loingrader
New member
Took delivery of a new open station (no cab) John Deere 3320 back in April. As I did research before ordering the tractor, there were questions I had a hard time finding answers to as well as what sized implements to buy. I thought I would share my findings for others in the same boat.
I wanted a 4x20 model tractor but couldn't justify the 25% price jump. Boy am I glad I got the 3x20 model. Everything I could ever want and more. I chose the 3320 because it does not have a turbo. I keep my stuff a long time and figured that by avoiding the turbo, it would be one less thing to worry about in the long run. This discussion has been hashed out many times before but I believe that a naturally aspirated engine is going to last longer than the same engine with a turbo. Less heat, less parts, less pressure. I have yet to wish or need for more horsepower. Even with R1 tires I run out of traction before I run out of HP. Best thing about the 3320 is that my wife can run it with ease and I never worry for her safety. Couldn't say that about my old ford 601 that this replaced.
Options I ordered on the tractor and list price (2010 model)
-e-hydro - $1000
-mid pto - $415
-dual mid and single rear scv - $350
-R1 ag tires - $0
-engine coolant heater - $72
-rear work light - $53
-rear wheel weights - $164
-72d auto connect mid mount mower - $3920
-300cx loader - $4610
-deluxe hood guard - $246
-61" bucket - $0
-third function hydraulic lines and hoses (for a bucket grapple) - $351
-bucket level indicator - $51
After 6 months and 150 hrs of ownership I wouldn't have changed a thing. It has never used any oil and it just sips the fuel. Hydro is great (JD nailed the design), 3rd scv is a necessity for me (but a fourth would have been close to $800 more), work light, hood guard, wheel weights, level indicator (great bang for the buck). The standard cruise works perfectly. I've never wished for the optional auto cruise (which allows incremental speed changes without touching the foot pedals). I also bought a seat cover for it for like $30 (LP95233). When I was reviewing the tractor's specs it seemed to be way too narrow. One reason I wanted the R1 tires is because they allow a wider stance when turned around. I haven't moved them yet because it is so dang handy being narrow. I can get this thing anywhere and it only get's tipsy if i'm being stupid (heavily loaded bucket raised way up high and going over ditches diagonally). Everything on this tractor is perfect, from the visibility to the comfort to the placement of the levers and switches to the seat. The only thing i wish it had was a toolbox somewhere (other than the plastic one over the left fender).
300cx loader is stout and easy to control. Will lift enough weight to get the rear tires very light without an attachment on the back. Heaping buckets of dirt or landscape rocks, no problem. Lifts quickly and effortlessly. The joystick loader control on the Deeres works great. I have a Markham grapple rake running off the 3rd SCV on the rear which is actuated by a lever close to the joystick control, which works really good too. The third function hydraulic lines and hoses option got me hard metal lines with connectors right up by the bucket and they are connected to hydraulic hoses that end right back by the 3rd scv and sit under the seat when not connected. I guess that these loaders are easy to remove but I wouldn't know. Mine has never been off. The quick connect buckets change out easy as pie though, I can attest to that.
The 72" quick connect mid mount mower (MMM) is great. On or off the tractor in probably 60 seconds tops. This is nice because it hangs low and will get you stuck much quicker if you get into mud. I put it on to mow and take it off when I'm done. Tall prairie grass or short yard grass. It does a great job. It is raised and lowered by the 3rd scv and runs off the mid pto. I would like it better if it was $2k instead of $4k. $4k will buy a nice mower, but I already have to maintain way too many combustion engines and a zero turn mower would have been one more. The hydro and short turning radius on the 3320 makes mowing a joy.
