John Deere 345

[TimberHole]

I bought a JD345 tonight. Has 661 hours on it and the guy was practically giving it away. I would have been suspicious except the guy lived in a really nice place and bought the tractor new. I will mow a little over an acre with it. Anyone have one of these? Tell me the good and the bad.

I would like to get a snow blower for it. Is the JD42 the correct blower?

Thanks.

 

[Wagtail]

I don't have one... or the need for a snowblower, but it looks like the JD42 is correct.

TractorData.com John Deere 345 tractor information

 

[bruceatlam]

The 345 is a very nice tractor. You'll like the power steering and hydraulic deck lift. Has plenty of power. I don't have any experience blowing snow so can't help you with that question. Check the serial number ---- the FD590V engine had a plastic cam gear notorious for stripping teeth at 800 or so hours. That's the only significant issue that I'm aware of --- if you do a little searching on line you can easily find out when JD gave up on the plastic cam gear ---- I think it was 1997 but don't hold me to that. So, if your serial number is after that conversion date, you won't need to worry about that problem.

Just did a little more research and it looks like 1999 is the magic date. JD switched to the FD611V engine in 1999 which had the steel cam gear. Mine still has the plastic gear at 500 hours currently.


Water cooling is a plus for me but you'll need to watch for water leaks.

 

[sklunk]

I have a 1996 345 with almost 1300 hours on it. I bought it used and have owned it for over 15 years now. I use it to mow a lot of acreage (54 "non-C" deck) and also have a blade on the front for snow removal over the winter.

Overall it has been a great machine. The ignition board is known to wear out but it only costs around $60 online and you can easily change it yourself. The big thing is the plastic cam gear. It's really not a question of "if" it will go but "when". Usually around 1000-1100 hours is the magic number. If you search online you will find that it can cost anywhere from a low of $700 if you are mechanical and fix it yourself (only the cam gear) to a high of $1200 if you have a dealership do it (that includes changing the water pump and some other parts while you have the engine out). I had the dealership do mine and while it was a high cost that really is the only major thing I have done to it in 15 years. It still runs great and gets used a couple of times a week!

 

[TimberHole]

The 345 is a very nice tractor. You'll like the power steering and hydraulic deck lift. Has plenty of power. I don't have any experience blowing snow so can't help you with that question. Check the serial number ---- the FD590V engine had a plastic cam gear notorious for stripping teeth at 800 or so hours. That's the only significant issue that I'm aware of --- if you do a little searching on line you can easily find out when JD gave up on the plastic cam gear ---- I think it was 1997 but don't hold me to that. So, if your serial number is after that conversion date, you won't need to worry about that problem.

Just did a little more research and it looks like 1999 is the magic date. JD switched to the FD611V engine in 1999 which had the steel cam gear. Mine still has the plastic gear at 500 hours currently.


Water cooling is a plus for me but you'll need to watch for water leaks.

After posting I ran across the info on the plastic cam gear. This machine is one owner with 661 hours. I’m thinking I’ll go thru the engine this winter and do the cam and fuel pump. I only gave $150.00 for it so it’s a bargain regardless of how much I need to do. I did notice it smokes a little so I’m not sure if that is a valve seal issue or a cylinder issue. Runs great though.

 

[TimberHole]

I have a 1996 345 with almost 1300 hours on it. I bought it used and have owned it for over 15 years now. I use it to mow a lot of acreage (54 "non-C" deck) and also have a blade on the front for snow removal over the winter.

!

A couple of questions:

What’s non-c deck mean? My tractor has a 54” deck. Are all 54” decks on these tractors the same?

How do you control the lift and angle of your blade? Do you know what blade it is? I might be be as well off with a blade instead of the blower. Depends what I can find at a decent price.

 

[bruceatlam]

The deck on the 345 is the version prior to the "C" decks. It should have a label on it that says "Mulcher Compatible" or something of that sort. It's the best mowing quality deck that I've ever owned. It always mows nice and level ----- always looks like a golf course green when I'm finished. I love it!! Yes, all 54" decks on these tractors should be the same ---- unless someone has performed major surgery to mount up some other deck.

 

[oldnslo]

If you going to replace the plastic cam gears also look at the governor gear. I rebuilt one for a friend two years ago where the governor gear broke and the cam gears where getting close. New gears, water pump, seals was only around $300 if I remember correctly.

My X540 smokes little when you first start it but does not take any oil between changes. Irritation on a relatively new tractor but something that I can live with.

Not sure but was this one of the models with the fuel pump that could fail and spray gas onto the exhaust? Newer fuel pumps have a vent hose on them.

Like others have said solid tractor other than the cam gears.

 

[TimberHole]

Which is considered the better deck, the C deck or the non C deck? When I saw this mower I did think the deck looked pretty substantial. The good news is that it appears to be in excellent condition.

 

[sklunk]

Whatç—´ non-c deck mean? My tractor has a 54 deck. Are all 54 decks on these tractors the same?

The deck on the 345 is the version prior to the "C" decks. It should have a label on it that says "Mulcher Compatible" or something of that sort. It's the best mowing quality deck that I've ever owned. It always mows nice and level ----- always looks like a golf course green when I'm finished. I love it!! Yes, all 54" decks on these tractors should be the same ---- unless someone has performed major surgery to mount up some other deck.

Which is considered the better deck, the C deck or the non C deck? When I saw this mower I did think the deck looked pretty substantial. The good news is that it appears to be in excellent condition.

The "non-C" deck is just called a "54" while the newer one is called a "54C". The "C" stands for Convertible (Deere's terminology not mine) which just was a fancy way of saying you can side discharge, mulch, or bag with it. You can actually do all these things with the non-C deck as well. The "C" deck has a larger discharge chute so it spreads the clippings better when you side discharge. If you ever add a bagger later the chute that attaches to the side of the deck is different between the 2 decks. The metal stamping is also slightly different to help with clogging.

I'm not sure which year Deere changed but they added the 54C deck to some of the later 345's and then all of the GX345's (the newer version of the 345). The "C" deck will definitely fit on your 345 without major modification. Depending on the rear tire size you may have trouble with clearance between the tire and wheel but the mounting arms/locations are the same. The picture you attached looks like the non-C deck.

How do you control the lift and angle of your blade? Do you know what blade it is? I might be be as well off with a blade instead of the blower. Depends what I can find at a decent price.

There is a specific front lift kit for your tractor that you will need to purchase. It includes a lift arm that gets installed under the tractor and runs back to the pivot arms that are already there for the mower. Once you have that the blade frame rolls under the tractor and mounts to the existing deck mounts. When you pull the hydraulic lever that usually raises the deck it will raise the blade the same way. The blades come standard with angling that you need to get off the tractor to adjust but you can also buy a "manual blade angling kit" that runs a solid rod and handle up along the side of the hood and mounts near the dash. You pull the handle toward you to disengage a pin then twist the handle clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate the blade. There are 2 blades that fit this tractor -- a 42" and a 48".


Sorry I don't have part numbers handy but your Deere dealer can tell you (or some of the other posters on these forums - they are a wealth of knowledge!)