The John Deere 285 garden tractor lawnmower is a much loved sit on mower that first appeared in the eighties. There is also a smaller version of the JD 285 available called the John Deere 265. After production of the 285 finished up in 1992 at John Deere’s Horicon plant in Wisconsin, they introduced a newer and improved version, the John Deere 320. But this article is going to focus sole in the 285. The engine built into this garden tractor is a Kawasaki FD590V gasoline model. This 2 cylinder engine has natural aspiration and a displacement of 0.6 liters. It’s liquid cooled by a system needing just 3.1 liters of coolant to fully and completely fill it. The air intake is first filtered through a foam cleaner then afterward through a paper filter.

The engine has a power output of 18 hp which is routed to the wheels through a Sundstrand BDU-21 hydrostatic transmission. This gives the John Deere 285 infinite gears going forward and moving in reverse. The Sundstrand transmission requires 2.5 liters of Type F oil to keep it working smoothly. The gas tank on this ride on lawnmower can hold 11.4 liters of gasoline (3 US gallons). The engine sits on a 4×2 2WD chassis and comes with an open operator station as standard, but you can optionally purchase a vinyl weather enclosure if you live in a region that may require it.

The John Deere 285 weighs 283 kg (625 lbs) and has a wheelbase of 1.21 m (48 inches). The length of the JD 285 is 1.81 m (71.5 inches) and it has a turning radius of 0.6 m (2.1 feet). The mower attachments suitable for the 285 are either a 46 inch mower deck that has a cutting height of between 3 and 10 cm (1.5 and 4 inches) or it can take a larger 50 inch mowing deck that also has the same cutting height. Other optional attachments for the John Deere 285 include the a 46 inch blade and a 42 inch single stage snow blower.

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