whitefishblue
New member
Hi all,
I'm new here. I read a lot of forum posts here while researching garden tractors and it was really helpful. I ended up buying a 1994 JD 425 with a 54" deck. I wanted a rototiller too, and in searching for that I found a setup that was nearby and too good to pass up. So I bought a second 425, this one a 1997 with 54" deck, 450 tiller, front weights, and a bagger. Now I've got to figure out which one to keep.
The 1994 has 650 hours on it. It seems to be in great shape. It doesn't have the PTO or 3 pt hitch. It came from Eastern Oregon.
The 1997 has 850 hours on it. It's a little rougher cosmetically. The steering column is a little loose, the hood and one side is damaged (the owner said he ran into a couple limbs. His place had a lot of oak trees.) It has the PTO and 3 pt hitch. The guy I bought it from said it has a lot of new components in it, and it sounded like he had it serviced every year. But his place is on a big hill and the ground is pretty rough, so I'm guessing it's had a rougher life than the '94.
I read in a forum post that 1997 was when they started using the metal cam shaft. Can anyone confirm that?
The '97 also has cruise control. Does anyone have that, and if you do, do you use it a lot?
I'm leaning toward keeping the 1994, but I need the PTO and 3 point hitch off the '97 if I do. I'm not much of a mechanic, although I do change my own oil and can be pretty dangerous armed with a Google search. Is swapping the PTO and 3 pt hitch a huge undertaking?
Any thoughts will be very much appreciated. I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. Thanks!
I'm new here. I read a lot of forum posts here while researching garden tractors and it was really helpful. I ended up buying a 1994 JD 425 with a 54" deck. I wanted a rototiller too, and in searching for that I found a setup that was nearby and too good to pass up. So I bought a second 425, this one a 1997 with 54" deck, 450 tiller, front weights, and a bagger. Now I've got to figure out which one to keep.
The 1994 has 650 hours on it. It seems to be in great shape. It doesn't have the PTO or 3 pt hitch. It came from Eastern Oregon.
The 1997 has 850 hours on it. It's a little rougher cosmetically. The steering column is a little loose, the hood and one side is damaged (the owner said he ran into a couple limbs. His place had a lot of oak trees.) It has the PTO and 3 pt hitch. The guy I bought it from said it has a lot of new components in it, and it sounded like he had it serviced every year. But his place is on a big hill and the ground is pretty rough, so I'm guessing it's had a rougher life than the '94.
I read in a forum post that 1997 was when they started using the metal cam shaft. Can anyone confirm that?
The '97 also has cruise control. Does anyone have that, and if you do, do you use it a lot?
I'm leaning toward keeping the 1994, but I need the PTO and 3 point hitch off the '97 if I do. I'm not much of a mechanic, although I do change my own oil and can be pretty dangerous armed with a Google search. Is swapping the PTO and 3 pt hitch a huge undertaking?
Any thoughts will be very much appreciated. I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. Thanks!