DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with Deere & Company. I am neither employed nor sponsored by the company in any way...just a loyal customer. I make these X570 reviews for entertainment and informative purposes...specifically for those who may be in the market for a new mower.
Time for a long-overdue 250 (technically 275)-hour update on our workhorse John Deere X570. My apologies for uploading this video so late...I was mowing grass with it every day last month and barely had time to do any thorough maintenance on the machine, let alone do another in-depth video on it. We are currently experiencing a drought, so the grass hasn't really been growing and I have had more time to work on my equipment. The tractor has closer to 280 hours on it now.
The X570 has proven to be a pretty reliable mowing tractor for my lawn care business over the past two seasons. 2018 has been my busiest season yet, so the X570 (and other equipment) have been getting a good workout. The Kawasaki FS730V and Tuff-Torq K72 transaxle have been mostly problem-free (except for a bad ignition coil on the engine which was replaced under warranty - I think a mouse might have chewed the wires). The X570 is so much faster, more ergonomic, and cleaner-cutting than the other machines in my fleet....seems like such a downgrade when I get stuck using one of the other tractors. Removing and installing the 48" Accel Deep mower deck takes a bit of practice, but it has become a much easier task, now that I am in the habit of servicing the tractor every 25 hours.
Every 25 hours, I remove the mower deck, pressure wash it and the tractor, sharpen the blades, grease it and the tractor, and clean out the air filter. I change the engine oil and filter every 50 hours (I only run John Deere Turf-Gard 10w30 oil, since that's what it was broken in with), and I replace the air filter and spark plugs every 100 hours. That may be a little more frequent than necessary, but I put many more hours on this machine than the average homeowner, so the extra maintenance is worth it.
Unfortunately, I did have to send the X570 back to the dealer a few times this season. In late winter, I dropped it off for the 200-hour valve lash adjustment. While it was at the dealer, I had tire tubes installed in all 4 tires just to be safe in the future...the right front and right rear tires both went flat after sitting all winter. That wasn't a big deal.
The ONE major issue I have had with this garden tractor is the sub-par steering assembly. The X570 is the only X500 series model with manual steering and it shares the rack-and-pinion setup with the X300 series tractors. For what the X570 is worth and for its intended field of use as a "multi-terrain" tractor, rack-and-pinion steering is just too flimsy. After just 240 hours of use, the teeth on the rack/sector gear wore down so badly that I could not turn to the right. This was due to the amount of play between the two steering gears, and it happened rather quickly, due to the amount of flex in the front axle and tie rods (I mow a lot of very rough and bumpy terrain). The dealer replaced the sector gear under warranty, but I have to be careful not to wear the teeth off of the new gear, too. If you have an X500 or X570, be careful not to wear down your steering components. The "remedy" to this problem is to add a few shims above the sector gear in order to drop it down closer to the pinion gear on the steering shaft. The shims come from John Deere, are part number M41361, and are less than $0.50 each, so I would recommend shimming your steering to reduce wear.
I'm planning to make a 500-hour review video in a couple years, once the X570 has reached that mark, but that will be a while away. For now, enjoy the video! Thanks to all my subscribers and viewers, especially those looking to purchase an X500 series Deere...hope my videos are informative and persuasive. Good luck with your shopping.