Glad I can help!

Keep an eye out here, I’ve recently had a sleeve hitch issue, so if you are planning on getting, there are some pre-install “upgrades” you may want to do. I’ll make the video and try to get it out soon here. Glad I have helped you!

2nd sleeve hitch update will out 26 Aug 2021

Thank you!

Yeah the only real differences are EFI vs Carb, and because of that, horsepower… tilt steering is another difference, along with different deck sizes available on the 590, along with tires.

Are you talking about PA plow day? I was hoping to get to that this year but a lot happened when I got back to the states, so hopefully next year. It is held like 20 minutes from where I grew up, so would be a nice vacation for me!

Thank you for the feedback! I find I forget about that port for the most part… I never use it, as I don’t have a concrete pad to use it on, and I don’t want to use it in the yard. I think largely, people don’t use them from what I can gather, but it is cool seeing someone has gets good results with it!

Realistically probably doesn’t matter, that being said, I haven’t rolled my yard yet in attempt to smooth it, but when I do, I’ll go slower, like mowing speed. When I smoothed out my buddy’s yard, filling in a ditch with the box blade and removing all the big bumps, I rolled the dirt slow, again mowing speed, and then the same when rolling in the grass seed. Like any yard tool, slower is usually better

Not a fan of fluid filling, I get it as an easy low profile way to add a ton of weight, but I’d just prefer weights. Easy to change weight. Fluid filled tires, not so much.

The short answer, yes it does. The long; I have also heard mixed things when looking into getting this one. Not so much on cut quality, more so deck leveling, keeping it level. I can say in the season that I’ve had it, I haven’t noticed any issues with the deck becoming un-level, and that included a lot of deck removal and install mixed in. So if this is a concern, I wouldn’t let it be, the lift linkage has a nylon locknut for adjustment, and I can’t remember if there is a jam nut there or not, but if not, one can easily be added. Now with cut quality I think the problem is not 100% the deck, I think it has to do a lot with terrain too. Obviously we all know if you have a lot of landscaping, trees, lawn ornaments, large mower decks might not be the best. But even with an open yard, a 54”+ deck may still not be the best. If your lawn and nice and flat, with minimal dips and whatnot, the 54” is great. My yard has a lot of little dips and stuff, bumps, it’s not the greatest in terms of level yards, the 54 is great in terms of size, but when it comes to the terrain, the width sometimes floats over low spots, leaving taller grass. It can also hit a high spot on one side, and accentuate the low on the other, cutting an uneven height leaving a noticeable ridge/line. Some may care, some may not. It doesn’t bother me too much. This can be somewhat avoided by a smaller deck, as it will form to the terrain a little better. My old 42” mower did a pretty good job, but gets a markdown because the deck just didn’t have the vacuum of the accel deep, and it lacked adjustable and rear gauge wheels. The 580 is only 54”, but I’m sure if you wanted the 48”, a good dealer would work with you to get one on a 580 (if you just didn’t want a 590/570 or 584)… This leads me to something I really like about the “higher end” decks, gauge wheels. The ability to adjust them to your liking, and the fact that there is one at each corner, and a roller in the center makes for almost no chance of scalping the lawn. I have one spot where mine scalps, and it only does it if I mow a certain direction. Of course blade sharpness plays a roll too, keep em sharp and it cuts like a dream! The vacuum of this deck has seemed to uncover a lot of rocks in my yard this year, so sadly mine have seen better days, and it does miss a few blades of grass sometimes in the path of the front wheels, but again not enough that it bothers me too bad. It’s still way better than my old D105! I’m actually looking at getting an X7 series now, and still go with a 54”, I love the size, even for my terrain. But yeah, as a mower the 580 is worth every penny, it just lacks in the ground engaging world, which is why I’m looking to upgrade. If you just want a mower that will cut grass forever, I think this could do it! Sorry that is a long reply, just want to give everyone as much info as possible!

