Turbo Goat
Member
Hi all,
I thought that it would be the polite thing to stop by and say "Hi'.
I recently became the proud owner of a new-to-me JD 445 with loader. I don't have a huge property, but my wife and I are planning some big projects and having something a little more capable than a ride-on mower will be a big help.
Coming from cast-frame tractors there has been a little more learning curve than I expected. I fully expected that the little machine wouldn't be as capable as a comparable utility tractor, but I was still surprised. It's taking a bit of getting used to. My expectations had to be down-sized considerably. It created a difficult situation when I discovered that the loader wouldn't lift my recently acquired 48" tiller out of my truck. I had to rent an engine hoist.
The tractor is a bit beat up and neglected. I've been having a blast fixing the various broken and worn out bits, and adding choice option kits. I recently completed the rear 540 PTO and 3-point installations.
It came with a 54" deck and Power Flow bagger. These were pretty well thrashed. I think the previous owner mowed more rocks than grass. I've rebuilt the deck and have replaced or will replace much of the Power Flow. The mower blades were so worn that they had an oval shape.
I also have some upgrades planned. I've found the hydraulics to be kind of a PITA. This machine does not have the lift lockout valve, but that seems like a ghetto solution anyway. I think I'll plumb in an additional circuit for the lift, and put a new single-acting valve on the left fender. I'm also modifying the 3-point to support both cat 0 and 1, and doing the IRV shim mod this week.
So I'll probably have a ton of questions, but I promise that I'll take the time to search the forum before asking.
Cheers!
I thought that it would be the polite thing to stop by and say "Hi'.
I recently became the proud owner of a new-to-me JD 445 with loader. I don't have a huge property, but my wife and I are planning some big projects and having something a little more capable than a ride-on mower will be a big help.
Coming from cast-frame tractors there has been a little more learning curve than I expected. I fully expected that the little machine wouldn't be as capable as a comparable utility tractor, but I was still surprised. It's taking a bit of getting used to. My expectations had to be down-sized considerably. It created a difficult situation when I discovered that the loader wouldn't lift my recently acquired 48" tiller out of my truck. I had to rent an engine hoist.
The tractor is a bit beat up and neglected. I've been having a blast fixing the various broken and worn out bits, and adding choice option kits. I recently completed the rear 540 PTO and 3-point installations.
It came with a 54" deck and Power Flow bagger. These were pretty well thrashed. I think the previous owner mowed more rocks than grass. I've rebuilt the deck and have replaced or will replace much of the Power Flow. The mower blades were so worn that they had an oval shape.
I also have some upgrades planned. I've found the hydraulics to be kind of a PITA. This machine does not have the lift lockout valve, but that seems like a ghetto solution anyway. I think I'll plumb in an additional circuit for the lift, and put a new single-acting valve on the left fender. I'm also modifying the 3-point to support both cat 0 and 1, and doing the IRV shim mod this week.
So I'll probably have a ton of questions, but I promise that I'll take the time to search the forum before asking.
Cheers!
