Buying Advice JD 2032r, 3032e or 3038e???

[waterskipilot]

Hi guys. First time poster. I am in the market for my first tractor. I've narrowed my decision to 3 models. The 2032r, 3032e or the 3038e. Looking at the numbers, I can't see the advantage of one over the other. I don't need or expect that I'll ever need a Mid-PTO. And it's unlikely that I'd ever need or want to pay for a backhoe. That being said....which one do I go for? The 2032R seems to be full featured with all the bells and whistles, some of which I don't need. I know the frame sizes are different between the 2 and 3. But the capabilities are very close in each of them. My uses are as follows:

Rotary cutting
Box Blading- Maintaining a current driveway and building a new one(Gravel)
Pallet forks for general heavy lifting
General landscape maintenance around the house
Moving yards and yards(100+) of fill dirt into low spots, and to pour a slab for a workshop(50x35ish)
Starting/maintaining a good size vegetable garden
Loader work

My property is only 5 acres. About 3 of which will be bush hogged. I'm in Florida, so I have a lot of squishy black muck and no cold weather to worry about. I'd be concerned about the weight of the tractor with the muck. Heavier tractors tend to rut the ground and get stuck. But all these tractors seems to be within about 300 pounds of each other. PTO horsepower, I don't think is much of a consideration for me. The rotary cutter and possibly a tiller in the future are all I can see using. No chipper or generator.

More is better, I like to think. But the thing that concerns me about the 3038e is the turbocharger. Are they maintenance hogs? I'm sure it's not cheap if something goes wrong.

I think I covered most everything. Dealer locations are not an issue, as I've heard that mentioned before. I have about 4 JD dealers within 30 miles. I can get the 3032 and 3038 packaged up with a loader, 5' box blade, 5' rotary cutter and 16' trailer for $22,499 and $23,499 respectively.
The 2032 about the same....minus the trailer.

So, which way do I go?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[ksluy]

I cant say I am a expert on small JD tractors but,,, I cant remember ever wishing I had less horsepower. I would get the most tractor I could afford. I would pass on the 2032r and go with the 3038e the turbo with a Yanmar diesel engine is a great set up. I would not worry about that for a second. Good luck and enjoy your new ride.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Short answer to a long question. Given your requirements, I would very carefully check and compare the FEL abilities. Not only will the 30xx series lift MORE it will lift HIGHER as well.

 

[chevy]

I cant say I am a expert on small JD tractors but,,, I cant remember ever wishing I had less horsepower. I would get the most tractor I could afford. I would pass on the 2032r and go with the 3038e the turbo with a Yanmar diesel engine is a great set up. I would not worry about that for a second. Good luck and enjoy your new ride.

I agree.

The 3038e is alot more tractor than the 2032R.

 

[nikdfish]

400+ hrs on our 3038e so far. You do need to let them idle a bit after running hard (to cool some) before shut off. We use it with a 60" rotary cutter, 60" tiller & 6" chipper (among other things), plus chain on forks on the bucket for carrying brush & logs. No issues or problems to speak of...

Nick

 

[pinetree10]

I use my 2720, the older version of the 2032, to maintain 2.5 mostly wooded acres, run a chipper, and move firewood and topsoil. I just used it this fall to move a 12-foot Dogwood tree that I would not have been able to transplant manually. The root ball must have weighed several hundred pounds. While it's been the perfect tractor for me because it's easy on my lawn and powerful enough to do what I've needed it to do, I can see why some guys move up to the 3 series for a bigger chassis and a little more heft. It's really a judgment call based on how much mass you need to do the work on your property. While the 2720 is a very capable machine and I'm sure the same goes for the 2032, there is an advantage to buying larger if you think you'll need it on a regular basis. I rarely need much ballast with mine because of what I normally use it for but you should think about how much heavy lifting you'll really be doing before you decide. The one time I used the tractor to excavate some undisturbed sandy soil was the one time where I really needed to add significant ballast on the back. I never use my mid-PTO either but if my walk-behind snowblower ever bites the dust I'm getting a front-mount for the tractor.

Another factor for me was the fact that my garage has an 8-foot door and I wanted to leave the ROPS up. That put me solidly in the 2-series category. I clear the opening by just a few inches. Good luck with your decision. Post pictures when it arrives.

 

[firefighterjrm]

I upgraded from a 2320 to a 3032e I looked at the 3038 and other 3 series models I wanted a simple tractor and I to did not need the mid pto or all the bells and whistles so that put me do I want a 32 or 38 after much research the 32 fit my needs the reason I opted for the 32 was a couple reasons I to was concerned about the turbo one more thing to worry about two I could not justify the extra for a couple extra HP, fast forward two and 250 hours on it I utilize for driveway and property maintenance along with a side business of putting and maintaining driveways and never had a problem I can say I am very satisfied only wish I had a cab for winter snow removal but all in all it is a basic simple tractor but had done everything I have thrown at it

 

[waterskipilot]

Thanks guys. I think I've pretty much settled on the 3 series. Now I just gotta figure if the turbo is work the extra 1K. Or will it really cost me more in the long run? Like I said, I don't think I'll ever need the extra PTO hp. And it sounds like traction is the main factor with either tractor. I've read about complaints with leaky front axle seals and the fact that it has aluminum housings on the transmission or axle...can't remember which. Any comments there? Thanks again.

Also, are 5' implements pretty much the norm? Or can I go to 6 without issue?

 

[firefighterjrm]

I think the bigger question where your budget is and how much do you want to spend it is true about the rear housing it is aluminum John Deere a few years back started making the the 3032e and 38 as an entry level tractor to compete with other brands and designed what we call in the fire department the KISS keep it simple stupid tractor it does not have all the bells and whistles but a majority of what you need in a tractor that being said everyone has different needs and applications so it does not fit everyone's bill. As far as front axle seals I have heard both ways some have problems others say not a problem at all so it is mixed bag as far as I am concerned myself KNOCK ON WOOD have not had any issues. As far as implements go you can put larger scrapes and boxes but realize in a larger box means more material more weight to pull I would not go over 60 on a rotary cutter just my opinion. I currently use a frontier 60 rotary cutter, box, scrape and my new edition a 60 bush hog brand land plane all of which work excellent and fit the bill. I have put in numerous driveways and did a lot of driveway up keep with no problems and recently ordered a rear 64 inch snowblower. As far as the extra 1k for the 38 goes well that is something you would have to decide my decision was based on the fact that it is one more part to worry about and for the little extra HP was not something I needed.

 

[Mattc8832]

I love my John Deere 3032e but there is times I wish I would have spent a little bit more and went ahead and got the 38hp model instead. I have 17 acres and a 1 mile road I have to keep up.