JD X320 Weak Performance or defective?

17 years ago

Question: How does one tell if there is a problem with the transmission on a tractor or by design it isn't able to meet the demands I'm placing on it? As a follow up, how should i couch my arguments to the dealer if there is something wrong so I don't get taken?

The Story:

I am new to "big mowing" and decent tractors. We recently moved to a home with 2.5 acres of lawn to mow, and my Yard Man/MTD tractor literally fell apart after three mows. I bought a JD X320 tractor and was pretty happy with it, although it seemed to slow down quite a bit when going up hills. I use it to mow and to haul around a light-duty dump trailer I picked up at Lowes, usually with tools, and some yard debris, and (I know its not safe), but a kid or two.

A few weeks ago I rented a lime spreader from the rental center used the X320 to spread lime. I absolutely did not have enough power to pull the spreader, even when it was empty. The X320 would move along the flat spots just fine (and pretty fast too), but as soon as I would hit even a slight incline the transmission would start whining and the tractor would slow down to a standstill. The engine just purred demurely and never gave any auditory clues of even working harder than it does at idle.

This weekend I wanted to mow for the first time. I picked up the JD dealer recommended powerflow bagger system and installed it (hoping the bagger will cut down on the dust that makes my allergies crazy). As I started mowing I realized that even with the bags empty the tractor seemed sluggish and overloaded. Going up hills was nearly impossible. There are two bags, and even with just one bag filled, the mower seemed to struggling. Same situation, the engine was just purring along while the transmission started whining.

I am hoping that the transmission has a problem and that it isn't that the JD X320 is just not up to the task.

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Comments (31)

goblin127
17 years ago
Hopefully its just a loose drive belt. Belts do whine when there loose.
hfjeff
17 years ago
That sounds to me like something is wrong with the transmission. I would take it in and have it looked at. I am sure the X320 should be able to handle what you are trying to do with it.
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castoff
17 years ago
I agree, I think that it's the hydro acting up. If it was a belt slipping, you should have smelled it, noticed smoke or had it burn off by now. There is no reason why a properly running X320 won't do all the tasks you described with ease. Take it into the dealer straight away. He can test drive it himself and then repair it.
ctpuritan
17 years ago
There is a lesson here. All tractor brands despite the color can have problems. Some more than others.
castoff
17 years ago
The other lesson is this. All tractor brands buy parts from various manufacturers to build tractors. None of them make tires, transaxles, engines, steering wheels, guages, ignition switches, headlight assemblies, drive belts, bearings etc etc. All of these are mass produced. Quality control of those parts is essentially the responsibility of the company making them.

If a hydro fails, it isn't Deere's fault nor is it Sears or Husky's or Cub Cadet's. Failures do happen, regardless of the colour of the tractor or the badge on the hood. That's why there is a warranty. The buyer looks to the manufacturer to resolve these issues. Most defects show up during that period.
ray79
17 years ago
we had the same problem with our 320; went back to the dealer twice; just couldn't ever get it right; no explanation from techs or deere. it would do the same thing in tall thick grass; slow down and the tranny woul start to really whine. crporate office said i overused it; to upgrade to a true garden tractor; as in 500 or 700 series. but i dont think that was it really. wound up selling it and buying an older gt deere 318; the older models were much stronger in my opionon than these newer ones
goblin127
17 years ago
Did you end up taking a beating on this. I can't imagine that excuse would float.
wally2q
17 years ago
WARRANTY

and if the dealer has a problem with that, tell him to bring another X320 to go for a spin around your yard - compare the new one.

I have an L120, with a puny K46. I can pull a spike harrow, or 1000lbs for firewood in a trailer, up my hill - and it's steep enough for fast tobogganing.
HerringboneD28
17 years ago
Hmmmmmm......maybe this new fangled K58 isn't quite the modern day miracle that it's been touted to be (see the Tuff Torque email referenced in the attached link.)

I still say - when you take a performer like the K62 and make it "better" (read: "more profit in Tuff Torque's pocket), what you end up with is a cheaper hydro. Pure and simple! It appears we have two real-life examples right in this thread.

I hope you get this resolved tbriggs6! Let us know what Your Deere dealer does to rectify the problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: K58 durability
jopopsy
17 years ago
Now hold on a sec here. No manufacturer is perfect. Honda and Toyota make lemons just like a JD X series will have a occasional problem with a part.

