Total greenhorn trying to buy a compact... help!

[PK656]

We're down in New Zealand, live on a hill ridge with mixed terrain hill-wise. There's no snow where we are. We primarily want a mower but there will be other jobs, not real heavy lifting tho. We just had the guys from JD dealership come out to us and they're looking to sell us a 1023E. They said if we could find a good second hand compact we should just buy it, so I've found one, a '2011' 2305 with low mileage and about $10k less than the dealer wants for the new 1023E. What advice can you give us please?

 

[Dutch445]

The 2305 is a dependable yanmar tractor the was the predecessor to
the 1023e/1026R/1025R tractors. they shared similar hp (1023E and 2305)
and similar attachments. the newer tractors have drive over , auto connect mower
decks, but the 54 or 62C mowers on the 2305 are fine mowers.
it sounds like you can buy it at a good price, and if it's low hours you should
get many years of good service out of it. keep in mind it is a sub compact, and
limited in ground clearance and overall weight.

 

[yelbike]

2305 is a great tractor but look into the broken PTO/case issue. You'll find out the 2011 is an upgraded case but still susceptible to damage.

 

[Tenn_Blue]

You didn't say how much property you are working on, or what you want to do with it, but you might consider going up 1 step size wise. We were originally looking at the 2305 way back when, but decided to go up to the 2320 instead. More ground clearance, full cat 1 3 point, more weight, etc - basically the same engine in a bigger package. I was new to the tractor world as well and overwhelmed with all the choices! But a common thread you see on any of the tractor forums is "buy bigger than you think you need" - most of us new guys buy too small and end up trading once we see what all you can do with a tractor!

Also you mentioned hilly property, some models are more stable feeling on hills than others, so consider that aspect...

A well maintained tractor has a long life, so I wouldn't be scared of buying used depending on what kind of deal you can get.

This is a great place to learn and get feedback on your buying decision. Welcome and best of luck!

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the forum from Northwest Alabama, USA.

 

[PK656]

Thanks for this, you helped us decide to buy this 2305. It's now been with us a month and is called 'Tobias'. All going very well so far, we're bough a back scoop too. The cutting deck is great. It came with park/ lawn tyre and I've since bought a set of tractor tyres but now of course I'm on the hunt for a set of rims.

 

[PK656]

Thanks you Northwest Alabama. One of my fav people is was from your part of the world.

 

[PK656]

Thanks Tenn_Blue. We bought the 2305 and so far it's been great. We haven't yet tried it on the hilly parts however. We have 1.5 Ha. so not much until you consider that we still have an Auckland address (the biggest city in NZ).

 

[PK656]

Thanks yelbike, will do.

 

[TripleR]

We have a 2305 used exclusively for mowing and it is very stable on hills. I bought a set of rear wheel spacers as my grand kids use it, but my son has never put them on and never had any issues.