Advice needed: Mostly new 3320, new 3038E, or something else?

[WIthrow]

Hi,

First time poster on this board. Previous searches have yielded a lot of helpful information as I try to nail down the right tractor, so thanks already for the great insights.

I am looking to purchase my first tractor. We just purchased 10 acres of vacant land that we are turning into a hobby farm. A windbreak around the property was planted 10+ years ago, but then left and no one tended anything, so I am in the process right now of liberal chainsaw use clearing out the unwanted scrub trees and brush that have taken over. As we start heading into spring in a few months, I'll begin work on establishing the pasture (6 acres), crop fields that will rotate within the pasture (2+ acres of the pasture area at any given time), vegetable garden, planting an orchard, taking care of all the wood cuttings from this winter, etc.... and thus why I am looking into the tractor.

I have largely eliminated the 1 and 2 series JDs as perhaps too small for the tasks even though the acreage isn't all that big. Local dealer has a very low hour (90) 2009 3320 that I took a look at, with a 300CX loader. I've also checked out the 3038e with a D160 new. After accounting for the current rebate on the 3038, pricing is just about the same with the 3038 being slightly more expensive. Facing a tough decision on tradeoffs - the 3320 has great loader capability, its heavier, a lot more options, nicer ride, etc... the 3038e has more raw HP, no mid PTO (not sure at this point if that is a big deal), and is significantly lighter which I am told could be an issue for some of the soil and loader work. I have been leaning toward the 3320, but then also started hearing about the 3520 and wondered if I wouldn't regret having more power in that line (though none are currently around), or with something else.

So, to wrap this up, my question is will the 3320 do what I need it to do, or would I prefer more power from either the more basic 3038e or stepping up to a 3520 or something else? Thanks for any input.

 

[aginn]

I have never been on a Deere, but I have cleared 10 acres of hells brush. I started off with a 20 HP tractor and then bought a new 32 HP. I'd get a 30-35 HP tractor. Enough to reasonably do the job and not too big when all you are doing is maintaining what you recovered from mother nature.
Let us see it when you find what you want. There are many out there that will make you very happy.

 

[WIthrow]

Thanks for the reply aginn. Sounds like from your experience I am looking in the right HP range at least. The real question in my mind is on the 3320 if I would be better off with the higher hp of the 3038e (37.7 vs. 32.3 engine, 30 vs. 24.3 PTO) or even the 3520, which seems to have the best of both worlds in terms of HP and weight of the machine. Will I miss that extra 5 HP if I go with the 3320?

My current feeling is that if there were a 3520 nearby available I might be more inclined to go with that over these other two, but that doesn't seem to be an option at the moment. I don't really feel that I need all the various extra options, but the 3320 did feel like the better built tractor between the two. However, if I am looking for a good workhorse of a tool, perhaps the 3038 does what I need?

Previous threads on this board and others suggested that the 3320 might feel underpowered for its weight?

I am also open to suggestions if other folks think I should be looking at a different size (either bigger or smaller) machine as well.

 

[kcflhrc]

I have 10 acres also. I bought my 3032E a year ago. I'm quite happy with it and it does everything I need. Same tractor as the 3038E without the turbo. I have a 5' brush hog, 6' standard rear blade, 305 loader with loaded rear tires. Bought the whole rig for $19k delivered to my door. Make sure you get the i-match coupler.

 

[93Mustang]

I find my 3320 loses traction well before I run out of power. I love the tractor - 6 acres and it has been a great mix of power and size/nimbleness. Regardless of what direction you go, get a grapple, you won't regret it!

 

[mowin]

I was in your position. I debated on a 3038e or 3320. I wanted the hp of the 3038, but wanted the weight of the 3320. A 3520 was out of the q due to the price.
My theory was that the 3038e might not be as "strong" as in stuff breaking, as the 3320. Not saying this would be the case, but it was a concern of mine.
I went to 3 JD dealers. Two had 3038e on the lot, but no 3320. I figured these dealers would be pushing the sale of the 3038e, but to my surprise, both said the 3320 was "far more tractor" than the 3038e. My local dealer had a 3320 on the lot, but no 3038e. He also said there was no comparison between the two. I chose the 3320, and have been very happy with this tractor. As others have said, I loose traction before running out of power. I'm sure the 3038e would loose traction much easier than my 3320.

