raymondanton
New member
Hello all.
Before shelling out the dough for a new JD I tried to do as much homework as I could on the model I was looking at. I hope this post helps anyone looking at a JD 2032R, new or used.
I originally owned (and my first) JD 2305, with a front loader, 62 drive on deck, box blade, and material collection system (MCS), turf tires, ballast box, and IMatch. This thing was bigger than any mower I had ever owned, and my first JD. The wife and I had purchased a home (in northern Mass) with 5.2 acres of overgrown field/lawn. It's important to note that I am not a farmer nor have an interest in having any animals. I do like land though, and now I had an unruly monster to take care of.
The 2305 did a great job both during the mowing seasons and moving snow in the winter. I only realized how much extra work I was doing with such a small machine. Either way, it was good so start small and learn the ins and outs of a small tractor before moving up.
The 2032r was announced about 2.5 years ago (give or take) and I was the first person in my area to order and take delivery of one. In my mind she was huge and had a great *** (her tires). I opted for turf tires due to the amount and type of mowing I would be doing. Since my 2305 didn't have any issue with turf tires in the snow, I knew I was safe with this one.
The dealer provided me with a JD ballast box. This is a must have if you don't have or plan on having a heavy rear implement.
In the snow.
Transforming "Ruby" (this is her name) into winter mode is simple. The deck comes off with ease (although I have a few gripes which I will explain later) and MCS is also simple to remove. Take your time and everything will fit as needed. Ruby has no issues moving deep snow, not matter if it's wet, heavy, compacted or new. The FEL can really make this machine front heavy, so the need for rear weight is important.
I have only had one issue with startup. I had left the machine in the driveway during a heavy winter storm. The temp was sub 0 and I would say she sat for about 2 hours. The diesel had gelled up and she would not start. I had to use a heating bad, in the snow, and get the fuel to flow a little better. It was an ordeal but totally my fault and I learned a ton that night. I have never put the battery on a charger nor see the need for a block heater. It is important to note that she sleeps in an enclosed, insulated and heated garage. Where she is kept, the temp never dips below 50 degrees. I would assume that if the garage was not heated, she may need a block heater. One last thing about cold weather operation: if the machine is left outside and some snow accumulates on the seat don't let it melt and freeze again at night. The RIO switch will freeze in the "on" (I guess) position and the machine will not start. I learned the hard way and had to take the seat off, hit it with a neat gun for a bit, and reinstall.
Spring and summer.
Ruby excels in the spring and summer months. I remove the FEL and can mow my enclosed 1 acre lot all day long. The 62 deck has no issues with grass or even semi frozen leaves. The MCS on the other hand is finicky animal.
MCS. Material Collection System. This consists of a belt driven "blower" on the discharge side of the deck. The chute slides into the blow and also into the collection area at the rear of the machine. Although the deck and tractor can mow almost anything, the blower has a hard time keeping up. If the grass is at all wet or has not been mowed in a weekend or two I need to be careful of clogging the blower. It's not a "strap it on and mow the yard" kind of attachment. The volume of grass coming from the deck is high, which is fine, but when the volume is high and the grass is longer, the blower just seem to get overwhelmed. That being said, I would still buy this costly upgrade again. I or any owner just needs to adjust the mowing style for this piece.
MCS and leaves: This is the main reason I got this attachment. I hate raking leaves and we have a ton in New England. This machine and the MCS make short work of 1 acre of property. I do drive a bit slower and make sure to not overload the blower, but this is nothing compared to raking everything up. The collection bag hold a ton of clippings. With one acre I do seem to empty the bags quite often, but again, the volume of material I'm picking up is also large. I don't think a DR type system would do any better, but I could be wrong.
The mower deck.
I love and hate this deck. This is the drive on version with not auto connect (not an option when I bought the machine). The deck itself is built well, but the engineering or design could use some improvements.
This deck has two "ramps" covering the polies (sp). These ramps should have butterfly nuts or some type of quick release bolts that allow for the right side ramp (discharge) to be taking off. Again, I have an MCS, which requires a belt to be placed on a pully on the deck. This can't be done with a bolted on ramp cover. The MCS blower is taken on an off daily. It would be highly functional to have a ramp that incorporates the MCS belt, that is easy to take on and off. I believe the cost of the deck justifies this type of engineering consideration.
