Buying Advice any regrets buying 2320?

[Magilla1]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on a 2320 with FEL and MMM. I've got two and a half pounds of pressure on a three pound trigger. Before I squeeze the rest of the way, I'm just inquiring as to whether any of you bought a 2320 and regretted it. I have heard some criticisms of the 2320, but they seem to come from people who do not own them. The biggest criticisms seem to be

1. Low gear is way too low, especially for mowing speed, while high gear is too high.

2. In high gear, it fades/bogs going up any kind of significant slope.

3. You get much more from the 2520 for not much more money.

Anyway, anyone regret buying?

 

[dmay]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on a 2320 with FEL and MMM. I've got two and a half pounds of pressure on a three pound trigger. Before I squeeze the rest of the way, I'm just inquiring as to whether any of you bought a 2320 and regretted it. I have heard some criticisms of the 2320, but they seem to come from people who do not own them. The biggest criticisms seem to be

1. Low gear is way too low, especially for mowing speed, while high gear is too high.

2. In high gear, it fades/bogs going up any kind of significant slope.?

I'm also looking at JD2320 and started this thread:

Kubota 2320 vs John Deere 2320

3. You get much more from the 2520 for not much more money.

What do you see as the 'more' between the two?

 

[texas42]

I have a 2320 that is nearly two years old with about 130 hours on it.
I have the 62D MMM and the 200CX FEL
So far I'm very happy with my purchase and glad I did not get something smaller or bigger.
I mow about 2.5 acres once a week and the 62D deck does a fine job
Much has been written about mowing in low range but top speed in low is 4.5 mph which is fast enough unless your lawn is super smooth. I have mowed in high range a few times and it works fine but I find myself not going any faster because of the surface I'm mowing over.
Also, some make a point that the larger 2XXX have a second hydraulic pump and that the loader is therefore faster on the 2520 or 2720. With only a second or two difference in lift speed from ground to full height I can't justify the additional cost and weight of the larger machine, but that is me.
Can't comment on the orange brand - know nothing about them.
I would add the JD Quck Attach bucket works great. I have a set of forks from Everything Attachments and switching back and forth between bucket and forks is very quick.
When ever I go to HD or Lowes to get something heavy, bulky or bagged I just thow a pallet in the pickup, have the guys at HD or Lowes stack the stuff on the pallet, then when I get home I can use the pallet forks to unload and move whatever I purchased to where I want it.

 

[joseph143]

I also have the 2320( about 2 months/35 hours) with 62D/200cx/middlebuster/48" tiller and have been very happy with it. Keep in mind I have nothing to compare it with but the tractor has exceeded my expectations. I also mow about 2 acres of sloped lot. I too, only really mow in low gear because of the bumps but it seems plenty fast to me. The wide deck makes up for the slower speed. It fits into my garage with the ROPS up(my garage door is higher than a normal door though). I was also worried about feeling unstable on the slopes but it really is solid. i am unfamilar with the specs of the 2520. Joe

 

[zythinl]

I would say no. I also mow in low gear most the time i do however have a large flat area i will mow in high gear and it has a surface ditch at the one end ill mow up and down that with no trouble in high gear, but its not a very big hill.
quick attach loader is great!
I have the 62D MMM, middle buster(homemade), row cultivator, and a 60" KK tiller and all work just fine for me. i was worried i went too small on HP and all but i have not found anything yet that this tractor has let me down on
P.S. Ive read on this site a long time and finally this is my first post GREAT SITE!

 

[gonegreen]

PULL THE TRIGGER MAN! I also have a 2320 (two years old with 130hrs) and agree with the other guys about the low vs high for mowing.

The only thing I regret is not having it sooner.

 

[sal64]

i have a 2320 45 hrs, i agree with all but 1 of the items listed, high is to high to mow i mow in low and it is plenty fast enough also i dont like the way the 62d mmm drops i would like it to raise up and stay so i can mow high in some spots then lower it to the stop and mow low, my biggest complaint ( surprise ) when i used it to pull a small trailer with fire wood is it lakes power to pull, but i gues im compairing it to my jd990.

 

[saskman49]

16 1/2 acres with all the stuff in my sig 2320 with 108 hrs and love it. Does everything we need it for and now is doing work in our landscaping company and doing it very well. The only thing I would ever want more is faster hyd but it is not that big of a deal.

 

[Rob-D]

Here's the problem, first the 2320 is a great little tractor BUT once you start to see what a tractor can do you may verywell want a bigger one. The 2520 and the 2720 are longer and heavier with bigger tires. You can't simply go up to them because the MMM is not designated to fit them so you lose your mower (it may juist be linkage but this is the trouble I ran into when I had mine)

The thing to do is drive all of them AND a 3x20 to see what you're getting and missing!

The 2520 is a nicer engine with the ability to start from empty, a nice option if your bowl ever mucks up. It also has more HP and at this size tractor it makes a difference especially with a two speed box.

