What cutting deck do I want??

[jbudimlya]

I'm a new forum member, I just purchased a 1999 JD 445 from my neighbor....it has 352 hours on it and it has been very well taken care of, he was an airplane mechanic.
The tractor has a 48 inch moving deck....it also came with a 47" snow thrower, weights and chains on large tires.
I have about 4 acres of field that I keep cut, and I am thinking that I would like to move up to either a 54" or 60" mowing deck.
I am looking for advice on which one to get?? Can this tractor handle a 60" mower deck for field cutting, or should I just get a 54" deck?

Any thoughts??

Thanks,
Jim

 

[RetiredCarGuy]

Welcome! It seems like you made a good find. Good luck and safety first on all you do.

A 445 may be just a bit small for 4 acres of field. Yes, it was built to take a 60 inch deck, but that is pushing the limit.

Shop and look for another larger deck 54 - 60, but also prepare sell it in the spring or trade up the 445 you have.

If you love it, you can also give it a first summer of cutting. Then decide!

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the forum Jim. It has low hours for a 99 and you say it was well maintained. Bigger tractor is always nice, but if you don't mind spending more hours mowing, then you can get it done.

 

[jbudimlya]

I forgot to add that I am in Colorado, and mowing here (at 6400 feet) is a 3 times per year job.....I have been moving with a Husqvarna 48" lawn tractor....it is slow, but takes about 8 hours to cut everything. I am hoping that the JD445 with a 54" deck with reduce this somewhat.

 

[Yellowfever440]

The 425 engine would last longer with a smaller deck. The 445 has a very similar size motor with fuel injection and they last a little longer with a bigger deck but if your main concern is moving snow I would get the 60 since your not putting a ton of mowing hours on it.

 

[beenthere]

With my 425 and 455 (my son bought my 445 and uses it now), I prefer the mowing quality of the 54" decks. I bought a new X485 with a 54" deck and the mowing quality took a major dump. Not sure what Deere had in mind but it was a giant step backwards IMO.

I mow about 8 acres amongst a lot of trees and prefer the 54" for quality and getting around the trees... have AWS in all my lawn tractors.

Finding a 54" or 60" deck for the 445 to replace the 48" might be tough to do, but hopefully it works for you.

 

[jbudimlya]

Do you think that there is a market for my existing 48" deck?? It's in great shape but I will not have a need for both.

With my 425 and 455 (my son bought my 445 and uses it now), I prefer the mowing quality of the 54" decks. I bought a new X485 with a 54" deck and the mowing quality took a major dump. Not sure what Deere had in mind but it was a giant step backwards IMO.

I mow about 8 acres amongst a lot of trees and prefer the 54" for quality and getting around the trees... have AWS in all my lawn tractors.

Finding a 54" or 60" deck for the 445 to replace the 48" might be tough to do, but hopefully it works for you.

 

[beenthere]

Hopefully you can find a buyer. EBay might be your best bet. Being in good shape is a real plus.
I have lots of mowing hours on my two 54" decks and no sign of them being worn out.
Shipping the 48" very far, or someone travelling very far to get it will likely be the constraint you will have to face.
It is a small deck for a lot of tractor.

On another note being played here, there are a lot of satisfied 425 owners with 60" decks... my neighbor being one of them.

When I was searching for a 455 AWS diesel, I found a lot of them with 60" decks, but I wanted one with a 54" deck.
Found it 800 miles away, low hours, and great condition. Is my primo lawn mowing machine. I keep the 425 AWS with a MC519 cart on it for cleaning the lawn of leaves and occasionally grass. The X485 is resigned to the spray rig, broom, and other odd chores. Should sell it, but then I'd have to fill its space with something else.

 

[Dutch445]

i owned a 445 for years, and thru the years had the ability to use all 3 decks!
we moved a few times, and each time warranted a different deck size.
when i had 2+ acres to mow, it was the 60, and the tractor handled it
fine, and the 60 is a much heavier build than the 54/48. i can't say i
had cutting issues with the 60, but some complain about it on the 54, but
again i think individual conditions come into play.

 

[Gary Fowler]

That is a very long time to mow just 4 acres even with a 48" mower. You must have tons of obstacles to mow around. I can mow 6 acres in around 2 hours with my Ferris 54" zero turn and I have over 50 trees to mow around. You should be able to do 4 acres in 3-4 hours easily with that 445 and 48" deck. Try it before you spend a couple of grand on a new deck.