Is a 2032R, 72" MMM, FEL, 54" snow blower too big for my yard?

[jgraves]

Unless I move to a significantly bigger property, I won't be looking for anything larger. One dealer did insist on showing me a factory cabbed 3000 series and while it would be nice for clearing the driveway, its way to big for the mowing and landscaping I'm planning. In truth, if I had purchased a X700 series lawn mower with the 47" snow blower instead of the L130 I wouldn't have considered upgrading to the 2032R.

Although I may not get to it before this winter, I am planning to build a hard side cab that can be removed in several flat panels for the summer. There are very few days where I'd prefer AC over an open tractor.

 

[jgraves]

It's another cool and wet day here but I adjusted the deck and cut the front yard. I would guess the 72" deck has cut my mowing time almost exactly in half compared to the 48" deck on the L130. After several wet days, the industrial tires and tractor weight are marking the lawn but I think drier conditions and turfs will correct that. With the deck leveled and raised to 3.25" I had no scalping issues out front. The standard blades did a respectable job mulching the leaves considering they were wet and deep enough the deck was plowing leaves in a couple spots.

I made a failed attempt at a diy deck lockup kit this morning as well. I bolted 3 links of 1/4" chain to the fender / ROPS support and pinned a 5/16" turnbuckle to the mower lift bracket on each side. The concept worked great but the closed end of the turnbuckle is now an elongated open hook. I'll have to look elsewhere for a heavier turnbuckle or fabricate some other variety of adjustable link as 5/16" was the largest available at TSC.

I've had the loader on and off the tractor a couple times and must say it is very easy. I can't say the same about the box blade but that may be due to the weight of the deck on the 3 point lift arms. I'll try removing the deck later today.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Congrats on your new big boy giant yard toy!!!

Assuming you have a JD Box Blade, an iMatch for the 3 pth might be a good investment + a set of bushings for the BB. For JD equipment and any other that has compatible spacing of the three hitch points, the iMatch makes hooking up a piece of equipment extremely fast and easy.

 

[jgraves]

Thanks. So far I'm quite impressed with it.

I removed the deck and reattached the box blade to grade a section of driveway this afternoon. My difficulty in attaching the box blade is only spreading the lower arms wide enough to fit over the pins. Even without the deck in place, the deck lift brackets appear to be limiting the spread of the arms.

The tractor must be slightly off center to get the first arm over the pin then the implement shifted sideways to get the second arm over its pin. I can muscle the box blade around enough to get it on but it's not easy.

I'll wait to see how frequently I'm attaching 3 pt implements before adding an iMatch but I certain see how it would make life easier. I expect I'll leave either the box blade or ballast box on for the winter.

PS The 72" MMM is quicker and less effort to remove than the 48" deck on the L130.

 

[Parkanzky]

Thanks. So far I'm quite impressed with it.

I removed the deck and reattached the box blade to grade a section of driveway this afternoon. My difficulty in attaching the box blade is only spreading the lower arms wide enough to fit over the pins. Even without the deck in place, the deck lift brackets appear to be limiting the spread of the arms.

The tractor must be slightly off center to get the first arm over the pin then the implement shifted sideways to get the second arm over its pin. I can muscle the box blade around enough to get it on but it's not easy.

I'll wait to see how frequently I'm attaching 3 pt implements before adding an iMatch but I certain see how it would make life easier. I expect I'll leave either the box blade or ballast box on for the winter.

PS The 72" MMM is quicker and less effort to remove than the 48" deck on the L130.

How much ballast are you running? My 2032R was delivered recently and I opted to get a box blade and no ballast box. The box blade is considerably heavier than a back blade (My 60" box blade is 465#, but there are heavier out there), so it serves as my ballast. A box blade is also great for pulling snow out of doorways when snowblowing.

 

[kevinwak]

Thanks. So far I'm quite impressed with it. I removed the deck and reattached the box blade to grade a section of driveway this afternoon. My difficulty in attaching the box blade is only spreading the lower arms wide enough to fit over the pins. Even without the deck in place, the deck lift brackets appear to be limiting the spread of the arms. The tractor must be slightly off center to get the first arm over the pin then the implement shifted sideways to get the second arm over its pin. I can muscle the box blade around enough to get it on but it's not easy. I'll wait to see how frequently I'm attaching 3 pt implements before adding an iMatch but I certain see how it would make life easier. I expect I'll leave either the box blade or ballast box on for the winter. PS The 72" MMM is quicker and less effort to remove than the 48" deck on the L130.

It takes about 21 seconds to attach the box blade, or any of the other rear attachments using the iMatch. Considering how much money I spent on the tractor the couple hundred for the iMatch was well worth the money.

 

[jgraves]

I've only had the tractor for a few days. My ballast box is still empty and hasn't been on the tractor yet. The box blade is a JD 2060 which I think is in that 450 to 500lbs range.

I can snow blow parallel to all my doors so I think the advantage for winter goes to the ballast box for being more compact, both for maneuvering and parking the tractor in the garage.