455 Diesel vs. X485

[vincent721]

Thanks for everyone that posted information on my questions. You all have been very helpful. I am swayed to purchase the 455. Waiting to hear back though on the information that was in one of the posts about the 455 not being a great mower in terms of cutting grass. Any opinions on this. That is the primary purpose that I have right now for purchasing a tractor --- that and secondarily moving snow on my long driveway. My needs may change over time though.

 

[jeffinsgf]

You may find a single purpose mower with better blade speed than a high end JD garden tractor (either of the ones that you're looking at), but I would bet you wouldn't find many. I disagree with the post which says you can get a better cut -- possibly, but only from a very high end professional mower. I would match the cut from my 455 to anything on the market except some specialized mowers for golf courses and municipal parks.

 

[BleedGreen]

Which mower deck does the 455 have on it, the 60" or the 54"??? IMHO the 54" (which is a much newer design) cuts better, but the 60" is quite a bit beefier (is that a word?) and was the more popular of the two... We sold the 455 to a mix of Commercial Cutters, Schools & Parks as well as Homeowners with large properties. Most of these customers were looking more for speed of mowing, rather than quality of cut. On the other hand, short of getting a specialized Golf & Turf mower, I don't think you will find anything else comparable out there that will give you a better cut than either of the Deere decks.

 

[cef2lion]

I had a 99 445 with 54" deck. Cut great but used a lot of gas. Traded it for a 4310 and then for a 4410 with 72" deck. Found out I needed something smaller in addition to the 4410 for mowing around the house. I found a nice 322 that I put back in shape. Very interesting tractor with a 3 cylinder gas engine. Surprising easy on gas. Was happy with it but was at my dealer one day and saw a like new 98 455. Something I wished I had gotten when I bought the 445 new in 99. The 455 had 210 hours an included the MC519 collection system. I bought it on site for fear of losing it. I keep the 322 and had a few offers on it. Hated to part with it but in time I did.

I have used the 455 for 3 years now and plan to hang on to it for a long time. It has the 60" deck and I find the cut very good. A few times I have had the 4410 out on backhoe jobs for a few weeks and needed to use the 455 to mow about 7 acres. People I mow for comment how nice a job it does. It is very easy on fuel. I think most people that have them hang onto them. I would say it was one of the better mowers Deere produced. I would think the models that replaced the 455 would be of equal value. A friend of mine had the X585 and liked it but it used a lot of fuel. He wished he would have gotten the X595 but had since traded for the 4110. Bottom line. Don't think you would go wrong with the 455.

Craig

 

[JDCOMPACTMAN]

You may find a single purpose mower with better blade speed than a high end JD garden tractor (either of the ones that you're looking at), but I would bet you wouldn't find many. I disagree with the post which says you can get a better cut -- possibly, but only from a very high end professional mower. I would match the cut from my 455 to anything on the market except some specialized mowers for golf courses and municipal parks.

Against The 7 IRON Mower Deck They Are Now Offering On The X series
Garden Tractor,I Think It Will Out Perform The 455's Cut.Especially In Damp
Conditions.No Contest.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Against The 7 IRON Mower Deck They Are Now Offering On The X series
Garden Tractor,I Think It Will Out Perform The 455's Cut.Especially In Damp
Conditions.No Contest.

Just to be a little more accurate, it isn't offered for the "X series", it is offered for the X700 series.

That's a 2,200 dollar deck that only fits a 12 - 13 thousand dollar tractor. I can't lay my hands on the specs for the 60HD deck, but I would bet the blade tip speed isn't more than about 10 % different than the 7 Iron deck. I could be wrong, but I don't think the original poster was looking to spend $15,000.

 

[JDCOMPACTMAN]

Just to be a little more accurate, it isn't offered for the "X series", it is offered for the X700 series.

That's a 2,200 dollar deck that only fits a 12 - 13 thousand dollar tractor. I can't lay my hands on the specs for the 60HD deck, but I would bet the blade tip speed isn't more than about 10 % different than the 7 Iron deck. I could be wrong, but I don't think the original poster was looking to spend $15,000.

My Response Was To Your Claim That That You Would Match Your Cut Quality
On You 455 To Anything Out There On The Market(Except Specialized Or Golf Equipment).My Reply Was That The 7 IRON Deck On The "Select Series X700 Ultimate Series"Garden Tractors,TO BE EXACT, Will Out Cut The 455 .



Originally Posted by jeffinsgf
You may find a single purpose mower with better blade speed than a high end JD garden tractor (either of the ones that you're looking at), but I would bet you wouldn't find many. I disagree with the post which says you can get a better cut -- possibly, but only from a very high end professional mower.*** I would match the cut from my 455 to anything on the market except some specialized mowers for golf courses and municipal parks******

 

[jeffinsgf]

My Response Was To Your Claim That That You Would Match Your Cut Quality
On You 455 To Anything Out There On The Market(Except Specialized Or Golf Equipment).My Reply Was That The 7 IRON Deck On The "Select Series X700 Ultimate Series"Garden Tractors,TO BE EXACT, Will Out Cut The 455 .

From JD's description of the 7 Iron deck:

The 60-in. 7-Iron mower deck is compatible with 2007 model year X700, X720, X740, X728, and X748 Tractors. It is ideal for customers who need to mow green, thick, and heavy grass:
Commercial operators
Government agencies
Large property owners
Agricultural customers

Hmm. Sounds just about like what I wrote -- specialized turf equipment. That aside, bring a X748SE with a 7 Iron deck to my house this summer. You can mow my yard, and I'll see if it is better than my 455.

 

[Hard]

The 455 will do a great job mowing your lawn. I don't know what the blade tip speed is. I didn't really care. I had the opportunity to use a 455 on several occasions last year while my Cub Cadet tractors where broken down and in for repair. You can't go wrong with the 455. It's an excellent tractor.

 

[JDCOMPACTMAN]

The 455 Is a Great Tractor And In My Mind a Heavier Built Tractor Than The X700's.I'm By No Means Putting The 455 Down!I Just Felt The 7 IRON Has A Nicer Cut,But Maybe It Depends on The Conditions As Stated By jeffinsgf.