Hi Russ,

I'm in the same boat (tractor?) as you and here's what I do and it works perfect for me...

Weight is your friend especially with a heavy snowblower hanging off the front of the X500. I use two 50lb JD plastic weights on the rear wheels and I used 2 carriage bolts on each rear wheel from the inside out and acorn nuts instead of the all thread JD includes with the weights. I also use four JD 42lb suitcase weights on the back. Your dealer is an idiot cause the X500 takes four weights right on the rear frame in the back. With that weight setup I get all the traction I need, it steers with two fingers, and turns fine on snow where the front wheels used to slide and plow.

Gravel driveways are a PITA cause they change a snowblower into a ROCKthrower. I tried EVERYTHING and here's what I have found.... you need oversize skid shoes but much larger than anything you can buy. I had a welding shop make a couple diamond plate additions and weld them on diamond side down so they slide nicely.

Next problem is the blower height. with the X500 pedal lift the blower is either up, down, or you can try to elevate the blower slightly with the pedal but that doen't work. Buy the power lift kit for the X500 http://www.superior-tech.com/front-attachments_03.php It's about $400, installs easily and quickly, and allows you to set the blower height where you want. Well worth the money.

Next problem is the blower scraper bar at the front bottom of the
blower. If the blower gets low the scraper bar funnels gravel directly
into the auger and impeller and then DUCK. The answer is a 1.5 or 2 inch
diameter piece of PVC a bit shorter than the length of the scraper bar
cut along the length so it will slip (pound) onto the scraper bar and
ride over the gravel.

Finally tires... my X500 came with turfs the same as yours did and
they're OK for mowing but on my long uphill gravel driveway they are as
slippery as snot on a peeled onion. I bought another set of wheels and
have the Carlisle HDAPs on the rear and Vredestein V61 ribs on the
front. Have brand new pair of JD x2 chains still in the bag cause I've
never needed them. It's easy to change the wheels when I pull the mower and install the blower in the fall.

I'll upload more pic in next post.

Here's more pics...

Oh yea, snow drifts... forget the JD drift bars cause they are WAY too much money.

Buy the Husqvarna drift cutter kit part number 532 18 36-14 for WAY less $$$ and they are adjustable up and down.

You NEED the power lift kit. It's not a matter of how the rods are adjusted cause there's a stop on the front blower bracket to limit lift. The power lift kit does not raise the blower higher than the pedal IF you are already hitting the stop. Lots of people don;t adjust to hit the lift stop and give up lift. The rods should be adjusted so you hit the lift stop going up and the blower can drop a touch below grade when the terrain requires it. Any more rod adjustment UP after hitting the stop loses you DOWN travel. The answer is that with the power lift kit you can raise the blower to be an inch or two or three ABOVE the gravel and it will stay where you set it..

If your gravel driveway is so uneven that the blower hits when adjusted to hit the lift stop then you need to go REAL slow or grade the driveway.

Air the front tires to max spec with the blower .

In the summer I use the original wheels with the turfs...

I see you already have the four suitcase weights and your dealer is still an idiot. They counterbalance the blower nicely for easy steering and add traction. Adding the wheel weights worked well for me and I've never ever had to hi the diff lock in the snow.

The HDAPs work fine for mowing and the up models of X5xx come with them. It's just that my rural lawn(?) likes the turfs cause they were designed to mow. The HDAPs have extraordinary traction in snow with enough weight and aired down to the low specification. Front turfs fill with snow and don't steer well when they do. The ribbed Vredestein V61s steer great in the snow and never plow when trying to turn.

I've found that with my larger skid shoes set all the way to the bottom and the lift kit carrying the blower 2-3 inches above the ground AND the PVC scraper mod I have to be sleeping at the wheel to throw even one rock.

I forgot to mention that the lift kit is designed to allow float
so wherever you're carrying the blower it can raise if the contour of
the ground demands it to. With the power lift kit I drive with one hand
on the lift/lower switch and can raise the blower in a second if I come
to a rise I want to clear. I mounted the switch on the left dash below
the throttle so I can move my left hand from the blower chute control to the
switch easily.

You haven't mentioned the JD winter grille cover for air cooled X500. A must have in fine dusty cold snow. The snow dust will blow through the grille freezing the carb and bring your X500 to a stand still. There may be different model covers for different serial number ranges in X500s cause they changed the hood. Based on your dealer I'd do my own homework to make sure you get the right one.

If you buy the power lift kit remind your wife that with the kit she can go out there and blow snow... she might let you off the hook.

Those who don't think they need the winter grille cover are doomed, sooner or later, to push their tractor all the way back to the garage from the farthest point on their property for it to thaw out when the carb freezes.

I thought about painting the PVC yellow buy I had to draw the line somewhere.

I also favor JD OEM parts and accessories but not when quality alternative drift cutters are SO much less $$$ and are adjustable and come with the hardware..

The 50 lb plastic wheel weights won't mar the paint on the wheels. IIRC you'll need (4) 7.5" carriage bolts of the correct gauge (1/2" I think), (4) flat washers that will fit in the recess of the wheel weights, (4) lock washers, and (deep) acorn huts really finish the job off. If you get shallow acorn nuts they may bottom out on the carriage bolt.

Two more tips for you...

Go to Harbor Freight and buy one of these http://www.harborfreight.com/material-handling/dollies/movers-dolly-39757.html It's the perfect size for putting under the blower when you store it and is the right height for installing and removing the blower.

Here's the hot tip for storing your mower deck during the winter http://moweraxle.com/tractorstands/johndeerestands.html You want the model 60. There are some who go cheap and make their own using Harbor Freight wheels and tires and all-thread then when a tire loses air and the deck falls over and hits their car or tractor they're not so happy. These real moweraxles have hard wheels that don't deflate and the guy is real nice and does high quality work.

Yea, the moweraxles are the slickest thing I've got for my X500

You need to make the long PVC cut with a thicker blade or a wider tool. I used a cordless circular saw and it's light rubber hammer taps to get it on the scraper bar.

Don't have the tiller.

Lurker, can you explain how you cut the slit in the PVC pipe with your cordless circular saw? What type of blade, how did you secure the pipe (and what did you secure it to) to cut it, etc.

Thanks, Fcarp