Couple John Deere 332 ?s

justicedealt · Apr 10, 2010

Hello. I am thinking of purchasing a 332 with a liquid cooled Yanmar diesel. I have a couple of questions, well several...lol.

1. How good a machine is this? It appears to have been well maintaned.
2. How can I tell year/horsepower by VIN
3. When in neutral, it is wanting to "creep", how do I fix that?
4. Can I break ground from the rear?

Thanks guys...

jenkinsph · Apr 11, 2010

Dealer should be able to determine year and hp for you. Tractordata shows this to be 16 hp and has a high rpm rating.

4runner · Apr 11, 2010

A 332 is a good machine and has a good record. I have a 322 which has the yanmar gas version of the engine (three cylinder) . The biggest issue that I read seems to be the voltage regulator overcharging the battery. But I haven't had that issue. Also, keep the air intakes (belly and side) clean as the radiator fan pulls air from these areas.

I find the machine to be very capable. For breaking ground, the 332 takes a 30 inch hydraulic tiller, powered by a belly pump. I have this and it works well. You can also get an optional cat 0 three point hitch, and use a plow if you want. The attachments for the 332 and 322 are common with the Deere 318 series tractors (which was very popular).

I use mine for mowing, and plowing in winter. With tire chains, and weights the thing can move snow.

If the machine is in good shape, it is definitely worth considering.

justicedealt · Apr 11, 2010

Thank you very much. Only issue I have is that the hour meter is not working, and the gas cap/guage is not working. Mows gorgeous though...

Barry Bowen · Apr 14, 2010

You tell me where the tractor is and I will go buy and you will not ever have to worrie about it.

It is a great machine, but has it's quirks like every machine. You may not be able to take care of the creep. My 318 has done that for the last 10 years and you learn to live with it. Usually slop in the linkage and not much can be done, or if you have more money than sense, nothing your money cannot fix with enough parts.

Seriously it is a great machine. Hesitate and some one else with grab it in a minute like the last two I missed in the spring of 2009

tomwom · Apr 16, 2010

I don't know anything about the 332 but, I've had a JD755 with the Yanmar diesel since 1989 and I can't say enough good things about it. The only thing I've had to replace in 20 years was the glowplug relay, and a couple of the plugs along with it.

Birdmayon · Apr 21, 2010

Yep, good machine, I had two of them. In addition to the hydraulic tiller, you can get a rear PTO driven mechanical tiller (48") but they are pricey and hard to come by. YOu can get a loader (44 loader). Rockshaft is present and as stated before you can get a 3 point hitch (cat 0) for it.

Need to blow out the radiator screen after each mowing to keep the beast cool. Regular coolant flushes. Voltage regulator is definately an issue on these, I put a new one on both machines as well as a JD318 starter relay kit which helps prevent overheating of the regulator.

Bad motor mounts are pretty typical. There were certain years where frame cracks were somewhat common. The transmission creep you mentioned is a common issue. Minor adjustments can be made at the hydro. If that doesn't fix it then the linkage can be replaced (there is an updated linkage replacement available that tightens everything up).

Go to weedendfreedommachines if you want to talk to the experts on the 318/322/332 tractors, they can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about them.