Thanks don21, machiem, and soccer_dad First machiem, I love the Frost poem. I hadn't read it in thirty years and really good things never get old. This is my thinking as of this morning. This is my first experience with this type of machine so I think it's better for me to slow down a bit. 4K plus is a lot of money any time. Machiem, you said I had made up my mind and you're probably right, but not easily. Initially, there was so much controvery over the JD brand that I was actually turned off and was looking anywhere else. It was actually making the rounds and talking with the various salespeople and establishments that started to sway me. I also feel that the JD in this area is, as lawn tractors, just getting popular. You mostly see Craftsman and Yardworks (MTD), with the occasional Toro. But, the name is still so strong that in the papers and on-line forsale/want ads, JD is very desirable regardless the reason, and resale is instant. For these reasons, I've decided to slow down, heed the advice of not only Rupe, the salesman, but also of that little guy sitting on my shoulder saying don't go overboard. Soccer_dad, by working it harder I meant more hours. Right now I mow my neighbours as well as my own. She's 76 and can't get a teenager to do a 50 minute job for $25!! There are a few other neighbours getting on and I see a few more hours a week in the 'saddle'. So, I'm going to start modestly with a 110 or 120 to see how things go with manoeverability on the property, abilities of the machine and me, and if I feel the need to move up in a few years, I can. Who knows what'll be out there then. I have yet another question regarding the single versus the twin and it's not about vibration! How do these compare torque-wise? The price difference is 'only' $250, but less if you consider the mulch cover is included with the 120. Chris

Congratulations on the new X300. As closely as I can tell,you can get a bad machine from any brand...lawn tractor,car or ice cream maker. ANY manufactured product,whether man or machine assembled,could die out of the box,or run flawlessly for years. I,too,took delivery of an X300 this morning. I studied and conversed for weeks,trying to decide what to do. My decision was made because the JD sales guy was super,and I got one year same as cash from JD. ONLY time will tell if it was a good buy. On my street,there are 5 JD's,2 Craftsman,1 Cadet,1 Husky:ALL are working well. Please don't take this green vs orange vs red too seriously. For goodness sake,it's a lawnmower. Take care of it and it should be fine. Thanks to all of you,most of your posts were helpful,and I appreciate your thoughts.

Hey guys, Hopefully i can revive this post without hijacking it completely... To stay on topic, even though the original poster already picked out his tractor, after having done my reseaxh, x500 or above series would be the way to go. Anything smaller just doesnt have a transaxle built for the ongoing abuse that it will be put through. I have an 2015, x500 with a 44" snow blower, 48 " mower deck, along with a brushguard. I am using the standard turf wheels, both front and rear, though my rears will have the terragrip traction belts i just picked up today on them (similar to chains, had great reviews, not supposed to dig into asphalt or gravel as bad). I had thought about changing over to HDAPs, but i decided to wait and see how this winter goes. I live in west Michigan, we get pounded with snow every winter. Just bought a new house this summer and My driveway is a little over 1,100 feet (about a 1/4 mile) It transitions from gravel (about 400'), to asphalt (about 500') to concrete (about 200'). It is on a private road, which is also gravel, and i will also be snowblowing (a portion of). We are getting close to snow season, and im trying to see what has worked the best for folks blowing over gravel without spraying rocks everywhere. Sounds like some heavy duty skid shoes is the way to go, if anyone has some and has some pics they can share, id love to see them. also, to Justalurker, if you are still around... Our setups look pretty similar. my dealer keeps telling me i need a bracket for the quiktatch /suitcase weights on the rear. But i was just setting mine up on the rear bracket buit into the frame, just to the right of where the transmission disengage lever is... My question to you is, are you using the specialized bracket to hold your suitcase weights on your rear, or are you just mounting them in that same area im talking about? -AR

Make sure the heavy positive cable from the battery to the stater/solenoid is tight and not corroded. Everything could be correct and a bad cable or connection there will not spin the starter even though the solenoid is being tripped by the ignition switch. If that's OK then... Put a simple test light on the purple wire at the solenoid with the ground wire of the test light to ground. Turn the key to start. Does the test light light? If it lights then the ignition switch is tripping the solenoid and the starter simply won't spin. If that is the case then this is what I would do... Pull the starter, set it on a concrete floor and get a set of battery jumper cables. Hook one cable from the battery negative terminal to the starter case. Hook the other cable to the battery positive terminal and put your foot on the starter case to keep it from moving and use the other end to jump the starter. Does the starter engage and spin? If not then the starter has a problem. If yes then have overlooked something.