I would advise that you look hard at a JD 5320 (used) or the newer 5325 if you want a Deere. The difference between it and the 5303 or 5305 is quite a bit. I bought a new 5320 4WD and a 541 loader last spring. The 5325 came out about the time I bought the 5320...maybe I should have waited..tough call. The 5320 has a 3 cylinder with wet sleeves, the 5325 has 5 cylinders and in block cylinders..it also has more hydraulic pump capacity. I haven't seen the need for more pump capacity yet..but the newer model has it. The 541 loader has been changed a bit too..on mine the brace falls right at your headlight level and that sucks..the newer model has this brace lowered to fix that. Either way, it is a quick change loader...changing buckets, I cannot comment on..mine will never come off as I have no need to remove it. The tractor is advertised at 55 PTO horses, 64 engine...mine dyno'd 58 at the PTO before they delivered it. Complaints? Yeah, I have a couple: For one the steering ratio is too slow...make lots of turns on the wheel lock to lock. Second, it's too light...I think it supposedly weighs 5500 give or take a couple hundred. 7000 wouldn't be too much and 7500 about right. Last, spring for the creeper gears....when I put it in low gear, I want pure Bulldog...well, this one isn't. I don't need a bigger tractor in size if that was the case, I'd spring for 75 TO horse 5520-5525..you get more weight and more ponies and i like lots of ponies! But for my uses, a tractor that big is unhandy. That doesn't mean they couldn't put more iron in the 55 horse model SIZE tractor and a bigger engine..but they don't. I won't knock a Kubota, I think they are good machine. I just happened to have a great JD dealer nearby and went with green. Oh yeah, I paid $32,000 for tractor and loader, grill guard and weight platform up front, 9 speed synch shuttle transmission and tires loaded. Too much..hell yes, it's always too much!
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