Newbie to site but not to JD!

2045 Views 9 Replies 8 Participants Last post by dellwas, Dec 31, 2011

Fred Gross

Discussion Starter · Dec 30, 2011

Hi all another forum newbie checking in.....I live in the Grand Rapids, MI area. Have a 2210 with 62C, 210FEL, 403RM, 5ft rear blade and a few customizations....X series seat and suspension, Femco folding ROPs and other odds and ends. Also have a 355D with a 54C deck and 42" snowthrower, and my dad's 1950 "B" John Deere sitting in the 2nd garage patiently waiting for me to restore it. Been riding on green since I was 4 or 5 and been driving green since I was 10....2520 Row Crop (60HP farm tractor), 4230 Diesel, 110LGT, 212LGT, 216LGT, 322GT, 345GT....all at my dad's over the years. For me, an STX38, then an LX188, then a 335 (traded for the 355) and the 2210.....thinking about upgrading toa 2710 and a 72" deck....maybe next year.

I've attached one picture of me with the 2210, doing the kind of impossible things it's good at doing.....in this case moving a v8 engine for my project truck.

Speaking of projects....and my reason for posting....just bought a 6ft curtis snowblade that was on a Polaris ATV.....going to create a real snowblade for my 2210....will start out with manual angling and will probably mount a winch for lifting....then hoping to fab up hyd cylinders for 4-way control...a fun project and will post pictures as I go.

Have been on the forum for about 3-4 months and am enjoying the banter...which hopefully I can add to....have a great day!

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Erik

· #2 · Dec 30, 2011

:welcomedt

Welcome Fred! Sounds like you are in the right place with all that green and yellow history. That 355D is a pretty rare machine. 2 cylinder diesel if I remember correctly.

The plow project sounds like a good one. A lot of us have complained about the light duty plow that come with these machines. I happen to have one that came with my tractor. Eventually I would like to find something heavier duty for it as well.

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RandyM

· #3 · Dec 30, 2011

Welcome Fred!

We are glad you are here to share in the fun. Looking forward to seeing some of your projects. :thumbup1gif:

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Kennyd

· #4 · Dec 30, 2011

Welcome Fred:thumbup1gif:

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Fred Gross

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 30, 2011

Thanks guys glad to be here!

Erik - yes the 355D is pretty rare. 10 years ago I bought a used 335/54C and loved the power but it was a very thirsty 20HP air-cooled engine. Also had problems when snowblowing, the engine fan pulled in a lot of air/snowdust and the throttle linkage would freeze up....usually at WOT after hitting a drift and then the engine would rev really high...run roh! I resorted to spraying silicone spray and/or wd40 on the linkage quite frequently to avoid this. As with most JD geeks I had read up on all the various models and thought "wow if I could only find a 355D what a great trade"....and finally found a used one on the other side of MI. Long story short, traded my 335/54C and 44" front blade for the 355D/54C and $1000. Dropped from 500 hours to about 300 and cut my fuel consumption in half. The downside is this engine is a real shaker at idle, the whole tractor shakes, 1/2 throttle and up it runs smooth (if a bit loud). Amazing at what is can do on the 42" snowthrower.....the torque reserve is impressive and the engine never sounds strained.

I didn't realize how rare until I went to my local dealer to order a set of filters and they had none in stock because they had never sold a 355D! It's a yanmar engine though so many of the engine filters are common with the 2210/2305, only the fuel filter is different. Also learned it has a "special" drive belt for the mower deck due to the torque.....wow.

It's around 550 hours now and runs like a top. We use both tractors to mow (have 3.5 acres) and it makes a nice little brother for the 2210. This past fall I picked up a used powerflow system so now I have another reason to keep it around!

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Gizmo2

· #6 · Dec 30, 2011

Fred Gross said:
Hi all another forum newbie checking in.....I live in the Grand Rapids, MI area. Have a 2210 with 62C, 210FEL, 403RM, 5ft rear blade and a few customizations....X series seat and suspension, Femco folding ROPs and other odds and ends. Also have a 355D with a 54C deck and 42" snowthrower, and my dad's 1950 "B" John Deere sitting in the 2nd garage patiently waiting for me to restore it. Been riding on green since I was 4 or 5 and been driving green since I was 10....2520 Row Crop (60HP farm tractor), 4230 Diesel, 110LGT, 212LGT, 216LGT, 322GT, 345GT....all at my dad's over the years. For me, an STX38, then an LX188, then a 335 (traded for the 355) and the 2210.....thinking about upgrading toa 2710 and a 72" deck....maybe next year.

I've attached one picture of me with the 2210, doing the kind of impossible things it's good at doing.....in this case moving a v8 engine for my project truck.

Speaking of projects....and my reason for posting....just bought a 6ft curtis snowblade that was on a Polaris ATV.....going to create a real snowblade for my 2210....will start out with manual angling and will probably mount a winch for lifting....then hoping to fab up hyd cylinders for 4-way control...a fun project and will post pictures as I go.

Have been on the forum for about 3-4 months and am enjoying the banter...which hopefully I can add to....have a great day!

Welcome to DT.
Any chance you can start the snow plow/blade project now? Gonna be a long winter and we need reading material. Just sayin!

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Erik

· #7 · Dec 30, 2011

Fred Gross said:
Thanks guys glad to be here!

Erik - yes the 355D is pretty rare. 10 years ago I bought a used 335/54C and loved the power but it was a very thirsty 20HP air-cooled engine. Also had problems when snowblowing, the engine fan pulled in a lot of air/snowdust and the throttle linkage would freeze up....usually at WOT after hitting a drift and then the engine would rev really high...run roh! I resorted to spraying silicone spray and/or wd40 on the linkage quite frequently to avoid this. As with most JD geeks I had read up on all the various models and thought "wow if I could only find a 355D what a great trade"....and finally found a used one on the other side of MI. Long story short, traded my 335/54C and 44" front blade for the 355D/54C and $1000. Dropped from 500 hours to about 300 and cut my fuel consumption in half. The downside is this engine is a real shaker at idle, the whole tractor shakes, 1/2 throttle and up it runs smooth (if a bit loud). Amazing at what is can do on the 42" snowthrower.....the torque reserve is impressive and the engine never sounds strained.

I didn't realize how rare until I went to my local dealer to order a set of filters and they had none in stock because they had never sold a 355D! It's a yanmar engine though so many of the engine filters are common with the 2210/2305, only the fuel filter is different. Also learned it has a "special" drive belt for the mower deck due to the torque.....wow.

It's around 550 hours now and runs like a top. We use both tractors to mow (have 3.5 acres) and it makes a nice little brother for the 2210. This past fall I picked up a used powerflow system so now I have another reason to keep it around!

Yeah, I have heard that they are real paint shakers at idle. LOL . I've also heard that they seem to be just as reliable as any other Yanmar diesel out there. I would definitely consider picking one up at the right price for myself (I would love to have a collection of JD diesel garden tractors). Sounds like you did well on your deal, especially with those low hours. :thumbup1gif:

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ColonyPark

· #8 · Dec 31, 2011

Welcome Fred! It sounds like you and your family have or have had quite a lot of Deeres and the 355D story is great. Your mods to the 2210 are worthwhile ones. Thanks for the pic and I am looking forward to your future posts, pics and projects.:good2: