Does a JD2320 sound right for me?

[EdC]

CraigNC

Welcome!

I have a 2320 with about 200 hours on it. We have moved some really large rocks with it, both lifting (would only get about 2 inches off the ground), and pushing into position for a retailing wall. No idea how much they weighed but basalt is a pretty dense rock and it overlapped the 53" bucket by quite a bit.

The problem I can see with a front blade is that as good as these little tractors are they are not bulldozers. There is a chance that if you were using a front blade to push dirt and ran into a large rock you could spring the frame of the loader.

Edited to add: I almost forgot; get a toothbar, helps digging efficiency a whole lot and stiffens up the bucket considerably to.

Let us know what you end up with.
Any of these small CUTs will pull a 48" box blade and you won't be taking a chance on springing the loader frame. A landscape rake would also work pretty well with rough leveling and it is quite a bit cheaper.

 

[JiminGa]

I think the tractor will be just fine for your intended purposes, however, the trailer isn't going to be big enough. I have a 6x10 trailer and the 2305 with fel just fits and that's with the fel bucket sitting on the tongue of the trailer.

 

[craigNC]

Thanks again everybody -- this is great information.

Looks like a box blade is definitely the way to go. I had thought about that originally, but had the impression that this was really suited to grading driveways, lawns, and basically much more precise work than I would bother with "between the trees." Sure would be handy if I DID need to work on my access road, though! And if it can actually shear through exposed roots and shrub stumps, that's actually EXACTLY what I want!

Thanks for the toothbar suggestion. I can do the rough leveling with the FEL that way and clean up the act with the box blade. Nice! Wouldn't the toothbar also be an advantage when pushing big rocks around too, by stiffening up the bucket?

I was mistaken about my towing capacity -- it's 5,000 after all. 3,000 sounded a little low, I admit! I remember that when I bought the trailer I felt that its stated capacity was within the range of anything I would want to tow, but I remembered the wrong number for the truck.

About dimensions -- I saw somewhere online that maximum dimensions for the 2320 (tractor only, no implements) were about 51-52 inches wide and 109 long, so I thought that would fit on my 60 x 120 inch trailer (at least without the FEL bucket and maybe without the arms. Could somebody verify those measurements if you get a chance?

Maybe I need a new trailer too But where would I keep it?

 

[ScottK]

You can at least fit it in your trailer by removing the bucket (takes 5 seconds) and setting the loader arms on top of it. Don't go far because your trailer will still be overweight.

The tooth bar is a great addition. It makes the bucket stiffer, protects the cutting edge, and also provides a bit of a shelf to help carry things like rocks, logs, etc. Also provides great leverage on rocks and stumps and anything else buried in the ground (like a bathtub full of bricks I found).

There are different types. I have a Rankin clamp-on style. It has worked flawlessly. Advantage of this type is you don't drill any holes in your bucket. Not that it matters, as most people never remove them once they are installed. It's what my dealer carried and recommended.

Don't forget to have the tires filled with ballast.

 

[LBrown59]

Thanks again everybody -- this is great information.

Looks like a box blade is definitely the way to go. I had thought about that originally, but had the impression that this was really suited to grading driveways, lawns, and basically much more precise work than I would bother with "between the trees." Sure would be handy if I DID need to work on my access road, though! And if it can actually shear through exposed roots and shrub stumps, that's actually EXACTLY what I want!

Thanks for the toothbar suggestion. I can do the rough leveling with the FEL that way and clean up the act with the box blade. Nice! Wouldn't the toothbar also be an advantage when pushing big rocks around too, by stiffening up the bucket?

I was mistaken about my towing capacity -- it's 5,000 after all. 3,000 sounded a little low, I admit! I remember that when I bought the trailer I felt that its stated capacity was within the range of anything I would want to tow, but I remembered the wrong number for the truck.

About dimensions -- I saw somewhere online that maximum dimensions for the 2320 (tractor only, no implements) were about 51-52 inches wide and 109 long, so I thought that would fit on my 60 x 120 inch trailer (at least without the FEL bucket and maybe without the arms. Could somebody verify those measurements if you get a chance?

Maybe I need a new trailer too *But where would I keep it?

*In the new pole barn.

 

[craigNC]

LBrown59 - LOL! I started thinking, OK, maybe 6.8 x 12, tandem axle with brakes for the new trailer and OOPS, that won't fit in the shop. Wife will likely suggest "trade in the 5 x 10 trailer, you don't need two of them ..." Oh well.

ScottK -- Great points about the tooth bar helping with log carrying and leverage on partially buried objects. Adding a toothbar will probably triple what I am able to do with the FEL on my property.

About ballast -- should I use a ballast box or fill the tires -- how badly do I want to fill the tires? I understand the great advantages when you are pulling a full box blade, or pushing the FEL to its limits. But most of the time the tractor will be used for vegetation cutting, and our soil ruts pretty easily. The "grass" is not a fancy lawn by any means, but how much will I tear up grass or poorly vegetated woods soil if the rear tires are filled? In other words, I know I'll like the weight -- a lot --when using the FEL or box blade, but how much will I regret it when I'm cutting? Will I just be able to pull/push less dirt if they aren't filled, or will the performance be totally unsatisfactory? Would a removable ballast box (or using the box blade itself, with or without weights, as ballast) be better for me than a permanent tire approach to weight?

I think I want R4 industrial tires for puncture resistance in the woods?

 

[cast_and_blast]

I'd start with just a concrete filled ballast box - comes off when you don't need the weight. You can fill the tires anytime...you can do this in increments. Ballast box is going to give you more weight (significantly) than filled rear tires.

For your use, I'd go with the R4's.

Scott

 

[craigNC]

OK, lets add up some weight here.

JD2320 base weight 1660 lbs

Does anybody know the approximate weight of the following implements?

54D ON Ramp mower
200CX FEL
Frontier BB2048 box blade
Frontier RC1048 4-foot rotary cutter

I'm trying to see how much I could accomodate -- both length and weight-wise -- at one time on a trailer that I could tow with my existing vehicle. This would be to "evacuate" the equipment before a potential flood, not for routine transport ...

Thanks,
Craig

 

[JiminGa]

figure around 3000 lbs total and you'll need at least a 16 ft trailer

 

[ScottK]

The box blade is 385 lbs. The 53" bucket is 192 lbs. The loader is about 760 lbs (should double check this one - I'm not at home where the specs are), loaded tires are 400 lbs extra. Tooth bar about 90 lbs. Pallet forks about 380lbs. If you get a quick hitch, that's another 50lbs. Not sure on the mower and cutter, but you're well on your way to 4000lbs. I have very carefully added mine up in the past and it's 3300 lbs with just the tractor/ loader/ bucket/ toothbar/ boxblade/ loaded tires. In an emergency you don't need to take all the implements with you though.

If you finance, get JDs insurance policy - it covers all losses for any reason (except intentional fraud of course) and it's cheap. Generally it's only available while financing with JD, although Sentry (the carrier) is trying to expand that, state by state.

If you're getting the box blade, then use that for ballast and you can add the 4 suitcase weights (42 lbs each) and then can fill the tires if needed. I think you will want the loaded tires also once you try lifting heavy stuff with pallet forks or leveraging things out with the tooth bar. I don't use mine for mowing, but I do drive on the formal lawn fully loaded without damaging it (not while it's soaking wet though). Only drive on it in 2WD. The R4 tires are so wide they make no more impact/indentation than my much smaller JD LT180 mower.