8 Reviews of the “John Deere 5065E”

1. Jim Jerabek says:

   November 27, 2015 at 3:24 am

   Performance
   Reliability
   Safety
   Overall Satisfaction

   Overall very satisfied. It does all that I ask it to do. Also very good traction on wet ground. Had some annoying water leaks early on due to loose hose clamps. It took about four times of tightening every one of them down but now seems to be good. I have owned this for two years and have 200 hours on it.
   

   Year of Manufacture: 13

   Pros: Easy to maneuver in tight spots. Power reverser a must for many tasks such as snow removal, moving dirt, back blade, etc. Seems to be fairly easy on fuel. Really like the economy PTO setting for mowing. The MFWD is a must, especially for heavier loader or pallet fork work. Cab is great, very good visibility, good ventilation and climate control in all seasons. Easy to start IF you equip it with the air preheater as well as the block heater. I use the block heater when air temperature drops below 20 degrees. Seat and steering column adjustments make it comfortable for anyone to use. Good lighting if you order the extra work lights front and rear. Love the extendable three point lift arms which make for really easy, one person mounting of rear attachments. Loader is easy to operate and controls are comfortable ergonomically. Love the medium duty Frontier 2284 back blade, do not equip with a light duty for this tractor as it will bend it quickly.

   Cons: Electronic gauges are not the best. I get an operator alert every so often with no indication of what system it is alerting to. No solution to this so far except to stop the engine and restart to clear it. I would feel much better with a full set of mechanical gauges. Radio does not keep time if tractor is not used often. Also, ground on battery tends to corrode if not serviced often.

   Attachments: 553 loader, eight foot hydro turn snow plow, medium duty Frontier 2284 back blade, MX8 semi mounted mower with hydraulic shift left/right, pallet forks

   Modifications: None except to add an extra set of hydraulic hoses to the loader front to accommodate the hydro turn plow cylinder. Also added an air horn as the factory horn is very anemic.

   Reply
2. M. RONAN. says:

   November 15, 2015 at 4:57 pm

   Performance
   Reliability
   Safety
   Overall Satisfaction

   Very good tractor and easy on fuel.
   

   Year of Manufacture: 2014

   Cons: The tractor came equipped with a large guard in front of the grille. It is designed to protect the front from damage from limbs of trees or other threats when using the loader. Nice option, except the horizontal bar is placed directly in front of the headlights! I removed the assembly and welded 2 bars of the same size, and finally cut out the original bar. Now I can see forward with the lights on. The dealer did not seem to be aware of the problem, and left it up to myself to come up with this modification.

   Reply
3. John Cowden says:

   March 12, 2015 at 2:50 am

   Performance
   Reliability
   Safety
   Overall Satisfaction

   I’ve used this tractor for minor ditch work and snow removal as well as brush hogging pastures and waterways. I may purchase a disc in the future to us in the garden.
   

   Year of Manufacture: 2014

   Pros: Comfortable cab that is reasonably quiet. The view from inside the cab is excellent. The front wheel assist is a must for loader work. I like the tight turning radius. The power steering is great even with a heavy load on the loader. The front of the cab fuel tank filler is very nicely placed. The joystick for the loader is very user friendly. The power reverse was very useful this winter while removing and relocating snow. This tractor seems to have ample power and all the power that I have needed. The service that comes with the Deere brand is the main reason for purchasing the tractor.

   Cons: The brake pedals are not placed ergonomically friendly. The rear wheel wouldn’t hold air when new. The dealer put a tube in one tire. The springs on the seat had to be replaced with new springs as the original springs were weak. The oil pressure sending unit wire will not stay on and scares me with a no oil pressure light while operating the tractor. The inside mirror doesn’t provide a very good rear view. There are only two speakers on the radio. I would rather have four speakers. I agree with the other owners that an indicator light would be nice to remind you that the front wheel drive is locked in. The tractor was low on antifreeze when I first bought it. The dealer had their mechanic fix any problems that I have had. The service has been real good. That is a strong point for buying green. I would like to have a rear windshield wiper but so far Deere hasn’t been able to get one that fits this model. I would have preferred a door on the right side of the cab as standard equipment.

   Attachments: 553 loader. MX7 brush hog and a woods 8′ rear blade. The quick hitch on the three point sure makes hooking attachments while alone an easy task.

   Modifications: I am moving the toolbox to a different location since it is in the way of lubricating the loader. I added aftermarket mirrors to the outside of the cab. I would also like a wiper for the back window. I have purchased two different ones that Deere said would fit but doesn’t fit the wiring harness in the cab or the holes in the back window.

   Reply
4. George Purdy says:

   March 25, 2013 at 4:23 pm

   Performance
   Reliability
   Safety
   Overall Satisfaction

   So far so good. Grrat tractor for the $.
   

   Year of Manufacture: 2012

   Pros: Easy to operate; enough power to push a 10′ bush hog with ease; I have a loader attachment for round bales; easily picks up and handles 6×6 bales.

