3320 vs 3520 & hydro vs reverser

[area123]

basically I have 3 choices from the dealer. 3520 w/ hydro for 21750, 3320 w/ hyrdo for 20275, or w/ reverser for about $800 less.

I am actually considering the 3520 but is it worth the $1500 just for the extra 5hp? I will be running mainly a 5' brush hog and a 5' box blade, and a pto tiller for gardening so I don't think I need the extra 5 horses for that really, everything else is the same as far as lift capacities & weight, etc. I know it is a turbo vs non turbo on the 3320. Is it worth it for the little extra hp alone?

I don't think I"m really considering the reverser although on the 3320 the hyrdo will take a month to get and I don't want to wait that long.. So it's really a 3520 hydro or 3320 reverser.

 

[RoyJackson]

You've really kind of convinced yourself, haven't you?

As far as the reverser vs hydro...well, a reverser is pretty quick and you don't need cruise control or keep your foot on the hydro go pedals. All the tasks you've listed require a steady speed...just up the reverser's alley.

Now, your decision...want the reverser or do you want to wait that month? Choose wisely....you'll have this machine a long time.

 

[foggy1111]

You've really kind of convinced yourself, haven't you?

As far as the reverser vs hydro...well, a reverser is pretty quick and you don't need cruise control or keep your foot on the hydro go pedals. All the tasks you've listed require a steady speed...just up the reverser's alley.

Now, your decision...want the reverser or do you want to wait that month? Choose wisely....you'll have this machine a long time.

Yep.....I wanted a Hydro....and waited to find a good one...passing by a few good PR's during my search. IMMEDIATELY upon buying my Hydro, I injured my back....and now I cannot operate the Hydro without unbearable leg pain. :laughing::laughing: Ironic....I could be operating the PR tractor. :ashamed:

As Rosanna Rosanna Danna sez.....it's always something!

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

As far as the reverser vs hydro...well, a reverser is pretty quick and you don't need cruise control or keep your foot on the hydro go pedals. All the tasks you've listed require a steady speed...just up the reverser's alley.

I'm going to disagree with you on this one Roy. It seems to me for bush hogging / tilling and constant PTO speed is required with many variations in speed as one starts / stops / maneuvers. I think even for box blading a serious argument exists in favor of the eHydro.

I just finished mowing 2 acres. Set the PTO speed and after that ground speed was fast / slow / stop whatever required. Unless I totally misunderstand Power Reverser and I thought I test drove a MF with one, I just can't picture mowing / bush hogging with the engine running at constant PTO speed, selecting one (ore more gears) that is going to produce some set forward speed and then having to push in the clutch every time I needed to slow down for anything.

Maybe it has happened, but I just don't recall any one on TBN who bought a Hydro and then said - "I wish I'd gotten the Power Reverser instead"

Anyway - just an opinion, but it's mine and I'm sticking to it.

 

[UnclePaul]

I have a 3720 cab with eHydro. Which I have fallen in love with. I really wanted the cab, (you can only get the cab with the eHydro) most of my work is ether plowing snow or mowing fields. In general I don't like the idea of "automatic" vehicles. I have two Ford F-350 with 6 speed manual and would not have it any other way. But after mowing and being able to vary speed with out slipping the clutch or letting the mower slow down. In my opinion the eHydro is the way to go.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would go with the 3520 and the ehydro and never look back. On a compact tractor the ehydro is a great asset.

 

[ORCM]

basically I have 3 choices from the dealer. 3520 w/ hydro for 21750, 3320 w/ hyrdo for 20275, or w/ reverser for about $800 less.

I am actually considering the 3520 but is it worth the $1500 just for the extra 5hp? I will be running mainly a 5' brush hog and a 5' box blade, and a pto tiller for gardening so I don't think I need the extra 5 horses for that really, everything else is the same as far as lift capacities & weight, etc. I know it is a turbo vs non turbo on the 3320. Is it worth it for the little extra hp alone?

I don't think I"m really considering the reverser although on the 3320 the hyrdo will take a month to get and I don't want to wait that long.. So it's really a 3520 hydro or 3320 reverser.

