2520 upgrading to a 3320 or 3520

[jenkinsph]

I dont know that you need the 3720, but with a Cab I highly recommend the 3520 as a minimum.

So would you recommend a person upgrade to the minimum needed or a little extra and go with the 3720?

I know I would recommend they get a little extra especially where using it for pto work such as mowing, the price of the upgrade is small compared to doing this again later.

 

[JDTank]

Don't be scared of turbochargers. I don't know why on earth so many people look down on turbo's.

A turbocharger is hands down the most efficient, reliable, and bulletproof system for forced induction. If you purchase a 3520 or 3720, you will likely never replace the turbo in your life time. These are small engines with low power and heat output, I wouldn't worry one bit.

The 3320 tractor is quite underpowered from what I have heard in the past. I know for myself, I wouldn't even consider purchasing a tractor of any kind without a turbocharger, except for the X748 that I have, which obviously has absolutely no need for it, being a garden tractor and not a utility machine.

If this is the last machine you want to buy for a long time, step up to the 3720. With a hydrostatic drive system, it makes a tractor feel underpowered right out of the gate, versus a geared tractor. The more power you can get, the better the tractor will perform in your tasks.

 

[BleedGreen]

So would you recommend a person upgrade to the minimum needed or a little extra and go with the 3720?

I know I would recommend they get a little extra especially where using it for pto work such as mowing, the price of the upgrade is small compared to doing this again later.

What I am trying to say is that if he is currently looking at the 3320 Cab that I would recommend moving up to the 3520 to get comparable performance to a 3320 Open Station. Certainly a 3720 would be more powerful, but that also comes at a cost. At what point does the OP stop? 4720 Cab???

I stock 3320 Open Station models as well as 3520 and 3720 in both Open Station and Cab. I do not stock 3320 Cab tractors. I can count on one had the number of 3320 Cab tractors I have sold since they were introduced.

 

[cartod]

Don't be scared of turbochargers. I don't know why on earth so many people look down on turbo's.

A turbocharger is hands down the most efficient, reliable, and bulletproof system for forced induction. If you purchase a 3520 or 3720, you will likely never replace the turbo in your life time. These are small engines with low power and heat output, I wouldn't worry one bit.

The 3320 tractor is quite underpowered from what I have heard in the past. I know for myself, I wouldn't even consider purchasing a tractor of any kind without a turbocharger, except for the X748 that I have, which obviously has absolutely no need for it, being a garden tractor and not a utility machine.

If this is the last machine you want to buy for a long time, step up to the 3720. With a hydrostatic drive system, it makes a tractor feel underpowered right out of the gate, versus a geared tractor. The more power you can get, the better the tractor will perform in your tasks.

That is bunk! It might be underpowered if you add a cab and air conditioning but the 3320 is all you need with standard implements. A very capable machine without the turbo!

 

[msmud]

Blackraptor,

Now that I read the "fine print" of your post where you say you have 5 acres, I think the 3320 Cab, while underpowered, could handle that. How much money are you going to spend for 5 acres? If the land is reasonably flat you shouldn't need a psychiatrist for the PTSD you'd otherwise get from all the hair-raising pitching moments of the cab, so you'd have some medical savings! And the A/C is nice on that thing. But, for more than 15 - 20 acres, I think Jenkinsph and Bleedgreen are right: that cab and a/c setup eats the power, and the bare minimum is the 3520.

I guess you want the 3x20 for the MMM capability? To help him out because of the slope and size of it, I cut a tenant's yard with my 3038e and RC2072 at a little more than rated speed to get the blade tip speed up and it leaves a pretty fair cut, takes no time. That kind of thing possible with your land, or no? I guess it comes down to whether you feel you need a cab and MMM.

 

[BlackRaptor]

Thanks for all the great replies.

The reason i was thinking the 3320 was i do only have 5 acres. It's flat i'm in southern MN no hills around here haha. It's all finish mowing the 2520 could mow this place at 1700RPM's without bogging down. I also mow in L.

The 5 acres is mostly open or rows of small trees to mow between. that's why i questioned the need for a 3520 or 3720 sure it's nice to have the extra power it always is. I've spent hours and hours in my friends 4720 and that thing has balls for it's size but he's using it on 3 different farm setups for hogs to run augers and other misc tasks.

I have a few reasons i want a cab. first i'm sick of freezing my butt off spending 3 hours pushing and moving snow in the winter a couple times a week being able to sit in a nice warm cab would be worth a lot to me. the AC in the summer isn't that big of a deal other than to offset the cab getting too warm. Another big reason is i have a two year old son who love to ride around on the tractor and i will NEVER give rides when doing any kid of work. other than a 2mph little ride across the flat lawn or something. With a cab he could sit inside safe and sound when i'm tinkering around blowing snow and such. I've seen too many kids get hurt riding on tractors i will not risk his safety. guy not too far away that has a tractor open station about the same size as my 2520 and a 17 month old daughter that will ride on his lap while he mows with a MMM this scares the living daylights out of me when i drive by.

if it wasn't for the cab i wouldn't upgrade the 2520 has all the power i need that's why i was asking if the 3320 cab can do everything power wise at the PTO the 2520 can do i would be happy.

Turbo's don't scare me I've always liked FI engines but i guess i was wondering if the extra power will really gain me that much on such a small piece of land.

Thanks guys
Chad

 

[jenkinsph]

msmud,

Kind of embarrased that I missed that 5 acre part in the first post, that said this is plenty of room to turn a 3720 around. Resale might be better going with the 3520 or 3720 cab models if that matters.

 

[jenkinsph]

Chad,
Any of those cabbed tractors should suit you so buy what feels right for you.

 

[Rob-D]

What I find with these tractors is that they don't use appreciable fuel until you run at PTO rpms. My 3320 really sips it for most tasks around here where I run at 16-1800 rpms. I would imagine if your mowing with the engine at PTO speed the 3720 would use a lot more fuel comparatively. I like that the 3320 uses less fuel than the 3520 or 3720.
I also think the cab needs more HP for AC and climate control. I think I would probably get the 3520 as a good compromise if it was me.

Rob

 

[msmud]

Rob makes a good point about generally low fuel use with most of these machines. My mom's 3320 cab burns only 0.9 - 1.0 gal per hr at 2500 - 2600 rpm. My 3038e burns 0.6 - 0.7 gal per hr at 2300 rpm, where I normally bushhog, which is interesting given the greater power output. I have to attribute that excess burn of hers in part to power losses from the a/c, and in part to the 700# greater weight of her setup, and to her 10% greater engine speed. Still, I'd have thought that mine would be roughly equivalent to hers.

I'd be interested in what 3720 users report. Deere gives a fuel usage number of 2.8 gal per hour for it at rated speed, but I find that shocking. Heck my Komatsu dozer only burns about 2 - 2.2 gph! Indeed, Deere's numbers show the 4120 burning about 12% less than the 3720, though its rated speed is only about 8% less.