John Deere X500

The John Deere X500 garden tractor lawn mower is the first in the JD X500 series of lawnmowers that debuted in 2006 and as of 2010 are still in production. The JD X500 is built and manufactured in the Horicon JD plant in Horicon, Wisconsin. This tractor is powered by a Kawasaki FH721V, V twin gasoline engine. This 2 cylinder, natural aspiration engine has a displacement of 0.7 liters which gives the tractor a maximum power output of 25 hp, easily enough power for most mowing jobs the JD X500 will come up against. The engine needs to be constantly checked to make sure that it is filled with approximately 1.9 liters of oil to keep it well lubricated and to prevent early wear.

There are other models in the X500 series of garden tractor lawnmowers that include the John Deere X540 lawn mower and John Deere X585 garden tractor. All these lawn mowers share a set of common traits: All of the JD X500 series ride on lawn mowers come with TwinTouch pedals that help to vastly reduce driver effort when it comes to speeding up, slowing down and braking. Although each model comes with a different sized mower deck as standard, all of these mower decks feature John Deere’s Edge Xtra cutting system to ensure more accurate, even cuts, unlike some tractor mowers that give that horrible half cut look to lawns.

The John Deere X500 tractor lawn mower can be purchased with either a 48 inch mower deck as standard or a 54 inch mowing deck as standard. The operating weight of the vehicle as a whole with the 48 inch mower deck attached is 367 kg (809 lbs). It measures 2.01 m (79 inches) in length, while it’s 1.04 m (41 inches) wide without any mower deck attached. Obviously this will increase depending on which size mowing deck you attach. For more information on this model, you can check it out on the official JD site by clicking here.

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9 Reviews of the “John Deere X500”

  1. John Webster says:

    Good machine. Not as good as the old LX178 Liquid cooled engine or the old 317. As mmost things, built cheaper/cost more. Still prefer or Kubota, Cub Cadet or Husqvarna dealer grade lawn tractors. My 2007 JD X500 has 380 hrs in spring 2022. Hope to get another 10 years out of it. Now that I have a snowthrower (last 4 yrs) I use it ~ 50hrs/year. 10 more years is only 500 more hours for a total of less than 900 hours.

    I would purchase another similar JD again. By the time I buy another it will probably be over 15K.

    Year of Manufacture: 2007
    Pros: Strong machine. This is my 3rd JD in 30 years.This was pourchased used w/226 hr and 48″ mowing deck. Locking rear axel is a Plus! Goes up hills even in reverse better than neighbors going forward. Handles Pittsburgh hills and snowy driveways well.
    Cons: Deck never lines up equal on both sides. Poor seat quality
    Attachments: 48″ Edge Xtra mowing deck. 44″ Snowthrower, 70lb Rear Wheel wts & 3 40 saddle wts.
    Modifications: Added LED tail lights by cutting out rear reflectors. Tail lights go on with headlights. Changed headlights to LED – Much brighter to see while cutting in the dark or plowing while dark

  2. Mark Jurk says:

    We get a better looking lawn mowing with our old LX188 than we have ever gotten with our X540. Don’t think I’ll buy JD next time. Was looking at 1025 but will probably go with Kubota.

    Year of Manufacture: 2010
    Pros: Power steering is nice feature
    Cons: Many:currently have 774 hours on our x540. It is in for replacement of the clutch/shave assembly after the bolt holding this to the crankshaft brokeoff. This is the second time this has happened, last time at 544 hours. Was also charged for some upgrade tightener last time which to me indicated JD had a problem. Now the same problem again. Also had to replace all 4 deck wheels because they wobbled and rattled terribly. Also had to replace a fast iron arm assembly on the deck because that failed. This series is not built like our old LX188 which I bought in 1993, and still run today.
    Attachments: 54″ mower each and 47″ snowblower

  3. Peter Berg says:

    I bought in Spring 2015 so have had 5 full seasons cutting approximately 4 acres of green stuff. I hesitate to call it grass. Most of it is former pasture. The machine takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Aside from replacing belts and blades the only issues I have had are 1 battery replacement and one blown gasket. That is not too bad considering the thing gets used 12 months a year in south Mississippi. My only real complaint is it is really hard to get the deck on and off. Spring loaded U-bolts mentioned in a previous review are really really hard to get loses or reattach. I dread every time I have to replace the belt on the mower deck. The deck itself could have better belt guards too. I have the 48″ deck.

    Also I haul a lot of heavy loads of dirt and wood and sometimes water around and this tractor has plenty of power. I am about ready to replace it because I am tired of dealing with the deck. I think I may get a zero turn and a tow behind mower to use with the x500 and keep it around for hauling stuff.

