RickO, Last summer Nancy and I bought a GX345 for her mom&dad and we really liked it, we mow about 2 acres with it. This last fall we bought 6 acres for them, all of which is pasture land. So I was at the JD dealership and the 2305 was on the floor, FEL, 62mmm, very nice little set up. Needless to say that we now have 86 hrs on it. Right now I am mowing right around 4-4 1/2 acres in around 3 hrs. We planted 125 trees this spring so the mow time has increased. I would rather be on the 2305 mowing than the 345. Its taller, has a wider feel to it overall. The 4 wheel drive is really nice, I mow in 2 wheel mode or 4 wheel mode, but I cannot tell the difference as far as fuel is concerned. I am really impressed with the MMM, it is mid-pto driven, and once you engage the deck she just sings, never bogs down or anything. Things that would stop the 345 in its tracks doesnt even faze the 2305. I realize that the 2305 isnt a ZTR so maybe it does cut as fast, but its still a nice ride. As far as the FEL goes, its great for a compact. There is 25 acres of pasture that I helped convert into crop, after the excavator and the catapillar got done pushing down and clearing off 30 or so trees there is alot of clean up still to be done. It will save alot of back time!! If you use the FEL for heavy stuff make sure you have a ballast box or some other weight in the back. I also have a 6' rear blade, not much time using it though, so its hard to tell you anything because Im not very good with it yet. I also have a tiller and I can say the tiller is definitely worth the money, the 2305 does a really nice job. I was debating trading for the 2520 but think I will pass and just get something bigger once the 2305 is paid off. The controlls and the seating are really easy to get used to, the deisel engine is very dependable. Its twice the money of the 345, but honestly, its really worth it. Only a third of the time on the 2305 is from mowing, and if you have little projects to do, its well worth it. I only used the GX345 as a comparrison because thats all I can compare it to. Hope this helps? Fitz /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
