I enjoyed reading your post and seeing how the tractor is handling what you need it too. The hood would irritate me after dropping the kind of money it takes to buy a new tractor. If that much paint has flaked off in a months time, you will have a black hood by the end of the year. I would think any decent dealer would insure that is repaired under warranty. I have knocked off some paint from the rear end of my tractor with a pressure washer getting to close but so far all the green plastic has remained green.

 

Not seeing any paint loss on mine. I do park inside and do my best to clean everything thoroughly after fueling. I am interested in your thoughts on the diff-lock function of you get a moment. Looks like you guys were hard at it this past weekend.

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The Ugly: The paint on the hood is peeling off. Good grief, the tractor is only a month old....

Some will say it's just a tractor but for the price you paid I would definitely contact the dealer. I suspect something went wrong during the painting process and it will only get worse. I believe those hoods come pre-painted so they should be able to order you a new one and just swap it out.

It's only $396.

 

I agree, when looking close at the picture it appears the paint has blistered. Green paint is expensive so I would want to keep as much of it on my tractor as possible. I have seen photos of hoods that has had rocks and so forth fall out of the bucket bouncing off the hood hard enough to make the paint chip however there was no blistering of the paint finish. Looking at the photos it kinda reminds me of the results gained when painting over oily surfaces

 

From working in a body shop for a couple years I echo the sentiments of others here that it appears that something went array during the paint prep process on your particular hood. It almost looks like in a couple of the smaller spots there was some foreign matter under the paint. I'm the least bit anal when it comes to these types of things but even I'd definitely take it back to the dealer for that.

Is cabin up in the mountains or at least some hills? Wondering if its worked on many sloping terrain as of yet and if so how it did? I'm considering a 3025 /3032 for improved stability compared to my 1023 on my own mountain property with some pretty severe grades/slopes?

Also would love to know how it does with a bushhog. I'm on the fence between a 3025 or 3032 only because of the supposed PTO HP difference. I'd be pulling a flail mower up and down my steep driveway.

 

I have had my 3025e a month as well and the paint has not chipped on it. I have had dirt fall on it too and no issue with paint yet so you may want to ask the dealer.

I do have a question. For some reason my hood catches on the fuel gauge when I open it and in fact rips it off. The plastic face of the gauge will pop off from the rest of the gauge (it is a weird setup). Mine went MIA yesterday when I was washing it because like a goober I forget it will catch on it. I am thinking its in the tractor some where but darned if I can find it...yet. Does yours do that?

Great pictures BTW. :bigthumb:

 

Hood needs to be adjusted, I did notice my hood will catch the fuel cap if the ridge is not pointing right/left of tractor, the gauge never catches.

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Responses:

I emailed the dealer, but have not heard a response. I'll drop by on the way home on of these nights, as I agree something is wrong with the paint prep, and I'll soon have a Black and Green tractor.

69project...my hood does not catch on the gauge...it seems to open and close normally. Hope you find your gauge face!

tommott77...the house is in a hilly area of NW Missouri where nothing seems flat. Compared to the old 8N (which is still at the cabin in the Ozark's, another place where flat ground is not to be found), the 3025E feels tippy....I am getting more comfortable with the feel on sideways inclines....up and down have been uneventful (as long as one remembers to engage AWD), however, the side inclines take some acclamation. Fortunately, I've kept upright, although on day one I almost found the limit the hard way! Since then, I added a ballast box which helped significantly with the stability and functionality when loading. I may fill the tires here in the near future, which will be helpful for those times I am using another implement. For the type of use you are mentioning, I believe the 3025E would do a great job.

Brushhogging is a breeze and I am not going through light stuff, but rather, heavy grass and lots of saplings clearing a property that has been neglected. I picked up a JD 417 4' cutter, and feel the tractor could have easily handled a 5 footer.

buckteeth445...this tractor is stored out of the elements as well. The JD ad shows gravel falling on the hood with no consequences...I've only had some dirt on mine.

 

I emailed the dealer, but have not heard a response. I'll drop by on the way home on of these nights, as I agree something is wrong with the paint prep, and I'll soon have a Black and Green tractor.

69project...my hood does not catch on the gauge...it seems to open and close normally. Hope you find your gauge face!

tommott77...the house is in a hilly area of NW Missouri where nothing seems flat. Compared to the old 8N (which is still at the cabin in the Ozark's, another place where flat ground is not to be found), the 3025E feels tippy....I am getting more comfortable with the feel on sideways inclines....up and down have been uneventful (as long as one remembers to engage AWD), however, the side inclines take some acclamation. Fortunately, I've kept upright, although on day one I almost found the limit the hard way! Since then, I added a ballast box which helped significantly with the stability and functionality when loading. I may fill the tires here in the near future, which will be helpful for those times I am using another implement. For the type of use you are mentioning, I believe the 3025E would do a great job.

Brushhogging is a breeze and I am not going through light stuff, but rather, heavy grass and lots of saplings clearing a property that has been neglected. I picked up a JD 417 4' cutter, and feel the tractor could have easily handled a 5 footer.

buckteeth445...this tractor is stored out of the elements as well. The JD add shows gravel falling on the hood with no consequences...I've only had some dirt on mine.

