2008 JD 2305, Is this a Good deal?

kenb1023 · Oct 15, 2014

This is my first post here and I am glad I joined. I am looking at buying a 2008 2305 with only 8 hours on it. Previous owners bought it and never used it. Now they are moving and selling it for $11900 through the local JD dealer. Now I was about to go down and look at it but after reading all of this I am not sure if I even want to go near a JD compact tractor. Am I over concerned about the PTO issues I have been reading about? I live in Edgewood NM on 7 acres. I want the tractor to do light landscaping, field mowing, drive way (700 feet) maintenance and snow plowing. It has the front end loader and the belly mower only. Is this a fair price what it is? Any help is appreciated.

mred · Oct 15, 2014

I use mine weekly for lawn mowing, couple of times a year for rotary cutting, I use a 54 inch rear snow blower in the winter and I use the FEL all the time. I have a storage space issue so the 2305 is perfect for me. Nothing bigger would fit. I have had no problems. I think Machine Finder would tell you if the price was correct. 8 hours would have me looking closely if stored indoors as it would be like new.

buickanddeere · Oct 15, 2014

The JD parts manual is online at the JD site. Only purchase the tractor if it was built after the pto update.
As for price, compare it to a similar equipped 1 series JD.

yelbike · Oct 28, 2014

Mine failed even with upgraded case. That being said, JD sold a ton of these tractors. Only a few people broke them.
Good luck either way.

dakotagun · Oct 28, 2014

Sounds like an awesome deal, considering...
What do you plan for snow removal? I use a front-mount 53" blower with a rear blade (and chains) for my winter fun. Bought my 2305 a few years ago with a mmm 60" and blower for about $15k - few miles on it also. Added a box blade for driveway and landscaping and FEL for what seems to be everything. Going to till up part of the place next spring/summer, so will test out that pto business... BUT, to be honest, if I were to do it over again I'd get something else just because one shouldn't have to worry about blowing out the pto. I've avoided rear-pto attachments for that reason - I should have a PHD and tiller by now, but didn't want to 'push it'.
Other than that, it's been a great tractor and a joy to use in shaping our new home/plot.

kenb1023 · Oct 28, 2014

Thanks to everyone who responded. I came across a deal on a TYM T293. It has a fare rep and with a 29 HP engine will more than cover my needs. I know it also has its weak points but they are ones I can handle. That PTO just scares me as I will be using some PTO driven attachments. The big one is a 5' brush hog to keep my field cut and a post hole digger so I can get these seven acres fenced in. May put a steer on it next year.

stlbill · Dec 4, 2014

My Wife and I took new delivery of a 2305 in November 2009. It now has about 230 hours. Total property size is about 3 acres and I consider it the perfect machine for our needs. I could have bought a larger tractor and sacrificed implements for the same money.

I mow more than 2 steep acres with the 62C belly mower, clear snow on 9,000 square feet of asphalt with the 200CX loader and 62" smooth bucket up front while the 60" rear blade allows me to clear up to 8 inches faster than my neighbors 50+ horsepower skid steer. He turns quick, but much of the time I don't have to turn at all.

I till a 12' X 32' vegetable garden with the 647 tiller and I've tilled neighborhood gardens up to 1 acre in size better than his 3 bottom plow.

I've used the 260 backhoe to clean out and replace culverts, remove clay from a flowerbed and replace with top soil, planted some trees, removed some tree stumps. I've even used the bolt-on static thumb to uncover a copperhead snake in my firewood pile. Money well spent because that snake was trying to bite the backhoe bucket big time!

Finally, I use the SS1026B spreader to put down lawn fertilizer and sand or ice melt in the winter. I also have a model 15 wagon for hauling and Payne bolt-on forks. There are a few other implements I do not use very often like the subsoiler.

-Bill

Tractornewb · Dec 7, 2014

What's the deal with the PTO on the 2305? I've also been looking at used models.

kenb1023 · Dec 8, 2014

Tractornewb said:
What's the deal with the PTO on the 2305? I've also been looking at used models.

In my research I found that the PTO on model years before 2008 would grenade when a strong load was placed on them. It is reported that in 2008 the aluminum housing was beefed up but there have still been cases of the same problem occurring. Further more John Deere would leave the customer hanging if the warranty was even a day over if this occurred. That was enough to scare me away from the 2305. I did find a good 2010 TYM T293 with 370 hours one year remaining on the warranty and for less money than what the 2008 2305 with no warranty was going for.