First Impression: JD X495

[danmc]

Took delivery of a brand spanking new X495. 24HP diesel, 62 inch deck. Overall, it's pretty decent - gobs of power, nice grass discharge, good speed, real nice cut (so far - cuts just as nice as our eXmark Turf Tracer HP), good turning radius. The only design flaw so far is the vent screens. They put the engine in so that the radiator fan faces towards the operator - biggest problem with this setup is the fan sucks up all kinds of debris which makes it stick to all of the vent screens. This is a big problem since we are in dandylion season and all of the white fuzzy things coat the screens in a matter of minutes. I kept an eye on the temp guage and it climbed up to halfway with all the screens blocked, have to cintiually wipe all the junk off. Also in dry conditions it makes a huge dust cloud and there's a good amount of blowout out of the front of the deck. While cutting lush green grass this wasn't much of a problem. Will post pics of the tractor and the screen blockages if interested.
-Dan

[Smalltimer1]

Sounds like you got a nice machine. I'm looking at a '89 JD 332 Diesel myself. JD has been putting engines in like that for 20+ years with the radiator at the rear. At the end of each day (or beginning) just take a small brush or low pressure compressed air and blow it out just like an air filter. Keeping the radiator clean is essential to keeping that Yanmar alive. If overheating becomes a problem have the radiator boiled.

Enjoy your new workhorse.

[danmc]

The new tractor is replacing a 1989 430. THe thing has over 3000 hrs on it and still runs like a champ. It still cuts half decent but could use some new blades in a bad way. We're mostly going to use it as a backup and for leaf clean-ups. We also have a 1989 850AWD the thing is a major dog though. There is only 2 or 3 hp difference between the 850 and the 430. The 850 has over 2700 hrs on it....

[Smalltimer1]

I looked at a 430 yesterday with 700 hrs on it. I couldn't believe how rough it looked to only have that many hours on it.

[Smalltimer1]

Something we'd all enjoy out of this:

[Mickhippy]

Dont forget to clean the screen thats right next to the radiator. Have to take off the side panels (left side I think) to access! Easy stuff really. I have the X595 and it anoys me some times having to clean the outside screens all the time. I found it pretty easy to just wipe over it with my hand on the fly. Had some jobs this year that I had to clean it after every pass. Its not a big deal really.

Really make sure you keep an eye on the temp cos I may of blown a water pump on mine from not being careful enough. It was covered under warrenty because it was a known problem with the earlier "models" (for want of a better word) I have over 550hrs on mine in 2 years (drought last year) and I still love it!

You should also blow out in between the hydro cooler (I think it is) and the radiator. You can sorta split them and put some compressed air through it. No big deal but something to remember.

If you take the deck off to put new blades on or sharpen frequently, make sure your carefull with the coupling. Keep it clean and lubed. Theres a little ball bareing in there that can be crushed or something which makes it very difficult to disconnect the deck.

Good luck with your machine. Im sure it will do you well. Mine does some pretty hard core work sometimes and I couldnt be happier!

I have some pics of mine if your interested. Heres one to show you what it gets up too!

[danmc]

X495
The second picture shows the blocked screens...

[danmc]

here's a profile view of the X495....

[danmc]

Here's a shot of the blocked screens I was talking about....

[Smalltimer1]

Looks like you need another screen on top of that screen.

[Mickhippy]

From the pics Dan, thats way less than what I normally get on dry days. Wait till its real dry and the airs full of dust! hehe Sometimes I have to give it a wipe after every run!

Like I said earlier, just give it a wipe with your hand every once in a while. When that big screen under the steering wheels chockers, thats when you should really keep an eye on it.

Theres another screen infront of the radiator behind that main screen. Thats the one to really think about. I keep and eye on the temp gauge and if it gets to say half way then I know I need to clean the secondary screen!

Im sure Im not telling you anything you dont already know.

When taking out the second screen, do it very slow and carefully cos youd be amazed how much will accumliate and I dont like it falling off on the way out!

[Smalltimer1]

If mowing in a dusty field stops up the air screens like that, imagine what it will do to your air filter! Keep good air filters on as well in these dusty conditions.