    Year of Manufacture: 0
    Pros: Solidly built. Powerful. Cuts through almost anything.
    Cons: The deck is a royal pain in the butt to take off or put on

  4. William Mabe says:

    Explain your terrain to your dealer, he will advise you as to the model you need for your application. The x-500 is perfect for me, and my lawn.

    Year of Manufacture: 2014
    Pros: I have 7,500 square yards of lawn, with a few hills on it. The differential lock is great. I work out of town, so if the lawn gets a little too high – no problem for this tractor. I bought it used as a trade in at dealer. Had it two years.
    Cons: Only issue I have is that the seat upholstery has a rip in it. It has been garage kept, and never been out in the weather. Would be nice it tail lights actually worked, they are only reflectors. I can’t really complain.
    Modifications: Use mid grade non-ethanol fuel only. Trickle charger in off season, winter time.

  5. D.B. Kracker says:

    The X500 has been a good alternative to the compact MF with a brush cutter for a faster, smoother ride for field grooming, pull the deck and blade as high as it will go, bungee the chute guard up and closely monitor the chute for clogs and it will clog and stop the blades fairly easily if you’re not uber attentive ! JD makes a sturdier rider than most of the other brands and for that reason this is my third over many years

    Year of Manufacture: 2012
    Pros: Sturdy chassis, easy operation/control system, adequate power and generally a long life of serious use/flogging can be expected
    Cons: flimsy cutting deck that clogs easily, and as usual the hoods are delicate plastic and have issues with cracking at mounting & lifting points (note: this is my third JD previous lx176 & lx188 both Kawi engines with heavy steel decks and the same hood issues) The PTO shut off in reverse for safety reasons is a pain

  6. Donald Shepherd says:

    The X500 was a cheap alternative to the 345, which was one of the finest lawn tractors I have ever owned. By the way, I bought this particular machine at Tri-Green Equipment in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, which is one of the busiest businesses in the area. they have a 2-3 MONTH waiting list for lawn mower services even though they claim to do it in a week or two…….I use to have my John Deere equipment serviced at Rowlands Implement in Lebanon, but unfortunately, they went out of service…………now I have to travel 80 miles round-trip to get service parts.

    Year of Manufacture: 2008
    Pros: Looks good brand new………….but not the best of John Deeres line of products………
    Cons: I have a few issues with this particular mower. with 375 hours on it, I have replaced the hood and the seat before the warranty expired and shortly after it expired, I am now faced with having to replace both the hood and seat again…….cheap materials…….the deck is good but very difficult to remove because of the U-bolts that hold the arms into the rear of the mower. I would advise anyone against buying this particular mower. The engine is nice and when it cuts, it cuts good……..but what good is a mower without a seat to sit on or a hood to open and close. DO NOT EVER PULL ON THE HOOD FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE TOP………….it will snap it……..I simply gave up and drilled and pop-riveted a brace under the center of the hood….looks ugly……but holds even when I open it….The seat is nothing but cheap plastic and I bought this mower at a dealership as opposed to Lowes/Home Depot
    Attachments: The deck is one of the most difficult 54″ decks that I have ever had the opportunity to work with…….As I said the U-bolts that the idler arms sit on require superhuman strength to remove…..it is suppose to be a simply “grab/pull technique but I find myself using come alongs, crow bars, vise grips…………..frustrated with this feature……..
    Modifications: I place a bracket in the center of the top of the hood to reinforce the thinnest part of the mower……John Deere has the liberty to use my modification to strengthen the hood and I won’t expect any royalties, but I have never had to replace 2 hoods and 2 seats with less than 400 total hours on the mower……….

    • Dale Wiscaver says:

      Donald Shepherd where did you buy your hood? The same thing happened to mine and I need to replace it. Thanks!

      Year of Manufacture: 0

  7. jerrid myers says:

    Good except see below note

    Year of Manufacture: 2008
    Pros: Has been a good tractor except for the SAFETY ISSUE that is stated below.
    Cons: Forward travel pedal sticks-twice in the last 4 months. I have sent a SAFETY ISSUE email to JD but I wonder if they respond to unhappy owners or to safety issues.

    This sticking FORWARD TRAVEL PEDAL is an extremely dangerous issue.
    I intend to send copies of the email to all government agencies that are concerned with Farm/Home Equiptment safety issues.
    I do not want to put this issue on the general internet unless JD does not repair my tractor and assures me that it is absolutely safe to use.
    It is just TOO DAM DANGEROUS when the forward pedal sticks now and then.
    I have spoken with my local dealer. He has never heard of the pedals sticking as mine does. I will take the tractor to SCHMIDT IMPLEMENT today hopefully.

    Attachments: snow blower with canvas hood&48″ mower
    Modifications: none

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