John Deere's New 2027 5E Utility Tractors Explained

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Tony Kramer: Hi, I'm Tony Kramer, your host of the Agriculture Technology Podcast. In this episode, I talk with Mark Davey about the new model year ‘27 lineup of John Deere 5E utility tractors.

With that, like I said, we are talking utility tractors today. There's a lot of new, awesome pieces that are coming out for the model year ‘27 5E lineup. But before we dive into that, I want to welcome Mark Davey to the show. Mark, why don't you tell us a little bit about who you are, what you do, and how you got to where you are today?

Mark Davey: Sounds good, Tony. Thanks for having me today. Yeah (I’m) Mark Davey, go-to-market manager for our small tractor business. I manage our compact and utility tractors basically from 25 to 75 horsepower. I've been with Deere for 30 years now. So it's been a nice, long ride of a lot of innovation and this exciting new tractor is right up there with the best of them. So, we're excited to talk to you today.

Tony: Yeah, well, again, thanks for coming on. Great long tenure with John Deere, 30 years. Congratulations on that. Really excited to talk about this new lineup, the model year ‘27 lineup of 5E tractors.

Now, obviously on our show we talk a lot of the large ag, we talk all over the place, but this time we are going to focus on that utility size tractor and a lot of exciting things coming to it. But before we talk about the new model year ‘27 features, why don't you give our listeners just a little overview of that 5E lineup, maybe some of the sizes, the options, as well as some of the use cases. Where are these 5 Series tractors being used out in the wild?

Mark: Yeah, sure. So the 5E three-cylinder models, they range from 50 to 75 horsepower. And they come in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, and both in open station and cab form. So, a lot of different variety to be able to match up to price points and applications and jobs that you're going to be wanting to do.

These fit very well in many different areas. So anything you're operating, PTO in that 50 to 75 or 40 to 60, 65 kind of range more realistically in the PTO operation. And then just being able to get into a utility tractor gives you more capabilities, more weight, and more lift capacities to do more work.

We find a lot of small property, large property owners, rural lifestyle, we might call it sometimes that have, two to 10, 20 acres, and obviously sometimes larger than that. They've got a lot of jobs they want to get done, a lot of times livestock. So being able to work with animals and feed them and take care of all the different things that come along with that. These are a great size tractor to be able to do a lot of those different activities.

Tony: Yeah, so it's really that in between, we're not talking the smaller CUTs (compact utility tractor) of kind of the a lot of focus on the property owner, but we're not talking the 6s or 7s or 8s (tractor series.) It's that happy medium, that middle ground of maybe you are, maybe you do have some livestock or maybe you're a larger property owner. You need a little more than the CUT can offer, but you don't need quite as much as what that say seven series is going to offer. So it kind of bridges that gap. And that's one thing that I've always appreciated about the John Deere lineup of tractors from that 1 Series CUT all the way up to that 9RX large ag tractor. You guys at John Deere, you come to the market with an option or solution for everybody out there.

Mark: Yeah, that's right, for sure. And that's why we make so many different options to give you a variety of price points. and lift capacities and just overall capabilities. We've got a great lineup, like you say, from A-Z to cover all those different applications.

Tony: Yeah, and you talk about price points too. One thing that comes to mind is the operator station. These five’s can come, I mean, with a cab or without a cab to fit your operation based on what you're looking for.

Mark: Yes, absolutely. We've got all the different models available with different options like that. So, whether you need two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, a lot of times a two-wheel drive will do the job for kind of entry level applications, some entry hay activities and whatnot, moving bales.

But obviously if you want that four-wheel drive traction, we definitely got that too. and that gets you into more tough ground engaging applications, doing a little bit of tillage work, then that four-wheel drive is going to come in very handy to be able to do those jobs well.

Tony: Now that we kind of have a base overview of what that 5 Series lineup brings to the table, let's dive into what this new model year ‘27 lineup is going to bring and the changes that are coming along with it in this 5 Series lineup.