If there is any member on this forum that has a bullet proof way of making a product 100% pefect 100% of the time please by all means post. Of course, that probably means you're not sitting behind a desk somewhere posting to the Garden forum; you're probably working for NASA. Oh wait, they have product failures too ....

He got a bad tranny. Lets not declare the whole line crap for the sake of a couple or few. I dare say, there are a couple or few Kawas and Vanguards that went kaplut at some point early in their respective lives. Lets throw them in the garbage pile too?

I had a rattle in the roof of my highly reliable Subaru last year. Probably means all Subaru roofs are crap. Better not buy a Subaru either b/c the roof may rattle?

C'mon .......
treed
17 years ago
I have an X320 and it's has plenty of power, for mowing, pulling hills even when mowing and pulling the 10P cart. The one thing you want to make sure is that you're mowing at full throttle and if you lower the throttle down, it will be sluggish on hills.
rcmoser
17 years ago
Holy Green winnies, Not a problem with a NEW JD. If this was a craftman the Green team would be spouting. TAKE IT BACK SEARS TRACTORS ARE JUNK...

Well, I be the first to say. TAKE IT BACK, YOU PAID TOO MUCH FOR THE JD NOT TO BE ALL IT CAN BE. Wait minute Can JDs pull attachments??? Better read the owners manual, you my have to move up to X800 series.
machiem
17 years ago
How big was the lime spreader? If you had a hard time pulling it when it was empty, I'm thinking it's pretty big. Could you guess how much it weighed when empty?

What is your definition of a hill?

I gather from your post that everything was going pretty good until you used the lime spreader. I'm thinking the weight and hill cooked the transaxle.
wheely_boy
17 years ago
RC, you can try to bait the Craftsman bashers all you want but we wont fall for your antics this time. Besides, we all know that if he had bought a new Craftsman it never would have made it out of the garage.
metal
17 years ago
I am guessing either a bad tranny or your tractor isn't reaching full throttle. As Treed mentioned, the tranny does sing more when not at full throttle (which is where it should be when mowing or towing.
engine_tech
17 years ago
I want to echo the full throttle thing. If you were at idle doing this, the transmission would not properly produce power nor cool itself. It might be toasted at this point. An X320 should handle anything a normal person could throw at it. Mowing power or pulling power.
tbriggs6
Original Author
17 years ago
I do keep it at full throttle while mowing (unless I have to stop to keep the kid's toys from

becoming mulch).

As a temporary follow-up to the story, I called the JD dealer where I bought it, and they agreed

that it didn't sound right. They came out today to pick it up (their dime too!) So, now we wait.

I like to be prepared, so, in the mean time, I did some research. IAMNAPM (I

am not a physics major), nor do I play one on TV. But, here is what I worked out:

Ignoring things like friction of the wheels on the ground, I used the following information:

T = 294 N m (torque in Newton Meters of K58 hydrostatic)
R = 11" = 0.2794 m (wheel diameter)
G = sin theta * 9.8 m / sec^2 (gravity vector due to incline)
theta = 10 degrees (11% grade) = 0.175 radians
M = mass

Thus we can estimate the amount of mass this amount of torque should be able to hold against the pull of gravity:

F = 294 Nm / .279 m (torque over size of tire)
a = Sin(0.175) * 9.8 kg m / s^2 (acceleration of gravity)

F = m a (Newton's second law)
m = F / a

M So, if I have my physics right, then the tractor should be able to haul up to 1,360 pounds up a 10 degree slope (ignoring things like friction). If I don't have my physics right, I'd actually love to hear about it (please be kind, I'm really not a physicist nor engineer).

So, now, we get to the meat of it - the tractor, with fuel weighs maybe 800 pounds, so there should have been plenty of power to spare!
sawdust_maker
17 years ago
With a minor caveat, I'll agree that your computations look reasonable.

In general friction against the gound would be ignored, at least to the extent it results in wheel slippage. But rolling friction would seem important. Here, soft ground and/or soft tires will subtract from the load you are able to pull.

Don't forget to add in the operator weight to that of the tractor.

