JD 3032E Second Thoughts

[Folio]

I'm in my third season with my 3032e, coming up on 300 hours. I'm a rookie to modern tractors and bought it new without the benefit of the good advice on this site. My decision was influenced solely by the helpfulness and honesty of the JD dealer I bought it from compared to brief visits to other dealers in my area. I'm NOT a mechanic, so dealer service was my first priority, but I'm so new at all this that I didn't even ask anyone to allow me a test drive! So dumb!

At first, I was thrilled by the machine. It did everything I asked of it. I live on 30 acres of neglected, flat, dry land pasture bordered by a seasonal creek lined with heavy-duty oaks and mountains of dead fall. There was over 10 years of manure and straw to clean from several loafing sheds and hundreds of yards of fence line to replace. Old garden beds needed to be renovated and re-tilled. The driveway--a third of a mile long--needed to be re-conditioned. I've run into problems, to be sure, but I can't always tell how much is operator error and how much is machine limitation.

The more I worked this little workhorse, the more I've come to appreciate its advantages and hate its weaknesses. I'd love to have a grapple in front and a TNT on the back. No dice. I wasn't smart enough to ask for additional hydraulics in the original deal. I can't unload the FEL when I occasionally would like to. The ROPS doesn't fold down when working inside the loafing sheds or under low lying tree limbs. Its short wheel base makes working a box blade a time-consuming nightmare.

So I've recently found myself looking for alternatives. More horsepower? Additional hydraulics? A different color? A bigger bucket? A wider stance? A cab, even? More weight?

More I look around, though, the more satisfied I am with what I have. It's not perfect--could be much better than it is--but it's what I have and what I can live with.

Seems to me there's grace in compromise.

 

[kebo]

Don't feel alone! Not everyone thinks the tractor they have is perfect for them, that's why some folks have more than one. You can always second guess a decision, but it sounds like you picked one that can do 90% of what you need to do with it, and do it fairly well. I would say you did pretty good considering how little you knew about them when you made the purchase. A little more experience with tractors in general would probably have given you a better understanding of what to look for, and all the features you would have liked to have with it now (that you know better). The good news is TNT and a front grapple can always be added to it, at cost of course. So, those are options that you can decide if the need justifies the expense. As for the rops, I wonder if there is a folding rops on another tractor that would interchange with yours? Wouldn't hurt to talk to the JD dealer about it. Good luck.

 

[kiotiken]

Well, I agree, it's easy enough to add a grapple with 3rd function valve or run it off a remote. You can add extra remotes for the TnT, I did for my Kioti CK30 and it was $500.

If your tires aren't loaded, I'd highly recommend loading them, that JD is very light and will benefit from the extra weight.

I just traded my CK30 back to my dealer and upgraded to a DK45. My trade was 14 months old with 158hrs on it and my dealer gave me 94% of what I paid. Ask your dealer what he'd do for you, there's no cost or obligation.

Although nobody, IMHO, builds a cab tractor like JD, my Kioti cab is one of the nicest cabs I've ever seen. The tractor is FAR more than I'll ever need, has just about every luxury feature you've ever heard of an was price well under other colors. If you do consider trading, sit on every color tractor you can find and compare them all.

 

[charleyfarmall]

You probably need to go up in size and capacity based on what you are doing. In the Deere range, you need a 4120 or 4320 most likely. In a Kioti you need a DK40/45. There are several Kubota's that would fit.

You have had 300 very good hours with the 3032 but I would look at selling it ( don't trade it in you will lose a lot) and moving up. The JD 4000 series has more weight, a wider stance, more capacity, and retains almost the same maneuverability.

It's not uncommon to need to upgrade to more capacity.

 

[nikdfish]

+1 on loading the rear tires if it hasn't already been done!

If you really want to remove more than just the bucket (which is a quick attach already), you could get the "Parking Stand Kit" for the 305 loader (part # BW15872) for less than $400. It allows everything except the rearmost mast to be easily removed & replaced.

The flip side to removing bucket or bucket + arms is you lose a lot of weight on the front end if you don't add some suitcase weights. Steering can get dicey if you have even a moderate weight implement on the back and don't have some front end ballast. Taking off just the bucket loses around 200 lb., with the parking kit I think you'd be losing somewhere between 400 and 500 lb. I know my 3038e can sometimes feel light at the front when I have a 690 lb. tiller on the rear even with the loader still mounted...

