To trade or not to trade....

[shorthorn]

3 years ago, I bought a brand new John Deere X320, with the 48" deck. Love the tractor to this day. At the time, I didn't go with the X500 series, because all I was doing was mowing grass, and the X320 does that very well. The last 2 years though, I have been pulling around a Trac-vac 880, plus doing some other "garden tractor" type work with it. It has always done so without complaint. Now I have been reading on different forums about the weak transaxle in the X320 (tufftorq K58) and its failures... And perhaps I am imagining it, but I feel that the mower is getting slower and slower. I am afraid I am slowly destroying a $2,000 transaxle by over working it. So, My local Deere dealership has for sale two garden tractors that have me thinking... My 2008 x320 is a 48" deck, manual steering, manual deck lift, air cooling with 370 hrs on the clock... One of the trade possiblities is a 1999 345 with 310 hours on it... Power steering, hydraulic deck lift, 54" deck and liquid cooled. I would have to put about $500 bucks with my mower towards this. The other is a 2002 GX325, 350 hrs, manual steering, hydraulic deck lift, 48" deck, air cooled. Would be about an even trade. Would I be crazy to trade a 2008 mower for a 2002 or 1999? Would the 345 and the gx325 be expected to last longer / be built stronger than my newer x320? What would you guys do?

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John Deere '08 x320 w/ Mulch Kit
John Deere SB14 Push Mower
Troy-Bilt 4 cycle straight Shaft Trimmer
6x10 Open Trailer

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Well first off, is the tractor actually being damaged? I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't think that the feeling of it slowing is a sign it is being damaged. I could be wrong but I would figure it would work until a failure and then stop working. Have you asked the shop if there are any signs of the transaxle being damaged? Can this be something you take apart to look at to see?

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[shorthorn]

All good points Steve... I don't know if there is any way of dissassembling the unit to check it. The more I think about it the more I think it is a bad idea... I think I am going to to with it longer and see what happens.

As I said I really like this mower, and have no other concerns with it.

[1955_Chevy_6400]

If it was me, I would either keep it, or trade it for the '99. When you test drive them both, you will probably think "Well, for power steering I am paying $500, but I don't have to have that". Trust me, it sounds to me like your buisness is expanding, and the tractor you choose will be your go-to tractor on your job sites, you WILL be glad you spent the $500. It may not seem like a big deal when your test driving them, but when your driving it all day, you WILL feel the difference! There is no chance in life unless you take one!