John Deere 1026R or 2520 for 10 acres?

[Stefanowich]

Hello, I'm new here and need some help with the same ole question....which tractor do I get?

This will be our first tractor so I have a lot of questions. We're closing on a foreclosure the end of Feb which has 11 acres. One acre around house has been maintained but the other 10, previous horse pasture, is overgrown, mostly weeds, no trees, just over grown weeds and brush. We have 3 horses that we've been boarding so are very excited about moving out of the city and maintaining our own horses on our own property.

So my question....Is a JD 1026r too small for the job? I went to my JD dealer right down the road from me, he was very helpful but said with that much land, I'd be better off with a JD 2520. He said a 1026r would do the job, just take longer and that I'd be working that tractor pretty hard?

He gave me a quote for both:

JD 1026r with FEL (D120) and Frontier RC2060 Rotary Cutter for $16448 after taxes
JD 2520 with FEL (200CX) and Frontier RC 2072 Rotary Cutter for $20900 after taxes

A $4500 difference, which maybe in the long run isn't too bad but honestly, we're tight, we'll have to finance... a difference of $275 or $350 a month.

I've looked at Kubota's but honestly their pricing was very similar and I like the feel of JD more plus they are seriously 10 mins from my house. I've looked at used tractors but again are pricey and need to save the cash for other projects.

My wife prefers the 1026r (because of price), I like it a lot too but ****, those front tires are so small! I like the size for around the house, but the other 10 acres..I'm concerned. The 2520 I feel maybe better for us, but money is tight, love the size as it is still compact, just more hp, 72" mower instead of 60". greater lifting capacity. I don't want to tear up the yard either though so I go round in circles back to the 1026r. Small tires, too small, back to the 2520, round and round.

Also, another questions.... that RC2060 or RC 2072, can I use this to cut down the pasture without breaking something or should I borrow or rent a dedicated bush hog? The Kubota dealer said that I can so long as I cut as high as possible and then again set lower, worst case I'd burn a belt? Once it's cut down, won't be an issue.

Future projects..... drive way, hauling dirt, drilling fence post, hauling hay, etc. I told my wife with either tractor, we'll have to rule out round bales as there is no way with the 1026r and not sure about the 2520 with a 3pt hay spike?

Oh man.... any input would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Buppies]

I do not know what part of the US you are in but while shopping last year Kubota was cheaper than Deere by a few thousand dollars with Kioti being seven thousand cheaper on a 50 hp machine. MasseyFerguson was equal in price to Kubota. It would seem to me that you need a little larger machine to do what you need like 30-35 hp. If your ground is uneven or hilly the wider the better for stability. The LS machines are also spoken of highly. If you buy to small now it will end up costing you more later. Just my thoughts hope they help

 

[the old grind]

Rather than confuse by suggesting other models/brands(*) I say go with the larger of the two for this reason: if the smaller model comes up short you risk losing as much as the $$ difference, and getting jobs done, on the way to getting something with enough power. Plan for the biggest implement you'd use, since a big tractor can be throttled back for the others. btw: Best used deals are commonly offered by those who started too low & soon lived to regret it.

*I guess you already know that 'satisfaction is often inversely proportional to distance from a reliable dealer'. ;-)

 

[newt92]

Chris, I guess my question here is did the dealer size up those mowers for the tractors or did you choose them? For a bush hog type rear mower, the 1026 is gonna want a 4'. 5' will be too much, now the 5' would be best for the 2520 but could handle a 6' if its not worked too hard.

I think the 2520 might be a better choice for what your wanting to do. You need test drive them, see if you can demo them both, there is a huge difference between the two tractors...

 

[DT86]

Some one mentioned on here the other day than no one ever regrets going bigger. So I'd say if you can swing the payments then go for the bigger one.

 

[dbaer78]

Have you looked at the John Deere 3005? It's a bare bones tractor but offers slot of power for the money. Don't let me confuse things though! Good luck!

 

[chevyman29]

the 2520 is a good little tractor that will surprise you with how much work it will do . i loved mine . i will say if you look and have the time to wait you can good some great deals on a used JD . my cousin just got a 2 yr old low hour 4320 for 20,000 otd . out of the two tractors mentioned go with the 2520 without a doubt . as for the rotory cutter i would check the used market for a nice used one . probably save a few bucks . good luck and enjoy that property.

 

[94BULLITT]

I would go with the 2520.


The build and price is down on kubota but I think you could proabably get a L3200 Kubota 4WD, with a loader and rotary cutter for close to what the 2520 is. You would have a tracotr capable of safely moving round bales then.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6787235

 

[bigtiller]

I just traded from a 2305 to a 2720. It is expensive to trade up. The difference between the 1026 and 2520 is one is for mowing the yard and the other is for mowing the YARD .

 

[kiotiken]

I think they're both too small. I'm on my 3rd tractor in as many years and I can tell you, you're better to do it right the first time. I started with a used JD 955 but after lots of mechanical trouble bought a brand new Kioti CK30. After 1 year, I traded that for a Kioti DK45 and I finally have the right size tractor for what I do with it, and I'm only on 3 acres.

I can tell you're set on JD and you're also tight on budget. That's not a good combination. JD makes great tractors, but you pay for it. I really think you need to be in the 40 hp range, and with Deere (other than the 3038E - not a huge fan of that one, very light weight, very few features and doesn't spec out to any of the competition I was looking at) you'll pay a lot more than the quotes you got. On the other hand, Mahindra, LS, Kioti etc will give you the tractor you need in the price range you're looking at. Except for the 1 acre of lawn that you have, weight is going to be your friend, I'd look at some of the bigger, heavier options.