First, thanks to everyone for the info. I am pretty sure I will be at the dealer tomorrow for the x500. I am sure at some point I will be pushing some snow, and I do want the locking diff for the hill I will be mowing. There has been some thought of getting the mech tiller, so the 500 leads me that way too. And I do plan on keeping it for awhile, so who knows what I might wind up doing. I would rather under use the x500 and keep it for 15 years then have the x340 go to an early grave from over use. And since the other rule of thumb on here seems to be buy as much tractor as you can afford, I will cough up the extra 1k. Again thanks guys. I am sure I will be lurking and possibly asking more questions in future. After all this is my first tractor. The gravely 260 z-turn I had was a loaner from a buddy who had a lawn service. It was his backup and I got to use it as long as I stored it. He lost one of his prime mowers last fall so here I am buggin you guys.

Hope some of this helps. I am sure you know the x304 gives a slightly better tranny with a pre-charge than the x300. ONe post I read a guy had hilly terrain. The x300 would not quite work on his hill. The x304 with the pre-charge did the trick for him. OThers have the said the 4 wheel steer gives them better traction too. If you read the forums people really love that kawasaki motor. *********************************************************** JD X300 ($2899) vs. Sears GT6500 ($2,550) (although neither one of these is a box store offering) *********************************************************** Both: Foot pedal hydro Twin cyl. pressure lub. eng. Deck gauge wheels 1-4" cutting height adjustment Electric PTO JD advantage: Fully assembled vs. partial assembly req. 17 hp Kawasaki vs. 26 hp Kohler Pro Safety video and RIO vs. ? 12 ga. vs. 10 ga. deck 42" vs. 54" deck width 13 height adjustments vs. 7 K46 light duty LT hydro vs. ground engaging rated hydro 3/4" axle/keyway wheel retention vs. GT std. 5-bolt hubs 3.5 gal fuel tank vs. 4 gal fuel tank "welded heavy-duty" frame vs. 11 ga. "formed" frame 15x6-6 front wheels vs. 16x6-6 20x10-8 rear wheels vs. 23x10-6 16" turning radius vs. 18" purdy green/yellow paint vs. black/gray Potential for "test drive" vs. no way Conclusion: at about the same price point JD gives you a smaller, weaker engine; smaller, weaker hydro; smaller wheels; smaller, thinner deck; less fuel capacity; and no ground engaging capability. You will get a tighter turning radius, a JD cap, a more prestigious marque, possibility of a test drive, better resale value

Thanks for the posts, I appreciate your input and suggestions. I looked at the JD 2305, and it will be a couple thousand more with similar attachments I'm looking at on the x720. The x720 is already in the "a couple thousand more" category for me. Plus, the x720 may be one step up from what I really need, the 2305 is definitely much more than I need. Used JD x400 series is a good suggestion. That's how I started this journey. I've since convinced myself that I don't want to spend that much money (although it would be a few thousand less expensive than new) on a used tractor. elfii, the price you mention for the x540 seems high to me. I've got a quote for an x720 with 54" deck, 54" front blade (with kit for angling and down pressure), rear quick-tach weights and tire chains for around $10,500 final price including tax (including a $600 discount on x700 series through my job - no, I don't work for JD). I configured a Kubota BX1850 with similar attachments and came in at $12,286 list price. If I assume a price reduction off list and tax off-set each other I'm still at roughly $1500 more for the BX1850. I agree the BX1850 is more tractor, but it's not for free and as I stated in my original post - I'm not impressed with my local Kubota dealer. Thanks again for the suggestions. I feel like this is a situation where there is no "right" answer, just a matter of choosing what feels like the "best" answer.

The X500/X520 are great machines. Good size, great power and plenty of features / comforts to appeal to the premium buyer. I'd lean towards the X500 as I personally question the validity of a liquid cooling on such a small engine. Sort of like grease zerks for a sealed bearing (IMO). I had a Johnny Bucket on a old bolens and can attest that they are very cool additions to any tractor. Plowed my driveway and 2 others in snowwy NH (spun my ass off without 4wd though)... Like all snow removal tools; making the first pass is the toughest. The 1971 bolens was air-cooled kohler v-twin and never had an issue with overheating for what it's worth.