Of all the tractors we tested, the John Deere 5090R was one of the smallest in physical stature. With a measured wheelbase of 2.29m and 2.72m height, it will fit into compact sheds and passageways on Irish farms. First impressions were good from a stockman’s point of view.

Maximum power for this tractor is advertised as 92.9hp from the four-cylinder 4.5l diesel-only John Deere PowerTech PWX engine. It performed well in our dynamometer test, producing a maximum PTO power of 91.3hp with 27.3% torque reserve.

Cab comforts

There is plenty of light and glass in the cab. Visibility upwards and over the bonnet was excellent thanks to the one-piece windscreen. There is also the option of a panoramic roof which really helps visibility to the loader.

At full height, maximum loader lift height was measured as 3.65m to the bottom of the loader quick-hitch. The windscreen stretched to the roofline which was especially helpful when the loader was raised.

The absence of a dashboard behind the steering wheel added to the view forwards to the wheels. This has migrated to the A-pillar on the right, with particularly sharp graphics to avoid squinting on sunny days.

It was obvious John Deere engineers put a lot of thought into this tractor in terms of view to the loader, wheels and front linkage where fitted.

This tractor comes with B-pillars, meaning the doors are hinged from the “middle” pillar and are independent of the side windows. On a tractor of this size this is beneficial as working around yards, feed barriers and cattle, wide glass doors can easily get damaged or broken.

We also liked the comfort of being able to open the side windows to allow fresh air flow through the cab.

John Deere tractors are known for their simplicity of operation and “get in and go” user friendliness. This tractor is no different.

On the right-hand console, a stubby orange lever controlled gear selection. There are three transmission options in this tractor range, with direction changed from the left-hand reverser or loader lever where fitted.

CommandQuad Manual and CommandQuad both have four powershift gears in four ranges, the latter with auto function. Command8 has eight powershift gears across four ranges, all changed without clutching and easily selected by nudging the lever forwards or backwards.

Pressing the alphabetical buttons beside the gear lever selected the gear ranges, with automatic range change also selectable. The latter transmission option is controlled from the optional CommandArm-mounted electronic joystick. This technology has migrated from the larger John Deere tractors.

We found this transmission easy to use and had smooth quick gear changes even under load. For almost all tasks, we had the gear lever sitting in the “auto” position. Start off gear, forward to reverse gear and direction-change sharpness can also be adjusted depending on customer preference along with other useful functions.

Located on the right-hand console beyond the gear lever is a rotary knob for adjusting functions through the primary display unit (PDU+) on the A-pillar. Some of these are engine, hitch, transmission, engine-load anticipation for PTO work and tractor maintenance – an extensive menu to say the least.

To make quick changes, there are six blister-buttons of the most popular parameters beside the rotary knob. We found this more convenient as it avoided scrolling through the entire list for what we wanted. For operators in a rush or not that interested in adjusting numerous parameters, these were a welcome sight.

The rear hitch is controlled by the familiar black hitch raise-lower console, which is simple to use. Tractors fitted with the CommandARM get electronic loader and hydraulic spool valve control whereas the tractor we had was specified with manual hydraulic levers. These worked fine and were easy to pull and push depending on the job.

Lastly, behind the hand throttle was a small blister-button control pad for 4WD, differential lock, lights and beacon. A small LED denoted which function was activated, which was easily overlooked given its small size. Cab storage was good considering the tractor’s size, with space on both sides of the driver seat, behind the passenger seat and sizeable external toolbox.

The tractor is by no means short of external specification either. Front axle suspension, front linkage and PTO, factory-fitted front loader and cab suspension are some of the external options available.

Loader on, loader off

The 543R front loader fitted to this tractor has a lift capacity of 2.2t and is controlled from a joystick. This can be either controlled by a cable which is bolted to the driver’s seat or electronically, depending on spec level.

A neat feature of this loader joystick is the direction change button which would be very useful during yard duties. Operators can still use the left-hand reverser if they wish. Oil supply to this loader comes from a 117l/min hydraulic pump – for a tractor of this size this is more than enough. Gear change and loader suspension can also be controlled from here, making for a good loader combination.

Removing and reattaching the front loader was simple and took very little explaining from John Deere. Once we lowered the stands, released the large retaining pins and popped off the multi-coupler, we were clear. Lining up for reattachment was made easier as the brackets were in clear view at all times.

Walking around outside the tractor we notice something missing – an AdBlue filler point. This tractor complies with emission regulations using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF). This will be welcomed by farmers as it means they just need to have diesel in the yard, not Ad-Blue.

This tractor is fitted with a one-piece bonnet to access the engine. Releasing this allowed decent access to the cooling package and engine bay considering the size of the tractor.

The engine oil dipstick-which doubled as the engine oil filler and oil filter can be reached without opening this. With the loader attached and in the fully lowered position, we still managed to get an air hose in behind the radiator and coolers, which swung forward.

Above this, the engine air filter is held in a plastic chamber released by undoing four small clips. A transparent radiator expansion tank sat snuggly behind this on top of the engine.

Moving around to the right-hand side of the tractor, the master switch for the battery was tucked in under the cab floor. A brilliant location out of harm’s way and a great addition, only it would be just perfect were it on the opposite side. Beneath this, battery terminals were clearly marked for jump-starting another vehicle. Rear axle oil is checked with a dipstick and the filler neck is just left of the toplink bracket.

Lift capacity on this tractor is a very respectable 5.3t, with Headland Management Sequence (HMS) available as an option. The hydraulic couplers are angled downwards, which is unusual. This didn’t impede or add difficulty attaching implement hoses.

Flow control is positioned above these for convenience and can be reached from the cab if needed. Visibility to the hook-ends could best be described as ideal as the operator is sitting so close to the back window. Hooking up to a trailer was very straightforward thanks to the telescopic hitch.

Yard duties

Driving this tractor in a yard environment was a pleasure thanks to the automation and instruction from a John Deere representative. The tractor had a great steering lock.

We measured its turning circle as 9.25m – the lowest of all the tractors we tested. If we had any criticism of the tractor it was how light on its rear wheels it was when lifting a bale of silage. The combination of short wheel base, light overall weight of 5.62t and substantial front loader meant a counter weight had to be carried on the rear linkage. John Deere did provide this which rectified the issue immediately once attached.

Lighting test

This tractor didn’t disappoint when it came to the lighting test. On the front, there were four work lamps in the roofline with a further two in the beltline of the tractor.

The headlights were positioned high at the front of the bonnet. The work lamps worked very well apart from one small dark area thanks to the loader’s hoses blocking the light-beam on the right-hand side.

On the rear of the tractor a total of six adjustable work lamps were more than sufficient for even the darkest of nights or sheds. Four lamps face rearwards with two facing outward which illuminated a large area.

Conclusion

It was hard to find fault with this tractor in terms of design or beneficial features to the farmer. It’s compact enough for yard work yet has the power for a lot of tasks on the dairy, beef or mixed farm.

The only criticism we found which was worth a second mention was the weight distribution when using the loader. Lifting just one bale of silage had the rear wheels slightly scuffing the ground, not to mention what would happen with two on the front. The loader has the lift capacity but a counterweight will be needed to keep an even keel. The obvious advantage is this weight can be easily dropped off for other work.

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