I roll it in the spring. The stripes from the pic I posted are just from mowing. The pic of the chains on the back is my DIY striping kit. The chains lay the grass down in the middle between the tires giving a full striped pattern while I mow.
X700 series machine's are the newer version of your machine Stinny. I don't like the very latest versions, I think they took away from the fit and finish of those machines a good bit. I'm sure they are still awesome functionally but it's pretty obvious Deere is trying to keep the cost/price down on their newest equipment. Something I have very mixed feelings about.
Did they still do away with the loader with that newer version? That's the major advantage of my X720... Love to go the 1series, for the hydraulics, just don't have the justifications for it....
Welp... m'ole JD is 14 yrs old now. I haven't needed anything bigger, for the little projects I use it for. And, I spent a lot of time whippin' up the claw for it. Guess I'll just keep r goin' as long as I can use it. I'm still always surprised at what it can do. Someday, I'd like to buy a new seat with some lumbar support. The old one is just about torn to shreds.
As far as I know, there is no OEM loader for the new Signature Series tractors. The 45 loader is/was an EXPENSIVE option for the X700s. You could do a SCUT with a MMM and loader for less money than the comparable X700s. 4x4, diesel, the SCUTs won on price every time. Then consider you probably wanted a 3pt hitch and rear PTO for the x700 (or older x500 series) which are also pricey add-one that are included on the SCUTs. The loader alone was twice the price of the SCUT loaders and not nearly the same lift capacity. Doing the smaller HDGT with a loader rarely made sense UNLESS you really wanted the smaller chassis and lighter footprint and didn't need nor ever want things like the rear PTO and 3pt. The 2WD machines (like your 720) were less expensive than a SCUT but that was about it. With the same tires on them, the biggest difference between the two categories was the turning radius. A 4WD garden tractor would turn circles inside of the SCUTs plus 4-wheel steer and HDAP tires (super knobbies) were options on the garden tractors but not SCUTs. I remember Deere making the HDAP tires available on the SCUTs though but have no idea if they still are.
Too bad they did away with the 749. I think they did away with that model because it was so heavy it needed a ROPS and Deere did not want to add one.
Congrats on the tractor. Be very careful with your lawn striper. If you hang one of those chains up on something it will not be good. I have a BX and a lawn striper has been on my to do list for a long time. I just finished my OCDC in time to use it for the last mowing this year.
Operator Controlled Discharge Chute It gives me control of the clippings. If I come up to a tree with mulch around it I can close the deck up to keep from blowing clippings on it or instead of going around it the other way and messing up my stripes. I can partially close it so the clippings don't go far if I don't want them to. If I am in a wide open area I can open it all the way and let the clippings fly for a more even distribution.
Expensive, (4x4, Diesel, 4-wheel steer) and no OEM support for the 45 loader. Didn't stop a few from mounting it anyways. Cool machine's, flawless fit and finish really. Ultimate was the right word for that series. But unfortunately with the rise of the SCUT, HD Garden Tractors just didn't sell like they used to. And certainly were not going to command a premium price over a SCUT like the 1x series. Even tho the SCUTs were relatively simple compared to the X700s.
That OCDC is pretty cool! I designed my striper kit to be forgiving and accident free. I have had a chain jump off the bar and drive over it with the back wheels several times. The bungees and hitch pin all make it very forgiving if snagged, ran over or bumped into.
You ain't seen nuttin'. Deere had (still does?) an MOD (em-OH-dee) version of the 7-Iron commercial deck. (Mulch On Demand). Would switch from side discharge to mulch mode or vice versa on the fly. Very complex system of push/pull rods and hinged baffles to make that one work. I could see it being a good thing for an owner/operator (was only on ZTRs that I know of) cutting lawns for $$ and not making a mess and having the option opening up the discharge when conditions get to be less than ideal. But the first time "the help" runs over the water main in the front lawn, that system is history.