Regarding the driveway maintenance, you might want to looking into something like a land plane. It might do a better job with gravel than the box blade.

Nick

 

[DKCDKC]

I bought a JD 3038e, same as the 3032e but with a bit more HP. I also find it does most of what I want better than I expected. I do miss the weight and power of my old JD 2030 with 68 hp, but I need that weight and power rarely. I have found that, when I hit tasks where my JD CUT is too small, I can call a neighbor with a bigger tractor... Usually get his help for nothing... Or maybe a free meal out. And this way I got my new tractor for well under $18,000. It would have cost me at least $6,000 to go a size up. You can rent a tractor a number of times - or buy a lot of thank-you meals - for $6,000.

 

[Wnc3]

Well....the E stands for economy.
I am purchasing a 3520 and it cost a lot more for basically the same size tractor, but comes standard with a lot of options you wish you had.
You really have to appreciate the options to justify the up charge. The dealer lots are around here are full of "e's" to compete with other brands. I had to order mine...

 

[kiotiken]

Well....the E stands for economy.
I am purchasing a 3520 and it cost a lot more for basically the same size tractor, but comes standard with a lot of options you wish you had.
You really have to appreciate the options to justify the up charge. The dealer lots are around here are full of "e's" to compete with other brands. I had to order mine...

This is the problem I had with JD. The "e's" are there to compete against the other brands, but based on price only. The tractors I looked at Kioti/Bobcat, Landini (when it was made by LS) etc, may have been in the same price range as the JD "e's" but weighed in at almost twice as much and had every luxury feature you can imagine. Kubotas standard L series is the same, it's designed to compete on price, but doesn't have the features and leaves you asking "where's the beef".

I like JD, don't get me wrong, my first tractor was a JD 955 that I bought used from a Kubota dealer. I'd still have it if it hadn't of been neglected before I got it, I was just spending too much time fixing small issues.

You will notice a huge change if you add weight to your tractor, and not just for loader work, load those tires. If you really want luxury features, look at ALL the options and ask dealers what they'll do for your trade.

 

[Folio]

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. After hearing your experiences and advice, it sounds like filling the tires would go a long way in addressing my dissatisfaction. The ground I have to work is very rough and after even just a few hours in the seat, I feel like I'm in the middle of a bar brawl.

I'm reluctant to start shopping around for a different ride; I know how I get when I start looking at anything better than what I have. I'd quickly lose all my self control and before you can say "TBN" there'd be a new machine in the shed. On second thought . . . :licking:

 

[kiotiken]

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. After hearing your experiences and advice, it sounds like filling the tires would go a long way in addressing my dissatisfaction. The ground I have to work is very rough and after even just a few hours in the seat, I feel like I'm in the middle of a bar brawl.

I'm reluctant to start shopping around for a different ride; I know how I get when I start looking at anything better than what I have. I'd quickly lose all my self control and before you can say "TBN" there'd be a new machine in the shed. On second thought . . . :licking:

I'm afraid loading the tires won't get you out of any brawls, but still something you NEED to do, I'd say with any tractor, but especially a lighter tractor.

If you know you're not going to get something new in the near future, you could always start pimpn' your ride. A really nice suspension seat might be just what the dr ordered. Fill the tires, get a deluxe seat and you'll think you did get a new tractor :thumbsup:

 

[msmud]

Folio,
If you feel in the middle of a bar brawl with ground work, the first thing I would check would be your tire pressures. These short wheelbase machines amplify axle impacts, and this is worsened considerably by overpressure in the tires. In my 3038e, I get bounced around pretty badly if my rear R4s are 11 - 12 psi or higher, but at 8 - 9.5 the ride is pretty good as is 2wd traction. I keep 17.5 in my fronts, with 560# of weights in the weight bracket; I don't have a loader. You might need a bit more for loader ops, maybe not. Filling the rears might even stiffen the ride for you, as it reduces sidewall flexing.
I wonder if a landplane would allow you better grade control than a boxblade with your road maintenance. A lot of people swear by them as the best tools for the job, with less of the washboarding effect. It's a lot cheaper than a new tractor, though it potentially solves only one of your problems.
I have the feeling you probably can make do with what you have, with just a few minor mods.

