Purchase Advice/Opinions on 3x20 series

[Craig B]

I love this forum. I have gained a great deal of knowledge reading many threads. Thanks! I have had some minor problems with my 1981 JD 850 that were resolved with help in part from the forum.

Currently I am in the market for a replacement for the 850. My needs have changed slightly so I think a 3520 or 3720 would be the appropriate choice. What do you think? The uses I have are prioritized as follows:

1. Mowing- I live on 7 acres and keep 4 1/2 or so finish mowed. I currently use two tractors the 850 with a mmm and JD 430 with mulch kit for the finish work. I will need to cut another 25 acres 3-4 times per year. It was cut last year and is just tall weeds and grass. Think of it as very poor quality hay with no heavy brush or saplings.
2. Loader Work- I will move heavy items around, spread dirt/gravel. Also clean up a few down trees.
3. Box Blade-Maintain 400 gravel drive and infrequently some light finish grading of the yard.
4. Back Hoe-I DO NOT need one but I will not rule out owning one in the future. Everything I need to do I can accomplish with a FEL. But hey, who doesn稚 want one?



Questions:

1. I like the horsepower of the 3520 and the 3720 but would a 3320 do instead? What do you think? I plan on running a 6 bush hog and a mmm or a rear finish mower. Should I save my money on horsepower and spend it on implements? If I were only taking care of where I live a 2x20 series would suffice.
2. Would the above mentioned tractors operate the 6 cutter with authority? Or should I stick with a 5 since I wont be using the rotary cutter that often. My thoughts are if a 6 starts to bog I can make a partial pass. But, I will have the full 6 feet available for the thinner/shorter areas.
3. What size box blade is recommended for # 3 above? I have 0 experience with one so no idea. I have used a rear blade and a drag my father made from an old RR tie. It worked great except for the windrows that developed off the ends when the gravel piled up in front.
4. Does anyone have any experience with a mmm on these tractors? I am thinking about lawn damage and quality of cut. I have quite a few trees and the RFM would be a concern navigating those. My 850 causes zero damage to the lawn and leaves a superior finish. It has ag tires on the back and turf on the front. Plus, it痴 mmm makes it easy to get close to the trees.
5. This will not influence my purchase decision but I am curious what kind of fuel economy can be expected with these tractors. How much fuel can I expect to burn per hour while operating the bush hog?

I am not in a hurry to make this purchase. I want to carefully think this through so I will buy once and keep for many many years. The 850 is a 1981 and the 430 is a 1987. My father bought both new. I would not rule out a nice used one but I like the idea of warranty and the peace of mind. What is the dollar value of that? Thanks in advance for your input and thoughts!
Craig

 

[jenkinsph]

As you said you are not in a hurry so I would kick around the idea of a larger tractor if you own or will own the additional 25 acres. In other words if there is a good possibility you may expand the uses of your tractor on this acreage buy the next series up. Trading up is one of the costly things people do on TBN all the time. If you buy a lower hp 3000 series my bet is within a few years you will wan't something larger with faster mowing times. Tractors keep going up in price so the difference in todays price may work in your favor later on.

Ideally you would be best served having the larger tractor and a good mower for the lawn.

 

[radman1]

I would definitely go with the 6' rotary mower on the 3520 or 3720. Plenty of pto hp for 6' mower. My experience is if the 6' starts to bog down due to really heavy grass, the cut will also be poor so you will need to go slower regardless of the width. Go with 66 or 72" box blade. I would not go any smaller than 66". 72" is more common. You may struggle pulling a completely full box blade with 72" but you can always take a little less.

I never used a mmm on my 3720 but did use 72" and 84" rear finish mowers. Handled them easily. My 3720 would smoke the belt on the 84" mower without slowing down the engine if I didn't pay attention in heavy grass. A 3520 would also do well with these. It is personal preference, but I like RFMs more than MMMs. RFMs are cheaper, easier to unhook and hook up, and do a better job of mowing if the RFM is rear discharge. Side discharge MMM or RFM is just asking for something to hit the discharge chute, struggle more in tall grass because the only escape is the small side chute, and only allow mowing in 1 direction because of the side discharge. The MMMs of the 3x20 series do not lift very high and thus don't work well with rough terrain, piles of dirt, over ditches ect. It seems like more people use RFM over MMM on the bigger CUTs.

My only complaints with the 3x20 series is the relativley narrow width for sidehills (some TBNers are now using wheel spacers designed for skid steers to get a wider stance), the FEL can lift the rear end easily (so get fluid in rear tires, weights on rears or use 3 pt ballast) and lastly the clearance is only about 10" with R4 tires. Not a problem for most people, but on the farm the ability to go through mud was poor due to clearance. The R4 tires and poor clearance made me trade up for a 4520 with R1 tires. 4x20 series also has wider stance.

 

[JCB]

Craig,

If you've got an 850 you probably have a pretty good idea what your needs are. Radman had some good points. It sounds like a 3320 is plenty for 7 acres and really on the small side if you're gonna cut 25.

On 30hp Expect to burn about 1.5 gallons per hour at pto speed.

 

[AKfish]

Craig,

It sounds like a 3320 is plenty for 7 acres and really on the small side if you're gonna cut 25.