 

[foggy1111]

I bought a used 3320 over the new models (3032 or 3038) for the reasons you stated above. More weight, better hydraulics and more features. I am happy with my choice. Nothing wrong with the other tractors......but I had a 790 previous to my 3320 and there is a night and day difference with the extra weight of the twenty series tractors.....IMO. My cx loader really gets stuff done. I got enough hydraulics to run my stump grinder and use my grapple, etc. Seldom run short on power......and as said, you typically spin out before bogging down when pulling stuff. Running big mowers or snow blowers may be another matter......but the hydro allows infinite speed control to use the power properly.

 

[swines]

I've had a 3320 for 8 years. I have never needed more power for pulling implements as the tractor runs out of traction before it runs out of pulling power. However, if you think you're going to run PTO powered equipment, then you might want to go with a tractor that has more PTO horsepower.

I regularly use a 72-inch landplane on the tractor with the rippers down. When I am loosening hard-packed dirt, the tractor will come to a stop spinning all four tires - and all four tires are loaded with liquid - so, I'm putting down the maximum amount of power I can with that tractor. More engine horsepower isn't going to help as the 3320 is able to spin all four tires - the tractor is traction limited not drawbar horsepower limited.

The PTO is a totally different application. With a rotary cutter in heavy weeds, I'm limited to a 60-inch mower width as that's all the tractor can turn. The load match feature keeps the tractor moving forward by slowing down the forward speed and applying more power to the PTO - this is the type of application where more PTO horsepower would help.

What you need to do is think about how much you're going to be moving dirt, use rear blades, landplanes, etc. versus how much you would use the PTO for mowing heavy weeds, rototilling, etc. If you anticipate a lot of PTO type use - get the tractor with more PTO horsepower.

 

[Fallon]

I looked at the economy 3000 John Deere's & ended up with a Kubota L3200, which is more or less equal to the 32hp JD. Same HP & weight at least. A few more features on orange (turning brakes, folding ROPS, SSQA, 3spd instead of 2spd transmission on the HST). Good chance I'll be upgrading to a cabbed premium tractor in the next few years & JD is still in the running though.

On mine, with R4s I was traction limited & had stability issues until I got the rear tires loaded. Load the rears no matter what you get. Now I'm sometimes power limited, depending on soil conditions. I'm sure R1s would be better, but R4s damage the ground a bit less & are beefier tires.

As others have said PTO HP is the big limitation. I have to creep along running the tiller (trivial with the HST) and am occasionally limited by HP rather than terrain & rough ride when running my rotary cutter.

All said & done I have about $1k of regret for not getting the L3800 (identical except 6 extra HP). If I remember it was an extra $2k at least for those extra HP, so I didn't choose poorly.

 

[kiotiken]

When I bought my first tractor, it was either going to be JD or Kubota. The only reason was because I didn't know any better and was scared to go with a "no name". I bought a used JD 955 and it was OK for a while but it was older with hard hrs and I spent too much time and money fixing it.

I looked at the JD 3032e and the 3320 (I think) when I was replacing it. I also looked at Kubotas again but (standard L series) then started learning more about the "no name" tractors. Here's my opinion, for what it's worth.

I didn't like the e series from Deere, aluminum castings, plastic everything, limited features non removable loader, no backhoe option etc. Between the two, I'd go with the 3320 all the way. 90 hours isn't even close to broken in yet.

I think both those tractors are to small. It took me 3 tries to finally buy the right size, it's more expensive to do it that way than do it right the first time. Look at the 40+ range. Weight is going to be your friend for the type of work you're doing. I'd forget the standard L from Kubota and look at the Grand L starting at what used to be the L4240 (not sure if it's 4260 now), it was the smallest grand L with great FEL capacity. I'd look at Mahindra (largest manufacture in the world - from India) but my personal choice would be between LS (South Korea) and Kioti NX 4510 (South Korea). You'll get a lot more tractor for the price. Those 3 all have great FEL's, lots of premium standard features and lots of very heavy steel.