For the price that you list, what options does the 3520 have?

ehydro is well worth the money..:thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm going to disagree with you on this one Roy. It seems to me for bush hogging / tilling and constant PTO speed is required with many variations in speed as one starts / stops / maneuvers. I think even for box blading a serious argument exists in favor of the eHydro.

I just finished mowing 2 acres. Set the PTO speed and after that ground speed was fast / slow / stop whatever required. Unless I totally misunderstand Power Reverser and I thought I test drove a MF with one, I just can't picture mowing / bush hogging with the engine running at constant PTO speed, selecting one (ore more gears) that is going to produce some set forward speed and then having to push in the clutch every time I needed to slow down for anything.

Maybe it has happened, but I just don't recall any one on TBN who bought a Hydro and then said - "I wish I'd gotten the Power Reverser instead"

Anyway - just an opinion, but it's mine and I'm sticking to it.

I don't till, but I do brush cut and mow. Until you come to the end of a row (for lack of a better term), there's no need to use the clutch. Unless you have cruise on that hydro, you will need to maintain a pressure on the go pedal. Not so on the gear/PR tranny (throttle is set). No box blade here, but one of my early tasks (several years ago) was redoing the drive with a rear blade. Again, the throttle was set, gear to fit the task selected (remember, you don't have to shift gears...you select a gear for the task and prtty much leave it in that gear) and away I went. Same thing with a field I'd raked...

As far as this comment: "Maybe it has happened, but I just don't recall any one on TBN who bought a Hydro and then said - "I wish I'd gotten the Power Reverser instead"
Well, as much as I enjoy TBN, I don't let others influence my decisions...or select something just because it's "popular"...do you?

But it is your opinion, and you, like all TBNers, are welcome to voice it...

 

[jenkinsph]

As far as this comment: "Maybe it has happened, but I just don't recall any one on TBN who bought a Hydro and then said - "I wish I'd gotten the Power Reverser instead"
Well, as much as I enjoy TBN, I don't let others influence my decisions...or select something just because it's "popular"...do you?

But it is your opinion, and you, like all TBNers, are welcome to voice it...

Are you sure about that Roy? When I was growing up everyone had gear tractors, myself included. When you were growing up gear tractors were popular and ehydro was nonexistent. I suspect this drives your resistance to the ehydro because it's not that you have used one for five years and after this amount of time still don't like it.

I will give you this much, the first time I used a PR tranny it was like night and day compared to a crashbox and I felt it was a terrific improvement. Made boxblading much easier to do, increased the tractors manueverability and so forth. Today the ehydro has taken this several steps farther and allows for infinite speed changes in realtime. You really need to spend some time on an ehydro to see what your missing. Recognize that alot of us ehydro fans grew up on gear tractors and if we didn't find the ehydro easier to use we would all be going back to gears.

I did use my 820 for about 6 hrs last week and it worked flawlessly harrowing out the pastures, had a good time with it.

 

[nforktractor]

Power Reverser is my choice. How do you brake right / left if you have e-hydro?

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Power Reverser is my choice. How do you brake right / left if you have e-hydro?

The turning radius is quite small - not sure how much the average user would need to use a brake to turn sharper.

But if you have to.....................

Simple - flip the between pedal lock and press the left or right brake pedal with the left foot.

 

[area123]

For the price that you list, what options does the 3520 have?

ehydro is well worth the money..:thumbsup:

No options, just the hydro & bucket. I guess those are options.. I thought it was a little high for only having an extra 5hp over the 3320.

 

[area123]

btw-What would be the comparable NH model? I saw an ad for a 1510 package w/ mfwd, loader, trailer & brush cutter for $16,9. This would be the price for a similar 3038 package but I think the 1510 is a little larger than the JD3038/32. I think the 1510 package had a manual tranny though.

