Buying Advice Which jd should i consider buying?

[Rfdsdurham]

Hello,

I am in the market for a cab tractor and i found a 5425 that i like with 1200 hrs on it. While there looking at the tractor i saw some 5083e that i liked as well. Also the dealer told us about the incentives jd has right now with the 0% interest. That has got me thinking about a 5085e. My question is which would make a good tractor for a small scale farming operation? Mainly do hay, plant food plots, and odd and in work around the farm. I hear the m series is better but for a small scale man is it worth the extra cash? Thanks for any input.

 

[jenkinsph]

Welcome to TBN,

My advice is to look carefully at the needs you have for the tractor in detail. The major differences between the economy vs. the premium tractors are transmission options, hydraulic system and drive train. How these features vary may or may not make a difference for you but can be sorted out. If you need more gears or more hydraulic flow the M series would be a better choice. I would make a list of tasks and tractor attachment/implement needed to make sure you have all the features needed. Some attachments need more hydraulic circuits for control such as a hydraulic rear blade needs four. Some such as a tiller need a good choice of gears below 2 mph. Others such as a disk need good gear selections around 5 mph. Balers need a tractor large enough in mass and strength to control them on hills.

If you know what your needs are for the various attachments and implements in your long term list you can pick a tractor that meets the criteria more easily.

 

[vtsnowedin]

All three tractors you are considering are more then enough tractor for the work you describe. It should come down to how you like the cab setup and controls and price plus interest rate. Are you trading your 5065E or adding this new one to your lineup?

 

[calhoun9001]

Just got my 85E couple weeks ago. So far I love it, only thing I have done with it is push snow so far. Cant wait to do some real work with it. What sold me on the 85 was the interior of the cab, buddy seat, over all fit and feel. With 0% intrest I didnt even look at the used market. I have a 120 acres and do lots of food plots, mowing and property maintenance. I looked real hard at the M, but would have cost me about 12 grand more. Spent time in a few different makes and by far the deere was the best fit for me.

 

[Rfdsdurham]

Thanks yall for the advice, i appreciate the input. As far as the 65 ill be trading it. I am kinda leaning to going new since Deere has the 0% right now. Ive done the math and if i go with the 5425 id save about 12 grand which could be used toward equipment i need but im kinda leary of used stuff plus the 5425 dont have the power reverser. Thanks again

 

[vtsnowedin]

Thanks yall for the advice, i appreciate the input. As far as the 65 ill be trading it. I am kinda leaning to going new since Deere has the 0% right now. Ive done the math and if i go with the 5425 id save about 12 grand which could be used toward equipment i need but im kinda leary of used stuff plus the 5425 dont have the power reverser. Thanks again

I hear you on that and made the same choice when I bought my 5045E at zero percent. I have to think that if you walked into a dealership with cash in hand you could buy for less then they will sell it to you financed through JD credit but as most of us aren't that well healed it's a moot point.
I've never run a tractor with a power reverser. Do you find they really increase production or are they just a Gee Wizz gadget?

 

[ovrszd]

I looked real hard at the M, but would have cost me about 12 grand more.

Great looking tractor!!!

Wow!!!! $12K difference between an E model and M model???? There must be a lot of features missing on the E model??

 

[ovrszd]

I've never run a tractor with a power reverser. Do you find they really increase production or are they just a Gee Wizz gadget?

I'm assuming a Power Reverser is JD's name for a Hydraulic Shuttle??? If so, I love my Hydraulic Shuttle. Saves a LOT of leg work when doing repetitive functions.

Gee Wizz or increased productivity?? I rather call it "Gee Wizz, I'm more productive".

 

[calhoun9001]

Great looking tractor!!!

Wow!!!! $12K difference between an E model and M model???? There must be a lot of features missing on the E model??

The main differences are electronic 3 point, transmission options, lift capacity of the 3 point, lot more electric switches for functions and little better hydrulic output. Also the frames are suppose to be heavier. My neighbor has a 2012M and from the front of the trans forward I don't see much diffference. So far I'm really loving the power reverser. Makes pushing snow a breeze.

 

[LindenBruce]

Well, I don't own one. BUT, I have very recent experience on three 5101en's that are brand new. I work for a company that manufactures orchard harvesting equipment. We also chop up the cabs on these JD tractors to make smaller fruit orchard cabs out of them. All three of these brand new tractors exhibit the same issues. Fit and finish is junk. The paint on the interior plastic trim very easily pulls off with masking tape. The subsurface of which lacks any sign of pre-painting prep. They also had numerous cross threaded or stripped out interior trim attachment screws. And not only the threads were striped out, but even the phillip's driver portions of the screws were stripped out. The majority of the glass attachment panels' hardware was loose.

And now for one of these three tractors. Just yesterday we were re-charging the A/C system and the engine idler pulley bolt sheared off. We heard a sudden change in engine RPM's and investigated finding the front accessory belt not doing anything because of the broken idler pulley bolt. Can you imagine a farmer out in his fields with a new tractor and having this happen? If they did not realize something was wrong right away this could end up in an over heated engine.

I have no experience with other brands of cabbed tractors. So I have no idea if other manufacturers have such a lousy cab assembly process of not. But given the cost of these beasts, I would be pissed if I bought a tractor that was thrown together in such a manner. Since all three of these tractors had a lot of the same issues, I have to assume the problem is endemic to JD. It definitely tells me I don't want to buy a JD tractor. I have no idea how the rest of their lines work out. B.