@@JoshsGreenGarage Thanks for the quick response. I currently have a 2000 Cub Cadet with a 48" cut. It has 4 nice rollers at the corners also and I don't really have any issue with scalping. I don't think the extra 6" will matter. I also have a 2020 John Deere 1025R with a 60" deck and it mows awesome but you do have to make turns really slow or it will scalp, or cut uneven. The 20 year old Cub Cadet is about done and the 1025R is just too heavy at around 1600 lbs. to be mowing grass with twice a week. It is a little rough on the yard. That is why I am looking for another nice Lawn mower. I really am thinking hard on the JD X580 and your videos have been very helpful. I can understand you wanting to go a little bigger for the ground engaging stuff, but I have the 1025 for that. I am just going to be mowing with the new mower, but I do get stuck from time to time and that is one main reason for wanting a 500 series to have the diff. lock. I didn't really think I wanted power steering or power deck lift and have considered a X570 but so many people have said they love both and I don't think I want to be changing out sector and pinion gears every 5 years or so. Also the 570 has the rinky dinky 300 series front end on it. I don't understand why JD did that. The X580 just seems like the perfect lawn tractor to be my last forever mower. (I am 65 yrs. old...LOL) My only real concern at this point was the bad comments I had seen on the deck being hard to keep adjusted and the cut quality being bad. There are far more good comments than bad and some folks just complain about everything. SO thanks again. I am thinking the X580 will be a fantastic lawn mower!!

Will do! I’ll make a video pointing it out too if mine are loose, and I’ll give ya a shout out!

I do have a few videos of it mowing. I also think the video of the 10PX cart shows it starting.

Just drops it, it is how it sounds, hydro lift. The hydro moves the rockshaft, and in the down position, the deck is able to move upward freely. The deck is heavier too, so it helps it from bouncing. I think you would be happy with one! On the downside, this also applies to the sleeve hitch, it only has power when lifting. Once lowered it floats.

That would be pretty cool, I have thought about talking with them about it.

Glad you like my videos! As for the smoothing, if it is loose soil a box blade would be great, but if it is bound by grass then the sleeve hitch box blade will mostly just float right over it, which is why I use my ripper to break the sod layer some, and even then it is hard to pull as the blade just doesn’t have the weight. If it is light patchy “grass” then blade would be ok. Tiller would definitely do the job to break everything up, just not sure how smooth overall everything would be. I haven’t done any videos like this, and the time I did do some yard smoothing I didn’t do video of it unfortunately… Honestly you can probably get your pull behind tiller cheaper than one from Deere, and honestly the more I use the sleeve hitch, the less impressed I am with it… if not adding weigh to the tool, then it is great, but the sleeve hitch and tools for it are not super heavy duty if you need weight added. So a pull behind tiller would probably be your best bet. Hope this helps, honestly I’m getting to the point to where I won’t be recommending the power sleeve hitch for these tractors anymore, not because bad quality, but just because of the limitation, which honestly sucks because you expect it to be a garden tractor, but then again I guess the moldboard plow and cultivator are no problem for it… my only beef really is just with the box blade and when I add weight to my ripper. Sorry to get off topic, just want to give you info so you can make an informed decision.

On the sell sheet for mine, the deck is included with the tractor, it is not on its own line. So I don’t think they are just being lazy or anything like that. If you have a really good dealer, you may be able to suggest they order a 48” deck as well and then just swap it. They will lose money by having a 54” sitting around, but let’s face it, that is nothing, and they aren’t making anything on an $8-9k machine anyway compared to a $3,4,500k Ag tractor. If they are really really good though, they may even give you back the difference between the cost of a 54 and 48, but I wouldn’t expect it, nor am I saying that is remotely going to happen. Good luck!

@@JoshsGreenGarage Wow! Thanks for the quick reply and insight. I guess I'm about to find out if I have a good dealer. What I'm reading between the lines though is that you think there is a good possibility that a 48" deck can be mounted to the x580. I know on the x590, the 48" option actually costs about $100 more than the 54" deck. Not sure what that is about but hoping it doesn't indicate the need for some special adapters.

