445 Foot pedal extension

[narampa]

About 5 yrs ago I made a real simple extension for reversing my 445. You think one of the dudes in design at Deere John could have had a brain fart and made the pedal easier to use anyway look at the pictures and see what you think.
The block is made from a piece of hardwood.

 

[beenthere]

That is pretty close to the way I fixed my 455 and 425. Prolly a safety reason that Deere has them going a bit slower in reverse and it was a corporate decision... But I like the peg that you put on yours.. I just formed mine to fit the curve of the pedal and it is glued/screwed to the top.
Yours is prolly more stable and will hold up longer than mine.

 

[ovrszd]

I think these tractors have a bit of a flaw in this area. The bracketry that holds the pedals is marginal at best. With age they will get to the point that they'll barely backup. Anyone that uses these tractors to their limit will always be looking for a way to fix the "back up" problem. Both of your solutions are top notch.

 

[BBO]

I think these tractors have a bit of a flaw in this area. The bracketry that holds the pedals is marginal at best. With age they will get to the point that they'll barely backup.

I ordered one off EBay 3 years back and it is a super improvement. Mine runs backwards maybe even faster that forward now.
I think this is the link to the newer version. Mine is just bare metal. Now he has a rubber pad with an arrow on it. $38 + shipping
John Deere 425 445 455 New Generation Revised Reverse Pedal Non Adjustable | eBay

 

[BBO]

Well I think I posted the wrong link. I suppose others are selling this also and these might be OK.
But this is the one I put on my LX188 and they are the same pedal per this listing.
They are $32 with free shipping.
John Deere 425 445 455 "Revised Enhanced" Reverse Pedal with Rubber Pad | eBay

Below is a picture that I took of my LX188 when I was installing in.
I took this to show the difference in the original vs the new extended version. (both on the shaft)
So you can see how much higher the pedal sits. Obviously the old one has to be removed.

 

[beenthere]

I think these tractors have a bit of a flaw in this area. The bracketry that holds the pedals is marginal at best. With age they will get to the point that they'll barely backup. Anyone that uses these tractors to their limit will always be looking for a way to fix the "back up" problem. Both of your solutions are top notch.

I don't find that (flawed, marginal) to be true, and have worked around many of the Deere lawn tractors as well as owned several models in the 400 series. They're intentionally designed for slower reverse (safety nerds at work).
Found the fix was not difficult nor was it expensive (shaping a piece of wood to attach or add as narampa so cleverly did).

 

[narampa]

Well I think I posted the wrong link. I suppose others are selling this also and these might be OK.
But this is the one I put on my LX188 and they are the same pedal per this listing.
They are $32 with free shipping.
John Deere 425 445 455 "Revised Enhanced" Reverse Pedal with Rubber Pad | eBay

Below is a picture that I took of my LX188 when I was installing in.
I took this to show the difference in the original vs the new extended version. (both on the shaft)
So you can see how much higher the pedal sits. Obviously the old one has to be removed.
View attachment 419406

I saw this pedal on the net for $32 but I like mine as it did not cost me 32 cents as I used a piece of scrap hard wood.
But I must say the $32 dollar one has some appeal to the eye that mine lacks.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't find that (flawed, marginal) to be true, and have worked around many of the Deere lawn tractors as well as owned several models in the 400 series. They're intentionally designed for slower reverse (safety nerds at work).
Found the fix was not difficult nor was it expensive (shaping a piece of wood to attach or add as narampa so cleverly did).

I have lost track of the number of posters on TBN that have complained that their JDs kept getting slower in reverse. That's what causes the need for threads like this. If it was a Wal-Mart mower I'd accept it. On a JD, it's a flaw. So much so that there are manufacturers selling aftermarket fixes for the problem. Myself and my Sons have used your method to overcome the problem. I wonder if JD would think it acceptable that an owner would have to screw a piece of wood to the reverse pedal?? Hmmmmm... I guess they do as they continued to build them by the thousands that require said modification.

 

[ovrszd]

I saw this pedal on the net for $32 but I like mine as it did not cost me 32 cents as I used a piece of scrap hard wood.
But I must say the $32 dollar one has some appeal to the eye that mine lacks.

I think what the ebay mod does is overcome the weakness in JD's design so there is no need for future additions of rubber, wood, plastic, whatever.

 

[beenthere]

Perception of weakness is misguided here. My 425 is no "weaker" now in reverse due to anything with the reverse pedal. Confused a bit over where you get that... apparently with experience with the JD 2210 ??
But whatever, the addition to the pedal allows one to push it further down to gain speed in reverse, not to overcome any weakness in the tractors ability to go in reverse. nuff said from me on that.