Just purchased a new to me JD 455. 1300 hours. Runs great. Think I did well on price. $3000.00 with JD 300, 2 decks and 54" 4way blade. Problem: 60" mower deck seems very weak. No jolt of PTO kicking in only slow ramp up to cutting RPM's. Deck loses RPM's when cutting and will actually stop. PTO light stays lit. Will restart with switch after a minute. Have checked fluid. OK. I don't have my Tech manual yet so kind of jumping the gun but suspecting PTO clutch. I need to pull the deck as I believe it is installed incorrectly. The hydraulics will not pick it up over about 1/2" and deck is very un-level. I feel this will be a pretty easy fix. I've been wrong before. The 300 also runs very well but suspect I need motor mounts. Will be able to check them out this weekend. Fortunately they are readily available. Any suggestions/ advice would be greatly appreciated. P.S. It was this forum that convinced me that these things are bulletproof.