I should add that I really enjoy your videos on the lawn sweeper. I was thinking that I would need to buy the green powered vac option ($2000+) but seeing your reviews of the sweeper has sold me on that approach. I would use it only to pick up leaves in the fall. My Simplicity has a deck powered triple bagger that has been problematic over the years (clogged shutes, bearing, pulley, & belt failures, etc) but has gotten the job done but she's tired.

No problem, wow I just looked and you are right, $100 more.. that’s kinda odd. I doubt there is anything special between them though, I just looked at the 590’s parts diagram, and the only thing I can see for the lift system that was different were lift arms, but they were for a serial number break, not deck size.

Yeah I love the lawn sweeper, that thing was a life saver for my big yard when I was in Alaska. I like them over the baggers because I can take it off to cut, and I don’t have a ton of extra width due to the big chute and whatnot… plus, ya get to spend a little extra time on the tractor!

I would venture to say yes, I have another video of this machine cutting an overgrown yard. Not sure how the grass compares, but it was quite high. I’d bet the 54 accel deep deck is deeper than the ol husky, so you can process more grass faster. I’d also look at engine specs, and see if the husky uses and FR series engine or an FS engine. The Deere uses FS, as a more premium option, just below commercial, and it may possibly perform better. I’d put money on it though compared to a husky. The 580/90 is a hell of a machine for cutting

@@JoshsGreenGarage I will keep my eyes out for a fair priced x580. Everyone is asking $9K for a new one.

Nope. Just won’t lock until the wheel speeds are the same, and won’t unlock until the same. Generally you would be going in a straight line when locking it anyway.

Not a ton, but I have taken it on some ATV trails near my house, tractor ride for the kids, and there is one spot that is fairly steep and loose-ish dirt. Walked up it no problem. I don’t think steep hills would be an issue with a 500 series, as long as it isn’t extreme in either grade or terrain. I think on grass you would be fine all day, but you were going up loose gravel or shale for some reason, I wouldn’t expect a whole lot. But that can go for any tractor.

Yes, however I’m not sure about availability. I was going to try to get one when I had my 580, but the dealer was having a hard time finding the parts. I think they may have been made around the time of the X530/540. If you want one you will likely have to look for used. There is a 30” mechanical, and a 42” hydraulic. Honestly if you want to do this kind of stuff though I’d just go to the older X475/485, X720, or newer X730 at the very least. Still low end, so 2wd, gas, but you have a way heavier duty machine. Then get a 3 point and PTO, or find one, and get a 3 point tiller. More money… significantly… but at the end of the day you will be much happier.

Hydraulic power. The 570 has manual steering and manual lift for the deck, and available sleeve hitch. The 580 has hydro power steering, and hydro lift. It is an option that is more than worth it, and I think many will agree. There are some others too, such as the seat, and front weight bracket.

Well yeah 3” on each side seems like very little, but that is 6” on total, and when you multiply that by every pass you make, that can cut off multiple feet easily. If you make 20 passes that is 10’ you are saving, so 2.5 passes. This isn’t a ton, but could save a few minutes. Now with that you would have to be lining up the deck edge perfectly with your last cut line to get that 6” gain, but who is going to do that perfectly during a whole pass? I like to overlap a little to make sure nothing is missed. I also try to limit how much grass is smashed down by the front wheel before being cut, so I always ride the inside of the front wheel just past the cut edge so only the other front wheel is ever touching uncut grass. Make sense? So realistically I am probably losing between 6” and 8” on the cut of my X758, when I had the X580 it would have been even more because the wheel track was narrower. Still make sense? Basically if you cut like me it is almost better to look for cutting width efficiency rather than just width. This is why I didn’t go to a 60”, because I woulda paid more, and had even more uncut area with little gain due to the difference in wheel track and deck width. If you don’t cut like me though, then it’s a non-issue… but for me, I feel the closer you are to having the deck width match the wheel track, the more efficient your pass will be. I also don’t worry about fuel savings or time, but some may… so I would say if you can get a 48, get a 48. You are worried about regretting a 54, so better to stay away. It has no stability issue in my opinion, but it is big. For uneven terrain the 48 being narrower will contour better, and the engine will move the blades easier making it easier to mulch with. Lastly, going around trees and the tight spots will most definitely be easier. Hope this helps! Of course this is just my opinion, but if ya want anymore of it let me know!

