John Deere 1025R compact tractor review

The green and yellow has been synonymous with quality farm rigs for almost two centuries, and for very good reason. There is even an age-old rivalry in the farming world – you’re either red or you’re green.

John Deere was founded in 1837 and has found its feet in almost every single corner of the world. Where there is farming, you will see a John Deere. The brand is simply known for its quality tractors and their ability to work for as long as you want them to.

Even though there is now a trend towards larger farm machinery as farm operations get bigger, the compact tractor market remains one of the most lucrative as hobby farmers are still swarming the market for smaller and more affordable units.

Understanding that, John Deere has put in a significant amount of effort towards refreshing its compact offerings in recent years, constantly releasing new updates and models in a bid to ensure the company remains on top of the tractor brand ladder.

John Deere’s 1-series tractor range is the smallest in its stable and has been out on the market for some time now, but is still finding its way on to farms around the country.

Farmmachinerysales.com.au was invited to check out the premium 1025R model in the 1-series, courtesy of Cervus Equipment Ballarat, to find out just what makes the green and yellow compact workhorse tick.

The 1025R runs a three-cylinder, Tier-4-compliant Yanmar TNV diesel engine that offers a 24.2hp gross output.

In addition to offering plenty of grunt to cover most small farm tasks, the engine also emits lower emissions to meet Tier 4 standards, uses less fuel and provides reduced vibration and noise for a more comfortable operation.

An easy lift bonnet allows quick access to the engine under the hood for cleaning and servicing purposes.

Transmission is a simple hydrostatic drive with two speeds and twin touch pedals: one each for forward and reverse that makes the tractor a simple machine to drive.

“If you think about an automatic car it's very similar, so what you do is select high or low on the transmission and select your throttle position and then put your feet on the forward or reverse pedal and away you go,” explained Cervus Equipment compact tractor sales consultant, Stuart McGregor.

The simple controls and transmission certainly come in handy for loading operations where plenty of forward and reverse movements are required. Operators simply increase engine revs as they drive into the stockpile to efficiently load the bucket, and then reverse out of the pile for unloading. And rinse and repeat.

The 1025R does not offer rear hydraulics but has a 13.2l/min hydraulic flow to the loader, allowing it to lift heavy loads.

“That's what people are chasing with loaders, the lift capacity,” McGregor said. “On this model, you'd be able to lift around 300kg on the front loader provided you rear ballast the tractor.

”So that's putting either, I'd suggest a rear ballast box on the rear of the tractor or have a mower on the back to help you lift off the front.”

There are two PTOs that come standard with the 1025R – rear and mid, with a front PTO available as an option.

The rear PTO speed is 540rpm which is sufficient to run the usual rear implements such as slashers, rotary hoes, and post hole diggers.

An optional iMatch Quick-Hitch three-point linkage allows quick and easy attachment of any Category 1 implement.

The 1025R is a truly versatile machine thanks to its ability to run a multitude of implements, even simultaneously.

The most popular ones are perhaps the 120R loader, and a mid-mount mower such as the John Deere 54-inch AutoConnect mower deck which Cervus Equipment had on site to demonstrate.

Attaching the mower is a very simple operation that does not require the operator to get off the tractor.

The operator simply sets the scalping wheels, have the mower ready on the ground, and drive the tractor over it at which point it will connect automatically.

Once the operator sets the mowing height, it is all systems go. As a safety precaution, operators are only able to move forward with the tractor with a mower attached. Once they hit the reverse pedal, the tractor and mower will shut down automatically.

A handy feature on the 1025R, that is not available on the base spec 1025E, is the cruise control function which means operators need not keep their feet on the pedal the whole time.

“Imagine you need to mow a property that's fairly large, the last thing you want to do is have your foot on the forward pedal all the time,” McGregor said.

“(With the cruise control) You can actually set a speed by pressing your foot down and then pulling a lever, and what it'll do is hold you at that set speed and you can just drive along and cut your grass. It's a very good feature.”

Other attachments that can be used with the 1025R include a backhoe, front blades and rotary brooms.

John Deere’s 1-series tractors come with an open operator station and a ROPS frame which can be folded down for storage or for when working around low hanging tree branches.

The tilt steering wheel is available on the 1025R, but not on the 1025E, and it allows the operator to adjust the steering wheel position to suit their needs.

All controls are colour-coded for ease of use, such as orange for drive and transmission and yellow for PTO functions.

The 1025R offers both 2WD and 4WD, which is easily switchable via a lever.

“If you are just going around the property doing a few things, you will have it in two-wheel drive,” McGregor said.

“You would select four-wheel drive if you are using it with implements like a mower or rotary hoe and you need extra grip on the ground.”

In 2018, John Deere added a few new user-friendly features on the 1025R to make life easier for the operator, including a push button to quickly fire up the rear PTO.

There are two tyre options available on the 1025R: turf or industrial.

“Industrial tyres are good for general purpose work, so if you're going to be in the paddock or in other areas where it's rougher, industrial tyres are really good for that,” McGregor said.

“But if you are a gardener or you've got a really pristine lawn and want to look after it a bit better, then the turf tyre is the way to go.”

The RRP for the 1025R sits at $18,990 including GST without the implements and attachments.

The loader retails for $5480 while the 54-inch AutoConnect mower deck has a price tag of $3950.

John Deere offers a generous six-year or 2000-hour powertrain warranty on their tractors, as well as a one-year warranty on the attachments, which according to McGregor is one of John Deere’s key selling points.

“The John Deere offers you, I believe, longevity,” McGregor said. “John Deere's been around for a long time and there's certainly been a lot of effort going into research and development on this particular model tractor as well as all the other John Deere tractors.

“In terms of reliability and performance, it's second to none.”

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