John
metal
17 years ago
That tractor should lose traction before it bogs down. Let us know what the dealer finds out.
rtucker47
17 years ago
I have a X320 and when pulling it out of the Garage with the throttle at its lowest setting it whines a bit when getting going but other than that never heard a peep. I have a STEEP hill across my entire back yard and it does slow down a lot approaching the top when mowing but never comes to a stop. I read some of these responses and wonder how if you were "attempting" to pull this and may have not been at full throttle for this small amount of time how that could have fryed the transmission. John Deere nor any other MFG. would offer a warranty if an isolated incident such as this would fry a transmission. I am in no way suggesting you were not at full throttle rather would be shocked that if you were not that the one time would have cooked the Tranny.
____com
16 years ago
I have a LA130; and I have no trouble going up a 30 deg bank behind my house at 1/2 throttle, while towing a trailer... I'm wondering if the relief valve in the hydrostatic pump is tripping prematurely (weak/broken spring?), or if the brake is dragging?

How hard is it to push by hand if you pull out the drive/push pin on the transmission?
butchs_hobby
16 years ago
If your dealer is reputable and good I've no doubt he'll fix it. Your not expecting too much from that machine, it should spin the tires before it slows down. Cadilacs and Lincolns have warranties on them for a reason too. I don't care what the product or brand in todays mass production methods a bad one is going to slip through--the reason for warrranties. Now is when you find out how good your dealer is---and aren't you glad you bought from a dealer who can take care of your problem. One of Deers biggest values is a good dealer and parts program to back their products.
grassmaster
16 years ago
Did you have the "push release valve" pulled out?

Was the transaxle fluid full?

No doubt something minor. Deeres don't break.

Sears mower would have cracked its frame trying to pull a spreader.
kubotabx2200
16 years ago
You can get Sears garden tractors with the same transmission as the Deere X320, but the Sears costs $1,000 less. Maybe there is magic pixie dust in the Deere that makes the same transmission work much better than a Sears, Roebuck tractor.
grassmaster
16 years ago
It must be the pixie dust that makes the frames stronger!
wally2q
16 years ago
note that the torque rating of the k58 is for "continuous duty" for the life of the tranny (500 hours?). Peak troque is probably 2x that figure. As long as you only load it to those levels intermittently, it will last a lot longer, and pull much more than 1300 lbs.

Ky K46 in my L120 can pull 1 yard of pea-gravel (over 2000lbs) in a road-trailer (which weighs probably 600-700 lbs), and me and the tractor, up a 5-10 deg. slope.
theodocius
16 years ago
I would very much like to hear from the OP about what the problem turned out to be and how it got resolved. I hope this story has a good ending.

t
mowdude
16 years ago
Had the same problems with my X320 after only 50 hours on it. They replaced the transaxel and it`s OK now. Though I took it back afterwards because the repair man put the drive belt on wrong and ruined it. Just a side note to show the human element of mistakes no matter what the name is on your unit.
rcmoser
16 years ago
Grassmaster wrote "It must be the pixie dust that makes the frames stronger"!

I have never hear of or seen a frame crack on a sear "garden" tractor. Even the early 60's garden tractors are still going strong if half way maintained. Another thing being they made 20X more would that tell you something.

I like how the JD clowns compare a entry level MTD or AYP to a X320 or top of the line JD and burst the outragous statements. Why arn't the comparing them to a kubota that equal in price. I know why cause they DON"T compare, they can only compare them to a entry level tractors made for the majority of yards Like the LT2000. If there was a way to find out the numbers sold the AYP/MTD entry level tractors have probably sold more than the entire line of JD products. Obivous the X320 has a problem, more than one are experiencing it. Manmade or otherwise.
steve2ski
16 years ago
tbriggs6
Per your post, I think your X320 is under warranty - the dealer will fix it - why post here with a problem that has not yet been addressed with the dealer?
You know it' a problem - and the dealer cannot not tell if it's a problem or normal till they look at it -
Let us know what the problem turns out to be.
freddyfast9
13 years ago
I use a 850lb yard roller on my 3.5 acres with plenty of inclines and the tractor doesn't even hesitate for a moment so the x320 is plenty of tractor for your use.

I went with the salesmans recommendation of tractor weight+rider+hanging/wheel weights and that is the weight he told me is safe to pull behind the tractor.

Tractor-600lbs Me-240lbs Weights-140lbs=980lbs and I stay under that amount by 130lbs but just going by the way it pulls the 850lb roller it could handle more.

JD X320 Weak Performance or defective?

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