Strengths Great turning radus. I have the 62in mowing deck. I mowed a 1.5 acre hay field in mid summer, that had not been mowed this year. Went through it like a knife in hot butter. Very powerful.

Weaknesses Easy to tip over on sloping ground. ROP system needs to be able to fold down. I added (Auto.) driving lights to the ROP bar for better lighting.

Overall Very dependable, easy to use, all controls are very accessiable.

Strengths excellent for size machine on most all jobs, really a great lawn machine with 54" deck

Weaknesses lift arms get slow to lift on hot days, takes full throttle,dealer doesn't have any ideas? anyone else have this complaint? turn signals were easily damaged shifted them to inside of rops to cure problem, needs more lights needs folding rops, dropped one large tree limb on back of neck when first purchased, throttle friction nut loosened up, seat adjustment was very limited but track easily modified so 4'10'' wife can reach pedals 153 hrs presently

Overall added three inch channel iron to top of bucket with three grab hooks welded on to strengthen top of bucket and have somewhere to hook chains etc. plan to modify rops as in folding job on 5300 john deere.

Strengths This tractor will not give up. I have hauled loads of gravel with the front end loader and spread with the box blade. I have pushed up brush by the roots and dug large holes with the loader. This tractor will amaze you on what you can make it do and it never misses a beat

Weaknesses seat bottoms out and cuses rear implement lever to drag on seat. I heated uo lever and re angled it to clear the seat. I also filled the seat rubber springs with black silicone which made the seat less prone to bottomming out. I added a ammo box on the side roll bar and it looks factory. I also made forks with a slide bar so I can use the loader as a fork lift. I plan to add lights on the roll bar front and back and also a 12 volt plug. I added a clevis hook to the bucket to hook a chain to for unloading or picking up items like motors. I also added a trailer hitch to the box blade for moving my trailer. contact me for more details cribcooler@sbcglobal.net

Overall love it and look for any reason to use it. Makes my life so much easier.

Strengths Strong & stable, engine quieter than gas. Tons of torque. Heated Curtis cab is great. 4x4 operation during snow removal is great, no chains!

Weaknesses Seat is terrible, bottoms out on even terrain. Lights are useless. Overkill on safety interlocks. No temp. gauge. Yellow handled levers are weapons. Awkward fuel filler cap. Excessive heat pours up right under seat in summertime. Leaves clog exterior grill. 3/bag grass collection system is shamefull. No folding ROP. Metric stinks, this is SAE America. You take American dollars, give is American bolts!

Overall You know, I have owned this for 2 years. All the things I mention above I thought were maybe "just me"....until I found this forum. Let me summarize: Does JD hire toll-booth school dropouts? Does anybody ever USE this equipment at JD? Ergonomically this is a train wreck. Whoever at JD said that this was tested and approved for manufacturing should be setting pins at my local bowling alley!

Strengths This is a lot of tractor for the size. It is very manuverable, and will get into a lot of tight spots that you couldn't with other tractors. I recently purchased a 4.5 acre lot which needed a lot of work, and this tractor has done everything I've asked of it, from grading my 1/10th of a mile driveway to tearing out a fence the previous owner put in. I have worked this machine hard, and I have gotten it into some tight spots and some very deep mud. I have been able to extract the machine each time under it's own power.

Weaknesses Without a doubt the biggest weakness is the placement of the oil filter. I admit that I have been rough on this tractor, but the location of the oil filter seems to scream out "break me". I have smashed the filter twice resulting in a new filter and new fluids each time. It is very exposed to damage by rocks or logs you may drive over. The only other weakness I have found has been the rear lights, which will break instantly if you drive near any trees or branches. Other things that people have mentioned (seat, bucket control) have not been a problem for me (you have to finesse the seat and I get in on the opposite side from the bucket control so I don't get caught on it).

Overall Overall I am very pleased with this tractor and the amount of work it can do. The weaknesses I posted above were caused by myself, and probably wouldn't apply to someone else.

Strengths Very strong and powerful for it's size and turning radius with mower surpases the older 400 series. Ease of attaching loader.

