Buying Advice The new one: JD 3025E. Any thoughts?

[Colgate2004]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a CUT to work my 16 acres in Maine (hauling & dumping gravel to sturdy up my wood trail is going to be a priority).

My Kubota/JD dealer, a high-volume dealer who all my neighbors bought their tractors from, pointed me to the new JD 3025E. He said a few months after selling them, he called the first few customers of his who bought them and asked how they liked the 3025E (his suspicion was they'd find the 25HP engine underpowered) and he says they all said they loved it.

Apparently JD has incentives going right now (originally to end of Feb., but extended to end of March) for $3600 off, which gets the price of the 3025E with FEL to $16,999.

I'm leaning in that direction.

Anyone have any experience with the 3025E, or any other thoughts?

 

[Wagtail]

TractorData.com John Deere 325E tractor information

Compact Utility Tractors | 325E Compact Tractor | John Deere US

Although not listed, a wee bit of searching says that the FEL will be a D160.

What other jobs do you need the tractor to do on your 16 acres?

 

[Colgate2004]

Hi Wagtail,

Thanks for the response!

Sorry, yes, I should have included that: Yes, the FEL is the D160 model.

In addition to loading, moving, dumping, and spreading gravel, I'm anticipating using the tractor for:

- snow removal on our ~100 yard long driveway (just using the bucket to start with, maybe adding a JD-to-skidsteer adapter plate and a blade, and maybe a rear-PTO snowblower if I really want to get fancy)
- moving and spreading fill, doing some light grading in our field (probably using the bucket and a box blade, for which I would LOVE to get a hydraulic "top & tilt"... I'm leaning toward ordering the tractor with a rear remote straight from the factory rather than adding it on later... what are your thoughts on that?)
- moving around firewood
- maybe splitting firewood with a rear-mount log splitter? Or would a simple standalone splitter be a better idea? Thoughts?
- bushhogging relatively small areas (so a small rotary cutter is fine... my dealer salesperson said that with only a 25HP engine and about 17HP at the PTO I can probably only really use a 4' rotary cutter instead of a 5' or 6', and that's fine with me... again, my areas are pretty small)

(I won't need to do any finish mowing with this machine, as we have a MMM garden tractor for our small finish-mowed area)

One consideration is that my land has a couple of pretty steep hills, and my wood trail includes some traverses of a relatively steep hill, so side-to-side stability/rollover is a concern for me.

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

P.S.- I saw that Wagtail referred to this model as a 325E, whereas JD refers to it as a 3025E... I'm new to the forum, so is that just a shorthand?

Thanks!!

 

[Wagtail]

I saw that Wagtail referred to this model as a 325E, whereas JD refers to it as a 3025E... I'm new to the forum, so is that just a shorthand?

It's not shorthand, it's just the way that the links copied from their original. A lot of sites do this for some reason, they drop the zero from time to time.

 

[Wagtail]

It's good to hear that you asked/consulted your neighbours as to who was the trusted dealership in your area; reputation goes a long way and is easy to lose. It means that, locally, they've sold their customers the right tractor/product for their circumstances... as long as the customer has been honest/realistic in describing what they want to do with the rig.

The 25hp JD you're considering should meet your needs for what you've described. I say 'should' because you never know what the future holds.

 

[Colgate2004]

Any other thoughts on the 3025E?
Anybody had a chance to use one?

Also, any thoughts on a hydraulic top-&-tilt for a 3PH box blade?

Or whether a rear-mounted or standalone log splitter would be a better idea?

Thanks!

 

[jenkinsph]

I think this is too small of a tractor for your uses now and in the future. Long term I suspect you would be much better satisfied with a 3038E in this series. Pulling a loaded box blade up hill will be tough for the 3025E, not so much for the 3038E. Just a rough guess but I would think a 3025E would cost about 80% of what a 3038E costs. If you can spend a little more for the 3038E I think you could use it long term without the regrets of too little power to get things done.


I would vote for a stand alone log splitter, less hours on the new tractor, faster splitting and a lot more convenient to use. This would free up the new tractor and fel to help move the wood to and from the stand alone splitter.

 

[nirion]

Here's another vote for the 3032e or 3038e. I have a 3032e and would appreciate a few extra PTO HP when using a 5' brush hog. I can imagine a PTO snow blower would benefit from it as well.

 

[Colgate2004]

Jenkins & Nirion,

Thank you for your responses.
I was attracted to the 3025 for two reasons: first because, coming in just under the Tier 4 limitation, the 3025 doesn't need a particulate filter, which I understand can sometimes cause problems down the line, and second, because my dealer can make me a great deal on one of the 3025's right now.... which I know is a terrible reason to buy an under-powered tractor. Saving a couple of thousand dollars now when I'm planning to have this tractor for the rest of my life (/suffering with too little power for the rest of my life?) is terribly short-sighted, I know.

Random: I read in another thread that the 3025E's 25-HP engine was actually the same engine as the 3032, just de-rated in order to get in under the Tier 4 wire, and that at normal RPM it actually produces more than the rated 25HP. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

I'm going to test drive a 3032 or 3038 (not sure which the dealer has on the lot!) tomorrow...

 

[nirion]

Random: I read in another thread that the 3025E's 25-HP engine was actually the same engine as the 3032, just de-rated in order to get in under the Tier 4 wire, and that at normal RPM it actually produces more than the rated 25HP. Anybody have any thoughts on this?
QUOTE]

That is a good possibility. The 3025E has a Yanmar 3TNV88F and the 3032E is a 3TNV88C and the same 100 cubic inches size. The 3038E is turbo-charged and has a different engine.