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Kevin, I have a 345 with a 54" deck. The 345 is basically the same as the 325. I like the width. I imagine it helps shorten my cutting time a little. I did add a grass/leaf catcher attachment which has a large blower fan assembly mounted on the discharge end of the mower deck and is belt-driven driven from the one mower pulley. The weight of this blower assembly tends to cause an uneven cut on a few steep inclines in my lawn. Without the blower attachment the mower stays balanced. I would like to mention my disappointment in the mounting design of the mower clutch on the 325-345. My clutch vibrated against an alignment pin. Over 2-years this noise increased. In investigating I found the top clutch mounting plate had chiseled away at the alignment post attached to the frame and widened the slot on the mounting plate where the pin fit through. The alignment post holds the clutch in place when the mower is engaged. To help fix this, I had the slot welded to the original clearance. This held for another 2-years, then the clutch burned up. The problem had been that the chiseled post still allowed the clutch to vibrate and cause uneven wear on the clutch plates. I bought a new clutch for $150 and welded the top plate so the metal surface is much thicker where it rests against the post on the frame. I also welded metal on the grooved post and ground it to give a slight gap between the clutch mounting plate and the post when the clutch is attached. This repair is only 6-months old, but I think increasing the thickness of the metal where the clutch vibrates against the post will prevent the damaging chiseling action. I basically like my 345, but I tend to think for another $1000-1500 I should have gotten a 400-series... You may want to look closer at a 400-series or another brand. When I emailed and spoke with John Deere customer service concerning my trouble with the clutch they were of no assistance, nor did they seem to care. Local John Deere mechanics were very aware of this clutch problem and were helpful in suggesting a resolution. I'm beginning to think John Deere corporation cares significantly less about their lawn tractors than their farm and commercial equipment. Chris
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