The lift system for the deck absolutely sucks. This system is connected to the 3 point hitch. The height of the mower, or movement, also move the hitch arms. My last 2305 had a hydraulic mechanism, operated by the loader stick, that raised and lowered the deck. This should be standard equipment with this type of machine (for the cost). The brackets that help raise the deck, and associated pins etc, are not what I would expect JD to use. Very poor design. Also, the 3pt hitch lever gets stuck from time to time. I've actually bent the lever on many occasions. I've found that from time to time a liberal amount of lubrication is needed where the lever meets the "frame". I thought I had a mechanical issue the first time this happened, I almost broke the **** lever off.
The belts have stood up to my abuse and don't seem to be showing much wear. I'm very happy with everything else with this deck and MCS. The cut quality is good enough for me. I installed some gator blades and that seemed improve the quality of the cut and also help the machine cut the thick field stuff much easier.
Box Blade.
I have a 5ft box blade I use for my side driveway and also at the baseball fields (volunteer). Ruby has absolutely no issue pulling this beast around. The box can be full of dirt or ripping up a hard packed driveway. I feel that there is plenty of power and torque.
Tires are great, no issues at all. The turf hold up well in the snow and I've never been stuck (no chains either). 4wd and lock diff function perfect, especially in the deep stuff.
Transmission is great, no issue so far. I change my own oil and I'm looking to do a hydraulic fluid/filter change in the near future. All you tractor guys are laughing at me now. I'm a New England guy that lived in Los Angeles for 10 years. This tractor stuff is a bit new to me. I refuse to have the JD dealership do the work. For what they charge I could almost get a new tractor.
The second gripe, although minor, that I have is about the lighting. Although I don't show it in my profile picture, I have added a 24 inch LED light bar to the top of the ROPS. Additional lights, not the JD aftermarket ones, are a must. The front FEL blocks the hood lights and make them basically unusable. Invest in a decent light bar. The wiring isn't to hard and the overall power draw is minimal.
I would like to see some better cup holders as well as a better designed "stuff" or storage container. The cylinder on the ROPS is junk. These are little things though, not deal breakers.
In closing, Ruby is used for everything from quality finish mowing (bagged clippings) to heavy field mowing of 18-30 inch grass (not bagged), leaves and snow removal, to heavier jobs around my (and my friends') properties. I work her hard but treat her fair. She would work perfectly on a medium to small farm or a large residential property like mine. All in all I'm extremely happy with this tractor. I am looking at the new 2038, but only because I can't help myself and like "new" things. In the end I probably won't buy a new one...the wife would kill me.
Before shelling out the dough for a new JD I tried to do as much homework as I could on the model I was looking at. I hope this post helps anyone looking at a JD 2032R, new or used.
I originally owned (and my first) JD 2305, with a front loader, 62 drive on deck, box blade, and material collection system (MCS), turf tires, ballast box, and IMatch. This thing was bigger than any mower I had ever owned, and my first JD. The wife and I had purchased a home (in northern Mass) with 5.2 acres of overgrown field/lawn. It's important to note that I am not a farmer nor have an interest in having any animals. I do like land though, and now I had an unruly monster to take care of.
The 2305 did a great job both during the mowing seasons and moving snow in the winter. I only realized how much extra work I was doing with such a small machine. Either way, it was good so start small and learn the ins and outs of a small tractor before moving up.
The 2032r was announced about 2.5 years ago (give or take) and I was the first person in my area to order and take delivery of one. In my mind she was huge and had a great *** (her tires). I opted for turf tires due to the amount and type of mowing I would be doing. Since my 2305 didn't have any issue with turf tires in the snow, I knew I was safe with this one.
The dealer provided me with a JD ballast box. This is a must have if you don't have or plan on having a heavy rear implement.
In the snow.
Transforming "Ruby" (this is her name) into winter mode is simple. The deck comes off with ease (although I have a few gripes which I will explain later) and MCS is also simple to remove. Take your time and everything will fit as needed. Ruby has no issues moving deep snow, not matter if it's wet, heavy, compacted or new. The FEL can really make this machine front heavy, so the need for rear weight is important.
I have only had one issue with startup. I had left the machine in the driveway during a heavy winter storm. The temp was sub 0 and I would say she sat for about 2 hours. The diesel had gelled up and she would not start. I had to use a heating bad, in the snow, and get the fuel to flow a little better. It was an ordeal but totally my fault and I learned a ton that night. I have never put the battery on a charger nor see the need for a block heater. It is important to note that she sleeps in an enclosed, insulated and heated garage. Where she is kept, the temp never dips below 50 degrees. I would assume that if the garage was not heated, she may need a block heater. One last thing about cold weather operation: if the machine is left outside and some snow accumulates on the seat don't let it melt and freeze again at night. The RIO switch will freeze in the "on" (I guess) position and the machine will not start. I learned the hard way and had to take the seat off, hit it with a neat gun for a bit, and reinstall.
