Interested in 2305 or 2520

[Phunge]

Will the option to have the 62 mid mower on the 2520 while the backhoe is on, will that become a feature or an add on that will make this possible?

Any ideas?

I heard the difference between the back hoe for the 2520 and 2305 is night and day. It was put to me like this " back hoe for 2305 is a toy and back hoe for 2520 is a machine" Any truth to this?

Also any suggested on size of bucket for backhoe? Any reason to get a smaller size over the 24" size?

Thanks in advance.

Even though the 2320 and 2520 tractor frames are so similar, the BH mount for the 46 backhoe is completely different. Take a look at the videos on the JD website, the BH subfame on the 2520 extends all the way to the front of the tractor underneath. The 2320 uses a different subframe that is compatible with the MMM.

I have not used the backhoe on either machines, so i can't give any real-world experience. I will say that the 2520 provides quite a bit more hydraulic flow, so I would think that the backhoe would feel quite a bit more responsive than the 260 bh, or even the 46 bh on a 2320. Spec-wise, the 46 backhoe digs 4 inches deeper than the 260bh, has 20% more bucket force, and weighs 47% more, so appears to be quite a bit more substantial. It has two swing cylinders as opposed to the single swing cylinder on the 260 bh.

As far as bucket size goes, the bigger the bucket, the more strain on the backhoe. The largest size bucket would be great for a machine sitting on top of pile of topsoil, but might have a hard time breaking into undisturbed hard clay ground. My plan was to go with the smallest, since speed is not really my concern. Less strain on the equipment is fine by me, and any bucket is better than a shovel Again, I have no practical experience with these machines.

 

[Chris2520]

My 2520 has a 46 hoe on it. and i got a 16 inch bucket.
I dug a ditch full depth in hard packed clay that was undisturbed i know for atleast 40 years. and it was no problem at all. yesterday i dug up a oak root about 4 inches around. down about 3 feet. i used the bucket teeth and just peeled it , til i cut it in hafe then covered it up. this should tell you the power of the hoe.

I hope this helps...

 

[aesanders]

Anyone else have a 2320 or 2520 on a 1 or 2 acre lot? Is it a pain to mow with such a large machine? I will design all my landcaping as much as possible to allow for mowing with whatever machine I end up with.

Hey Phunge,

I rotary mow two different 2 acre fields with my 2320. I have a gazzilion trees to rotary mow around and it does very well with them. It's really not that much larger than the 2305 from a foot print stance. It is taller , but with the folding rops you can get as close to trees as you would with the 2305.

Yes you will want to mow in low gear, but it still moves fairly fast. Fast enough for me anyway. I can do a 2 acre field in a little over an hour with the 48 inch rotary mower. It would be quicker with a 5 foot MMM that you would most likley get. I can get into some pretty tight spots.

I can whole heartily say you will not be disapointed in it's mowing capabilities even on your hills. Sure if you had 5 acres or so of hills you probably would want the 2520 to speed things up, but the 2320 will work just fine for an acre or two.

 

[archerynut]

1. Will the option to have the 62 mid mower on the 2520 while the backhoe is on, will that become a feature or an add on that will make this possible?

Any ideas?

I heard the difference between the back hoe for the 2520 and 2305 is night and day. It was put to me like this " back hoe for 2305 is a toy and back hoe for 2520 is a machine" Any truth to this?

2. Also any suggested on size of bucket for backhoe? Any reason to get a smaller size over the 24" size?

Thanks in advance.

1. I would think that JD would be working hard at this issue. Having this compatibility would make the tractor more attractive to a larger audience. Just my opinion though. When I was shopping for a tractor, that incompatibility pointed me away from a 2520.

2. I wouldn't go any smaller than 12". They clog with wet clay soil too easily. I have a 12" bucket and it clogs rarely, but is a pain in the butt when it does. The smaller the bucket the less disturbance and waste when only needing a trench. On larger jobs and in sandy dry soil I would go for the largest bucket the machine would handle. The 9 inch bucket may be attractive to contractors that are laying water lines or electrical conduit that don't want to make a big mess.

 

[archerynut]

I am currently going through this same decision process myself. I only have one acre, but have extensive landscaping that I wish to do. I started out thinking Kubota BX24 or JD2305. Of these two, I am leaning towards the BX24. See the attached PDF documents for some of the reasons & specification comparisons.

Phunge, I don't know if you had run across this spec sheet I put toether a while ago, just in case your interested. If you have a Massey Ferguson dealer near you I would look at a GC 2310 if you have a chance. The financing offer is wrong on the spreadsheet, it is now 0% for 36 months.