Non OEM attachments
-Markham 60" light duty grapple rake - plain jane
-John Deere 660 tiller
-Armstrong 6' box blade
-3 point disc
-3 point broadcast spreader 500lb hopper capacity
-Lorenz 7310 - 84" snowblower
Markham Grapple - The 60" vs 48" debate is hashed over on this website and others. I went with 60" for a few reasons. First, when I bought mine, they were priced the same. I couldn't justify getting less metal for the same price. If the 48" had been $100 cheaper I would have went that route and been perfectly content. Secondly, the 60" has more tines so they are spaced closer together so less stuff falls thru, and third, for all those times when I'm picking up gigantic piles of small branches and brush, an extra foot of bucket is very nice to have. In my opinion there is no reason to have more tines installed or beef up the tines as some people do. I wanted less weight (and thus more lifting capacity out of my loader) and even their plain jane light duty grapple is so stout I can't imagine any way that I could bend anything on it. I have lugged HUGE granite boulders with the thing, dug straight into pumpkin sized rock piles, carried stumps, branches, etc, and have done nothing but scratch paint (which was pretty poor to begin with). I placed some big granite boulders under my deck for a retaining wall, and it works great as a platform when cutting off tall branches and then hauling them to the burn pile. It will also dig up rocks and pull out fence posts pretty well. I paid $980 for mine from Markham and that includes the JD quick connects and some big skid steer connectors that I promptly replaced with the proper pioneer connectors (JD part numbers x4010-t6 and am102487).
John Deere 660 Tiller - i found this used with only a handful of hours on it for $900. It is a beast. Our soil is clay with granite rocks (marble to vw bug sized). This tiller is indestructible. It will dig up a basketball sized granite stone encased in clay and chuck it 15 feet. I tilled up many acres with this thing and never bent a tine. I have no idea how you could without dropping it from the sky. The tiller is 60 inches wide, offset to the right and the 3320 runs it like it was made for it. The tiller must have a pretty high hp rating because if a rock or wire gets jammed in the tiller, it will kill the tractor before the slip clutch in the pto shaft will spin. It will take sod with a lot of very tall grass or weeds and turn it into potting soil, usually in the first pass. Always within 2 passes.
Armstrong box blade - $350 used. this is a fairly light 6 foot wide box blade with 6 ripper teeth. It works great behind the 3320. The only time it is too much is if the teeth are all the way down, the 3 point is all the way down, and I start trying to rip up wet clay. The tractor will stall out if unless I nudge the 3 point up an inch or two. I knew the box blade would be handy but I was surprised how often I use it in reverse like a dozer. I'm always finding things to do with my box blade (moving dirt, spreading gravel, leveling, smoothing out dirt clods, digging up big rocks, etc). Another "must have."
3 point disc - i only list this because the one i have access to is made for a much larger tractor. I have no idea how much it weighs but it has to be close to 2000 pounds and about 8 foot wide. It is 3 times the disc that you would find at a TSC or other "farm store" type place. very heavy framed. plus it is almost as long as the tractor, so the weight is really hanging off the back of the 3 point a long ways. I honestly didn't think the 3320 3 point would even lift it. It did with ease and pulled it great too, but i left it in A (low) range.
3 point pto driven broadcast spreader - i think i paid $340 for this at Tractor Supply. i list this because some people use these tractors for landscaping. I bought the spreader to seed my yard and then for spreading fertilizer in the years to come. I spread out my kentucky bluegrass and it worked perfectly. It has an agitator in the hopper which helps when the hopper gets low on seed. They do not throw equally from left to right, so if you make passes going up and back, there will be some strips with heavier seed. after a month or so the lighter seeded spots blended in and you can't tell where they were.
Lorenz 7310 rear mount pto snowblower - $3275 - last year I spent countless hours burning the midnight oil in my father in law's big 150hp loader tractor moving snow. not this year. I have not used it yet but the full review will be coming soon. Wanted to post it here because it weighs 900 lbs but again the 3320 3 point lifts it easily. Lorenz says the fan (6 blades and 24" diameter) takes all the HP and that width of the augers doesn't make much difference so I got the widest one I could at 7'. Picked it up at the factory in Benson, MN. I had been scouring craigslist for a lorenz snowblower since last winter and never saw one like i wanted, so i bought a new one and it should last me my lifetime. Awesome design and impressive fabrication.