 

[foggy1111]

Some folks feel the 25 PTO HP...as found on the 3320.... is adequate to run their implements. Myself included. However if you do heavy snow blowing and lots of HD PTO work the extra HP (as found on a 3520 and 3820) may be nice. It's typically thought that the compact tractors run out of traction before they run out of HP on ground engaging work (discs, blades, plows and such). FWIW

Another factor is that the 3320 does not have a turbo and a few more cubic inches. Pro's and Con's to both engines.....but I don't see a need for the turbo....just something else to make noise and a potential service issue at some point. (ok....I said it )

Myself? I'd rather put the extra bux into more accessories (grille gaurd, hydraulic outlets, HD bucket, etc) than buy ponnies I may not need.

Choose carefully.

 

[ORCM]

No options, just the hydro & bucket. I guess those are options.. I thought it was a little high for only having an extra 5hp over the 3320.

So 21750 for an ehydro 3520, with a 300x, or cx? What area of the country are you in?

 

[area123]

Some folks feel the 25 PTO HP...as found on the 3320.... is adequate to run their implements. Myself included. However if you do heavy snow blowing and lots of HD PTO work the extra HP (as found on a 3520 and 3820) may be nice. It's typically thought that the compact tractors run out of traction before they run out of HP on ground engaging work (discs, blades, plows and such). FWIW

Another factor is that the 3320 does not have a turbo and a few more cubic inches. Pro's and Con's to both engines.....but I don't see a need for the turbo....just something else to make noise and a potential service issue at some point. (ok....I said it )

Myself? I'd rather put the extra bux into more accessories (grille gaurd, hydraulic outlets, HD bucket, etc) than buy ponnies I may not need.

Choose carefully.

excellent ideas. I will not ever do much snowblowing being in OK, although we did have a couple of 5+ inchers last winter, maybe even 10" at one time. But it normally melts in 2 days and I could use my angle blade on that. You're right about the traction, my little 790 had about 24pto HP and it ran everything I have just fine through some very rough stuff, like brushhoggin through 1"+ sumac patches and honey locust, etc. I don't ever recall running out of power.

Doesn't the laoder come with the grill guard? You think for less than $1500 I could get a set of tnt hydraulics on the rear?? That would be awesome for my landscaping work.

 

[foggy1111]

excellent ideas. I will not ever do much snowblowing being in OK, although we did have a couple of 5+ inchers last winter, maybe even 10" at one time. But it normally melts in 2 days and I could use my angle blade on that. You're right about the traction, my little 790 had about 24pto HP and it ran everything I have just fine through some very rough stuff, like brushhoggin through 1"+ sumac patches and honey locust, etc. I don't ever recall running out of power.

Doesn't the laoder come with the grill guard? You think for less than $1500 I could get a set of tnt hydraulics on the rear?? That would be awesome for my landscaping work.

The loader comes with a "light duty" grille guard. The better one will cost you about 250 more or so. You can get one set of rear hydraulics for a couple of hundred. A (non deere)hydraulic top link is about 200 IRRC.....but I'm not sure what a Deere top and tilt would cost you.

If you go to JD's website and get into the models your looking for you will see the "configurator" which allows you to see and price all the options. Then you know what you want and the prox MSRP when you go see the dealer.

I think you should spend some time there.....you'll get a chance to do some soul searching on options.

 

[beppington]

... a reverser is pretty quick and you don't need cruise control or keep your foot on the hydro go pedals. All the tasks you've listed require a steady speed...just up the reverser's alley.

Also just up HST's alley! I love cruise control! Lets me drive my tractor with just my left hand if I want to. Or my right foot. And at any forward speed.

 

[jeffster]

A (non deere)hydraulic top link is about 200 IRRC.....but I'm not sure what a Deere top and tilt would cost you.

I was looking at upgrading to add a Deere TnT kit on my 3520. This is straight from an email from my dealer:

LVB25511 Diverter Kit $1,299
LVB25312 Top & Tilt $1,023
Setup Cost $248

Hope this helps.
-Jeff

 

[soulasphil]

Last year I got a 3520 and am very happy with it. It copes with mowing, hedge trimming, bush hogging , tilling, log splitting and about everything on the property. I am very pleased with the turbo for the easier starts and extra stamina. I chose the Power Reverser over HST though both were immediately available and the price difference was minimal because I thought it gave a better handling of the tractor. I have never had reason to regret the choice.