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!)

 

[TimberHole]

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!)

Thanks for the info. That makes it much more clear. If I don't run across the part numbers for the blade on this forum I'll swing by the dealer and talk to them.

 

[Been There Twice]

Timber Hole, You may be getting too eager about removing the engine to replace the plastic cam, when actually you should do this first. On the left side of the engine, right below the radiator there is this label. It reads the date of the engine manufacturer... like 0/8/98. Also, on the right side of the engine below the radiator and above the oil filter there is a label.. If it says. FD611V. your engine has the 'steel cam' and you need not worry about replacing it.

This is from the John Deere 345 engine miser. Been There Twice. or maybe many more.

 

[TimberHole]

Timber Hole, You may be getting too eager about removing the engine to replace the plastic cam, when actually you should do this first. On the left side of the engine, right below the radiator there is this label. It reads the date of the engine manufacturer... like 0/8/98. Also, on the right side of the engine below the radiator and above the oil filter there is a label.. If it says. FD611V. your engine has the 'steel cam' and you need not worry about replacing it.

This is from the John Deere 345 engine miser. Been There Twice. or maybe many more.

Great info. Thanks. Unfortunately my date is 06/96 and code is FD590V.

 

[cobracnvt]

i have a 1997 345 along with the 42 snow thrower, and the 48 mowing deck with the power bagger (great for fall leaf cleanup). It's a great machine. I bought it used about 17 years ago, no major issues. I have about 500 hours on it now using it for mowing around the house and clearing snow.

It works great for snow removal up to about 7 or 8 inches of powdery snow. If the snow is wet, then don't let it get deeper than 4 or 5 inches otherwise you'll start to smell the rubber belt on the snow thrower slipping. If it's a heavy snow storm, I just go out several times to clear the snow away. It's fun clearing snow with the tractor, so I don't mind. No issues with the thrower clogging either, as the power of the tractor pushing into the snow just forces any clog out.

It is somewhat traction limited though on steep hills or if the rear wheels get into a few inches of snow. My 345 came with tire chains and rear weights, which are absolutely required. My driveway is pretty steep downhill towards the street. I can always snow throw downhill, and can usually clear snow back up the hill unless the snow is really wet and heavy. I can always drive back up hill on the cleared part of the driveway and then snow throw coming back down. The other trick is to slightly lift up the snow thrower to reduce the weight dragging on the ground, especially if your having trouble steering in the snow. The lack of 4 wheel drive or a locking rear differential is really only a problem if trying to deal with really deep (foot plus), heavy snow or with steep hills when there is a coating of ice under the snow.

Once you get the hang of it, it does a really amazing job moving snow.

The snow thrower belt is really the weak part of the system as it will wear out and it's about $50 for a new one. I'm on my 3rd one. The snow thrower will also require shoe replacement and scraper blade replacement depending on how much it's used.

This past year, the seals on the engine valve covers started to leak. I picked up new gaskets from the dealer, easy to replace, and it's been fine since. This had to be fixed since the leaking oil was dripping onto the exhaust.

My tractor has the plastic cam gear. I had a discussion with my dealer about replacing it and we came to the conclusion to just leave it in place instead of spending a lot of money on parts and labor to fix. They said they had seen 345 tractors with over a 1000 hours on them without the cam gear breaking.

 

[ededic]

I had the be of these I bought new in 1997.



I had almost every attachment for it.

Put over 1900 hours on it with very few issues. I did replace the ignition as talked about. I sold it in 2016 because I no longer have a lawn, just beach sand.

Snowblower from a 325, 335 or 345 will work. Care if buying one that was mounted on the 200 series, different mounting brackets. I liked it so much I helped my dad’s GF buy a 2003 model used and helped my Dad buy a 2005 model used in 2013. He loves it.

 

[RandyT]

800-1200 hours is the normal breakage point on that gear. Will take out the oil pump gear, water pump gear and governor gear also when it goes.

 

[cobracnvt]

You should also check the fuel pump out. The early model fuel pumps had a weep hole that could leak fuel on the muffler causing fires. The newer model fuel pumps instead have a hose that directs fuel away from the muffler.

 

[beenthere]

800-1200 hours is the normal breakage point on that gear. Will take out the oil pump gear, water pump gear and governor gear also when it goes.

Have 850 hours on my JD 425 so decided to take the engine out (Kawasaki FD620D) this winter and change out the plastic gear for the steel gear. When taking the water pump off there appeared to be evidence of work on the pump.. in hindsight, with the water pump off I should have checked the cam gear for it being plastic or steel.. later I learned it was steel thanks to posting a pic before its removal and member Richard001 suggested it looked like steel. Checking it with the water pump out could have saved further tear-down.. but thanks to Richard001 I did not remove the steel cam. Must have been changed out prior to my purchasing used with 600 hours. Never thought it would have been already changed.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/john-deere-lawn-garden/406951-jd-445-fd620d-rebuild-3.html

Good learning experience, and thanks to TBN for help.

 

[meyerjrj]

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.

I have a 1998 Deere 345 with a Bercomac 2-stage snowblower. This thing is a beast, it throws the snow easily 40' or more. I got the tractor from my father, he bought the tractor with a 54" mower new and the blower about 10 years ago. The Bercomac blower is a good option if you can find one.

 

[beenthere]

meyerjrj
:welcome: to TBN

Pic of that beast? or better, a video?