 

[Folio]

Okay, advisors and counselors and friends, today I'm minding own business running odd errands here and there, reminding myself all the while that I'm really stupid to be thinking about a different tractor. The 3032e is perfectly sufficient, I say. I live on a hobby farm, for Pete's sake; I'm doing what I'm doing for fun, not profit. Suck it up and live with your choices, I lecture myself.

Can I help it if my route takes me past the JD dealer or that my car takes an unexpected turn into the lot filled with all manner of pretty green and yellow colors? Is it my fault that there, in the middle of everything, is an orphan 3320? Can I help it that the sales guy (with whom I've done a load of business) is as honest as my day is long?

The suspension seat feels like I'm sitting on a marshmallow. He demonstrates the quick detach loader (I'm speechless) and points out all the advanced electronics. The mid-mounted mower would be perfect, he says, for my acres of lawn and barnyards. If you were I, could you disagree? The foldable ROPS will get me into spots I can't go now. The loader will easily handle the crushed granite I haul around where my present loader struggles. All my current implements fit like proverbial gloves. There's actually room for my long legs in the operator station.

To top it off, he will give me 95% of what I originally paid for the 3032e and loader three years ago, and throw in filled tires. Extra rear hydraulics extra. Fortunately, I can pay the difference in cash if I don't buy other fun things on my list. (Why are tractors always first?)

So here I am, begging for help. Stop me, please, from visiting the local Kubota dealer tomorrow to see what he has to offer and then returning to JD to talk turkey. I'm in deep guys and sinking fast; we all know where this can go from here. Don't we?

 

[k0ua]

Don't walk run!.. BACK to the JD dealer, and get what you want. If you are getting 95 percent back of what you paid for the 3032.. my goodness what more do you want? Sheesh man life is short.. enjoy it.. go GET THAT TRACTOR:thumbsup:

James K0UA

 

[Zebrafive]

Don't walk run!.. BACK to the JD dealer, and get what you want. If you are getting 95 percent back of what you paid for the 3032.. my goodness what more do you want? Sheesh man life is short.. enjoy it.. go GET THAT TRACTOR:thumbsup:

James K0UA

DITTO! DITTO! What else can you buy, use and have worth 95% to trade. Get it before it's gone.

 

[Cocre]

I bought a lightly used 3320 four years ago (the stickers were still readable on the backhoe and loader buckets). I had sat on several different colors of tractors, but the 3320 was different. Things were actually designed to work together, not just a hodge podge of this and that bolted to a frame.

I got no regrets buying that tractor.

 

[kiotiken]

The number one rule in buying a tractor is SHOP, SHOP, SHOP, make sure you look at every brand and every color and every feature. The number one rule about a dealer offering you 95% of what you paid is STOP SHOPPING and TAKE THE DEAL!!!!!

I just went through the EXACT same thing with Kioti. My CK30 wasn't keeping up to me. My dealer offered me 94% of what I paid 1 year and 158 hours ago. I now have a DK45 and let me tell you, the suspension seat is just the beginning!

 

[cartod]

I have put 32 hours on my 2 week old 3320 and am very pleased that I decided to spend a bit more and get what I want. The power is impressive, the features and comforts are spoiling me (traded a JD 670).

Im glad I stepped up, and you will be too!

 

[murphy1244]

I have put 32 hours on my 2 week old 3320 and am very pleased that I decided to spend a bit more and get what I want. The power is impressive, the features and comforts are spoiling me (traded a JD 670).

Im glad I stepped up, and you will be too!

How many hours on the 3320?

 

[art]

You have advanced from not knwing what you want to having a better idea as to what you need to get your work done the way you want to. Now what is important is to remember that as the work gets done much of it might never need to be done again or only in small batches.

There are things like the roll bar not folding that will always be there but how far are you to having the garden beds done or the land you have wanted to clear? These things will and should make a difference as to the future needs of the tractor. To throw into the mix that you might not need all the weight when doing the different tasks you have left especially if you have been doing it with the tractor you have and the new one will be heavier to begin with.

 

[Ductape]

OK, so your dealer is doing you right on a trade. This time get the cabbed model and don't look back. Ok..... since it's your money I'm spending, go up a notch in HP and get the 3520.