My first thought is what dealer would deliver a tractor with an empty fuel tank. That to me is totally unacceptable. I was buying a Kubota 1211 zero turn and the dealer didn't want to fuel it up. I told him if he didn't put fuel in it, just keep it. He fueled it up.

 

To help answer that, pretty much every dealer around me.

Two different chain stores in two different states. LOL

My KS dealer typically delivers them on E, where my Oklahoma dealer generally delivers them with at least 1/4 to half tank of fuel.

Never had a new or used machine delivered full. LOL

I think it was nice they were willing to reimburse him.
I am thinking maybe I should try that next time I buy a new or used machine just to see what happens.
Who knows, I may not have been getting a full tank because I simply didn't ask for it. LOL
Could it be just that simple?

I will say I don't think tractor dealers get reimbursed by the manufactures the way that new car dealers often get reimbursed for filling the tanks on new car sales.

 

Thanks for the update. Please continue to keep us posted.

 

Wait, what! When the dealer delivered my 4R last summer it ran out of fuel during the delivery in the process of (starting to) show me a few features. The driver was only interested in me signing papers and taking off.
I figured putting fuel in something new was just limited to new car dealers. This was my first tractor and when the survey was filled out I mentioned the no fuel and the delivery guy left the tractor blocking me in. I was here alone and I couldn’t push the tractor up an incline, so the dealer said all tractor owners have yellow diesel containers!

I should consider this dealer very generous, they did get me a new John Deere decal for the front loader tube seeing that the installer likely drank his lunch that day and must have been a little sea-sick slapping the JD decal on.

 

As I did with my 3-series (which was traded for this tractor) and Z-Track mower (which we still have), I will be posting annual reviews of this 5045E for future buyers a used or similar new 5-series.

The tractor is a 5045E purchased new from Heritage Tractor, Smithville, MO. When I first saw it on the lot it had 0.8 hours, which was likely transport and delivery time. As most know, the 5045E is a 50 HP Tier IV tractor that uses an exhaust regeneration process to meet emissions. The new 5050E’s are in short supply due, so JD extended the 5045E an additional year, which is why you will see 2023 models even though the 5050E was announced in 2022.

The tractor an open station MFWD with the 520M loader and 14.9 x 28 Ag tires. Due to our trees and woods, a cab tractor was not an option.

The tractor was delivered with 1.2 hours, and an empty fuel tank. After adding a gallon of fuel, my first “drive” was to a station 4 miles that fortunately has Ag diesel. It took over 18 gallons, and the dealer said they would reimburse this expense, which was nice. I did find a 1/2 inch serrated lock nut in the cup holder, so hopefully it is not an omission from the loader installation at the dealership.

First Impressions: While almost the size of the 1964 3020 Diesel, it “feels” and operates more like the 3-series. I was able to get the hang of the 3/9 transmission quickly. The 14.9 rears fill the wheel-wells better than the 5045E that had 13.9s I was looking at last year.

The change from the 3025E was prompted not by “I bought the wrong tractor” but rather and additional 65 acres we added to our property. The final review of the 3025E is here. I anticipate that much like the 3025E, this 5 series will serve the farm well.

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Excellent review.
Love the pics.
It sure is a sharp looking machine.

 

The 3 cylinder 5E units do feel smaller than they actually are, particularly with the design update in 2018 where Deere moved the battery from under the hood to below the operator's right foot. This same physical tractor goes up to 75 HP just with a different ECU tune in the 5075E, which is why it would be about the same size as the 3020 as it's about the same power.

A 1/2 inch lock nut wouldn't be from the tractor or loader as all of the fasteners are metric.

The 3 cylinder 5E series can have up to 16.9-30 rears and you can put that size of tire on any of the 3 cylinder 5Es. If it's MFWD, you would need to use 11.2-24 or 12.4-24 fronts to keep the relative rolling circumference on the fronts within spec. You would also need to set the steering stops so the tires don't hit the side of the tractor (this does widen the turning radius compared to the front 9.5-24s used with the 28" rim wheels.) Your 5045E got the tire combination most often used on MFWD 5045Esl 9.5-24 fronts and 14.9-28 rears.

