I bought a X300 at the start of the summer. It is there, you have to really look hard for it. It is next to the forward foot control on the top of the frame. You will need a 10mm socket to remove it. I removed it, tie-wrapped it closed, then tie-wrapped it to the frame. I also removed the park brake switch. Drilled a hole in the dash next to the key. Mounted the switch next to the key. You have to push the switch in to start, then release it. It's nice though, you don't have to engage the brake to start the mower. Both "fixes" are done so that I can put them back to "factory" if needed. You would want to do that if you have to bring the mower in for service. If you don't the dealer will do it for you.

The big pedal on the right side, not the forward or reverse pedals, is the parking brake. That parking brake pedal operates a safety interlock that prevents the PTO (electric clutch) from engaging the mower deck when set. More than likely there is an adjustment for the switch or the switch is failing. Sometimes a piece of debris, a twig or such, gets stuck up there. There is a possibility that the "new" clutch is defective or out of adjustment. Did you buy real JD parts or aftermarket? What was the original problem that necessitated the new clutch and switch and battery.? I*f you can't "common sense" it by looking you'll need the technical manual for your X300 (and it costs $$$) or get your X300 to the JD dealer.

The weights hang low on the rear bracket and make your X300 look like a big tractor. If my tractor had a built-in weight bracket I'd get the weights. WWAF in the tires gets the weight below the axle... about as low as it can be. Only downside is that it's a pain to put the fluid in and if you don't add tubes the inside of the wheels may rust. If you search all the L&G tractor forums you'll find oodles of posts like yours and adding weight resolved the traction problems almost all the time.

From telephone calls, email, and internet research this is some of what I found: the dealer where I bought the mower quoted $1100.00 to just replace the mower shell. John Deere gave me a quote of $1500 to 2000. to replace the complete mower. Three dealers told me that only the shell was available at a cost of $636. to $713. A dealer in MI said he had to go to another place to look it up and came back with a complete mulching mower for $701. but could not find the 42X. I finally found a person in IL that was both knowledgeable and helpful. He would get me a complete mower for $600.00 plus $150.00 trucking. He said the mulch kit would be $125. installed. He gave me a part number for the mower and told me to give this number to my dealer as then I wouldnâÂÂt have to pay for the trucking. He told me that the mowers have to be ordered through a different system and that he sells 2 to 3 every week. I found the mulch kit online for $100. shipped. A dealer in PA told me essentially the same thing as the one in IL. Another dealer said he could not find that part number I had given him (from the IL dealer) but could get a 38 inch mower for $600. and the mulch mower for $700. During this time I called my dealer. At first they told me the number I gave them was not a John Deere number. Then, with some hand holding, I got them to check further and, yes, they did finally find the mower. A week and a half and seven telephone calls later they quoted a price for the complete mower around $860. and with tax and installation, a final cost of $1000. The mulch kit would be $300. installed. (Seems like a wee bit of profit there.) If I do replace the mower, the cheapest is to pick up the mower myself, buy the mulch kit separately, and find a volunteer to install it which would be about $742.00. If I have it shipped with the mulch kit installed and hire someone to install the mower it would be about $925.00. If I go back to my ever helpful dealer it would cost $1300.00. It seems like John Deere is a bit confused. This old saying comes to mind: they donâÂÂt know if they are afoot or horseback. In looking at other reviews I found that quite a few have mower problems. And people generally seem to be satisfied with the tractor but not the mower and I would agree with that. I feel there may be a design problem with the mower but my main complaint is the lousy customer service on the part of John Deere. Not only have I never had a company that refused to do warranty work, I have had companies pay for work after the warranty expired (for instance Ford and Toyota paid for fairly major repairs) and other companies have done repair work when there was no warranty. I will never buy from this company again.