Rough Mowing
Written: Dec 06 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sympathetic dealer support. Bucket. Easy to operate. Good chassis.
Cons: Low quality engine. Uneven cut. Expensive.
The Bottom Line: Don't invest in this tractor unless you are a mechanic and an engine expert yourself.
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| satay's Full Review: John Deere 445 Tractor |
With 2 acres of lawn to mow and needing a bucket for our small farm's various chores, it looked like the 445 would be perfect. Good reviews and a good company behind it. And the local dealer has a pretty good reputation so they have been doing all the maintenance on it.
Unfortunately, over the first 2 years (and 200 hours) of operation its true colors are showing. The first difficulty is that the bucket is extremely difficult to mount and dismount. It took a dealer representative an hour to figure it out. The bucket comes off somewhat easily although unhooking the hydraulics is real tough. It takes a lot of work and contrivance to get it mounted (yes, even on a hard, smooth, level concrete surface).
Next, for some reason the front tires come off the rims way too often, and it is operated conservatively over level ground. I have had to put tubes in each.
And the cut is uneven with the 54" mower deck. Even right out of the shop with sharpened blades and expert adjustments there is always a ridge down the middle.
But the biggest problem is the engine. Ever since it was purchased it had a tendancy to operate on only one cylinder. Complaints would only result in the dealer "fixing" it and sending it back. I don't think I've ever been able to get it up to full power and keep it there. A month ago they tuned it, new plugs and new everything . . . and after about 3 hours of operation it started sputtering and coughing. Back to the shop for a carbuerator tuneup and the electronic ignition failed. I'm looking at something over $200 to get that fixed.
I think that the problem with the dealer not being able to make the thing work is that they are a big farm tractor dealership and this is the smallest tractor they sell. It's also the only gas model they deal with - and they admitted they had to go back to the book for a lot of the work.
It's been in the shop for two weeks and I've had to hire someone to cut the lawn twice already. I think that when I get it back it will be up for sale or trade in. For the record, I will be considering a John Deer as a replacement, but only a diesel.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
satay
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 1 member
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