I got my 5075E from the same dealer chain but a different location. It came with a full tank of fuel. Mine had just under 10 hours on it. The employee that delivered it said they put all of their units on the dyno for at least an hour or two prior to delivery to break them in. I think they may have brought mine to at least one ag vendor fair as it had a laminated ring-bound brochure clipped to the steering wheel when it was on the lot. The others there did not have this. I remember seeing the dealer's display at the ag vendor fair the previous fall and they had a tractor that was identical to mine there and it had a similar or identical brochure clipped to its steering wheel. Perhaps they filled the tank because they used it as a display model and had to drive it on and off of a trailer a few times?

 

5045E is turning out to be an outstanding machine. Not sure if you've thought about it or not, but we went for the ROPS canopy on ours and it has been instrumental in not only allowing operation of the tractor during the ridiculous no-clouds days we've been having in east Texas the past month or so, but also has been handy for keeping branches from trees out of our face (the majority of our property is forested so we deal with that quite often).

Also, the canopy will eventually serve as a mounting point for LED work lights. At night, the headlights are basically worthless for seeing straight ahead. If the loader is more than 6 inches off the ground, the center bar blocks almost all of the light emitted from them; if you have a bucket on or anything on forks, you get no light past the loader.

 

i have bought tractors from the same group different locations....i guess i am direct but i always mention "full of fuel" as a final negotiation comment accompanied with a grin and have always received them full of fuel, no clue if it made a difference , as with any mechanical purchase these days take some time to look it over very closely and take extensive pictures for reference, i also do things like match mark bolts/nuts like lug bolts etc, check air pressure and fluids etc....much easier to do when it new and clean and for me its piece of mind and i do that any time someone else works on my machines

 

Thanks for all the kind words about the new tractor. As for the fuel reimbursement, I have been very pleased with this dealer. I also visited a recently opened dealer that was a little closer (AgPower, Richmond), but they didn't return phone calls or emails, which cost them the sale.

When I purchased the 3025E, it was delivered with a full tank as well. I actually didn’t expect the full tank, but the delivery driver said they always deliver them full and suggested I call my salesman. I appreciated the quick response, and hope this post puts a positive ”plug” for the Heritage sales team.

 

In the days of internet forums, a dealer that doesn't relate to "Word of mouth" is at a disadvantage.

Heritage vs AgPower Richmond... Who starts on a right foot ?

 

I walked into the dealer and the Sales Manager met me with the CASH for the fuel reimbursement, rounded up, and an apology for the oversight. Needless to say, when we get our next zero turn, it will be Heritage Green.

 

Installed the Pat's Easy Change...the Cat 1 version fit the lift arms of the "small" Cat 2 great using the small spacer and using in the bushing on the "swivel ball" end. And yes, they are level at mid-lift.

 

I deal with James RIver. They own several dealers in the multi state area. I find they do compete with each other. Otherwise, any Deere dealer (Ag, construction, L&G) can sell any Deere part so I'm well supported by Deere.

 

My dealer, Frontline Ag has been very good. I've purchased 4 tractors with them. There have been a few warranty issues, that they took care of quickly, always a full fuel tank, and some JD bling to boot. With my last tractor, I got a couple of small hoodies for my tractor loving grandson and my brother's grandson. Big smiles. Also broke in the buddy seat.

 

To be fair, they did give me a JD hat.

 

Mine (Everglades Equipment Group in Fort Myers) gave me a hat when I signed the papers which I thought was a nice touch but didn't really surprise me.

When I went back to look over the tractor before delivery, my salesman told to me pick out another hat plus a shirt, and he gave me a spare key! Lol.