Thanks for the reassuring vote of confidence. The dealer I got a quote from is saying that he's selling a bunch of these, all with 5' implements, and everybody loves them.

Do you happen to be into aircooled cars and watercooled tractor with the '356' moniker?

 

Paint Update

I received this message from the dealer:
"Sorry I didn’t get back with you yesterday. I talked with my service manager and we opened up a warranty ticket and got a new hood and decals ordered yesterday. I should see those parts Friday. Is there a day next week that works best for us getting that hood swapped around?"

I'd say that was a quick and positive outcome. Since I am out of town the first part of the week, it will be Thursday before the new hood is installed. Yeah!

 

I received this message from the dealer:
"Sorry I didn’t get back with you yesterday. I talked with my service manager and we opened up a warranty ticket and got a new hood and decals ordered yesterday. I should see those parts Friday. Is there a day next week that works best for us getting that hood swapped around?"

I'd say that was a quick and positive outcome. Since I am out of town the first part of the week, it will be Thursday before the new hood is installed. Yeah!

Sweet!

 

The dealer came yesterday and installed the new hood and one side of the decals...the other side was to arrive today. I was impressed that they said, "We promised we would be back Thursday with the new hood. When the one decal did not come in, we decided it would be worth a second trip (which was today) to ensure your tractor looks great."

Of course, I've already gotten it dirty! Kudos to Heritage Tractors, Kearney, MO.

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:munch:i like ur bucket hooks-:mocking: ur the first one that i have seen to have the same type hooks i do.:banghead: but i have no center hook like that--yet. i have a screen across the top of my bucket to protect my hood while loading dirt-oh. just dang nice bucket hooks:good2:

 

End of the Year Update

The 3025E continues to perform as expected. I've added a few implements during the year, and plan to add a rotary tiller before planting season. So far, the tractor has started reliability in all weather (down to 0 degrees) without a block heater. After eight months, I feel this is the right tractor for our 20 acre homestead. It's used frequently, but often only 5-15 minutes at a time, so I'm still just under 50 hours. There are other members with far more hours on their 3E series tractors who can speak to reliability better than I can.
The Good:
Size: Just right. Maneuverable, big enough to get the job done but small enough to fit in our garage and lean-to shed.
Power: 25 HP is not always 25 HP. This motor has lots of torque, and has been adequate for all tasks, which include brush cutting, post hole digging, hauling, lifting, dirt and gravel moving, etc..
Reliability: No issues so far
R4 tires: A good balance. Sure, I like Ag tires (have them on my Ford 8N), but these are better than I anticipated, and don't mess up the grass and yard.
Hydraulics: More is always better, but it's been enough to do the jobs needed.

The Bad:
Paint issues when new. Dealer replaced the hood which was turning black.
Lack of storage. The "glove box" is a joke...true, its better than nothing, but really...more storage is needed.

Once I do the first hydro service (it's almost time), I'll post another update. Of course, if anything arise between now and then, I'll post whatever arises.

 

The 3025E continues to perform as expected. I've added a few implements during the year, and plan to add a rotary tiller before planting season. So far, the tractor has started reliability in all weather (down to 0 degrees) without a block heater. After eight months, I feel this is the right tractor for our 20 acre homestead. It's used frequently, but often only 5-15 minutes at a time, so I'm still just under 50 hours. There are other members with far more hours on their 3E series tractors who can speak to reliability better than I can.
The Good:
Size: Just right. Maneuverable, big enough to get the job done but small enough to fit in our garage and lean-to shed.
Power: 25 HP is not always 25 HP. This motor has lots of torque, and has been adequate for all tasks, which include brush cutting, post hole digging, hauling, lifting, dirt and gravel moving, etc..
Reliability: No issues so far
R4 tires: A good balance. Sure, I like Ag tires (have them on my Ford 8N), but these are better than I anticipated, and don't mess up the grass and yard.
Hydraulics: More is always better, but it's been enough to do the jobs needed.

The Bad:
Paint issues when new. Dealer replaced the hood which was turning black.
Lack of storage. The "glove box" is a joke...true, its better than nothing, but really...more storage is needed.

Once I do the first hydro service (it's almost time), I'll post another update. Of course, if anything arise between now and then, I'll post whatever arises.

I am at 86.7 hours. I agree with the above and would like to add:

Seat belt is challenged. It doesn't like to retract or always stay buckled (even with careful attention paid while buckling). I probably need to take the tractor in on warranty for it but I use it too much to have any down time right now.

Surprisingly, I have been able to shove more into the little storage space than thought possible but you are right there is not enough of it. I am also not a big fan of the cup holder. It is not deep enough. I always lose my water bottle.

Otherwise the tractor has done everything I have asked of it. I used my PDH 300 a lot this past summer and the tractor handled it just fine, even with a 12 inch bit.

Great tractor! Make sure you get both hydraulic filters when you do your service as well as a good funnel for putting in the new hygard.