Buying Advice I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal?

   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #31  
To answer one of the previous questions, 50 hours is the interval for that tractor. Oil and oil filter, service the air filter,hydraulic fluid (about 10 gallons) hydraulic filter, and since that one is a shuttle no Hydrostat filter. Also need to drain the front diffferential/axle. Of course a under chassis lube job. It is about an all day sucker, unless you are really industrious. :) The worst part is getting the hydraulic filter off. You see they have a gorilla put them on.
You also need to go over every fastener on the thing.. including wheels and especially the loader bolts. Check the tightness of the bucket level indicator tube, and tighten the heck out of the nut, and/or stake it.

James K0UA
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #32  
Ritchie Tractor seems to have a monopoly on tractors in my area (Knoxville). I don't think there are any non-Ritchie John Deere dealers nearby.

Anyway, one of the Ritchie John Deere dealers is very close to my home.
The 3032e looks interesting. He gave a quote of only $1,100 off of the retail price. So it was 18,000 with a FEL.

Ritchie's has been around a while, so I suppose they are pretty good. I bought an x320 mower from them last year.

If the price was right, I think I could go for it. Unlike some of the others, that 18,000 John Deere was the same price whether I did the financing or cash. Given the lack of competitors, I can't use the "other dealer" for price comparison.... so, I'm stuck comparing one brand's price against another.

Ritchie isn't the only game in K Town.

Farragut Lawn And Tractor
is a JD dealer.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #33  
Ritchie Tractor seems to have a monopoly on tractors in my area (Knoxville). I don't think there are any non-Ritchie John Deere dealers nearby.

Anyway, one of the Ritchie John Deere dealers is very close to my home.
The 3032e looks interesting. He gave a quote of only $1,100 off of the retail price. So it was 18,000 with a FEL.

Ritchie's has been around a while, so I suppose they are pretty good. I bought an x320 mower from them last year.

If the price was right, I think I could go for it. Unlike some of the others, that 18,000 John Deere was the same price whether I did the financing or cash. Given the lack of competitors, I can't use the "other dealer" for price comparison.... so, I'm stuck comparing one brand's price against another.

Dont hold me to it but I think the 3032 is one of them the local deere guy was pushing me into, as it was a LOT cheaper than the other models, and even other brands I was looking at, but it was featureless.

I really cannot remember a lot about it, but there was way many negatives on the one model.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #34  
k0ua said:
To answer one of the previous questions, 50 hours is the interval for that tractor. Oil and oil filter, service the air filter,hydraulic fluid (about 10 gallons) hydraulic filter, and since that one is a shuttle no Hydrostat filter. Also need to drain the front diffferential/axle. Of course a under chassis lube job. It is about an all day sucker, unless you are really industrious. :) The worst part is getting the hydraulic filter off. You see they have a gorilla put them on.
You also need to go over every fastener on the thing.. including wheels and especially the loader bolts. Check the tightness of the bucket level indicator tube, and tighten the heck out of the nut, and/or stake it.

James K0UA

I agree with everything except the "all day sucker" part. Even doing it the first time only takes a few hours so long as you have planned ahead and have all materials and tools on hand. The hydro filter can be tough but you can destroy it if necessary so just beat it with leverage. A good quality filter wrench and a bit of cussing is what works best. A $30 torque wrench from HF is useful for checking mounting bolts.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #35  
I agree with everything except the "all day sucker" part. Even doing it the first time only takes a few hours so long as you have planned ahead and have all materials and tools on hand. The hydro filter can be tough but you can destroy it if necessary so just beat it with leverage. A good quality filter wrench and a bit of cussing is what works best. A $30 torque wrench from HF is useful for checking mounting bolts.

Well I spent a couple of hours cussing the stupid hydraulic filter and going into town to get a new larger filter wrench, which didn't work either. I wound up punching a holes thru it with a piece of all thread and unscrewing it that way.. was slow going.

James K0UA
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal?
  • Thread Starter
#36  
lilranch....
Yes, I'm realizing that after reading various things on the net. It might be true that I'd be better off with one of those little 1026r tractors. Working small bits of land at a time until it's done... then, it's just a matter of maintaining it with basic mowing work.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #37  
lilranch....
Yes, I'm realizing that after reading various things on the net. It might be true that I'd be better off with one of those little 1026r tractors. Working small bits of land at a time until it's done... then, it's just a matter of maintaining it with basic mowing work.

I started doing the sort of work you are planning when I got my CK20. The tractor was very capable of clearing brush and is a tough little beast. However, clearing brush is nobodies idea of long term fun so getting it done quickly is a benefit. The DK would be much faster and use bigger implements than most of the other models you have mentioned. DK35 has 38hp and is a fairly heavy tractor which is also a benefit in land clearing. I'd personally choose R4 tires but the R1s do have great traction for pushing and pulling.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal?
  • Thread Starter
#38  
Yes, it is an impressive beast.... way bigger than any that I have considered so far. For 15grand, that DK35 is probably the best bargain for me.

The Kubota B series looks to be the optimal size... easy to trailer, but large enough wheels to sort of crawl around easily on bumpy, irregular terrain.... and better ground clearance than the smaller tractors.

For the land clearing, the heft of that DK would be very nice.

I started doing the sort of work you are planning when I got my CK20. The tractor was very capable of clearing brush and is a tough little beast. However, clearing brush is nobodies idea of long term fun so getting it done quickly is a benefit. The DK would be much faster and use bigger implements than most of the other models you have mentioned. DK35 has 38hp and is a fairly heavy tractor which is also a benefit in land clearing. I'd personally choose R4 tires but the R1s do have great traction for pushing and pulling.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #39  
Yes, it is an impressive beast.... way bigger than any that I have considered so far. For 15grand, that DK35 is probably the best bargain for me.

The Kubota B series looks to be the optimal size... easy to trailer, but large enough wheels to sort of crawl around easily on bumpy, irregular terrain.... and better ground clearance than the smaller tractors.

For the land clearing, the heft of that DK would be very nice.

Regular tractors are more than a little dangerous on "bumpy, irregular terrain." I came as close to rolling mine as I possibly could without actually going over a couple of weeks ago. I was clearing some brush at the time. These are much safer, and much more versatile. There are, um, issues, though. You can find out about them by checking with the folks that hang out here.
 
   / I think this is a DK35se Is it a good deal? #40  
Misfire said:
Regular tractors are more than a little dangerous on "bumpy, irregular terrain." I came as close to rolling mine as I possibly could without actually going over a couple of weeks ago. I was clearing some brush at the time. These are much safer, and much more versatile. There are, um, issues, though. You can find out about them by checking with the folks that hang out here.

PowerTrac articulated tractors are really great at certain tasks like slope mowing. They are pretty versatile around the yard too but there are also good reasons why they are not more popular. Inability to pull rather than just push implements is a big negative for dealing with serious acreage for example. That said, I'd love a PT425 with half a dozen implements to do the yard work tasks my DK is too big to manage gracefully. When I win the lottery it will be purchase #135.
 
 
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