Buying Advice John Deere compact choices

[Novice Brit]

Hi All,

Firstly, my apologies for the long post!!

I have researched and considered which tractor to purchase (will be my first) for some time now and had virtually decided on a JD 2032R with FEL & Flail mower (JD instead of Kubota due to dealer location) but I now find myself torn and undecided again:-(.

Quick background. I have a property in France (currently second home but hope it will be permanent once i retire) that comprises 30 acres of badly maintained land, 23 of woodland, 1 of é¼*awn (currently very uneven after visit from wild boars), 0.5 of orchards and 3.5 of wild grassland plus a 2 acre lake. The Tractors main uses will be:

• Maintaining the grassland and orchards
• Removing and controlling brambles (mainly blackberry bushes) that have taken over large areas.
• Creating and maintaining paths in the woodland and around the lake.
• Ultimately some ploughing, tilling and levelling but on a very small scale. Probably 0.5 acre max.

I still really like the 2032R but am fearful I will regret not going bigger.

My local dealer in France is pushing me towards the 3036E which seems sensible:

• It is physically slightly bigger
• More powerful
• Cheaper than the 2032R

Additionally I probably don稚 require a front or mid PTO and should not need to remove the FEL, although unsure re FEL.

However I have the following concerns:

1. The 3036E doesn稚 seem as well balanced a machine as the 2032R?
2. It has a smaller engine size
3. The smaller engine size seems strange given that it outputs more power than the 2032R, to me this means wear and tear on the engine will be greater?
4. The capacity of the front and rear axles is less than the 2032R, again this seems strange as overall power, weight and capacities generally higher?
5. I have seen comments online that the build quality of the 3036E is not up to the usual JD standard?
6. I have concerns that I may wish to remove the FEL for ease of working in confined spaces particularly when in the woodland?

Beyond the 2032R & 3036E JD are of course launching the new 4000 series compacts, these seem better balanced units than the 3000 series and are of course bigger and more powerful and as such would remove almost all fear that I had opted for too small a unit.

However I don稚 believe these are tried and tested yet (anyone have one?), I see there are 4044, 4052 and 4066 M/R options in the U.S. and 4049 and 4066 M/R options here in the UK where I will most likely purchase due to price differentials between here and France.

The 4049M model the likely choice but this would still leave me with a ç´*ixed' FEL and I wonder if the added power would be worth the additional cost, despite the M models being an ç²—conomy option.

I know there are a lot of queries/discussion points above but any advice anyone can give that might help clear the current choices ç´*og will be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

Dave

 

[chevy]

Only you can decide for sure what tractor size is best for you & what you can afford to buy.

In my own experience & others as well, if you are considering a larger tractor & buy a smaller one. You will eventually buy a bigger tractor.
I have never regretted buying a larger tractor, but several times I regretted buying the smaller one.

 

[jbbankshot]

I have a JD 3320 on 41 acres. Some of it is farm, some woods. I maintain a mile long trail, 100 yard driveway and use itto get firewood. There are endless projects for it. I went a size or two bigger then I was thinking and I am very thankful! Whatever you get, you will push it to its limits, the question is, how often. If I went smaller, there are a few projects that may not have been completed by me alone. I've only wanted a bigger unit a couple of time, but there were many times that I said that bigger unit, would have been too big. Like General mid mower lawn cutting.

Make a list of everything you will do and might do. Use it as your guide to decide which wife to choose!

 

[Novice Brit]

Cheers chevy, suspected bigger might be the general advice........

 

[Novice Brit]

Thank you, sounds like your 3320 has racked up some hours. Suspect the 2032R will cope with the majority of my tasks and would eliminate the doubts about the engine size vs power output of the 3036E plus lower spec axles of same and the lack of history of the 4049M. Additionally I would be able to easily remove the FEL. Would purchase with doubts about size though. I'm hoping someone will convince me that my doubts about the 3036E are unfounded or that someone has experience of the new 4000 series to aid the decision. Think it was easier choosing the wife!

 

[buickanddeere]

Bigger is better.

 

[KennyG]

I wouldn't worry about the 3036E engine. It's a turbocharged engine while the 2032 is not. I don't think there's any concern about John Deere turbo engines. Don't know about the axle capacity.

 

[arrow]

Thank you, sounds like your 3320 has racked up some hours. !

This is about as small a tractor I feel you should be considering. the numbers they call this tractor are different today but it is the same pltform. This is simply not about engine power but a major consideration is the weight of the tractor doing the work. You can do more work in shorter time with a fel of increased capacity and a tractor that weighs more. I came from a JD 750 to a Mahindra 3016. Only an 8 or 9 hp difference but more than a thousand pounds heavier. What used to take me 12 hrs with the JD, takes me 4 with the Mahindra.

