I just picked up a X500 with the air cooled engine like yours. The later ones have a slightly more powerful water cooled version. I like having the air cooled model. No leaks to worry about and less part to break and it still has sufficient power.
I know this is an older post, but yes, it has the k72 with two drain plugs in the transaxle. No filter though. JD recommends changing the fluid every 200 hours.
I am curious to know have you changed your Transmission oil? The 500 doesn't call for a transmission filter, have you installed one from the higher series mowers or run it without a filter?
Good review. Thank you. It's sounds like your machine was sabotaged being in the state you found it in. It seems to me someone would have to intentionally break those things because I don't 't think they would occur in normal use. I'd say you got a good deal though, and certainly a good machine after you worked on it. I just bought a brand new X590, now awaiting delivery, so I know how expensive these are. I was wondering if you know if the engines are unaltered Kawasaki? By that I mean, I see the John Deere labeling on the engine, not Kawasaki. I'd like to know if John Deere did that thing the way Sears used to where they order thousands of a given appliance from say, Whirlpool. And they would order Whirlpool to make changes that cheapened them so people would have to buy parts, and then those get labeled Kenmore.
John Deere owns the rights to the Kawasaki engines used in their tractors. You will not find the spec numbers for the engines used by John Deere on a Kawasaki parts look up. If you call Kawasaki they will have no information on anything to do with the engines used by John Deere because Deere owns all of that. But what you can do is cross reference parts between JD and Kawasaki and find out what is different between the other engines Kawasaki builds for JD and the ones they build for everyone else.
Thank you very much for the concise reply. Based on your description it sounds exactly the same as the Sears & Roebuck scam they played throughout their history. I'm hoping for the impossible here in that JD made changes to improve upon what Kawasaki built. But I'm pretty sure fat chance on that being the case. Thanks so much again.
Thank you again, this time for the "Hearted" comment. Also, I corrected the error in my initial comment above. It now reads: "It seems to me someone would have to intentionally break those things because I don't 't think they would occur in normal use."
This one was one of those situations where the parents bought the tractor and made the kids mow the lawn. It was only 2 years old when we got it. That's how bad they abused. Sounds like it was one of those "If we break it then we won't have to mow the lawn" situations. As far as the engines, I haven't seen a whole lot of issues with newer Kawasaki engines on any brand of equipment. But a few years ago I did encounter a few Kawasaki V-twins with crankshafts that broke off right at the oil seal. And coincidentally they were all in John Deere equipment. But that was models that are 15-20 years old now.
Thank you very much for your reply. That must have been rich kids or rather a rich family. That was a complete shame but good to your benefit. And you deserve to have that machine. We're well off but I think the 500 series are expensive machines and I'll be taking good care of mine. It would be wasteful and disrespectful not to. There are a lot of men who would love a 500 series but can't afford one. I think when people or in this case kids, that treat just about anything badly are indirectly disrespecting the people that can't have one. It makes me think of a food fight yet there are people starving, and after the food fight no one ever thinks of making a donation to the hungry in the world. Thanks for sharing the additional information on engines. Once my new machine is broken-in I'll be using AMSOIL in it to give it the best care I know of.
Good job with the overview of the X500! You explained everything I wanted to know about the mower.
Glad we could help!
I just picked up a X500 with the air cooled engine like yours. The later ones have a slightly more powerful water cooled version. I like having the air cooled model. No leaks to worry about and less part to break and it still has sufficient power.
Does that have the tuff torq k72....does it have drain plugs for the rearend
I know this is an older post, but yes, it has the k72 with two drain plugs in the transaxle. No filter though. JD recommends changing the fluid every 200 hours.
I am curious to know have you changed your Transmission oil? The 500 doesn't call for a transmission filter, have you installed one from the higher series mowers or run it without a filter?
Is it my imagination or does this seem to be a step down from the 318 and similar tractors ?
Good review. Thank you. It's sounds like your machine was sabotaged being in the state you found it in. It seems to me someone would have to intentionally break those things because I don't 't think they would occur in normal use. I'd say you got a good deal though, and certainly a good machine after you worked on it. I just bought a brand new X590, now awaiting delivery, so I know how expensive these are. I was wondering if you know if the engines are unaltered Kawasaki? By that I mean, I see the John Deere labeling on the engine, not Kawasaki. I'd like to know if John Deere did that thing the way Sears used to where they order thousands of a given appliance from say, Whirlpool. And they would order Whirlpool to make changes that cheapened them so people would have to buy parts, and then those get labeled Kenmore.
John Deere owns the rights to the Kawasaki engines used in their tractors. You will not find the spec numbers for the engines used by John Deere on a Kawasaki parts look up. If you call Kawasaki they will have no information on anything to do with the engines used by John Deere because Deere owns all of that. But what you can do is cross reference parts between JD and Kawasaki and find out what is different between the other engines Kawasaki builds for JD and the ones they build for everyone else.
Thank you very much for the concise reply. Based on your description it sounds exactly the same as the Sears & Roebuck scam they played throughout their history. I'm hoping for the impossible here in that JD made changes to improve upon what Kawasaki built. But I'm pretty sure fat chance on that being the case. Thanks so much again.
Thank you again, this time for the "Hearted" comment. Also, I corrected the error in my initial comment above. It now reads: "It seems to me someone would have to intentionally break those things because I don't 't think they would occur in normal use."
This one was one of those situations where the parents bought the tractor and made the kids mow the lawn. It was only 2 years old when we got it. That's how bad they abused. Sounds like it was one of those "If we break it then we won't have to mow the lawn" situations.
As far as the engines, I haven't seen a whole lot of issues with newer Kawasaki engines on any brand of equipment. But a few years ago I did encounter a few Kawasaki V-twins with crankshafts that broke off right at the oil seal. And coincidentally they were all in John Deere equipment. But that was models that are 15-20 years old now.
Thank you very much for your reply. That must have been rich kids or rather a rich family. That was a complete shame but good to your benefit. And you deserve to have that machine. We're well off but I think the 500 series are expensive machines and I'll be taking good care of mine. It would be wasteful and disrespectful not to. There are a lot of men who would love a 500 series but can't afford one. I think when people or in this case kids, that treat just about anything badly are indirectly disrespecting the people that can't have one. It makes me think of a food fight yet there are people starving, and after the food fight no one ever thinks of making a donation to the hungry in the world. Thanks for sharing the additional information on engines. Once my new machine is broken-in I'll be using AMSOIL in it to give it the best care I know of.
$500 ! people asking $4000 plus nowadays