1997 JD455 motor

[Nufarmer01]

Looking at a 1997 455, did they use the same diesel motor in all of the 455's, form the first ones to the last? It is an all wheel steer, is there anything to look out for. It's got 300 hrs. How many cc's is the motor? Any info is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[jeffinsgf]

Same 22 HP Yanmar diesel throughout the production, as far as I know. The service manual shows no serial range changes on the engine, though it does on some other systems.

300 hours is barely past break-in for that engine. If the price is right, I would jump on it.

 

[epic6500sr]

I just bought a 1997 JD 455 with 975 hours, and its in good condition, I felt I got a good deal at $4800. I really don't know the quirks about it yet, I was curious about that myself, my JD 445 that i had about 5 years ago was amazing, it just had ALOT of hours. So, I wish you luck, they are great machines if they are anything like the gas 445. I haven't heard of any problems, nothing like the 425, and 445 cam shaft problem. Good Luck, let us know the outcome.

 

[Nufarmer01]

Should get it the end of the week. Have a Cub 1782 right now, curious to see the difference. Cub is nice, just want the AWS. Will let you know how it compares when get it.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[Nufarmer01]

I hate to have the most posts on my own topic but here goes. Got the 455 today, 316hrs AWS, 54" deck excellent condition out side of a couple of cosmetic issues, $4k. Thought it was a pretty good deal. The deck does not seem to cut level. I haven't checked out the problem yet, but I'm sure it can be fixed. Would like a 60" deck if I could find one. All in all, very impressed very smooth, powerful, and nice to run. Any other input on 455's would be appreciated.

 

[Glenn9643]

Check all of the tire pressures; that might take care of the unlevel cut. If not, leveling the deck isn't difficult.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I just went through this on mine, and had a real head scratcher.

The hydraulic lift linkage is inside the frame of the tractor. A splined shaft protrudes from the frame on each side. An arm is clamped onto the splined shaft. On the other end of the arm there's a hook that holds the deck hanger turnbuckle. To level the deck side-to-side you measure the distance from the blade to the ground on each side and fiddle with the turnbuckles until it is right. I would get the deck level at one height, then check it at a different height and it would not be equal. It took me a while to see that the arms were not attached to splined shaft at the same angle. The one on the right was a good inch and a half lower than the one on the left at the bottom of its travel. I realigned the arm so that it was equal to the left side, and the deck is now level side to side at any setting.

I really think this was a fluke, or the result of the previous owner hitting something or hooking the edge of the deck under something while lifting it. I doubt you will have the same problem, but a quick check of the arm mounting angle to see if they are the same from side to side could save you some time.

I saw your request for "quirks", and have kind of been thinking about it since. There aren't many. I love my 455 and would be hard pressed to choose any other LGT over it -- newer or older. One minor quirk that can get annoying at times is the use of mixed fasteners. 90ish percent of everthing threaded on the tractor is metric. But certain things are SAE thread. Also, the shoulder headed bolts that JD uses do not use the same size wrench that the a normal bolt of the same diameter uses. Just make sure you have a full range of both SAE and metric tools available when wrenching.

 

[Nufarmer01]

I figured out why the deck did not cut level. Removed it and noticed two of the blades were on upside down, no wonder. The good news is only one of the blades needed sharpening. Thanks for your posts.

 

[LBrown59]

I just bought a 1997 JD 455 with 975 hours, and its in good condition, I felt I got a good deal at $4800. I really don't know the quirks about it yet, I was curious about that myself, my JD 445 that i had about 5 years ago was amazing, it just had ALOT of hours. So, I wish you luck, they are great machines if they are anything like the gas 445. I haven't heard of any problems, nothing like the 425, and 445 cam shaft problem. Good Luck, let us know the outcome.

I thought the plastic camshafts were only on the 300 series not the 400 series.

 

[LBrown59]

I hate to have the most posts on my own topic but here goes. Got the 455 today, 316hrs AWS, 54" deck excellent condition out side of a couple of cosmetic issues, $4k. Thought it was a pretty good deal. The deck does not seem to cut level. I haven't checked out the problem yet, but I'm sure it can be fixed. Would like a 60" deck if I could find one. All in all, very impressed very smooth, powerful, and nice to run. Any other input on 455's would be appreciated.

Congrats on getting one of JDs best GTs.