Well, it seemed like it took forever, but I finally made my decision, and I am awaiting delivery of my first JD tractor.
It was a tough decision since I have spots where I could use a really small CUT or SCUT, but for the most part I needed something larger and heavier. Because of this, really everything was in the running and I felt like I was all over the board.
With my budget in mind, in the end it came down to the 3032(8)E vs the 5045D. The last tractor I had was just slightly smaller than the 5045D, and I was worried that anything lighter might be a disappointment. The dealer had a 3032E and 5045D parked side by side. Seeing this, and knowing how little I made use of the loader on my last tractor, I decided to order the 5045D without the loader (which makes it approximately the same length as the 3032E with the loader). For the times where a loader might come in handy, I figure a 9 cubic foot dirt scoop and heavy duty boom would do the trick (and perhaps be even handier for my uses). Even without the loader, there will be places that I just won't be able to get into (especially with the 72" cutter) - but I will just have to deal with that when the time comes. For mowing in the tight spots, I also purchased the JD D100 lawn tractor, which should help me at least keep down the grass/weeds in areas I can't reach.
The 5045D should be here this week, and not a moment too soon as I have a lot of fencing to put in (hopefully before it gets too hot down here in Texas) as well as plenty of other stuff that needed to be done by now.
With purchasing the 5045D and a D100 lawn tractor - I kind of feel like a JD bottom feeder. I have been playing with the D100, though, and I am actually impressed at how nice of a job the lowest price JD actually does - it will be perfect for my uses.
Thanks everyone here for the assistance and tips provided on TBN - it really helped in sorting out my ideas on what to purchase.
It was a tough decision since I have spots where I could use a really small CUT or SCUT, but for the most part I needed something larger and heavier. Because of this, really everything was in the running and I felt like I was all over the board.
With my budget in mind, in the end it came down to the 3032(8)E vs the 5045D. The last tractor I had was just slightly smaller than the 5045D, and I was worried that anything lighter might be a disappointment. The dealer had a 3032E and 5045D parked side by side. Seeing this, and knowing how little I made use of the loader on my last tractor, I decided to order the 5045D without the loader (which makes it approximately the same length as the 3032E with the loader). For the times where a loader might come in handy, I figure a 9 cubic foot dirt scoop and heavy duty boom would do the trick (and perhaps be even handier for my uses). Even without the loader, there will be places that I just won't be able to get into (especially with the 72" cutter) - but I will just have to deal with that when the time comes. For mowing in the tight spots, I also purchased the JD D100 lawn tractor, which should help me at least keep down the grass/weeds in areas I can't reach.
The 5045D should be here this week, and not a moment too soon as I have a lot of fencing to put in (hopefully before it gets too hot down here in Texas) as well as plenty of other stuff that needed to be done by now.
With purchasing the 5045D and a D100 lawn tractor - I kind of feel like a JD bottom feeder. I have been playing with the D100, though, and I am actually impressed at how nice of a job the lowest price JD actually does - it will be perfect for my uses.
Thanks everyone here for the assistance and tips provided on TBN - it really helped in sorting out my ideas on what to purchase.
