Blue Mule
Gold Member
Reason I throw the Deere in the mix, besides having 2 close dealers..and a 3rd dealer about an hour away..and the fact that you'll always get parts for them is I have a buddy, actually 2 different friends that have 3038e models. 1 friend uses it for his business...bush hogging...grading driveways...spreading gravel....and he borderline abuses the thing! Only busted each front loader hydraulic cylinder 2 different times. One under warranty replaced...and the 2nd was his fault he admits as he was attempting to pick up more than he should.
Other friend is clearing his 20 acres getting ready to build his house. The logs that his machine move with the grapple is impressive to say the least.
I get it. JD has a cult following almost..lol. Spec sheet...I can decimate most Jds with the competition. Ls, kioti, Tym lift more...weigh more...cost less etc etc. But with all that said...Jds get the job done. Period.
I think theybhave a promotion for the 3025D..gear drive for 19,999. The 3025e is 22k I believe. I want a hydrostat so kids and wife can drive it much easier. Both prices include front end loader.
LS MT225HE I can get for about 19k that is a hydrostat..so 3k less that 3025e and it lifts more..1600 v 1200 approx. A 25HP tractor is better than no tractor....and no emission crap to deal with.
However, I am my worst own enemy as I don't want buyers remorse and will go back and forth over this and that. Really good price for 25hp...vs wanting more PTO Hp for tilling etc.
Not having a kioti dealer close is hurting my decision..cause their CK line look to be the best bang for the buck by a long shot. So here comes LS..which is thousands less expensive.....but I still have reservations about them for some reason. I don't know why....my pastor has an LS...buddy at work...another friend has LS...all of them love them.
Sorry for the long post....
I went through the same thing. Looked at every tractor on the market. Was focused on 25 HP class mainly for price, secondly for lack of emissions. Well, in the end it cost me MORE because I had to take the 25 HP tractor back and get the 35/40 HP class. A compact tractor with attachments on it and 25 HP to move it all around is a miserable experience. It sucked. I couldn't envision it turning a 5' brush hog and climbing a small grade. It would barely climb a grade with the PTO off. I had to run it at full RPM all the time, which used more diesel. High range was useless, so effectively it was a 2-range transmission. I wasn't happy with it at all. It might have been slightly better if it were a gear drive, but I wanted a hydro. I learned a hard, expensive lesson.
Get more horsepower now. Buy once, cry once.