Mark: Sure. So, the biggest thing with model year ‘27 is a new eHydro™ transmission. It's John Deere's first application of a eHydro™ in a utility tractor. So that's pretty exciting. We've always stopped at the compact tractors, but now we're kind of taking that very proven, easy to use form of twin touch pedals and putting that in a bigger, more capable utility tractor form. So pretty exciting stuff in that. It'll be available in the 5060, 5067, and 5075E models. So those three models, the 5050E still is our entry level model that won't have that eHydro™ option. But we also keep in the lineup our synchronized transmission and our power reverser transmission. Those are two great options as well to round out the total offering. So this depends on the application. But that new eHydro™ is gonna make it super easy to operate. What's really cool about being able, one, you don't have to clutch, so you just push forward or reverse. And also, if you think about freeing up your hands, if you're doing loader work and steering at the same time, if you've got a power reverser, you kinda have to be able to learn to reach for that power reverser to go on reverse out of the loader pile and back up and do something. Now you're just using your foot to hit reverse, you can keep control of the steering the loader at the same time. So we find that cycle times on that in our early testing are going to be about 25 percent faster being able to do those jobs, saving you time, doing loader type work with this new eHydro™ transmission.

Tony: So, you talk about not having to, there's no clutch or reversers, things like that. For somebody that maybe has never gotten the opportunity to experience an eHydro™ on John Deere's compact utilities, what does it look like? How do I control this eHydro™ machine based on ranges, speeds, or you talk about the pedals on the floor? How does one operate this machine?

Mark: Right, yeah. So, there is a gear range still, so you would take off the park brake and select the gear and usually going to be operating in A or B are typical operating ranges. We also have C&D for faster speeds as well, and D obviously being primarily for transport. But once you select that A or B when you're doing a job, that’s going to put you in those lower gear ranges to lower speeds. And as you push the forward pedal, you'll start going forward. It's as simple as that.

And if you want to go in reverse, pivot your foot right to the right a little bit and you can push down on that. And it's an easy visual of a forward arrow and a reverse arrow. And they're both right there at your right foot, handy to use. You also have a brake on the left hand side. but just not that clutch that would typically be there on the left-hand side. So, it's very easy and quick to learn.

We find that it's one of the easiest tractors for new beginners to get in and really quickly and intuitively learn how to operate the tractor.

Tony: I can definitely say from my own experiences, I mean, learned how to drive a clutch transmission tractor when I was a kid back in the day. But when you get the opportunity to move into one of these eHydro™ transmissions, they are just so simple, so basic, so easy.

You pick that gear range and you have your two pedals. You talked about cycle times when doing jobs. The biggest thing that comes to my mind is loader work. Maybe you're doing some loader work moving around hay bales or maybe you're a landscaper or a property owner moving around materials. Super simple. You're not clutching, you're not shifting gears.

You're just, like you said, move your foot from forward to reverse or reverse to forward and it's everything is right there. So simple, so easy to use.

Mark: Yep, exactly. And the other thing that this opens the door being electronically controlled is giving you other smart features like cruise control. So think about out there mowing a pasture or something like that where you want a constant speed. It's super easy to push the set the speed and then go back to resume. We also have other functions like speed match. Whenever you use SpeedMatch™, it's simply locking in the top end speed. So say you wanted to mow it three miles an hour consistently and turn around at the end and just mash the pedal to the floor again and you're going three miles an hour again because you've set that maximum speed at 3 miles an hour. So it makes it super easy to turn around at the end and go back to doing that same speed.

We've got LoadMatch™. So talking about that loader work, you go into a heavy rock gravel pile and pick up a big load. You don't want that tractor to stall out. So this manages that engine RPM and makes sure that the tractor's not going to stall out and die while you're picking up a heavy load. It's gonna automatically adjust for that kind of stuff. So, some really cool things, even more than that, built into that electronic side of the hydrostat here. And you can also manage those things inside the new display.

So, the other thing that's new with model year ‘27 here is a new digital display. So you go right into that to be able to set these different types of functions of the transmission. MotionMatch™ is another one where you can decide how do you want the tractor to react. So in that loader work, you want it to react pretty quick, right? You go into a loader pile, you want to stop quick, go on reverse quickly. and you want those transitions to respond quickly to your changes in direction. But if you're hauling a wagon with some nursery trees or different things like that, you want to be careful not to jostle the load around. So, you're going to want to roll that out slowly and transition slowly. So, this new transmission lets you set that to the type of job you're doing right there in the new digital display.

