First time home owner needs Lawn Tractor help

plcon · Apr 15, 2019

Hi All,

I've been reading this forum for a month or so. We bought our first house at the end of fall, and it came with 2.5 acres of lawn. The back yard is at a relatively moderate incline (maybe 10-15 degrees?) but continues for 50 yards in some places. I've read a bunch of horror stories about the K48 transmission, I don't know how serioulsy to take it, but have been trying to avoid it.

On our property, I'm expecting to mow 1.5 to 2 hours a week (I hope) and maybe plow snow down the road. I have been hoping to find a good used JD for sale, but its been hard for me to figure out the intersection of hours/years/price.

I have a few options available, all for around $2000, and am wondering if I should go for one of these, or just buy a new x350. (A new, 48 inch, x350 with a mulching blade will cost $3800)

I've found:

a 48 inch 2012 X360 with with 400 hours for $2000

or a 54 John Deere 345 from 1997 with 800 hours for $1850 (no idea if it has a plastic cam shaft or not)

I know about nothing about engine reapair, but would be willing to learn. Otherwise I have every intention on servicing once a year, and monitoring oil.

Any tips for what to do or how much life I could expect out of those mowers?

Thanks for any help

bruceatlam · Apr 15, 2019

My vote would be the 1997 345. I think that engine should have originally had the plastic cam gear. Who knows if it's been changed? Who's selling it? Maybe they know if it's been changed. You'll love the power steering and the power deck lift. You'll like the 54" deck over a 48" deck. The engines are water cooled so should last much longer than air cooled assuming proper maintenance. If you do need to replace a cam gear somewhere down the road, it's not overly difficult. But if the cam gear hasn't been replaced, you're right at the hour mark where the window opens on failure of that plastic cam gear.

atsah · Apr 15, 2019

With that much lawn I would buy new if you can. Something built 22 years ago would not be on my short list unless I wanted to fix it. They made some great products back then but you need to mow a lot of grass once a week and if you don't buy something reliable, you will be messing with it all the time and the grass will keep on growing..

Richard001 · Apr 16, 2019

Welcome to TBN
:welcome:

I don't have any suggestions for you, but keep looking. Look on the internet for reviews of tractors you are interested in. The JD owners on this form a very knowledgeable, however some just want to spent your money by suggesting something out of your budget.

Richard

Dave M7040 · Apr 17, 2019

Buy the newer model year tractor.

The older they are, the harder it is to find a Workshop Manual, parts...

Dave M7040

Tennsawdust · Apr 17, 2019

For that money I would probably look at the Cub Cadet GT series. You would get a better transaxle. I couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of money for something with a K46 in it. You may as well buy a big box version if you are going to do that.

Dave M7040 · Apr 17, 2019

Tennsawdust said:
For that money I would probably look at the Cub Cadet GT series. You would get a better transaxle. I couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of money for something with a K46 in it. You may as well buy a big box version if you are going to do that.

In my area Big Box stores like Home Depot sell a lot of garden tractors, however, they provide no service and rely on real dealerships 40 minutes away to do their warranty work.

The dealerships, wisely, service those who bought from them directly before they help the big box customers.

Save a few $ now but expect it comes with a price longer term.

Dave M7040

TimberHole · Apr 27, 2019

I think your going to be mowing more than 2 hours a week if you are mowing 2.5 acres with a 48 deck. I stumbled into a super cheap 345 this winter and just mowed with it for the first time today. That is a heck of a mower. I pull a Swisher offset behind my rider and mow about a 9 foot swath. I say offer $1,500 for the 345.

Djames55 · May 3, 2019

I know this don't help you... But a 345 sold here on Facebook for $1100.00 with less than 800 hrs on it the other day... I started to buy it... I have a 345 now and it a great mower... The 345 I have I bought for $300.00 the started locked up and burned up some of the wiring... I bought a new started and battery and some wire and fixed it for less than $300.00 so I have about $600.00 in it and it looks new... Cuts Great... That cost around $10,000 new... The guy I bought it from said the John Deere dealer told him it would cost $4,000.00 or more for then to fix it for him... So he just sold it... It had just over 300 hrs on it when I bought it...