Being off on Sunday, and being bored, I decided to take a bit of a self guided "tour" of various Deere dealer lots in about a 50 mile radius of my home. I finally got a chance to see, first hand, the differences between the various 2000 & 3000 series tractors available.
Got to tell you, it was an eye opener. At least for me, it was.
First, a bit of a disclaimer. With what I am going to say here about the different models, I mean absolutely no disparagement to any model Deere tractor, or their owners. Each model has its own intended design, and uses, and each person's need will vary greatly from the needs of the next person. So, when I give my impressions, don't get offended.
Also, remember, this was a Sunday, so I did not get to drive any of these machines. That will come, hopefully, this week.
First the 2000 series. Man, these are small. I can understand why Deere has had to come up with newly designed lift arms on the three point. I had taken along a measuring tape, and was glad I did. You can get dimensions on the Deere website for outer width, but what they don't give is the inner width, or distance between the rear tires - inside tread to inside tread. I measured this at 25 inches, with the distance inside wall to inside wall at 21 inches. Tiny, no doubt. I guess if you wanted to outfit this with a belly mower and use it as a lawn mower that looks more like a tractor, this would be something to look at. The seating was also very cramped, for me. I'm 5'11" and about 200lbs. It is just not enough machine for my needs.
Now to the 3000 series. Much more to my liking, size wise. Comfortable to sit on with controls that either were where they should be, or could be gotten used to easily. You can easily see how much of your money is going for style over substance when you compare the more basic tractors to the "curved hood" series.
For my needs, which include brush cutting, maintaining fields and plowing snow from a long gravel driveway, the 3000 series fits the bill nicely.
For the price, I really like the new 3032E. No, it is not as sleek looking as the 3120 or up tractors, but I really like what I saw. For the difference in price, I can live with a more squared style. Heck, my current tractor is a New Holland TC30, so I'm used to that already.
This tractor is put together for working, not for showing. The only thing I did not like is that the loader is not fully removable. You can only remove the bucket. That gives me a bit of pause. Oh, the hood might feel a bit flimsy when you open it, but not bad, really. Just being a bit picky there.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts on the two series of tractors. I will likely be calling the Dealer for a test drive of the 3032E this week. We'll see if that reinforces my thoughts on that machine, or not.
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