Spring and summer.
Ruby excels in the spring and summer months. I remove the FEL and can mow my enclosed 1 acre lot all day long. The 62 deck has no issues with grass or even semi frozen leaves. The MCS on the other hand is finicky animal.
MCS. Material Collection System. This consists of a belt driven "blower" on the discharge side of the deck. The chute slides into the blow and also into the collection area at the rear of the machine. Although the deck and tractor can mow almost anything, the blower has a hard time keeping up. If the grass is at all wet or has not been mowed in a weekend or two I need to be careful of clogging the blower. It's not a "strap it on and mow the yard" kind of attachment. The volume of grass coming from the deck is high, which is fine, but when the volume is high and the grass is longer, the blower just seem to get overwhelmed. That being said, I would still buy this costly upgrade again. I or any owner just needs to adjust the mowing style for this piece.
MCS and leaves: This is the main reason I got this attachment. I hate raking leaves and we have a ton in New England. This machine and the MCS make short work of 1 acre of property. I do drive a bit slower and make sure to not overload the blower, but this is nothing compared to raking everything up. The collection bag hold a ton of clippings. With one acre I do seem to empty the bags quite often, but again, the volume of material I'm picking up is also large. I don't think a DR type system would do any better, but I could be wrong.
The mower deck.
I love and hate this deck. This is the drive on version with not auto connect (not an option when I bought the machine). The deck itself is built well, but the engineering or design could use some improvements.
This deck has two "ramps" covering the polies (sp). These ramps should have butterfly nuts or some type of quick release bolts that allow for the right side ramp (discharge) to be taking off. Again, I have an MCS, which requires a belt to be placed on a pully on the deck. This can't be done with a bolted on ramp cover. The MCS blower is taken on an off daily. It would be highly functional to have a ramp that incorporates the MCS belt, that is easy to take on and off. I believe the cost of the deck justifies this type of engineering consideration.
The lift system for the deck absolutely sucks. This system is connected to the 3 point hitch. The height of the mower, or movement, also move the hitch arms. My last 2305 had a hydraulic mechanism, operated by the loader stick, that raised and lowered the deck. This should be standard equipment with this type of machine (for the cost). The brackets that help raise the deck, and associated pins etc, are not what I would expect JD to use. Very poor design. Also, the 3pt hitch lever gets stuck from time to time. I've actually bent the lever on many occasions. I've found that from time to time a liberal amount of lubrication is needed where the lever meets the "frame". I thought I had a mechanical issue the first time this happened, I almost broke the **** lever off.
The belts have stood up to my abuse and don't seem to be showing much wear. I'm very happy with everything else with this deck and MCS. The cut quality is good enough for me. I installed some gator blades and that seemed improve the quality of the cut and also help the machine cut the thick field stuff much easier.
Box Blade.
I have a 5ft box blade I use for my side driveway and also at the baseball fields (volunteer). Ruby has absolutely no issue pulling this beast around. The box can be full of dirt or ripping up a hard packed driveway. I feel that there is plenty of power and torque.
Tires are great, no issues at all. The turf hold up well in the snow and I've never been stuck (no chains either). 4wd and lock diff function perfect, especially in the deep stuff.
Transmission is great, no issue so far. I change my own oil and I'm looking to do a hydraulic fluid/filter change in the near future. All you tractor guys are laughing at me now. I'm a New England guy that lived in Los Angeles for 10 years. This tractor stuff is a bit new to me. I refuse to have the JD dealership do the work. For what they charge I could almost get a new tractor.
The second gripe, although minor, that I have is about the lighting. Although I don't show it in my profile picture, I have added a 24 inch LED light bar to the top of the ROPS. Additional lights, not the JD aftermarket ones, are a must. The front FEL blocks the hood lights and make them basically unusable. Invest in a decent light bar. The wiring isn't to hard and the overall power draw is minimal.
I would like to see some better cup holders as well as a better designed "stuff" or storage container. The cylinder on the ROPS is junk. These are little things though, not deal breakers.
In closing, Ruby is used for everything from quality finish mowing (bagged clippings) to heavy field mowing of 18-30 inch grass (not bagged), leaves and snow removal, to heavier jobs around my (and my friends') properties. I work her hard but treat her fair. She would work perfectly on a medium to small farm or a large residential property like mine. All in all I'm extremely happy with this tractor. I am looking at the new 2038, but only because I can't help myself and like "new" things. In the end I probably won't buy a new one...the wife would kill me.
