x739 vs x754 for ground engaging equipment

I do it all with an x475, but I wish I could have put the 45 loader on that and kept the x585 because it just did it better, due to the option of 4wd, and about 125lbs of built in front ballast in the axle.

Even doing leaves on slight hills the 4wd and weight saved some of my customers grass.

4wheel steer doesn’t super impressed me, I’ve used an x304 a few times, it removes a bit of strategy, but didn’t seem to save me time.

The AWD x7 is by far and above the best bet.

The x738, x739, and x758 will all perform better than the x754 when working the ground.

Unless you really have a technical yard with lots of obstacles the 4 wheel steer of the x739 is really needed and can sometimes be a pain with wide open long yards. The 4 wheel steer tends to wonder a bit on long strait lines.

As a x738 owner, if I were buying one to do ground engaging work, I'd go X758 for 2 reasons: 4WD traction and the torque (and efficiency) of the diesel. IMO having the extra 4WS with associated linkages and joints, unless really need, is just more cost, complexity and stuff to break/service down the road.

I don't know what type of obstacles your property has but I'd ask the dealer if you can test drive both a regular and 4 wheel steer model even if just around their lot. You may be impressed that the 'regular' model actually steers quite aggressively. I have some curvy landscaping that juts in and out - x738 handles it with ease whereas my previous GT required maneuvering. I think the 4WD helps pull the tractor at aggressive steering angles vs. the rear wheels 'pushing/plowing' it. I think 4WD would be a huge asset when playing in the dirt.

chitown35 said:

Hi everyone,

I'm looking at 2 different tractors. I've got about 4 acres to mow with a number of obstacles, and so I'm set on a 7xx with 4ws and a 60" deck. However it's pretty flat, and I don't plan on any snow removal or winter operation.

So my question is, for ground engaging attachments for a decent sized garden, such as a tiller, plow, etc., which would be better? The added traction of the 4wd 739? Or the low end torque of the 2wd diesel 754?

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For 11 years I used a X485 for tilling ,plowing and cultivating & Loader work on a 3acre Garden. Prior to that I used a JD 425 on a 4acre garden In northern NY. Honestly for field work a 2WD is just fine. I only upgraded to a AWD X748 so I could put less ballast on my tractor when running a 45 loader. AWD is nice but wasn't necessary I gardened with 2WD garden tractors for 35 plus years never had a issue. Still do a Lot of Garden work with my 2WD garden tractors The X748 in the warmer months spends it's day with a 45 loader and a 42inch Hydraulic tiller or 647 tiller on. The 2WD tractors do the plowing & cultivating work. When I use My compact I barely use it in 4WD and never use 4WD when I am tilling or Plowing the Garden with it either.

Now if you have a sloped or hillside garden I can see the need for AWD. The X754 will do the job just as well as the X739. With the X739 you will probably just need less ballast for traction to get the job done. Other then that either is fine for your situation

Interesting takes. Sounds like I don't necessarily NEED anything beyond a 2wd gasoline, but if I do something beyond that, the 4wd is the best option rather than going diesel.

With all the trees I have I don't want to skip the 4ws, just feel like I'd be more likely to regret it if I didn't have it, than the other way around. I've driven my jeep on 37s with no sway bars, can't imagine straight line steering is much worse than that.

Unless someone thinks it's complete overkill and I should get a 590, I'll probably end up with the 739 depending on cost. At that point it's not much more $ than the 734, and there doesn't seem to be a downside.

@chitown35 if you had decent hills and your only available options are between the X754 2WD/4WS and the X739 AWD/AWS, I'd opt for the X739 to get the AWD. Given you are on flat terrain, I would go with the X754 for the added available torque of the diesel. That said, I have an X585 and even that when set to 2WD makes pretty tight turns that are only slightly bigger than what my old L118 could which was rated an 18" radius. I recommend you test drive both 2WS and 4WS options to get a feel for the turn radii.

fordgt40 said:

@chitown35 if you had decent hills and your only available options are between the X754 2WD/4WS and the X739 AWD/AWS, I'd opt for the X739 to get the AWD. Given you are on flat terrain, I would go with the X754 for the added available torque of the diesel. That said, I have an X585 and even that when set to 2WD makes pretty tight turns that are only slightly bigger than what my old L118 could which was rated an 18" radius. I recommend you test drive both 2WS and 4WS options to get a feel for the turn radii.

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fordgt40 said:

@chitown35 if you had decent hills and your only available options are between the X754 2WD/4WS and the X739 AWD/AWS, I'd opt for the X739 to get the AWD. Given you are on flat terrain, I would go with the X754 for the added available torque of the diesel. That said, I have an X585 and even that when set to 2WD makes pretty tight turns that are only slightly bigger than what my old L118 could which was rated an 18" radius. I recommend you test drive both 2WS and 4WS options to get a feel for the turn radii.

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That extra 2inch turn radius In 2WD(27inch) was Noticeable to me in 2003 that why I went with a 2WD X485(25inch turn radius) over a 4WD X585. AWD solved the turning radius difference as AWD In 2WS is (25inches) just like the 2WD 2WS models

I love the 4wd of my X739 and wouldn't be happy without it. You never know what you might end up having to pull around.

I put a JD 655 tiller on my X738 and it works well. I had first ordered a 647 and realized it was narrower than the track of the tractor. Didn't want that so I researched the 655 and found on an official JD site somewhere that is was compatible. Talked to my dealer and he said that it would work. It does max out on horsepower, but it does work. I did have to turn the two bottom 3 point mounts 180 degrees to get it to hook up to my liking and also shortened the PTO shaft 3 1/2 inches. I'm not going to set any speed records tilling with it, but I've always gone fairly slow anyway.

I've been using a x595 for a year now, and to be honest, my property has it all. Super dense forest, double sloped hills, narrow gates, gravel, etc...all in a pretty small size of 1,4 acres.

Using the loader and tackling hills without 4WD is just a pain. If there was rain, I'll have a harder time using the loader even on level ground.
The diesel helps a lot for grunt and usage. If you're going to put a lot of hours on your tractor, I think it will show.

The forest I have has trees from 4ft to 9ft apart, and I don't have much trouble navigating it, even with a 3bag MCS attached. What you need to think about is the course you're going to take to mow everything, rather than assuming you're going to do circles around each tree. Also, if you can fit it, I would go for a larger deck. That will make the circle much smaller than 4WS and will give you the possibility to get under trees or hedges.