OTFD122
New member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2011
- Messages
- 24
- Tractor
- John Deere 1023E
Hello all,
I am rather new to the site, posted a couple pics in another post of my new JD 1 Series 1023E that I took delivery of beginning of July. I have been waiting to post my thoughts after I owned it a few months to give a pretty good opinion of it. A little background: this is my first sub compact tractor, primarily used for mowing and a little weekend loader work. Bought a new house and the yard and landscaping is like a jungle. I got a pretty basic 1023E with D120 loader and 60X (AutoConnect) deck.
My first impression is that this tractor was not built like my dad's John Deeres... The plastic hood feels like a cheap garbage can lid, and you won't find any metal fenders or cowls on this unit. I will say it sure does look pretty, just feels a bit flimsy once you actually touch it. The frame and axles seem very substantial, I think that anymore that's why most people opt for the JDs. The operator station is comfortable and intuitive, all controls are in a good spot and not too hard to reach.
The tractor drives fantastic! I was used to JD lawn tractors that turned pretty sharp and had lots of zip, and the 1023E certainly performs. With the 60 inch deck I have no trouble mowing very close to obstacles. I look forward to mowing every week, as the tractor is a joy to drive, and have not had a lick of problems mowing (other than the 1 hidden rock I hit!). I have used the loader maybe for a few hours total, mostly scooping up broken tile and other renovation debris from my garage and moving it to the dumpster. Bucket capacity could be a bit bigger, but then again I bought a sub compact tractor, so you don't get amazing capacities.
I don't really have any major gripes other than the plasticy toyish feel of the tractor. The one thing that was a bit of a surprise was the Auto Connect deck and how tricky that can be to attach. The Auto Connect deck looks so easy to install in those videos, right? Well, it is a bit harder than it looks, it takes some time and you must be PERFECTLY aligned for it to work right. At the dealer it took my salesman and I several times to try and attach it because if you are at the slightest angle during the approach, it will not connect right. When it works right, it is cool as heck and still baffles me a bit how it works. The other nugget of advice on the Auto Connect is DON'T try and connect it while it is laying on concrete or other smooth surface! We managed to push the deck quite a ways while trying to connect as it slides easily.
Thanks for hanging in there! I know I wrote a small novel, but I figured there were some buyers out there that would want a true opinion from a hardcore Deere fan.
I am rather new to the site, posted a couple pics in another post of my new JD 1 Series 1023E that I took delivery of beginning of July. I have been waiting to post my thoughts after I owned it a few months to give a pretty good opinion of it. A little background: this is my first sub compact tractor, primarily used for mowing and a little weekend loader work. Bought a new house and the yard and landscaping is like a jungle. I got a pretty basic 1023E with D120 loader and 60X (AutoConnect) deck.
My first impression is that this tractor was not built like my dad's John Deeres... The plastic hood feels like a cheap garbage can lid, and you won't find any metal fenders or cowls on this unit. I will say it sure does look pretty, just feels a bit flimsy once you actually touch it. The frame and axles seem very substantial, I think that anymore that's why most people opt for the JDs. The operator station is comfortable and intuitive, all controls are in a good spot and not too hard to reach.
The tractor drives fantastic! I was used to JD lawn tractors that turned pretty sharp and had lots of zip, and the 1023E certainly performs. With the 60 inch deck I have no trouble mowing very close to obstacles. I look forward to mowing every week, as the tractor is a joy to drive, and have not had a lick of problems mowing (other than the 1 hidden rock I hit!). I have used the loader maybe for a few hours total, mostly scooping up broken tile and other renovation debris from my garage and moving it to the dumpster. Bucket capacity could be a bit bigger, but then again I bought a sub compact tractor, so you don't get amazing capacities.
I don't really have any major gripes other than the plasticy toyish feel of the tractor. The one thing that was a bit of a surprise was the Auto Connect deck and how tricky that can be to attach. The Auto Connect deck looks so easy to install in those videos, right? Well, it is a bit harder than it looks, it takes some time and you must be PERFECTLY aligned for it to work right. At the dealer it took my salesman and I several times to try and attach it because if you are at the slightest angle during the approach, it will not connect right. When it works right, it is cool as heck and still baffles me a bit how it works. The other nugget of advice on the Auto Connect is DON'T try and connect it while it is laying on concrete or other smooth surface! We managed to push the deck quite a ways while trying to connect as it slides easily.
Thanks for hanging in there! I know I wrote a small novel, but I figured there were some buyers out there that would want a true opinion from a hardcore Deere fan.
