[AT] Thanks Dean.

[deanvp at att.net]

The JD 445 I own is my current favorite Garden Tractor. I also own a 425 and
the difference between the two is very noticeable. The 445 starts
immediately and the extra 2 hp is very noticeable in wet heavy tall grass.
Therefore I run a 54" deck on the 445 and a 48" deck on the 425. There is
another model in this particular series, the 455, the one you have is a
diesel engine that everyone raves about.  I've never run one.  But would
probably jump on one if one ever came available at  decent price.   The 425,
445 and 455 are considered one of JD' better series of Garden Tractors.
IMHO they are better than the new ones being sold today.  They did have one
major flaw in the early ones. They had a plastic Cam gear that usually
failed between 800 and 1000 hours pretty consistently.  On the 445 mine
lasted to 1200 plus hours and would probably have gone on much longer but I
hit a buried 4" stump on my neighbor's yard  helping him out when his much
newer GT died.  I didn't get more than another 10 minutes before the cam
broke. Took two other gears with it. The engine needs to be pulled to repair
it.  But not that big of a project to install new gears including
replacement steel Cam Gear,. I also own three JD Gt235's . two for butt
buggy duties and back up mowers and the 3rd GT235 I bought when it bent a
valve. Haven't decided whether I'm going to repair the engine or just
dedicate it to being a parts tractor.  The GT235's are nowhere close to a
425 or 445 or a 455. But if you didn't have 6 acres of lawn like I have it
is a pretty good machine. It's major feature that it is lacking is a
Differential Lock.  I really miss that when mowing my pasture which is on a
slope.  My left foot just automatically stomps on the red button but on the
GT235's there isn't one.  I kind of get a chuckle out of being such a dunce
forgetting that feature isn't on the GT235's. Gather up that JD 445 when you
can.  New plastic hood parts are now available from a 3rd party and the cost
has dropped dramatically. Still expensive but at least you don't need to
take out a bank loan to buy some of the stuff from Deere. 

 

Dean VP

Snohomish, WA 98290

 

From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of
bradloomis at charter.net
Sent: Sunday, July 5, 2020 9:00 PM
To: 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group' <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [AT] Thanks Dean.

 

To Dean VP,

 

I am the 'operator' of a Deere 455 at work. Which also means I'm the
mechanic. Because of your uploading of the manual on such machines on the
associated JD page on Faceplant I now have access to info I would have had
to wing it through. Heck, it's almost an antique, a 1999. I love that poor
abused machine. I want to take it home badly. It fires right up every single
time, even  the starter is a wire to the battery that has to be touched to
the post to get it to crank. But varoom and it's off and running. That and
replacing the 21 year old mower blades, now it actually mows. They literally
tossed a rear blade and a drag before I could salvage them. More money than
sense and a need to 'clean' things up. 

Again, thanks for that upload. A wealth of information. 

 

Brad

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