520Lxi - reasonably priced?

[fpappal 1]

Hello,

I just signed up for the group, thanks.  I am looking at a 520Lxi with blower, mower deck, cab, and tiller.  I have not seen pics yet of the machine, I do not know how many hours are on it, still waiting to hear back.  He is asking $4000 for everything.  He tells me the tiller is like new and that is actually the main reason I am looking at it.  If the machine is in good shape with less than 1000 hours does that seem reasonable?   Is there enough room between rear wheels and fender to put a farm tread tire on it?  I called two local Wheel Horse dealers asking about the tiller and they both told me they have only sold one tiller in 30 years.  If I ever need parts that may be a concern.  

 

I have spent some time on my uncles 522xi which has a blower on it.  After he died I am the one swapping the mower deck and the blower each year for my cousin to use.  So I am somewhat familiar with the machine.   

 

Thank you for any replies/suggestions.  

[DennisThornton 4,769]

44 minutes ago, fpappal said:

Hello,

I just signed up for the group, thanks.  I am looking at a 520Lxi with blower, mower deck, cab, and tiller.  I have not seen pics yet of the machine, I do not know how many hours are on it, still waiting to hear back.  He is asking $4000 for everything.  He tells me the tiller is like new and that is actually the main reason I am looking at it.  If the machine is in good shape with less than 1000 hours does that seem reasonable?   Is there enough room between rear wheels and fender to put a farm tread tire on it?  I called two local Wheel Horse dealers asking about the tiller and they both told me they have only sold one tiller in 30 years.  If I ever need parts that may be a concern.  

 

I have spent some time on my uncles 522xi which has a blower on it.  After he died I am the one swapping the mower deck and the blower each year for my cousin to use.  So I am somewhat familiar with the machine.   

 

Thank you for any replies/suggestions.  

I have a 1998 and it's an awesome machine.  There was a plastic cam gear issue:

"In February of 1998, steel camshafts went into all 620D engines.  The following engine(s) should have the steel camshaft and stiffer valve springs.  FD620D-DS02 with the beginning engine serial number of 149283?"

I assume 2 stage blower.  Never seen a tiller for them but I'll guess it's HD.  Cab is nice but a pita the swap our seasonally.

$4000 is a lot to me!  I can't see it, but I'm cheap.

 

 

[fpappal 1]

Thanks, I thought it might be a little steep too.  But then I see that this machine was $8000 new, plus all those attachments, maybe the price is not so bad??  After I see some pics and get the hours I can make a better decision.  I never thought about how much time would go into installing the cab each year.  

[seuadr 488]

well it gets a little weird with the XI series as they have their own set of attachments which can be sparse depending on where you are - for instance in the last decade, i've seen maybe 5 or 6 XIs of any sort in my area for sale with more than just a single attachment - usually a blade or deck.

 

personally, i think that is a bit optimistic, but, like  Dennis, i'm not shopping for my "one and only" machine, so, you'll have to judge that for yourself.

 

i'd also ask yourself - why an LXI? would a 520 serve your purposes just as well? if the answer is yes - what do they go for in your area, and, how much of a premium are you willing to pay for the newer machine (or liquid cooling, if that is your train of thought?)

 

that said - if i were in your shoes at 1000 hours for those attachments, i'd probably be at ~2k-2500 (but i'm cheap, like dennis :D)

[SylvanLakeWH 25,606]

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,055]

If you do go for this study the manuals so you are familiar with all the loose parts that are required. They get separated when the attachment is off the tractor and can get expensive when the time comes to reinstall the attachment. We can help you find them.

 

Garry

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Tough to comment on a Wheel Horses value because most are worth at least the asking price when compared to other garden tractors new and used.  But when compared to other Wheel Horses some pricing seems high.

The XI attachments are much harder to find and command a higher price as well.  So IF the tractor AND attachments are JUST WHAT you want and need they are worth more to you than others.  And market areas are different.  Pretty rural here and there weren't a lot of dealers or buyers around so there's less to pick from.  I've had to wander a bit to gather what I have.  Been a while too!  I've bought a lot of tractors and attachments combined for a LOT less than that $4000 asking price and I'd hate to have my entire GT budget used up with that.

 

Many of us try to have tractor/attachment combos and NOT have to swap attachments.  Taken me some time but, I'm liking it.

[fpappal 1]

Thank for the replies.  I picked up at an auction a few years ago an old Iseki 4x4 tractor with a tiller.  It works great however parts are hard to come by if something breaks.  I am thinking it is time to peddle it before that happens.  I was on Youtube the other day and a guy had a nice JD425 with tiller and it was doing a great job.  That got me thinking about my uncles machine that is basically doing nothing.  I saw that a tiller was available for them at one time so I figured that would be a nice set up.  Started looking for a tiller only to find none available.  Even the local dealers told me good luck.  There is a guy in my area who sells used equipment he buys from dealers.  He told me about this 520Lxi he has with all those attachments. So I am at the point now where I would like to sell my Iseki and use the money for something newer and reliable.  I would definitely use the snow blower and mower as well.  My biggest concern is how well it will turn.  Those turf tires do not provide much traction, especially if the ground is a little muddy.  Ag tires would be great but not sure they will fit under the fenders.  I agree that 4K is a bit too much.  

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I've been sort of looking at Bolen/Iseki 4x4 online but I remember some speaking of part availability issues.  Too bad, I gather they are decent machines AND they are 4x4s!  I'm not sure I could bare the pain of losing 4WD...

 

Another approach is to not look for a tractor and then search for attachments but to look for an attachment with a tractor already attached to it.  If you've got $4000 to budget now, depending on your market area, I think you could do well.  But I'd hate to part with my only 4x4.