John Deere 345 Lawn Tractor ?

[Bill Stockard]

I have a John Deere 345 Lawn Tractor/Mower that I bought new in 1999 with about 450 hours on the hour meter. It's powered a 20HP Kawasaki vertical shaft liquid cooled engine. The drive train consists of a twin v-belt from the engine crankshaft to the hydrostatic transmission. The electric mower drive clutch is mounted on the end of the crankshaft below the powertrain drive double v-belt pulley.



I'm hearing a dry bearing noise from the crankshaft mower drive clutch area. If I engage the mower drive clutch there is no change in the sound so I think that eliminates the idler bearing in the clutch. There is also an idler/belt tensioner on the double v-belt near the crankshaft which I suspect may be the problem. Has anyone replaced the idler/tensioner? How much of a job is it to release the belt tension, remove and replace the idler/tensioner, and re-tension the double v-belt?



If I remember correctly, someone told me it was "a bear" to release/re-tension the idler when replacing the double-v belt.



Bill

 

[CochranD]

a little off topic , but are you really mowing grass now? ... . up here we still got snow !

 

[Bill Stockard]

a little off topic , but are you really mowing grass now? ... . up here we still got snow !

Yep, mowed the yard for the second time a couple of days ago. We're well into spring in northeast Texas... trees leaving out and the grass is growing.



I'm loading the John Deere to take it to the dealer this morning. There's a big spring that holds the tensioner pulley and if I "walk" the belt off the pulley, I'll never be able to get it back on. Also I don't want to take a chance on damaginng a probably expensive belt. John Deere didn't make it easy like Cummins by putting a 3/8" square hole in the tensioner arm.



Bill

 

[Bill Stockard]

I picked up my JD 345 at the local JD dealership yesterday. They replaced two idlers $14 each and $75 labor and it's quiet again. After replacing the noisy idlers, I can hear a little noise in the idler bearing in the electric mower drive clutch, but the tech said run it until the clutch fails which could be another two or three years.



After I brought it home and re-installed the mower, I spent the rest of the afternoon mowing the yard... third time this spring.



Bill

 

[PToombs]

For future reference, http://www.weekendfreedommachines.com/

The TDR of the John Deere world! :-laf

 

[Bill Stockard]

For future reference, http://www.weekendfreedommachines.com/

The TDR of the John Deere world! :-laf

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.



Bill

 

[MWilliams]

Glad that you have it fixed. I too have a JD345 with 250 hours on it and, love it. Wonderful mower!

 

[Bill Stockard]

I too have a JD345 with 250 hours on it and, love it. Wonderful mower!

Yep, I agree.



At our previous home, I mowed about 4 acres and it did the job very well. I mow a little over an acre with it now. Since I bought the tractor new in July '99, I've had to replace the circuit board twice, but other than that and the idler replacement, it's been trouble free.



Bill