Eyeballed a 3320 today

[btownacres]

Anyone have anything to share on this little green beast? My needs are some landscape work (i.e. terracing hills and building some stone walls) loader work hauling dirt and rock, and getting into the thick of my 10 acres to harvest some firewood. Basically I'll get in there, clear bush, make some trails and drag out the trees once I limb them. I have been looking at EVERYTHING out there. The JD sure is nice, and at the higher end of the $ scale, but I believe it would hold it's value better than most others. Any comments from JD owners on my thoughts?
Much Appreciated

 

[beenthere]

Can't find a single thing to fault your impressions and ideas what you can do and how the 3320 will do it. I now have the 4300 which is pretty close in size and almost in hp. It does what you want to do VERY well. I use the iMatch hook to throw the logging tongs on, and with a safety chain drag some pretty good size logs (one 20" 12' white oak) out of the woods and its uphill most all the way. When I spring for one, it will be for the 3520 just 'cuz it has more hp, although I am really not shy on hp for anything I want to do now. I have the forks for the FEL and find them to be well worth it in many ways. Here's a pic I've posted before showing a pallet full of wh oak being moved to the stack. It's all the ballast box full of rock can do to keep the load up. I move the forks to the 3pt for moving pallets in the winter when the FEL is off and the snowplow is on.

 

[BloomingtonMike]

I am a 3320 owner. I was reading your post and thinking 4X20 until the "get into the thick of my property" comment and then I thought medium frame. I know my buddy Larry (crazylar) routinely uses his to go in and get wood and to also make hills for his dirt track trails. It does it all no problem.

Couple other questions:
How high will you need to loader to lift to?
How much will you require the loader to lift?

The 3320 will do most everything the 3520/3720 will - what altitude do you live at? The turbo has the advantage in higher altitude environments.
The 4X20 would be the only other "tractor" choice for me if I had your requirements. What about a skidsteer though?

 

[beenthere]

Here is one of white oak log dragged in with the tongs. The FEL and bucket or forks or snowplow is enough ballast to hold the front end down.

 

[beenthere]

Here is one with the forks on the 3pt for moving pallets of wood to the garage during the winter. TnT would be great and will work that out someday.

 

[beenthere]

Hope not to bore you to death, but this one is of the 7' plow on a quicktach hookup to the front.

 

[btownacres]

Well, as for loader height, I think the 102 inches at pivot pin should be just fine. The dealers package consisted of a 5' 300CX bucket on the FEL. As for weight, I guess I'll lift all the unit will take on occasion. Any boulders too big to lift I'll try to push. This machine is about as high as my budget can go but I think it will be all I need, even more in some cases. Your help is appreciated!! I have choice #2 as a MF 1531 at a couple of grand less... which would pay for a log splitter and mabe a chipper, so I have some tough thinking to do!
Thanks again-

 

[btownacres]

heck no! Bored.... looking at tractors? Not yet anyway. By the way, mow much can you lift with the rear forks? Any idea what the 3320 would lift with that setup? Any chance of 1 ton of stove pellets? I'm doubting it, but it's not that important to me, would just be a plus.
thanks

 

[beenthere]

I expect somewhere around 1200 pounds, and have seen some numbers on the 300cx somewhere - will look for it.

 

[jeepinator]

This is the best loader spec page I have ever found:
http://www.stonehams.com/pdf/300X.pdf

 

[BobCurry]

I looked at the MF1531 and the 3320. Saw your post on the MF forum. Hands down,IMO, the 3320 is much more machine. It's bigger and the 300CX loader will handle up to 1580lbs. Being wider and having more ground clearance is a huge plus. Load Match. Did I say that? JD exclusive. Motion Match. However, you have to decide. Try them both on the same day.

Good luck!
Bob

 

[BloomingtonMike]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I expect somewhere around 1200 pounds, and have seen some numbers on the 300cx somewhere - will look for it. )</font>
JD's site says:
Hitch Category (SAE Designation) Category 1 -
Standard 2530 (1149)

 

[beenthere]

Is that the 3pt lift or the 300cx FEL?

 

[BloomingtonMike]

3pt - off the 3320 specs on the JD site. The 3X20 series had quite a bit of 3pt lift capacity vs other tractors I looked at.

MANUFACTURER
MODEL John Deere 3320 New Holland TC30

Hitch Category (SAE Designation) Category 1 Cat. 1

Standard 2530 (1149) 1635 (743)

 

[BobCurry]

1580 = 300CX

 

[beenthere]

Sorry, but I mis-read the post asking about lift capacity. I was thinking FEL when I stated 1200 pounds. Much more with the 3pt. My limit is reached with a full pallet of green split white oak, and guess it is around 2400 #. It is a lot.
The pallet of firewood shown in the pic is just 5 layers, and I usually stack 7-8 layers if I don't need to use the FEL forks to stack two high. I only do that if there are 5 layers and I have a pallet of wood on the 3pt for ballast.
So I place one 8 layer pallet of green wh. oak first, and stack a 5 layer pallet of green wh. oak on top of that to dry for two years. The pallets are much lighter after drying, probably by 25-30% at least.