History of the John Deere 455 Garden Tractor

History

John Deere is a brand name that s recognized not just in the United States, but from Argentina to the United Kingdom. Between their World Headquarters in Moline IL and their European Headquarters in Germany, they have sold millions of engines since the birth of the company in 1837. That was the year that John Deere crafted the steel plow that he first became famous for. But it wasn't until late 1992 that the company would introduce their top of the line 455 Garden Tractor (Reference 1).

A good garden tractor is one that consists of the total package. The vehicle should be well constructed, but the engine should be equally efficient. Having the right engine to power your tractor is essential. The 22hp Yanmar diesel engine was perfect for powering the John Deere 455 garden tractor. This liquid-cooled engine came equipped with both hydrostatic power steering and transmission. Yanmar is a Japanese company that was founded back in 1912. They proudly proclaim how they have been "...producing diesel engines since 1933, and has manufactured over 15 million diesel engines. (Reference 2)"

Along with the Yanmar engine contained in the John Deere 455, the standard tractor was equipped with a 2000 RPM power-take off (PTO). The standard size mower deck was 54 inches, although consumers had the option of purchasing either a smaller 48 inch deck or a larger 60-inch mower deck. Throughout the years that the mower remained on the market, a number of attachments became available including mid and front mount blades, a rotary broom and different options for collecting discharged clippings.

The hydraulic system was a convenient feature of the John Deere 455 lawn tractor. Located on the right side of the steering column were two levers used to control the upper and lower hydraulic mechanisms. The lower hydraulic controls were primarily used for snow removal. Due to the large range of accessories, the John Deere 455 is still a good choice in a full-featured garden tractor.

Consumers may come across a used 455 in good working condition, with the exception of a frozen hydraulic control. This can result when the snow blades and snow blower equipment is not really utilized. Generally, the linkage connections can be restored by using a penetrating spray to loosen the levers. The tractor's gauge cluster package has a know history of failing prematurely. This should be addressed before purchasing a used Deere 455, because the cluster can be expensive to replace