JD 5205 or NH TN65

bmorris1 · Nov 14, 2001

I am trying to decide between a JD5205 MFWD w/JD loader and a NH TN65 MFWD w/NH loader.

Anonymous Poster · Nov 14, 2001

What kind of prices have you already been quoted... what are you mainly going to use the tractor for... what is your in budget today?

I have one of the tractors you're considering.../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

bmorris1 · Nov 14, 2001

For the JD 5205 = $23024
For the NH TN65 = $23888

I am replacing a Kubota L2550
I own 45 acres and horses. I mostly bush-hog,

cowboydoc · Nov 14, 2001

If cost is the same, relatively, then go with JD. Down the road resale will be much better. In my opinion the JD is a better tractor as well. JD is extremely hard to beat when you get above the compact designs. Their engineering and design I don't think is second to anyone.

ejb · Nov 14, 2001

I agree, not knocking the NH, but you save $800 out of the gate with JD and most likely have a better resale value down the road. If all other things are equal, I'd take the Deere.

Anonymous Poster · Nov 14, 2001

John Deere 5205 vs New Holland TN65

This is going to be a tough one to call…

Obviously from my signature, you can see I have the JD5205…

I have 157 acres and probably 75% of what I do is brush hog and a number of hog/plowing side jobs. I am constantly going over/though 6 to 8 foot high brush, so undercarriage clearance is a issue for me, but more importantly I didn’t want any hydraulic lines or wiring underneath to be destroyed… My John Deere fits that bill, I can’t remember the undercarriage of the New Holland, but I thought there was an issue of hydraulic line placement I wasn’t comfortable with… I’d have to look at a New Holland again to say for sure. For normal farming activities the NH wouldn’t be a problem…

I needed some good grunt PTO HP to keep that brush hog going and to go after 3 to 4 inch stuff without bogging down. I do cut fields of grass, but my main thing is real brush, small saplings, maples, oak, anything and everything that grows in the wild left unattended for 40 or 50 years and out of control stuff… that’s what I cut… The JD does it so well, I just upgraded and bought a 7’ medium duty rotary cutter…

The JD MFWD is extremely aggressive with solid dependable Carraro axles, I could climb up the side of a building if gravity wouldn’t tip me back over…, but the Italian made TN series looks very similar, but I have no experience either way.

On a side note, I also have a Satoh 22 ½ PTO HP tractor similar to your Kubota in hp range… you will have an immediate and lasting smile ear to ear whichever tractor you decide on by doubling your PTO hp.

I have mostly used Perkins diesels most of my life and tend to favor them, so I use them as one of my yardsticks. My JD PowerTech diesel uses between ¾ gal/hr. on regular everyday duties to 1 ¼ gal/hr. on serious consistent brush hogging… and with a 22.4 gallon fuel tank, it’s a while between fillings…/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif So, this JD diesel is basically a fuel sipper like my almost 30 year old Perkins diesel is. We’ve only had a few below zero degree days since I’ve owned it… it has started each and every time without the use of the use of any help, like a block heater or thermostart…. But talking with other PowerTech owners, they say up to –20 below hasn’t been any problem starting…

A good friend had a large garbage collection business that had a number of large Iveco diesels…it was mainly nickel dime stuff, but he said the parts cost for Iveco was excessive to gouging… I don’t know this to be the case with the smaller 3 cylinder Iveco’s used in the TN series. I actually like this engine.

Your quoted prices are very close together, making it harder to choose… the TN was actually a few thousand dollar higher spread when I made my purchase. Some slight advantages the TN has over the JD is higher gpm hydraulic pump {more hydraulic HP}, about 600 lbs. more bulk weight {great for ground engaging equipment, but will sip unnecessary fuel when mostly brush hogging, weight you can always add but can’t take off…}, fully synchronized transmission {JD only synch’d shuttle}, and in your case a very close purchase price. The main disadvantage of NH is trade-in or resale value… it just doesn’t come close to John Deere especially in our area… I wish it wasn’t that way, but I don’t make the rules…

All in all, your scales are slightly tipping toward NH TN65, but take a good look at underneath the tractor… you could possibly put skid type plates/guards to protect it better for brush hogging duties…

I wish you the best of luck on whatever you decide…

Robert_in_NY · Nov 14, 2001

The hydraulic lines do run from the loader to the rear remotes by going under the tractor but I have never had a problem with them as they are strapped up tight to the tractor. I go thru similar stuff you do John and my only problem is the level gauge on the loader likes to pop off when you back out of brush.

I do like your price as I paid $25k for mine TN 65 and at the time JD didn't have the '05 series to compare with. The NH engine is a great engine and I have no problems with that or the shuttle transmission which is a must if you plan on getting a loader, you really will appreciate it if you had to run an old loader tractor with no shuttle for years before. Good luck and talk to your dealers a lot and see which dealer you like better if it is too close to call on the tractors as the dealer is almost as important as the tractor. Later

Robert Turk Jr.
Whitetail Splendor Deer Farms
Silver Creek, NY

Anonymous Poster · Dec 16, 2001

...I am trying to decide between a JD5205 MFWD w/JD loader and a NH TN65 MFWD w/NH loader...

Well... don't keep up in suspense any longer... what did you buy...? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

bmorris1 · Dec 17, 2001

Well... I took delivery on Saturday of a JD 5420 MFWD with 541 loader, Shiftable SycnShuttle. We decided to get something large enough to pull a round baler.

Thanks for all the help.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 17, 2001

Congrats..... Well... what a pleasant surprise...! /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

You bought the latest John Deere brand spanky new and upgraded at the same time... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

What got you to jump ahead so far forward... besides the baler duties... and what was the final difference in cost on day one...?