 

This evening I picked up a John Deere 709 rotary cutter that should be a good match for the 5 series. This is a really heavy duty cutter compared to my JD 413, which is going to a new home tomorrow.

 

Be curious to see how she goes ....looks like it got a fresh paint job

 

One month and 10 hours in, Deere was out to work on a PTO that was killing the engine when engaged. Almost every attempt to engage the PTO resulted in the engine dying. While using a post hole digger last weekend, I had to restart the engine at least 50 times to dig four holes. The tech called and said, "the adjustable seat setting was too high" to which I respond, "We already tried that based on internet posts." After informing him that we had gone from very low to very high on the seat adjustment, he tried again, and sure enough, it did not engage. So, the issue had nothing to do with the seat adjustment, and the tech was back to square one. They did not call me back, so I am not sure if it is fixed or not, but from what I have read, this is a common issue and usually related to the speed sensor.

 

I'll be curious to see how this turns out. When engine stops with pto engagement, does it sound like engine is turning off as if key is turned off, or is it stalling like under load? Is pto coming on too quickly and stalling engine? Does it stall without an implement connected? In the past on 5e series, there was no connection to seat switch to shut engine down. The only thing that happened if pto was turned on while out of the seat was alarm would sound to warn you that pto was engaged. DOes your pto turn on with a switch or a lever? I am assuming the '23 year model made some changes to the pto circuitry.

 

The changes were made to how the ECU handles the out of seat condition. From the 5x10 series (and maybe a little earlier) to the MY2020 5Es, an operator being out of the seat when the PTO was engaged would sound the beeper but everything would keep going. From MY2021 onward, the behavior changed. There is now an override switch that has to be pressed within 7 seconds of the seat sensor no longer detecting an operator, else the engine would shut off (TSS transmission) or disengage the PTO but keep the engine running (PowrReverser.) The behavior is different between the two transmissions as the ECU can electronically disengage the wet PTO clutch pack to disable the PTO on a PowrReverser but has no way to disengage the completely mechanical PTO clutch on the TSS, so it kills the engine to stop the PTO.

All 5045Es have the TSS transmission, so they all have the mechanical PTO clutch engagement. The PowrReverser is only an option on the 5055E/5060E through 5075E models.

 

While doing the 10 hour inspection, I discovered milky coolant in the reservoir. My John Deere dealer has been called and is coming Wednesday to pick up the tractor.

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What is going on? It looks like oil is getting mixed in with it. If it ain't one thing then it's another.
Hope they get it resolved quickly for you!

 

The dealer is picking the tractor up at 7 am. My thought is the oil cooler or head gasket. I’ll post more once the dealer let’s me know what they find.

 

This evening I picked up a John Deere 709 rotary cutter that should be a good match for the 5 series. This is a really heavy duty cutter compared to my JD 413, which is going to a new home tomorrow.
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I bought a 609 like this in 2002 new. I had a 5310 at the time and it was a perfect fit. The 7 footer should be ok for your tractor but those are some heavy hogs. That's the best bush hog I've ever owned.

 

The dealer is picking the tractor up at 7 am. My thought is the oil cooler or head gasket. I’ll post more once the dealer let’s me know what they find.

Ok, keep us posted.

 

Two weeks and I am still waiting to hear what is going on. Last Monday I received a text from the service manager stating, “Running the tractor to do final checks…will deliver this afternoon or tomorrow morning.” Apparently the final check didn’t go well, as they still have the tractor.

 

John Deere is returning the tractor to our farm today! The service department thinks someone put oil into the coolant tank prior to delivery. They could not find any evidence of leaks, so the coolant system was flushed several times and has tested out OK. Of course, I will be watching things closely.

 

It's been almost two years since I took delivery of the 5045E. I've used the tractor to drill food plots, beans and rye, as well as general work around the farm. I've had no other issues since my posts in September 2023 and am happy with the purchase. I still need to get the tires loaded, but have yet to get that done! In this picture I'm delivering water to some wildlife tanks.