Driver 0 #1 Posted May 21, 2013 May be the wrong forum Wheel horse 523dxi or John Deere 455 ? + and - Frank Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheelbearing 49 #2 Posted May 21, 2013 Can't go wrong with the 455. My father has one to mow 5 acres. plow and blow 1/4 mile of drive way. Kawaski liquid cooled fuel injected motor. they also made it with a diesel. I know I'm being a trader right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don1977 604 #3 Posted May 21, 2013 I would go with the JD. Once you go past the old style Wheel Horses I don't see much reason to buy them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
546cowboy 301 #4 Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) The turncoats have replied!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If it ain't red sooner or later it will be dead!!!!! Edited May 21, 2013 by 546cowboy 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forest Road 594 #5 Posted May 21, 2013 I'm really happy with my 522xi I stumbled on it and the price was right! If I had the money I'd have gone with a 4x4 compact utility tractor. What are you planning to use it for? Strictly mowing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don1977 604 #6 Posted May 21, 2013 The turncoats have replied!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If it ain't red sooner or later it will be dead!!!!! How long have you had your Wheel Horses? I have had my Wheel Horse for 36 years. I have not turned, Toro turned on me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMCIII 838 #7 Posted May 22, 2013 Was once Green, turned Red. Was once Green, turned Red. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CRE1992 135 #8 Posted May 22, 2013 The problem with the XI is that many of the parts will soon not be availible as they were not made long. The 455 also has difflock one of the things wheel horse really should of had. If it were me as much as I think the XI's are awesome. the 455 is a better tractor and is better supported. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WheelHorse79 271 #9 Posted May 22, 2013 I have a '93 JD 425. I've had it for 2 and one half years and it has been an excellent tractor. It's AWS (all wheel steer), shaft drive for the deck and hydro, and has a carbureted, liquid cooled Kawasaki V-twin (20 HP). I also have a 3 point hitch installed for my dump scoop and 42" hydraulic tiller. It is a very versatile tractor, and AWS allows me to maneuver around everything in my yard. The thing about JD is that they keep making parts for their tractors practically forever, and I can get my tractor serviced at any near-by JD dealer. The 425 = carbureted 20 HP liquid cooled V-Twin Kawasaki, 445 = fuel injected 22 HP liquid cooled V-twin Kawasaki, 455 = 24 HP 3 cylinder Yanmar Diesel. However, I love Wheel Horses and will never part with my 854 or C-101. They are rugged, reliable and in some ways built better than my 425. It's just that my 425 has plenty of parts and attachments still available (many new). If Toro was still making and supporting Wheel Horse, it would be a different story. However, they have abandoned WH and who knows what the future will bring for parts and attachments. These are important factors to consider when making your buying decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wh5208speed 645 #10 Posted May 23, 2013 If the price is the same....its not even close, the 455 is a much more robust tractor. It really is a different class of tractor vs the XI.....with 26" rear tires, 3 point hitch, rear PTO, 4 way hydraulics, differential lock. Don't get me wrong...... I have owned multiple XI's (520xi, 520Lxi, and 522xi) and they are excellent tractors....for their class. The Xi's were just way too expensive for what you got......and I would bet there are very few members in Red Square that bought them new......there are a few of us who have bought them used.....but they were just way too high from the dealer. Today you can pick Xi's up for very reasonable prices that I think are great values. I just don't see them on the same level as a 455. The new JD x500 series is probably closer to the same class as the Xi line. There is probably nothing I can do on my 455 that I can't do on a WheelHorse (except safely mow my hill, which is why I have a 455 in the 1st place for the differential lock) except I can do it quicker on the 455. The Deere is a great machine, but when new, it was too or the me (an average guy with 3 little ones) vs the excellent value the classic Wheel Horse provided.....and that is the reason I love Wheel Horses, why I have too many (7), why I have attended 12 of the last 13 Wheel Horse shows, and why I am a member of Red Square and not some JD forum. When I think of Wheel Horse, I just think it is hands down the best value anyone could buy when it comes to a garden tractor. To this day, the only real work my 455 does is mow. The rest of the time it is in the garage surrounded by a bunch of angry Horses Thad (Ohio) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MalMac 1,332 #11 Posted May 23, 2013 I have to agree with wh5208speed, As far as the classic Wheel Horse you can not beat it by any means. We sold Whee Horse's so I guess that is also one reason for the loyalty besides just be a very well built machine. Now