So far I have been lucky to not regret anything I have purchased for my 3320. I wouldn't change a thing!
-Bret
I wanted a 4x20 model tractor but couldn't justify the 25% price jump. Boy am I glad I got the 3x20 model. Everything I could ever want and more. I chose the 3320 because it does not have a turbo. I keep my stuff a long time and figured that by avoiding the turbo, it would be one less thing to worry about in the long run. This discussion has been hashed out many times before but I believe that a naturally aspirated engine is going to last longer than the same engine with a turbo. Less heat, less parts, less pressure. I have yet to wish or need for more horsepower. Even with R1 tires I run out of traction before I run out of HP. Best thing about the 3320 is that my wife can run it with ease and I never worry for her safety. Couldn't say that about my old ford 601 that this replaced.
Options I ordered on the tractor and list price (2010 model)
-e-hydro - $1000
-mid pto - $415
-dual mid and single rear scv - $350
-R1 ag tires - $0
-engine coolant heater - $72
-rear work light - $53
-rear wheel weights - $164
-72d auto connect mid mount mower - $3920
-300cx loader - $4610
-deluxe hood guard - $246
-61" bucket - $0
-third function hydraulic lines and hoses (for a bucket grapple) - $351
-bucket level indicator - $51
After 6 months and 150 hrs of ownership I wouldn't have changed a thing. It has never used any oil and it just sips the fuel. Hydro is great (JD nailed the design), 3rd scv is a necessity for me (but a fourth would have been close to $800 more), work light, hood guard, wheel weights, level indicator (great bang for the buck). The standard cruise works perfectly. I've never wished for the optional auto cruise (which allows incremental speed changes without touching the foot pedals). I also bought a seat cover for it for like $30 (LP95233). When I was reviewing the tractor's specs it seemed to be way too narrow. One reason I wanted the R1 tires is because they allow a wider stance when turned around. I haven't moved them yet because it is so dang handy being narrow. I can get this thing anywhere and it only get's tipsy if i'm being stupid (heavily loaded bucket raised way up high and going over ditches diagonally). Everything on this tractor is perfect, from the visibility to the comfort to the placement of the levers and switches to the seat. The only thing i wish it had was a toolbox somewhere (other than the plastic one over the left fender).
300cx loader is stout and easy to control. Will lift enough weight to get the rear tires very light without an attachment on the back. Heaping buckets of dirt or landscape rocks, no problem. Lifts quickly and effortlessly. The joystick loader control on the Deeres works great. I have a Markham grapple rake running off the 3rd SCV on the rear which is actuated by a lever close to the joystick control, which works really good too. The third function hydraulic lines and hoses option got me hard metal lines with connectors right up by the bucket and they are connected to hydraulic hoses that end right back by the 3rd scv and sit under the seat when not connected. I guess that these loaders are easy to remove but I wouldn't know. Mine has never been off. The quick connect buckets change out easy as pie though, I can attest to that.
The 72" quick connect mid mount mower (MMM) is great. On or off the tractor in probably 60 seconds tops. This is nice because it hangs low and will get you stuck much quicker if you get into mud. I put it on to mow and take it off when I'm done. Tall prairie grass or short yard grass. It does a great job. It is raised and lowered by the 3rd scv and runs off the mid pto. I would like it better if it was $2k instead of $4k. $4k will buy a nice mower, but I already have to maintain way too many combustion engines and a zero turn mower would have been one more. The hydro and short turning radius on the 3320 makes mowing a joy.