You also get a nicer floor made out of metal with a rubber mat.

As my dealer says,"nobody goes down, everyone gets a bigger tractor". He was right about me.

My advice is to get a tractor at least one size above what you think you need.

Rob

ps: I loved the 2320 but after a couple hundred hours it ran out of tractor for me. Check the specs on different tractors. Bucket power, 3PH, etc.

 

[dmay]

If a 2320 meets your needs, go for it. I just ordered a 2320 myself.

 

[jcmseven]

I have had 3720's, 4520, 4310, and other John Deere equipment and I have enjoyed using my current 2320 as much or more than anything that I have ever used.

John M

 

[Rob-D]

I have had 3720's, 4520, 4310, and other John Deere equipment and I have enjoyed using my current 2320 as much or more than anything that I have ever used.

John M

It does have a nitch, that's why they sell well. Bottom line still is what you want to do.
I see it as a small tractor that is great for mowing a couple of acres and things like that. You can't really use it with pallet forks for example, once you get out around the end there isn't much lift.

Rob

 

[jenkinsph]

I think it matters what your expectations are, the 2320 is a nice small tractor but it would depend on what you need to accomplish and how much time you have.

There are some tasks you can handle with the smaller tractor if you have more time and then there are others such as mentioned above where lifting a pallet simply requires a larger tractor.

The one thing you need to really look at is the work you wan't your tractor to do now and in the future. Make sure whatever you buy can handle your tasks. Having to trade up is a common issue on TBN and a costly one at that.

 

[Rob-D]

I agree Steve.

We had to bury a dead animal once and I had to dig a 4 foot deep hole with the 46 hoe on the 2320. It goes down to 6 feet but you don't want to ever dig that deep a hole with it. Anyway it took me about 4 hours to dig out the hard pan in November when the snow was falling. Moving the animal was tough too. This was just about the max the 2320 could do but it would have been easy work for a larger tractor, done in 1/4 the time. I ran into the same problems removing stumps and rocks. I finally had it and went to a bigger tractor. Lesson learned!

Rob

 

[lost in wisconsin]

I have none. Our tractor is a 2007 with 271 hours on it. Whereas this is the first compact tractor we have owned, it has done everything we have asked of it; from landscaping to clearing brush and trees to make a new pasture. We live on 9 acres and I would not want a larger tractor. The size of the bucket and width of the tractor work well for tight areas around the barn and stalls. Again, this is just my opinion but I agree with the previous comments in that it all depends on how you intend to work this tractor.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to purchase.

 

[dmay]

You can't really use it with pallet forks for example, once you get out around the end there isn't much lift.

Actually here is a great thread of direct interest about pallet forks. Chris has designed light weight pallet forks that he is offering to TBN members:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...6209-lightweight-pallet-forks-200x-200cx.html

 

[jenkinsph]

Actually here is a great thread of direct interest about pallet forks. Chris has designed light weight pallet forks that he is offering to TBN members:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...6209-lightweight-pallet-forks-200x-200cx.html

Those are nice forks for these smaller tractors. These small loaders still have very limited ability though.

 

[Rob-D]

Actually here is a great thread of direct interest about pallet forks. Chris has designed light weight pallet forks that he is offering to TBN members:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...6209-lightweight-pallet-forks-200x-200cx.html

Yes, I saw them, very nice.

Here's the thing. F=MxD (force = mass x distance) so the further you go out the less you pick up. That means if you can lift 800# at the loader lift arms it becomes 400# 2 feet out. At three or 4 feet out you don't gain much. So it's nice to have lighter arms for smaller tractors but the thing that determines what you can carry is still the lift capacity of the loader which I think is about 800# for the 2x20 series. I've personally seen with 2x20 tractors and pallet forks.

Rob

 

[Phunge]

I've had a 2320 since 2007, and I do kind of regret not going bigger. I started out looking at riding mowers, then the 2305, and finally stretched to the 2320. I'm so glad I did, and the tractor has been great, but now as I'm thinking about buying a backhoe i'm also debating trading up to a 2720. on my property (lots of hills) high range is pretty well useless. Mowing in low isn't that bad, since my yard is pretty bumpy, but as I work on smoothing it out there are places where I wish it could go a bit faster. Plowing snow is painfully slow in low, and the 2320 doesn't have enough grunt to do it in high (on my hills at least -- might be OK on level ground). Now that i'm used to the tractor/loader there are times when I find the loader awfully slow too.

I could easily live with the 2320, but find myself wanting more.

 

[jenkinsph]

Phunge,
I can easily understand your concerns, I prefer to use the larger compacts to whip the properties into shape. I prefer riding mowers to maintain the lawns. I will eventually need to decide between an X7xx riding mower and a 2xxx scut. Right now the winner is looking like the mower though. There are so few places I can not fit my 4520 and 110tlb that purchasing a 2X20 is hard for me to justify. Even my employee who has to do the hand work doesn't think it is a big deal and as he says you still have some manual labor work regardless.