 

[Novice Brit]

Tee hee, yeh, but guess how it is used applies here too and is the extra size worth the extra loot.....

 

[Novice Brit]

Thanks Kenny, I'll write off the concern about the engine size vs power output then unless anyone re-introduces it. The lower axle spec axles still a concern though and indeed some reports i've seen that build quality of the 3036E is not of the usual Deere standard....

 

[Novice Brit]

Thanks Arrow, yes, have to say am starting to be more and more concerned that the 2032R will fall a little short size wise.

Think I'm going to have to wait to learn more about the new 4000 series, any queries on these models probably too soon.

Still have concerns about the lower axles spec's of the 3036E and going to put another query out there:

I wonder how much of a hindrance users have found a fixed FEL or one that is not easily removed or for which there was no requirement to remove. I wonder about the likelihood of it getting in the way and wear and tear on both tractor and FEL Hydraulic setup with it permanently in place?

 

[Fallon]

Weight defines what a tractor will do. HP just dictates how fast it will do it. In that respect, bigger is better.

A loader won't affect the hydraulics from an extra wear & tear perspective unless you are using it. In an open center system like all CUTs have the hydraulic pump is running all the time & fluid is flowing. When you hit the lever, it just diverts the fluid from returning to the sump to a cylinder.

My Kubota L3200 has a really slick setup to remove the loader in a few minutes or so... So they claim, I've never been motivated to ever try. The SSQA interface means I can drop the bucket in 1 minute or swap to pallet forks in 3. I dump the bucket sometimes when mowing for better clearance, but never felt it was worth 5-10 to figure out how to take the whole loader off.

Plus the extra ballast on the front keeps the front on the ground & happy with a heavy implement hanging off the back.

 

[Novice Brit]

Cheers Fallon, that all helps and puts my novice permanently located FEL worries to bed and pleased that I won't now need to buy a front weight, or worry about any need to take it off, will live with it in tight spaces if necessary...... Thank you

 

[DK35vince]

Cheers Fallon, that all helps and puts my novice permanently located FEL worries to bed and pleased that I won't now need to buy a front weight, or worry about any need to take it off, will live with it in tight spaces if necessary...... Thank you

Personally I really like having the option to be able to remove the loader.
I use my loader like any other attachment and remove/install it often as I need it.

 

[nikdfish]

With the 3038e you can get the "parking kit" to allow you to dismount/remount bucket + arms (the masts would stay fixed). Having said that, I have never needed/wanted to do anything more than drop the bucket for better clearance when running the finish mower. The bucket is a quick attach item, so it takes less than a minute to remove or replace.

Nick

 

[Grandad4]

Personally I really like having the option to be able to remove the loader.
I use my loader like any other attachment and remove/install it often as I need it.

Vince has it right about removing the FEL for certain chores. By taking the loader off, it relieves the front axle from carrying several hundred extra pounds on a typical mid-sized compact, which makes a noticeable difference when mowing, operating a tiller, etc., and puts less wear on the front end. Everyone's experience differs, of course, but about half of my work benefits from having the loader removed. Easy enough job removing it with most modern tractors.

 

[arrow]

Cheers Fallon, that all helps and puts my novice permanently located FEL worries to bed and pleased that I won't now need to buy a front weight, or worry about any need to take it off, will live with it in tight spaces if necessary...... Thank you

In the 28 yrs I owned the 750, I never took the fel off but I did not cut grass or rototill with it. I did negotiate some very tight spaces in the woods with little problem and was always glad it was on there.You are exactly right about "use". I mostly log and plow snow with mine. Of course I went to look at the Deeres first and was shocked to find that the 3032-38 series Deere's were mostly a lot of plastic including the floor boards. I was concerned that these would get wrecked in the woods and thought my old 750 was a much better built tractor. If I could, I thought the 770-790 or what they then called 3005 was a better choice for me for how I use a tractor. I then went to the JD 3320 and loved this tractor. With my trade, the JD dealership was 10 grand off what the Mahindra dealership was offering me so I settled for the Mahindra geared 3016. This has been a very useful tractor so far and the grandkids also seem to like it as much as the green one I used to have.

 

[MikePA]

I've never had my FEL off, either. More often than not, if I am using the tractor, I am using the FEL.

Novice Brit - Keep in mind you can also use the FEL to get yourself unstuck, should you venture into some marshy land.

 

[jbbankshot]

I remove my 3320 FEL all the time. It takes less then 5 minutes! It makes the tractor easier to use when cutting the lawn, or using things off the rear PTO. It took a few times to get use to it, but it is very simple.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Different strokes for different folks, that is a fact. I have never had the loader off of the 32hp machine and yet I hate to have the loader on the 75hp machine when doing field work. It really does make a HUGE difference with just exactly what you are doing with the machine at any particular time.

Just my :2cents: