India built John Deere's

[sixdogs]

If you get a weight bracket for the front and some weights it will go a long way to helping traction. It's not the same as 4WD but is sort-of fine for dry land farming or summer use.

 

[SLHawkins]

Howdy and welcome to the site. I have a '09 5403 and am absolutely satisfied pleased with it. It has everything done I have asked of it, and then some. I am coming up on 400 hours and it still has its shine in spite of the mud, dust, manure, snow, and sun exposure it has been through. As far as quality goes, it is everything you'd expect from a Deere. The only defect that I see is the paint has begun to 'boil' around the grab handle on the fender. And eventhough my tractor is not barn or shed kept (it stays outside), the rusting is contained at that one spot. As a matter of fact, it is still green. Eventhough it has bubbled some, the paint has not chipped or flaked yet. You might do alright with 2WD, but the MFWD will indeed make a world of difference. Definitely when doin loader work. But, even when I am pulling around the batwing, I find that I need the extra 'grab' of the front wheels pulling. Bottomline, go for it. You won't be disappointed.
Hawk

 

[SLHawkins]

Oh yeah, what to ask for and look for. With only 200 hours, it should be one of the newer models. Check to see if it is turbocharged. Make sure the gears are in good condition. To go from Range A to B to C, the tractor should be stopped, otherwise grinding and scraping of the gears is very likely. (it will also go into reverse without having to stop...) If it has a loader, check the mounting bolts on the frame. The bolts on the left side of mine tend to loosen on a regular basis. It is good practice to check these periodically anyway. Which loader is mounted? Not all of them are quick attach. If it is a 553 loader make sure the legs and pins are present.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I only have 50 hours on mine so way to soon to tell. Zero problems as of yet , as it should be. Only service on a 200 hour old JD 5xxxx is fluid level check and wheel bolt torqe at 50 hours and 100 hour oil change with tranny fluid filter change.Wouldn't hurt to do all of that again yourself and be sure it was done.
Yes 4wd runs $5K more but the machine will do $10K more work especially on hills or in mud or snow. Just my .02$

 

[Zebrafive]

I do not own one. The only bad thing I've heard concerns the paint. I heard the India tractor's paint will fade faster than the GA USA built tractors. Especially the yellow

 

[Verticaltrx]

I've got a 5203 that I bought a month or so ago (300hrs) and it seems to be as good of quality as any other Deere we've had. My Father also has a 5045e with 350hrs on it, again, no issues just a good solid tractor. The 5003 and 5E series are the same good old 5000 series that Deere started building in '93. They just sent the tooling over to India to keep costs reasonable (they are the economy series) and to keep up with the growing market there.

 

[AGRIMAN]

Both Deere and New Holland have manufacturing facilities in India. As Verticaltrx said, these are economy units built for their domestic market, NA and some INT regions. These are good tractors and I would not be afraid of any of them.

 

[deere5105]

I run a 2008 5303 4wd. Bought it to replace a 2wd 5105. I have enjoyed the benefits of the 4wd and extra power. The newer ones have green frames and the older ones are black. Only issue I have read about is the 3pt sticking while in the raise position, but seems a fairly simple fix if this happens.

 

[Tony S]

OK I found a 5045E 4wd that I'm going to call about today. It's about 20HP less than the 5303 2WD but still alot more tractor than the oliver 55 super that it will replace. Earlier I talked to a John Deere salesman who said that JD's HP rating is low because they test at a lower RPM than other tractor company's so there HP is really higher. He couldn't tell me why they would do that. So what do the experts think about his statmen? I didn't really trust him to do anything but try to sell me something. The tractor he insisted I needed was smaller than I wanted, that was when he told me about the HP thing. Turns ouy that was only tractor he had on the lot.

 

[hosspuller]

OK I found a 5045E 4wd that I'm going to call about today. It's about 20HP less than the 5303 2WD but still alot more tractor than the oliver 55 super that it will replace. Earlier I talked to a John Deere salesman who said that JD's HP rating is low because they test at a lower RPM than other tractor company's so there HP is really higher. He couldn't tell me why they would do that. So what do the experts think about his statmen? I didn't really trust him to do anything but try to sell me something. The tractor he insisted I needed was smaller than I wanted, that was when he told me about the HP thing. Turns ouy that was only tractor he had on the lot.

Just a salesman ... That statement on HP ratings is bunk! Compare HP based on the Iowa tests.
I don't trust anything a salesperson tells me unless I see it in the literature too. Especially truck salespeople !