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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>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 3<sup>rd</sup> 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 3<sup>rd</sup> 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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Dean VP<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Snohomish, WA 98290<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> AT <at-bounces@lists.antique-tractor.com> <b>On Behalf Of </b>bradloomis@charter.net<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, July 5, 2020 9:00 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group' <at@lists.antique-tractor.com><br><b>Subject:</b> [AT] Thanks Dean.<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To Dean VP,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Again, thanks for that upload. A wealth of information. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Brad<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>