Weaknesses Needs more lighting all around and toolbox along with a 12v supply (for sprayer etc.). Seat lean back too far. When in rear most couple positions the seat strikes the seatbelt brackets. Grill collects way too much grass/leaves. PTO selector lever too high (catches on you as you exit seat. HOME FIXES: 1/2"x 3" plywood long enough to span the seat bottom with 2 3/4" dowels cut long enough to not bottom out when inside the rubber seat springs. Fasten each dowel with one screw properly spaced so each fits inside the rubber springs. This gives the seat about an inch rize in the rear without loosing the spring action and also gives clearance for the seatbelt brackets. Fabrication of a sheet metal shroud around the bottom and part way up the sides and front of grill (staying about 2-3" forward of the grill) helps the grill blockage problem. Cutting the PTO lever off so it is just above the fender still gives easy access and eliminates the problem of getting caught on it as you leave the seat. If you experience a condition where the amber flashing lights and turnsignals do not work but you hear the flashers. The problem is a diode shot. ROPS bar NEEDS to collapse!!!

Overall Needs to be re-engineered ergonomically to make it user friendly.

Strengths I here alot of mower use for this machine and how great it is. I bought the machine strictly as back hoe front end loader. The dealer tryied to talk me into a bigger tractor. I live on a heavy sloping lot with lots of obsticals in the way and I needed a machine to finish my escavating, dig a propane tank, 400' of drianage ditch, footing fo 60' retaining wall, 30 stumps from 4" to as large as 22" oak, finish drive and move 15 600lb to 900 lb boulders from the top of my hill with out flipping over, plus plowed my 200' dryway and my neighbors 700' drive all last season with a jeep 7' jeep plow that I modified by taking the bucket off, made forks to take my docks out too. All this was done 112 hours on the machine today. I couldint be happier, this little johny is a great machine for the homeowner. I had it for almost a year and i still look to see if there is another better machine for around the same price that could do all this and fit in my yard without destroying the grass, hitting the house, flip over and manuver around all my trees. The answer is I haven't seen one yet. It might not cut it for every day commercial work but its outstanding for the weekend warrior.

Weaknesses turning the seat around sucks

Overall I love the machine i can't wait to finish off a few thing around the house, then its time to buy collection system.

Strengths Easy to use with lots of power. Attachment & removal of FEL is quick and easy. Imatch has made 3-point implement attachment a dream. You do not even have to get out of the seat unless you need to attach the PTO. MMM atachment is also easy, and I like all the grease zirc points on the MMM.

Weaknesses The lights are all but useless if you are using the FEL, BUT under the left rear fender wheel is a prewired connection for installation of ROPE lights. It is connected to the light swicth on the the dash. It is powered up when you turn on the healights. I would recommend installing a cutout switch for the ROPE lights. I bought a weatherproof plastic electronics box fm Radio Shack and modified to fit a weatherproof switch. I used the directional blinker mounting hardware to mount the box onthe ROPE. Ran the wiring up through the Rope bar. I did have to drill two holes to mount the lights, but there is already a hole in the center of the bar on top to bring the wiring through to connect to the lights. Fairly straight forward task and cost only about $30 for the entire project. I have also had an issue with tearing off the directional blinkers on the ROPES, but again JD has a metal gaurd that you can purchase to protect them. This should came standard.

Overall I have found this to be a fantastic tractor. I initially was looking at a larger framed tractor when I was clearing and leveling my property, but when that was completed I would use it mostly as a lawn mower and small FEL jobs(i.e. moving firewood, dirt, ect..) I went ahead and bought the 2305 and have never looked back. It is the perfect size for mowing and has the power to tackle the larger job (although a little slower.)

Strengths I have had my 2305 for a little over a year now. I routinely mow 10 acres of pasture with a bushog, with no prob., Also have a bowblade and have found the 2305 more than up to the task. Also have a auger with a 6" bit and have dug around 475 holes with it. Just bought a FEL and after the first day of use have found it very capable. This machine starts every time and is good on fuel.

Weaknesses Well, the hydro filter is totally in the wrong place have knocked it off twice so far. A foldable ROPS would be very nice. It would be nice to have independent brakes, but so far this hasn't been a big deal. Had a rear wheel fall off due to undertightning at the factory, the throttle control had to fixed due to the friction nut coming loose. A bit bouncy on uneven terrain, If your going to use it during low light times additional lighting is a must. But, The linkage that joins the drift arms in the rear lift broke with auger usage (Okay that one was my fault). But, All problems where handled by the dealer (Although with the hay season in full swing here it took a week the last time), But other that that service was prompt.

Overall Well, It's not a big tractor. And yes there are some little things I would change. But overall it has been a great performer. And with the lighter weight of the tract it is easier trailer it as well.

Strengths Just got the tractor and used it about 2 hours. Bought it with a front loader and rear blade primarily to take care of the half mile road into my place that was severly rutted. I was simply amazed at what this little tractor will do. Moved dirt and rock as well as my neighbors skid loader. Very pleased with it.

Weaknesses Haven't found any.

Overall Great tractor for the money!