 

[GordNovo]

Hi Gang



Lastly, what is the deal with Canadian John Deere dealers why are their prices so much higher than the USA dealers? I have called countless Canadian dealers and they seem unwilling to accept the selling prices in the USA offer much better value. I can also see the duty rate is 0% , so aside from an exchange rate of 13% (Canada dollars to USA dollars) why do the John Deere dealers in Canada feel charging 25% more is fair and acceptable?

What I discovered was that if you offer to pay cash, they should be able to improve the price a bit (by approx 15% in my case). Right now I'm wheelin' and dealin' with my local dealer to upgrade to a 2320. I'm going through my bank with 6.5% (with a "cash price") rather than going through JD financing at 6.9% (non "cash price").

I've had my 2305 for a year and a half, and I've put a lot of hours on it (226 to be exact) My reasons for considering going to the 2320 are as follows:

1. Higher ground clearance, less exposed oil filter. I go over a lot of rocks, dirt clumps and mounds.

2. Higher capacity on the 3ph. The ltd cat1 on the 2305 can only lift 650-ish lbs 24" behind the pins, whereas the 2320 can do almost 1200 lbs. (From what I've read, the lift capacity on the 200CX fel is the same on all 2000 series tractors, but the higher capacity pump on the CUT will make the hydrolics move a little quicker)

3. Position control on the 3ph. I could see this being a real advantage with my rear blower and box blade.

4. Improved stability with the FEL. I'd say 70% of my work is with the loader, so the more stable I can make it, the better!

The one thing that makes me uneasy is the 2320's ability to handle slopes. I've heard some people say it's better than the 2305, but some people also say it's not as good cuz of the higher centre of gravity. If I decide to upgrade, I'm going to try to find/build 4" wheel spacers on the back to help with stability. I'm cautious about loading the tires as our yard is awfully 'squishy' in the spring time and the added weight would wreak havoc across the whole yard.

Good luck with your purchase. Which ever you decide, you're going to have a blast. They're incredibly fun to use!!

Gord

 

[ducati996]

Also for people with the toothbar, is it worth the charge? Does it come in handy?

Laslty, with people that have experience with backhoes in general, what is the deal with the sizing of the buckets? I notice JD offers 9 inch up to 24 inch. I was personally thinking 24", can anyone with knowledge of a back hoe offer the pro's and con's of bucket sizes.

Thanks again.

Toothbar for the loader, is it worth it? yes every penny

Size of bucket for the backhoe -46BH? no bigger than 16" is my suggestion. Rule out a 24" totally

 

[Phunge]

Hey Phunge,

I rotary mow two different 2 acre fields with my 2320. I have a gazzilion trees to rotary mow around and it does very well with them. It's really not that much larger than the 2305 from a foot print stance. It is taller , but with the folding rops you can get as close to trees as you would with the 2305.

Yes you will want to mow in low gear, but it still moves fairly fast. Fast enough for me anyway. I can do a 2 acre field in a little over an hour with the 48 inch rotary mower. It would be quicker with a 5 foot MMM that you would most likley get. I can get into some pretty tight spots.

I can whole heartily say you will not be disapointed in it's mowing capabilities even on your hills. Sure if you had 5 acres or so of hills you probably would want the 2520 to speed things up, but the 2320 will work just fine for an acre or two.

That's a good point about the folding rops, and I guess you're right in that it is almost the same size as the 2305, other than the height.

Sounds like mowing in low gear will not be a problem, especially since I don't have that much to do. I'd like to be able to complete my yard in an hour.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Phunge]

Phunge, I don't know if you had run across this spec sheet I put toether a while ago, just in case your interested. If you have a Massey Ferguson dealer near you I would look at a GC 2310 if you have a chance. The financing offer is wrong on the spreadsheet, it is now 0% for 36 months.

I did run accross this spreadsheet before, and tried to hunt down a Massey dealer to check out their machine. Unfortunately I was not very happy with the dealer at all, and decided not to pursue it. Too bad, because is looked like a great machine. Is that what you ended up buying? What were the reasons?

 

[JDFANATIC]

Will the option to have the 62 mid mower on the 2520 while the backhoe is on, will that become a feature or an add on that will make this possible?

Any ideas?

I heard the difference between the back hoe for the 2520 and 2305 is night and day. It was put to me like this " back hoe for 2305 is a toy and back hoe for 2520 is a machine" Any truth to this?

Also any suggested on size of bucket for backhoe? Any reason to get a smaller size over the 24" size?

Thanks in advance.

Actually, the design the 260 is taken from is the 110TLB (not what I would call a toy), but yes, the 2520 has more powerful hydraulics.

As for Plunge's comments above, I suspect some typos have crept in on some of the numbers (not the first time this has happened to Deere), for example, would you think the front axle carries more load than the rear?

I do think it sounds like Plunge is leaning towards the 2320 and that it would make a nice addition to his family!