo-like climate or needed to run something like a garden tiller or small disc harrow. Used to be that if you wanted things like a 54"+ Mower, power steering, power deck lift, and a diff lock, you needed to be in an X500 or GX series machine from years gone by. Now the X3's have all that Except perhaps the diff lock.


A quick follow up to this.

With the x300 series...pulling a gorilla cart full of sand....or using a plug / core aerator loaded down with weights....would that be ok in the long run?

How about a Johnny Bucket off the front for moving sand etc?

Thanks again!


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

ENC_Lawn said:


> MasterMech said:
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> > @ENC_Lawn I would make the leap to the X500 only if you were going to be towing heavy on the regular, Using a large front mounted snow blower in a Buffalo-like climate or needed to run something like a garden tiller or small disc harrow. Used to be that if you wanted things like a 54"+ Mower, power steering, power deck lift, and a diff lock, you needed to be in an X500 or GX series machine from years gone by. Now the X3's have all that Except perhaps the diff lock.
> ...


I would want to go X500 if a Johnny Bucket is part of the plan. The others, are all fine for the X300s.


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## ENC_Lawn (Sep 9, 2018)

MasterMech said:


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 :thumbup:


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

@Aggie_Aloha I had the same concerns as you last year and posted a thread with the exact same question regarding used X300 vs new cub cadet specifically worrying about the K46 and my hills. Ended up buying an X300 with 85ish hours on it. First thing I did was replace trans fluid with a better fluid, oil, plugs, filters, grease everything etc. Has been flawless since i got it. Have used my gorilla cart with it to pull sand and also pulled a drum aerator filled with water. No issues.


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## Bimmerdan (May 6, 2020)

I have an LX280 with a K61 which would be the predecessor to the x320. I have had some concern that at 600 hours the k61 has some issues. What I have found is that the internals of the transmission can be rebuilt for under 200 dollars if you have to.. A new k61 will run you $1300.

I saw there were k46 kits for about the same price, and there lots more k46 units out there for used parts.

One thing to look into is what fluid you run in the transmission. Tuff Torq says 5w50 for my k61 where JD says HyGuard 5w30, there was a night and day difference when I changed the fluid to 5w50.


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