Non OEM attachments
-Markham 60" light duty grapple rake - plain jane
-John Deere 660 tiller
-Armstrong 6' box blade
-3 point disc
-3 point broadcast spreader 500lb hopper capacity
-Lorenz 7310 - 84" snowblower
Markham Grapple - The 60" vs 48" debate is hashed over on this website and others. I went with 60" for a few reasons. First, when I bought mine, they were priced the same. I couldn't justify getting less metal for the same price. If the 48" had been $100 cheaper I would have went that route and been perfectly content. Secondly, the 60" has more tines so they are spaced closer together so less stuff falls thru, and third, for all those times when I'm picking up gigantic piles of small branches and brush, an extra foot of bucket is very nice to have. In my opinion there is no reason to have more tines installed or beef up the tines as some people do. I wanted less weight (and thus more lifting capacity out of my loader) and even their plain jane light duty grapple is so stout I can't imagine any way that I could bend anything on it. I have lugged HUGE granite boulders with the thing, dug straight into pumpkin sized rock piles, carried stumps, branches, etc, and have done nothing but scratch paint (which was pretty poor to begin with). I placed some big granite boulders under my deck for a retaining wall, and it works great as a platform when cutting off tall branches and then hauling them to the burn pile. It will also dig up rocks and pull out fence posts pretty well. I paid $980 for mine from Markham and that includes the JD quick connects and some big skid steer connectors that I promptly replaced with the proper pioneer connectors (JD part numbers x4010-t6 and am102487).
John Deere 660 Tiller - i found this used with only a handful of hours on it for $900. It is a beast. Our soil is clay with granite rocks (marble to vw bug sized). This tiller is indestructible. It will dig up a basketball sized granite stone encased in clay and chuck it 15 feet. I tilled up many acres with this thing and never bent a tine. I have no idea how you could without dropping it from the sky. The tiller is 60 inches wide, offset to the right and the 3320 runs it like it was made for it. The tiller must have a pretty high hp rating because if a rock or wire gets jammed in the tiller, it will kill the tractor before the slip clutch in the pto shaft will spin. It will take sod with a lot of very tall grass or weeds and turn it into potting soil, usually in the first pass. Always within 2 passes.
Armstrong box blade - $350 used. this is a fairly light 6 foot wide box blade with 6 ripper teeth. It works great behind the 3320. The only time it is too much is if the teeth are all the way down, the 3 point is all the way down, and I start trying to rip up wet clay. The tractor will stall out if unless I nudge the 3 point up an inch or two. I knew the box blade would be handy but I was surprised how often I use it in reverse like a dozer. I'm always finding things to do with my box blade (moving dirt, spreading gravel, leveling, smoothing out dirt clods, digging up big rocks, etc). Another "must have."
3 point disc - i only list this because the one i have access to is made for a much larger tractor. I have no idea how much it weighs but it has to be close to 2000 pounds and about 8 foot wide. It is 3 times the disc that you would find at a TSC or other "farm store" type place. very heavy framed. plus it is almost as long as the tractor, so the weight is really hanging off the back of the 3 point a long ways. I honestly didn't think the 3320 3 point would even lift it. It did with ease and pulled it great too, but i left it in A (low) range.
3 point pto driven broadcast spreader - i think i paid $340 for this at Tractor Supply. i list this because some people use these tractors for landscaping. I bought the spreader to seed my yard and then for spreading fertilizer in the years to come. I spread out my kentucky bluegrass and it worked perfectly. It has an agitator in the hopper which helps when the hopper gets low on seed. They do not throw equally from left to right, so if you make passes going up and back, there will be some strips with heavier seed. after a month or so the lighter seeded spots blended in and you can't tell where they were.
Lorenz 7310 rear mount pto snowblower - $3275 - last year I spent countless hours burning the midnight oil in my father in law's big 150hp loader tractor moving snow. not this year. I have not used it yet but the full review will be coming soon. Wanted to post it here because it weighs 900 lbs but again the 3320 3 point lifts it easily. Lorenz says the fan (6 blades and 24" diameter) takes all the HP and that width of the augers doesn't make much difference so I got the widest one I could at 7'. Picked it up at the factory in Benson, MN. I had been scouring craigslist for a lorenz snowblower since last winter and never saw one like i wanted, so i bought a new one and it should last me my lifetime. Awesome design and impressive fabrication.
So far I have been lucky to not regret anything I have purchased for my 3320. I wouldn't change a thing!
-Bret
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