So it's very cool that you can adjust that kind of stuff and really make that tractor operate like you want it to.

Tony: Yeah, that's definitely you touch on a number of different things that I was excited just about the eHydro™ transmission. I wasn't even aware of all of the LoadMatch™, the speed match, the cruise control.

All of that makes this eHydro™ transmission that much better. You made the comment about mowing ditches or mowing a pasture, being able to hit that cruise control and just let the tractor go, definitely well thought out features for the comfort of the operator.

Mark: Yeah, and that's what it is really about, is making them more comfortable and more productive, right? So it just, it makes, after you've done a long day of work, you don't get out feeling as worn out and just enjoy doing those jobs more.

Tony: Now on top of the big one of that eHydro™ transmission, you had mentioned the new digital display for making adjustments to all of that. I know there's a few other creature comforts or some feature added benefits to these new tractors. Tell us a little bit about those additional options for model year ‘27.

Mark: Yeah, sure. So we've got new LED headlights. So that's going to give you that brighter lighting, you know, early in the morning, late at night. Also, at the end of the day in that lighting system, we've got go home lighting now. So, you can set, you know, how long the lights stay on when you exit the tractor to, you know, park it in the barn, exit, and you got some lighting for 60 seconds up to, I think it's five minutes.

But again, you can set that in that new digital display. And then inside the operator station, we've got a smaller steering wheel that's more ergonomic, so it's easier to steer and honestly gives you a little bit more room because of the smaller diameter of the steering wheel and more swivel in the seat as well. So when you're thinking about swiveling and looking behind you, doing a rear type of application where maybe you're rotary cutting, like say, and you want to look back every once in a while, Having that swivel seat just makes it more comfortable and easier to look behind you and see how that job's going. So some little things like that we've added to it.

And then also more things inside that digital display is things like trouble codes and measurements of the temperatures, your oil, all that kind of stuff so that you can make sure you're staying on top of how the tractor's operating. And if you need to look up a trouble code, it's super easy to do that and then contact the local dealer about anything you might need to do from a maintenance perspective.

Tony: Yeah, and all of this, all these new features, this model year ‘27 lineup, this is all released and ready for order and customer purchase, correct?

Mark: Yeah, so we just rolled that out this week, actually. So dealers can now order these tractors for their customers. We've got information out on johndeere.com about the new tractors for customers to be able to look out there, and look up that information and learn more as well.

And these tractors will be shipping around the kind of December timeframe for the first ones starting to arrive. And depending on how quickly you get in the order queue, right, that'll go out from there. But some of the first units will start showing up in December.

Tony: There we go. That's perfect timing for us northerners to hook up the snowblower and take advantage of that new eHydro™ transmission when we're snow blowing the driveway. So perfect timing on delivery there.

Mark: Absolutely. I think it'll be good for that job. Yes.

Tony: For sure. Mark, if customers want to learn a little bit more about these new model year ‘27 5 Series tractors, Where can they go? Who can they talk to learn more about it?

Mark: Right. Well, obviously you as a John Deere dealer, they can reach out to you guys. And if you don't know who your dealer is, just look it up on johndeere.com. We've got a dealer locator out there to find your closest one. And obviously you guys are a great resource to talk through what are the jobs that the customer wants to get done and what's that right tractor? Because even if it's not these new 5Es, we've got a tractor for you no matter what. And then like I said earlier, johndeere.com We've got the new information on these new tractors out there on the website. We also put a video out on YouTube on June the 9th, kind of announcing this. So you can check out that new 5E eHydro™ video out on YouTube.

Tony: Wonderful. Well, I want to thank you, Mark, for taking the time out of your day to sit down and chat with me about these new model year ‘27 5 Series tractors. Great options, great features coming. That e-hydro, the first ever eHydro™ in the tractor that size, very exciting launch and release. So, thanks again for doing this, Mark.

Mark: Yeah, thank you, Tony. Take care.

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