Loving my first Deere (345)
I was the high bidder at a local government auction and won a late-model 345 with the 48" deck, a Power Flow blower, and MC519 bagger cart.
It was described as non-running due to bad coils (unlikely), so I bought a TDM before I took possession of the tractor just in case. When I got it home, however, it fired right up. None of the hydraulics worked, though. Looking from the rear, I could see that there was no belt on the transmission pulley. I pulled the mower deck and found that the rear idler pulley's bearing completely disintegrated and took the dry-rotted belt with it. The belt had split in half and was all tangled up between the frame rails. I removed the fenders and foot pan and powerwashed everything before installing the new OEM idler pulley and belt.
Replaced the oil, filters, and plugs with a Deere Home Maintenance Kit before moving on to cosmetics.
I bought (or tried to buy) a bumper and hood set on AliExpress, only to get scammed with a fake FedEx tracking number. Thankfully, I got my money back and went through Amazon instead, but what a waste of two weeks that was.
My least favorite part about the tractor has to be the grille. It's a poor design considering the fact that it's made out of plastic. It's just too flimsy for what is asked of it. I had to repair one of the mounting points for the hinge and the plastic stud for the headlights with JB Weld. Not pretty, but the repairs are not visible and get the job done. (My favorite detail on the tractor has to be the gas tank with the carveouts for the fuel lines, seat switch, and funnel for filling the transmission.)
I replaced the gauge wheels (not pictured). This thing has cut my mowing time down by 75% compared to my push mower. I love it! Next up is a mulching kit... and a snowblower.