Gx345 seat coming apart

Mattywolf said:

Just picked up a gx345 with a snowblower, plow blade, mower deck and cab for $2500. Has 700 hours on it, runs like a champ. Everything works great except I am a rather big guy, it's a bit of a squeeze for me getting on and off. After a few weeks of use the seat cushion has fallen off. I can almost get it to pop back on but not quite. Other than replacing it, could I possibly glue it back into the seat assembly? Also, I lost the seat drain piece for it as it was dark out when it popped off. Is that part available anywhere separately to replace it? I looked around a little online but didn't see it. Thanks

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You got a good deal, don't mess with the old seat, just buy a new one. This one is a direct fit and will work nicely.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aftermarke...h=item23b2ccf727:g:H5EAAOSwIw1cKjNf:rk:3:pf:0

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bmurph44 said:

2006 X540 I glued mine back on, no problem since.

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how long ago did you glue it and what kind of glue did you use? i will eventually buy a new one, but for this season it's a pain having the seat fall off every time i have to get out of the cab, thanks in advance and thanks to the others for providing links for new seats.

Those seats were applied to the pans with heat/glue and a press that conformed to the seat shape. There is no way to ever get the seat to fit back into the pan without a big gap around the edge. It may stay on but it will look like he 11. The seat warehouse has good metal pan seats for all JD's for about $90 with free shipping. I've used many of their seats with no issues. However, I have learned that when getting on and off of the tractors to NEVER put my hand on the top of the backrest. If you do you will eventually pull the cushion away from the pan and then water will get into the seat.

Mattywolf said:

how long ago did you glue it and what kind of glue did you use? i will eventually buy a new one, but for this season it's a pain having the seat fall off every time i have to get out of the cab, thanks in advance and thanks to the others for providing links for new seats.

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I glued it 4 or 5 years ago, I glued and clamped it down with some clamps old boards towels etc. and let it set overnight. I can’t remember what glue I used but it was a real thick greenish yellow color, maybe Monkey Glue, I’ll try to find the tube when I get down to my shop later this morning.

inspectorudy said:

Those seats were applied to the pans with heat/glue and a press that conformed to the seat shape. There is no way to ever get the seat to fit back into the pan without a big gap around the edge. It may stay on but it will look like he 11. The seat warehouse has good metal pan seats for all JD's for about $90 with free shipping. I've used many of their seats with no issues. However, I have learned that when getting on and off of the tractors to NEVER put my hand on the top of the backrest. If you do you will eventually pull the cushion away from the pan and then water will get into the seat.

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I was able to get mine back into the pan, it doesn't look like a new one but it's stayed in place since I glued the seat and backrest. Like I said clamps a few boards and some old towels to protect the cheap paper thin vinyl then let it set overnight. There have been many threads on this issue and we all agree that the seats on these tractors are cheap junk.

Here are a few pics and the old tube of glue I used.

OK...you guys are tempting me to just fly out and buy a new one. It will go well with the rebuilt L120.

Question...do these seats all have a common bolt pattern on bottom that fits the adjustable slide mech? I ask because after mowing my back feels like a train ran over me to maybe find a good seat with lumbar support. It's either that or suffer a half naked busty blonde with sandwich in one hand and massage lotion in the other.

Many of the new seats are "Universal" in that they have about twenty holes in them for different patterns. Usually, they require the model tractor you are buying it for so that one of the combinations of holes will fit your model. I have no issue with the many holes but some do and do not want them. The Seat Warehouse also includes the bolts to mount the new seat with. Many companies do not.

inspectorudy said:

That $65 seat will have a plastic pan. No problem but they don't last like the steel ones do. Many of the new seats are "Universal" in that they have about twenty holes in them for different patterns.

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NONE of the John Deere Yeller seats hold up ........ they're ALL brittle! The "holes" are all underneath and do not show.

I can't argue with that! I think if JD came back with the old butt shaped metal seats they would have a winner. I have learned a couple of things to add some time to the life of a JD seat. One never slide off the edge of the seat. Stand up and step off of it. Two, Never use the top edge of the backrest to push up and off of the seat unless it has the plastic arch above the back. Three, try to get on and off of the seat from both sides and not just use one side every time. Four, keep it out of the sun as much as you can. Even with all of that they do not last very long. I've tried black seats from other suppliers and they are no better.

inspectorudy said:

I can't argue with that! I think if JD came back with the old butt shaped metal seats they would have a winner. I have learned a couple of things to add some time to the life of a JD seat. One never slide off the edge of the seat. Stand up and step off of it. Two, Never use the top edge of the backrest to push up and off of the seat unless it has the plastic arch above the back. Three, try to get on and off of the seat from both sides and not just use one side every time. Four, keep it out of the sun as much as you can. Even with all of that they do not last very long. I've tried black seats from other suppliers and they are no better.

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My neighbor had a twenty year old Murray that had a PERFECT condition seat. MY 2007 CC2550's seat was good also when I sold it last fall. All of my "black seats" have held up well. The biggest problem I've had with (particularly the high-back) seats is running into low-hanging branches and poking holes in them. My 445's seat was torn up when I bought it last summer and I replaced it with the plastic bucket seat. If and when it tears up, I'll probably either recover it with leather like I did with the LX178 (deer-skin breathes nicely and you get to pick the colour) or buy a larger, piston shock absorber type like I had on my CC105 (the fibreglass pan seat was crumbling).

inspectorudy said:

Mow, how do you get a hole in the seatback when you are mowing? I laughed when I pictured that scene of you mowing with a limb going through your stomach and into the seat back and you not worrying about the hole in you but the seat!

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Ha Ha! I go through a lot of contortionistic moves on my machines when near the perimeter where I don't trim the trees up. We love the privacy they afford. With my age, lots of coffee, and the diuretics I'm on.....the world is my bathroom, so the privacy is mandatory!!!