John Deere 455
When most people hear of the John Deere 455, they think of the lawn mower that John Deere produced from between ’92 and ’01,not the JD 455 grain drill. So for this review, we will be talking only about the lawnmower, not the grain drill. But if you would like to do your own review of the grain drill in the comment section below, then we would very much welcome it.
The John Deere 455 is another hefty lawn mower produced by John Deere Deere. It’s Yanmar, 3cylinder, diesel engine (that’s right folks, this ain’t a petrol engine) produces a whopping 22 hp, making the 455 very powerful indeed. Added to this, it came with a 4.5 foot wide mower deck which can be downgraded to a 4 foot deck or upgraded to a 5 foot deck for extra reach.
The 455 tips the scales at a very heavy 965 lbs (that’s nearly 440 kg for those of you in Europe) and unlike most ride on lawn mowers, the JD 455’s engine is liquid cooled. This all adds up to a very heavy duty vehicle that incorporates power steering and cruise control. Like many of John Deere’s larger lawnmowers, the 455 is not intended for domestic use (unless of course you are fortunate to have a massive garden). Rather it is mostly used on a commercial scale in parks and sports fields.
You can imagine that using 22hp just for cutting grass would be a waste. Luckily there are many attachments for the John Deere 455. It can take a front end loader, snow thrower, front mountable grass-cutting blades, tiller, aerator or a spreader. This massive amount of possible attachments (which haven’t actually all been listed here) for the 455 was made possible due to it’s longevity (which gave time for more attachments to be developed for it) and obviously also it’s power.
The 455 is still a relatively new model when you consider some of John Deere’s older lawn mower models. So it makes for a fantastic purchase if you can get a decent one second hand, especially when you factor in all the attachments that can be added.
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I wanted a 455 for a year before finding one and fixing it up and upgrading it. It’s a great tractor which is obviously built to last. The 22HP Yanmar engine is more than strong enough to mow the 60″ through heavy grass. Many think the John Deere 4×5 60″ deck is one of the best cutting decks Deere built, and I agree. Great machine overall!
My first John Deere and John Deere for keeps.
I bought this all wheel steer JD 455 diesel tractor brand new in 1995. It has a 54 inch deck. I have only used it for cutting grass and running a bagger to pick up leaves in the fall and spring. This tractor in now over 15 years old and although it only has 500 hours this tractor has been trouble free. The all wheel steer saves so much time, cuts my acreage twice as fast as a normal front steer machine. Trust me, I know. The power steering is a must and such a delight to drive along with the hydrostatic drive system. The diesel engine runs a long time on a tank of fuel and has more than enough power to chew through the tallest grass. For repairs I have replaced the battery and maintained this machine with regular 50 hour oil changes and the recommended transmission service. I do my own service. Outside of filters and oil I have not had to do any repairs that were not my fault. It’s a good tough well built tractor.
In dry conditions the radiator tends to plug up with lint and popular tree fuzz because the intake is on the sides above the mower deck. The screen in front of the rad does not stop the fuzz from accumulating on the radiator. The 455 does have easy access to the radiator and one just has to stop and blow it clean with compressed air or wash it off with water. A better design would have been to draw the air from the top not the sides as it does now.
The new JD 749 which replaces the 455 still draws the air from the sides but has a really bad design in that one cannot easily blow the rad off as on the 455. John Deere changed the 749, there is no longer easy access to the radiator on the 749. The 749 has an even worse design in that you can’t even see the front of the radiator to check if it is dirty without getting out the tools. I can’t believe JD would design the new 749 like they did. I was looking to trade up but will keep my 455, it’s better.