Maybe? I kinda need more info to say yes for sure. What is the rest of the property like? you mentioned cutting paths, so it it rough ground with lots of brush? or is it just overgrown grass? The thing is with woods work, you would want a brush hog or something to take thick stuff out. The 580 is great for yards, and even yards that get a little long, rough yards, steep yards... it has a locker which is a huge plus, but I wouldn't try doing anything to ridiculous, the deck just doesn't have the volume for really tall brush. For that you may want to go to an X7 or even a 1 series subcompact. As for the snow clearing, I'm sure the 580 could do it. I've never plowed with mine, but I know that people do it. Again, the locker helps, I would for sure put as much weight as possible on it for traction, suitcase weights and wheel weights. I'm not sure how great the plow is for them, but they are available. I may be wrong but they are manually controlled for angle, and I believe for lift, so that could get old quick. How much snow do you get? I can say plowing with my X7 is so easy, even deep snow. 4x4 and a locker is awesome, hydraulics are awesome, it is just so much more versatile compared to the current X5. The 580 is definitely a beast, it is truly a "do all" garden tractor for around the yard or garden (Spring/Summer/Fall), but I just don't know that you'd be happy plowing with it, 2wd isn't the most ideal. I also don't know how happy you would be on the other parts of your property with it. I hate always telling people to go to the X7 series, I don't want to sound too bias, but I want to help people avoid the situation I got into. I had the X580 for less than a year before I decided I wanted an X7, more money spent in the long-run, which sucks, I shoulda just got the X7 in the first place. But I really think that for winter use you would be much better off with an X7. With that you will get more out of in in the way of attachments and ease of use, plus you are already spending a pretty penny on an X5, why not spend a little more and more than double your capability? The garden tractor aspect of the X5 just seems like an afterthought, which it kind of is since it is just a beefed up X300, whereas the X7 series has a 20+ lineage already. You may even be able to find a really nice used X7 for the same price or less than a new X5. If you do look at the X7, Id say the X738 would be ideal for you. Gas engine like the 580, it has 4x4, and you will then be able to use the hydraulic plow (or snowblower), and an array of other rear attachments. I hope this helps. If you have further questions or want more of my opinion let me know. I can give a lot of pros and cons to both series of machine.

Hey Josh, Happy to hear back from you. I think your channel provides a lot of insight to people shopping for mowers. I like the information on the transmission. I did my homework and determined the K72 is built to handle snow plowing as well as regular yard work. Interesting how Cub Cadet only has one model capable of handling snow (XT3) with a plow. Yet they sell a whole array of mowers like the XT1 and XT2 which one could buy a plow. Other brands sell plows too for mowers not designed with a transmission to meet the stress it will face. Probably to make money is my guess. Anyway, growing up we had a Ferguson which my dad used for snow plowing a 300-400 foot driveway. He bought a Husqvarna mower to do a 1.5 acre yard as well as field trails on the 7 ish acres we had for dirt bike tracks and stuff. I think you could take rocks out of where you wanted to mow, set the deck at the highest setting and then take it down. I could maintain trails so it becomes a maintained grass path. I was envisioning doing this with the X580. I also wanted to do a small food plot for deer hunting. I see the tractor could do ground engaging equipment. I wouldn’t have a large area, probably 30’x10’. As far as snow amounts, anywhere from dusting to 6”-10” of snow on a bad storm typically. The driveway is flat. So I don’t see an issue with slopes and stuff. Thanks again, Matt

Not much brush, just long long field grass. The X738 is 5 grand more than the X580. That seems like a lot more. Granted there are amazing features, but I just need something that gets the job done. I thought the X580 would be a willing and capable Garden Tractor. I always ask for additional expertise is all.

The 580 is definitely capable, the transaxle is for sure a beast! It will get the job done, but do look at the videos I have about the hitch, and the problems that I encountered. I have to say I loved my 580 none the less, and if I could buy it back I would, just to have it. I just want to make sure you get all the info ya want.

@@JoshsGreenGarage Will do. I will look at those videos!