with all that said when you starting getting into the JD 455's you are almost entering into a different class or I should say size of tractor. The 455 is almost a small utility tractor that is of Garden tractor size. So for me you can't really compare the two. The JD offers more than can be bought or could be bought on the WH. So to me if your trying to decide between the two the JD win's in my book. Now not knowing the your actual use if you just need a garden tractor and not the step up into the 455 you can't beat a good Wheel Horse's classic such as the C series,300,400 or the 520H or 520-8speeds. These tractor are proven and if cared for will last almost a life time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torino 14 #12 Posted May 24, 2013 It also depends on what you want to use it for and how much you want to spend. I would think a 455 would be almost twice as much as an xi. Do you need the 3 point, extra hydraulics? If money does not matter or you can get it for a great price then I would for sure go with the 455. For the price of a new xi Toro should have included a 3pt and dif. lock. it would have made it a much better tractor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SAM58 30 #13 Posted May 27, 2013 Wheel Horse tractors are what they are... good machine from another time and for what ever reason they don't make them any more. John Deer machines ( which I have never owned) must be well built because they are everywhere, and people are still buying them. Wheel Horse won many battles, but JD won the war. There is no way to compare them. If you own a WH, you have a piece of the past, JD is just the latest & greatest version of product they sell... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leeave96 488 #14 Posted May 28, 2013 Wheel Horse tractors are what they are... good machine from another time and for what ever reason they don't make them any more. John Deer machines ( which I have never owned) must be well built because they are everywhere, and people are still buying them. Wheel Horse won many battles, but JD won the war. There is no way to compare them. If you own a WH, you have a piece of the past, JD is just the latest & greatest version of product they sell... DON'T KILL ME!!!!!! I see (and appreciate) where you are coming from, but... What is modern? Is it side shields, foot controls, easier on/off the tractor - yea, I understand that. Heck I bought my family an MTD Cub Cadet lawn tractor for all the above - plus an abundance of safeties too. When I'm working my Wheelhorses, I don't really feel they are not a modern tractor. They get the job done - sure they are a little harder to get on and off (especially if you are my 80 yr old Dad), but aside from that - I really don't see any disadvantage of my 314-8 or 520-H tractors as compared to the latest Deere offerings. I will say that the addition of Matt's foot control kit to my 520H tractors really brought that tractor up to date in terms of easy to operate. I've got a few older IH Cub Cadet garden tractors and I think they are too a dated design, but I wouldn't say not modern - just old and showing their age with repairs and rattles. I think that if you took a spanking new Wheelhorse 314-8 or a 520-H (especially with the foot control kit), you'd have a hard time not being able to sell them even in today's market. I think the demise of these tractors came - not so much being an old design vs the advent of zero turn mowers and a lack of willingness on the part of Toro to add such things as side panels and foot control to the "classic" line-up of tractors. But the addition of these things IMHO doesn't make the tractors inferior to anything offered today. My foot controlled 520-H with the swept forward axle and tight turning radius that comes along with it really makes for a nice tractor. Were I not to get my head chopped off for dragging another tractor to the house, I'd consider stocking up on these - LOL!!! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it... But to the OP's question. My view is that while the JD 455 is a mighty machine and worthy of owning, it would boil down to several things in my mind as to which I would own, i.e. the 523xi. One would be cost, second would be "forum" support, part availablity, what I need to get the intended job completed and lastly, which would be the more interesting/fun to own. Were it my $$$'s, I'd pass on both and find a nice 520H and add the foot control or a late model gear drive Wheelhorse. No matter the choice, JD 455 or Wheelhorse 523xi, (or even a 520H) I don't think you can loose. Good luck!!! Bill 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackC 617 #15 Posted May 28, 2013 Don't know a lot about either one but I would pick a Yanmar diesel over a Briggs and Stratton diesel any day. Yanmar is a diesel engine company that goes way back and those engines are in many applications including marine applications. Briggs and Stratton is primarily a gasoline engine company. The 523DXI is a rare machine. You would find a lot more service and support options with the 455 versus the 523XI. As nice as they both are, the 455 would be the safer way to go. If I wanted a 5XI series I would probably look for a liquid cooled Kawasaki 520LXI. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
