The Maple Mansion

Did I Really Need a Tractor?

I did not originally plan on buying a tractor. Even though my dad and I agreed to get a bandsaw mill, I had convinced myself I could use my Massimo 500cc side by side with a harbor freight winch to pull out logs from the woods and drag them to the mill.

There are plenty of folks out there who rig up contraptions to transport saw logs with a four wheeler. Then, they have another system to get the logs up on the bunks of the sawmill. I suppose we could have tried that route, but holy cow that would have been tedious and time consuming!

It really wasn’t until I started looking into food plots that I began to think about getting a tractor. I had a guy come out and give me a quote to clear about 2.5 acres of forest so I could plant a food plot. When he came back and told me it would be $12,000 I had to look for another option. I certainly didn’t have 12K just sitting around.

As I started to weigh my options, buying a tractor started to make more sense. To begin with, 12K was almost half way to buying a tractor. If I ponied up enough $, I could buy a tractor, clear the land myself, and then use it to help with the mill. There was also the added benefit of being able to get a loan to pay for the tractor, instead of trying to find a bunch of cash upfront.

Did I really need to buy a tractor? YES! As much as I try to rationalize how I could have gotten away without buying a tractor, the reality is there is no way I could have done all of things I have so far and plan to do in the future without my John Deere 3038E.

Why I went with John Deere

After watching a boat load of YouTube videos talking about and comparing John Deere, Kubota, and New Holland I came to the conclusion that they were all quality tractors. They all have minor differences that in reality didn’t seem to make much difference. It was kind of like deciding between a Hoyt or Mathew’s bow. I went with a Hoyt because the grip felt better in my hand, not because I really believe it’s superior to a Mathew’s. (I hope the guys in my archery league don’t read this!)

In the end, I went with a John Deere because of nostalgia. When I was growing up my dad’s uncle used to refurbish John Deere tractors and take them to tractor shows. I played with toy versions of John Deere tractors as a kid and always dreamed of having my own John Deere. Plus, you get to wear that iconic green and yellow hat without being a posser.

Why I got the John Deere 3038E

First, I started to look for a used tractor. In 2022 supply chains were still disrupted because of Covid. I knew used cars expensive and hard to find, and I was about to find out it was even worse with tractors. There was virtually nothing available less than 20 years old. I found one guy in Michigan who was refurbishing used tractors, and he had a waiting list. When they were available, they weren’t that much cheaper than a new tractor.

There is a John Deere dealership on the way to The Maple Mansion, so I stopped in to see what they had. I also wanted to try one out since the last time I was on a tractor I was two years old and sitting on my dad’s lap.

When I went to the dealership I was planning on getting the 3025E or maybe the 3032E mostly because they were cheaper than the 3038E. I didn’t have any frame of reference for what a tractor with 25 horsepower engine could do compared to one with 38. The only reason I decided to go with the 3038E was because there was one unclaimed 3038E arriving in a couple weeks and I would have had to wait 5-6 months for a 3025E or 3032E. I’m sure glad I got the 38 instead! I’ve come close to maxing it out, and I don’t think I would have been as happy with a smaller engine.

Must Have Attachments

I do have a sprayer that connects via the 3 point hitch in the back, but the two attachments I use the most are the bucket and the pallet forks.

Before I got my tractor, I was concerned that switching attachments would be a pain. That couldn’t be further from the case. John Deere uses a hook and pin quick connection system. With very little practice I was able to switch from the bucket to the forks in a couple minutes.

All you have to do is position the top of the loader arms under the hooks on the attachment (see picture above),tilt the implement up (see video above) and put the pin through the post that is now seated in the lower part of the loader arm (see video and pic below). That’s it, just make sure when you take off an attachment you do so on relatively level ground. If you don’t, it can be tricky to line up your loader arms with the hooks.

The Bucket:

My tractor has a front end loader that came with a bucket.

The area in front of the mansion is pretty uneven. The first thing I did when I got my new tractor was learn how to use the bucket to level out the ground and dump a load of dirt. It brought me back to the days of playing in the sandbox as a kid, and it was everything I hoped it would be. A buddy of my from Ohio was up that weekend, and we spent that afternoon playing around with the tractor and moving dirt around.

The bucket really came in handy when building the garage. As you can see in the picture below, we needed to move a lot of dirt to level out an area for the garage floor.

The bucket does much more than just move dirt. I use it to haul all kinds of things around the property including my generator and firewood.

The Pallet Forks:

The bucket is great, but the real stars of the show around the mansion are the pallet forks. I got these forks from Titan Attachments. They are strong, adjustable, and cost a fraction of the John Deere brand.

Putting in acres of food plots by myself has been a lot of work and ongoing task. Without the forks, I would never be able to clear out all of the logs and branches.

Getting logs to the sawmill and on the mill bunks was one of the main reasons I bought the tractor in the first place. Gently setting down a log on the mill with the forks sure beats using an under powered side by side and a wench!

When I needed to fill a water hole I put in, I was able to use the forks to move the water cube.

The forks are also great for moving lumber from the mill to the jobsite. I could use my truck bed, but it’s just easier to load them up on the pallet forks. Plus, when lumber in on the forks, I can raise and lower it to the height I want.

The forks have even come in handy for a few tasks I hadn’t anticipated. When we were putting together the bandsaw mill, we used to the forks and a chain to lift the motor assembly on the tracks.

One year the forks even did work as a makeshift buck pole.

Would I Buy It Again?

I would certainly buy this tractor again! I’ve never once regretted buying it. Of course there have been a few times I wish I had a bigger tractor, but it doesn’t matter what size you get that will always be the case. That’s why the conventional wisdom is to buy the biggest tractor you can afford. The fact is, this tractor has been a work horse around The Maple Mansion, and without it I simply could not have done many of the projects I have so far!

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