   Cons: The MFWD needs an indicator light; the transmission in a little noisy; adjustable draw bar leveler a little difficlut to get right

   Attachments: 533 loader; 10′ bush hog; round bale spear-loader.

   Reply
5. Gregg Bell says:

   February 13, 2013 at 9:10 pm

   Performance
   Reliability
   Safety
   Overall Satisfaction

   Great! Would buy another. I love it at 45 hrs.
   

   Year of Manufacture: 2012

   Pros: Excellent running and easy to handle. All the controls and ergonomics are well placed and easy to figure out. Clutch, range shift and transmission all work smoothly and take little practice. Very comfortable ride and seating. As someone else mentioned, the joystick for the loader makes getting off and on the right side a little tight, but I just swing my leg over the steering wheel. A lot of tractor and capability for the $. I love the feel of the clutch, wet disc brakes and steering. Fuel consumption seems OK given mine is still in break in and I’m using it to grade roads, pull logs, haul old fencing, etc (I’m using it, not just driving it). Seems well made and the dealer experience was great too. Access to engine and service aspects is good (see dipstick comment below). Hook up is easy, but the drawbar leveling mechanisms are so-so (below). Great lighting and visibility for working; better than my old MF 35 even and this is twice as big.

   Cons: I wish the dash had an indicator for being in MFWD (4 wheel drive). t’s easy to forget as you don’t feel it in the steering and the lever/handle is out of eye sight, low on the left work platform. I’m actually thinking of painting a yellow band on the lever so that I can easily see that it is pulled up and MFWD is engaged. LIkewise for preheat, I’d like a dash indicator light. It’s hard to tell when you are preheating since you can push the key in partially without activating it. I wish the dipstick was not tucked in behind something; a pain to see in low light. Drawbar leveling mechanism is better on other modern tractors I’ve seen, but this is a lower end utility tractor. Fueling is hard with 5 gal containers due to the height of the rear mounted tank (I’m 6’2″).

   Attachments: 553 loader with pallet forks.

   Modifications: Front weight block, canopy, hood guard, rear liquid in tires. Rear work light.

   Reply
   • Gregg Bell says:

     February 13, 2013 at 9:12 pm

     Forgot to mention – minor hydraulic leak on the bottom of the steering valve. Dealer has already agreed to fix at 100 hr service.

     Year of Manufacture: 0

     Reply
     • Gregg Bell says:

       September 1, 2015 at 6:21 pm

       Performance
       Reliability
       Safety
       Overall Satisfaction

       After 2.5 years of use I’ve had minor hydraulic leaks and the injector timing was off causing smoking and hard starting. Although the dealer said the injector pump could not be timed, it was easy to advance (loosen 3 bolts on pump and rotate). Advancing it made a huge difference – better throttle response, no smoking after idling, quick starts, and more power. The grounds are TERRIBLE up by the battery. Both of mine corroded and caused problems. The large one caused cold start and charging problems and the smaller one caused my tack to appear “dead”. After replacing the whole instrument cluster and magnetic tach pickup I found the bad ground (and wasting $300). Both should be regularly checked and I advise using a lock washers to “bite into” the ground lugs when tightening. It should have come from the factory with good lock washers and more rust resistant hardware, but they don’t and they DO get loose just from vibration. Check regularly – if something is flaky it may be the grounds up there by the battery.
       

       Year of Manufacture: 2012

       Pros: see previous reviews, this is just a 2.5 year update

       Cons: see previous reviews, this is just a 2.5 year update

       Reply
6. Philip Byrd says:

   March 6, 2012 at 2:20 am

   Performance
   Reliability
   Safety
   Overall Satisfaction

   I’m an old die-hard fan of the 100 series Massey Fergusons. There have been several of these in the family and still use a 1971 model 150 that is still a good tractor. So far my experience with John Deere has been great and the 5065e has a great replacement for the 165 Massey Ferguson.
   

   Year of Manufacture: 2011

   Pros: Good visablitiy from the drivers seat with all controls easily reachable. Air intake heater makes for reliable starting in cold temperatures. Easy on fuel consumption for amount of horse power. Easy open hood makes for easy service to engine components. Longer periods between service with Jonn Deere oils and fluids. This tractor has better weight distribution, traction and just plain cheaper to run than the old 165 Massey Ferguson I had. The foldable rops, comfortable seat and seat belt gives the operator added safety confidence. Lighting is very good on this model. The front mounted head lights keeps flying insects away from the operator while lighting a long way out. The dealer installed rear work light provides almost as much illumination as the front lights. The standard warning lights, tail lights and turn signal lights are very good as well.

   Cons: This tractor has little more height than the old Massey, takes a little getting use to. I had to learn the independent pto and lift from the “live” version the old Massey had. The lift arm leveler is more trouble to use than those with the gear box and lever.

   Attachments: None, but would like to add the John Deere 553 loader.

   Modifications: Dealer added ballast to rear tires, rear work light, front weight bracket and so far unused block heater.

   Reply