Agreed.. IMO, the 3520 and 3720 are too small to reasonably tackle mowing 25 acres 3-4 times a year as well.

At a 5'-6' cut - you'll likely be out there mowing 6-8 hours each time - especially if the grass is a bit wet and/or thick!!

I can appreciate the fact that money and budget's are important limitations on what we all can reasonably buy...

Maybe you could find a local farmer that would be interested in bringing the acreage up to "hay field" condition. You might be able to work out a share of the hay production each year - in lieu of rent, etc.

I think if I had to mow 32 (25+7) acres 3 to 4 times a season; I be looking for a 4520 or 4720 and a semi-mount MX8 cutter.

AKfish

 

[Craig B]

Thanks for the opinions and ideas.

I had considered a larger tractor but the 3x20 fits my budget better. I also thought the 4x20 would be a tad large around my house to use for finish mowing. But if I knew for sure it would be the best fit then I would go for it.

I am now leaning more to a rfm instead of a mmm. It is cheaper and I can navigate around the trees with the 430 which is still in excellent condition. The point about easier to attach is excellent. I hate removing the decks from mine. It is just a real PITA.

I had someone cutting my 25 ac.(yes I already own it) for hay but they don't want it any longer since it is such poor quality. He cherry-picked it and left the weedy sections. I am more interested in keeping it cleaned up so I think I will do it for a while. I will look into someone local giving it a little tlc and turning it into a good hay field.

I think I need to visit another JD dealer to sit on the 4x20 since the local one only has the 3x20 in stock. Reading the dimensions in the brochure isn't adequate.

Thanks
Craig

 

[jcmseven]

Craig,

Your situation to me places you between a 4000 series and a 3000 series machine. As for cost, you might be able to get a 4120 or 4320 for pretty close in cost to a 3720. I have had both a 4520 and two 3720's (and a 4310--the previous "equivalent" of a 3320) before. For mowing, the 3000 series is a better choice because they weigh less and will compact the ground less if it is wet. None of these machines with either turf (R3) or industrial (R4) are hard on even finished lawns, but the equivalent of a pickup truck (4000 series) running across the lawn when wet may make for some divots. As for cut, with either a RFM or mid mount mower, these machines literally cut as well as a lawn tractor, if not better. I have been amazed with the cut quality of the RFM's and that would be the way to go if you can maneuver them in your lawn. They are so much easier to install and remove and cut as well or better than a mid mount for some less money on average. While I do not know about the backhoe, I can say all the machines do loader work well. The 4000 series lifts a lot more and has a much more stable feel when traveling around with a full bucket, but the 3000 series lifts a lot and has a really speedy loader with the 300 cx. As for power, any of the 3000 series has adequate power to keep you satisfied. The 3320 would operate any sized attachment you could want, including PTO ones without bogging or struggling at all. The 3720 is overkill, but if you are keeping the machine a long time having the top dog has its appeal. I never regretted having the 3720 over the lower power 3000 series, though I really did not need the additional PTO power.

As for box blade work, I prefer the 60" BB for anyone who does not live where it is totally flat. A 3000 series machine with rear ballast in the tires and R4 tread can pull a 65" fine and a 72" in certain cases, but the 60" offers the best in maneuverability and fits the machine quite well. If your drive is very smooth and flat, you could go with a 72" for the 3000 series, but those are better mated to a 4000 series machine.

Before buying I would probably price a 3320 and 3720 with the same attachments (to me if one is going to spend for the turbo in a 3520-, might as well go up one notch to the top); and compare with a 4120 or 4320. The 4120, though the lowest power of the 4000 series, has the very torquey Power Tech JD engine and feels as perky as a 3520 power-weight, with much more weight and torque. I tell folks my experience has been the 3000 series range in power from adequate to overkill, while the 4000 series range from overkill to gross excess overkill.

John M

 

[hoddykubody]

I have a 3520 with a 72" mmm and it is great for my operaTION . Cuts smooth also like a mmm better than a rfm because I am tired of looking behind me ( i farm so looking behind gets old).

 

[Craig B]

Ok, thanks for more info! I appreciate the feedback of those that have owned these tractors. I figure I am going to spend around 30K so please keep opinions and thoughts coming.

I think the only thing I am now sure of is a 60" BB. My drive is in decent shape now so the only thing I would need to do is maintain. Also fix a few rough spots on the property. Oh and I settled on a 72" bush hog.

MMM- can leave on when using other implements, no looking behind, more maneuverability, hard to remove, interference with trailer (my 850 and its 72" MMM was a pain to fit onto a trailer it hit the fenders), more cost

RFM- easy to remove, less cost, no width issues with trailer, less maneuverability

I am leaning towards the 3x20. The reasons are it weighs less and I will definitely be using it for finish mowing. It will be cheaper. Since I will be only bush hogging 3-4 times the whole year(possibly less) I am not concerned at all about spending a few extra hours in the seat. Saving a few hours per year and spending thousands more on bigger equipment doesnt sound like a good thing to me. That money would buy lots of fuel! OTOH, "gross excess overkill" sounds pretty cool also!!!!

 

[Craig B]

I forgot to add that I worked out a trade today to get the 25 acres cut this week.

It's only a one time deal though.