2520 vs 3000 Series

[d_todd_phelps]

OK, heres my story.

I have an old Chevy 3/4 ton pickup and a 7000 GVW trailer.

I currently live on 20 acres, half wooded half weeds, with about 1/4 acre which I mow with a push mower around the house and maybe an acre I mow with a drag behind mower behind an ATV up and down the driveway. The mower will die at some point (its 7 years old) and I'm constantly fixing it. Its pretty flat. My driveway is 550 feet long, and I also plow with the ATV. I don't have much use for a tractor here.

Our retirement property is Northwest of Big Rapids Michigan, on 25 acres. It is about 15 acres of red pines, which will be harvested in about 10 years. 5 acres of hard woods, 5 acres of walnut trees, and maybe an acre of open prairie grass. There is 100 foot of elevation change from the road to the house site, which will require a 1000 foot driveway. It is on the edge of the snowbelt (from Lake Michigan). The ground is sandy. I'm planning to put an orchard in this year and eventually start building our next house and pole barn about 5 years from now. I'd like to put in food plots, etc. I also burn wood for heat. Once we are moved here, the tractor will be rarely transported. I may raise a few farm animals, but would buy all my feed, except maybe some pasture area.

Transportation distance is about 3 hours over from home to retirement property. However I have relatives who live 1/2 hour from the retirement property which I can store the tractor for short amount of time.

No offense to anyone on the following paragraph. My wife's family bleeds green and runs a 200 head dairy farm. I showed my wife the 3x20 and 2x20 and she laughed at the tractors and called them both baby tractors. I later got her to call the 3x20 a teenager. She actually suggested getting something bigger, but I talked her out of that stating that it would not be very mobile (going through the woods), the attachments are more expensive, and we wouldn't be able to haul it on the trailer. No offense to anyone, but I have to deal with these people.

 

[kennyd]

She actually suggested getting something bigger,

You should always listen to your wife!

But seriously, I think your cutting it to close on the trailer, you are not leaving any safety margin. How long is your trailer?

 

[d_todd_phelps]

Trailer is 16' long and 80" wide. I'm also thinking I could put one of the buckets in the box of the truck. I'm sure I can man handle 300 pounds of steel. The truck is beat up, so I'm not too concerned about it. Nothing in life is ever easy.

 

[kljunior]

I would love to have a 3320 cab model but the 2520 would do everything I need to do (loader work, mow, plow snow). We will also need to do some rear blade and box work to help landscape around the house we will be building. Just wondering if the larger model (at least a 3120 no cab) might be a better option?

I think you should at least demo a 2520. I purchased a 2305 last year and was presently surprised at its power and abilities. I have 2 1/4 acres with a 500 foot stone driveway. I mow, plow the diveway with a 54" blade and use the loader at home and also on my vacation property about 40 miles away. Here would be some things to consider:

1: You indicated mowing would be done with it? IMO, the 2520 would be better for manueverability and weight on your lawn. A cab model might be an issue around obstacles like trees?

2: For snow plowing, the front mounted quick hitch is awesome for either a 54" blade or 47" blower. I can't see the need for anything more, especially as easy as the loader snaps on for large bank (the blade will move most of them) management.

3. Are you going to add a backhoe? If you are, and have heavy use for it, consider the larger tractors. I'm not a fan of backhoes for little tractors like mine, maybe a 2520, but the 3X20 would be a nice choice for backhoe work.

4: Budget, if it's a factor for you, make sure you figure on all the implements and their impact on your budget also.

I love my 2305, and with all I do with it, I still think I made the right choice. Todays cuts and sub cuts will amaze you with their ability and I would honestly not go larger than you think is needed. Consider what you will spend MOST of your time doing with it and if it is mowing, like me, then I would go with the 2520, unless you have special needs that you didn't mention.

 

[al3]

In addition to the already-mentioned items to consider, FEL capacity will also be different. Not too big of a deal if your talking moving aggregates/sand and the like; pretty easy to make a few additional passes with the lesser-capacity loader. Can’t do that with items that can’t readily be disassembled. So if you have a need to lift large sections of timber, complete stumps, entire snowmobiles, or fully loaded pallets you wouldn’t/couldn’t break down, then the 3320 FEL capacities might be more attractive. I struggled with the same decision; concluded the mobility of the smaller unit was worth the trade off. However, there've been a few times I wanted to lift stuff that the machine just couldn't. Good luck--al

 

[lcisled]

I hear you - family has 2-400+ 4WD green machines. However, between 4 of us there are 8 compact tractors below 45 hp. 3 of those are green. At the time we bought our Kioti's, there were not 2520's available, and the machines they did have were priced considerably higher, and offered less.

Based on what you have written, I would go with the 2520 and forgo the 3x20 machine. I am sure someone would disagree, but I feel that you will find the times you wish you had more to be few. You will never know because you do not have nothing to compare, but you will appreciate the power, and maneuverability of the 2520. By the way, I think you will have trouble keeping your wife's family off of your machine. Compact tractors are a lot more fun than the larger machines. They will be impressed with the amount of work your tractor can do.

 

[d_todd_phelps]

Thanks for everyones comments. I'll check out the 2520 before I buy. First, I'll make sure my 6'4" frame and size 13 shoes fits on the tractor comfortably.

My number one priorities would be loader, tree management backhoe, and food plots. Mowing would be an after thought, as my grass area will probably consist of about 1/2 acre of lawn, plus about about 20 feet on each side of the 1000 foot driveway. It might make more sense to get a riding lawn mower for this when the time comes, or continue my ATV drag behind mower / push mower setup.

I looked at John Deere implements between the 2520 and 3x20, and the list price is pretty equal on everything except the snowblower, which is another $2000 on the 3x20 series.

 

[lcisled]

MMM - I have one for both of my tractors. I thought it would be alright to mow with these machines and I could kill two birds with one stone. NOT. I have 3+ acres to mow with some trees. I would have been better off to save the money on the MMM and buy a zero turn. I could mow faster and not have to spend the time putting mower on and off. I know that JD has the drive over, but I have to think that would still be a pain. With the chores that you are looking to do, you will be changing implements often, and it will get old.
If I ever trade, the mowers will go and not be on the next machine. I have a friend that manages a JD store and he says the mowers don't give much on trade, as few want them on a used tractor. Just my opinion, but I like the way that you are thinking.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

The 2520 has the hydrostatic transmission and you can get the 3000 Seies with the ehydro. Is that something to consider also? I was looking at adding a mower deck so I am leaning towards the 2520 however I would like to add a hoe at some point and like the options on the 3000 Series better. I had a 4115 so I am kind of familar with the 2520 although I think the 2520 is bigger?

 

[PrevNuru]

I dunno if anybody already asked, but do you have any slopes to deal with, as that could also be a factor to consider, if you happen to want to mow with the new machine? If it is all pretty flat, the larger the mower, the quicker it is gettin done.