It's even more capable than I thought when I bought it.
Great things seem to come in small packages and the John Deere 313 has been no exception. Bought for our ranch operation in 2016, it has proven to be a reliable and tough little machine. I bought the unit second hand with a clean-up bucket and 84-inch dozer blade for clearing snow from our driveway.
Mine has a heated cab and the Quick-attach as well as a standard hydraulic system which can churn out 15 gpm. I will admit, however, that this has so far been the only downside, as most auger attachments seem to work better with the 15-25 gpm high slow system.
Other than that, I have nothing but good things to say. The heater works great in the cab and it feels like Hawaii in there even in -35c weather.
Cold weather operations are no problem for this little unit... Provided you keep it plugged in when it's cold out, just like any diesel it likes to be warm. I like to let it run for a while especially when it's cold out before I press it too hard. But once it's warm it'll take anything you can throw at it and just smile and keep on going.
Standard servicing is simple and quick and this little unit actually shares some common parts with our tractor. That was a big bonus for us as it means we don't have to keep nearly as many parts on hand.
We've not had any unscheduled downtime on the 313 to date. so reliability has been 100%.
The size allows it to get into some smaller spaces which has come in handy on a few different occasions. That being said, our little 313 packs a lot of punch in its little frame, and it had no problem moving a round bale. I don't recommend trying that though without the optional counterweights.
We will definitely be hanging on to this little beauty for a long time.