jcmseven
Veteran Member
Fellow Posters:
I have been debating trading (yet again). As many of you know I currently have a 3720 tractor. It is a great machine!!! I have kept this tractor longer than any I have owned and now have a whopping 124 hours on it. I actually use it only sporadically but when I do I will use it 10-15 hours at a time. The machine has done flawlessly. My question is this: each year about this time my wife and I talk about how my tractor takes up a lot of garage space and how she loves what I can do with it, but it seems too much for our property. When I bought the tractor, my father also had 16 acres with which I helped him, in addition to my 6 acres, so I felt I could justify the machine. Now, my dad leases out all but four of his acres for hay production and I have a lot less to do for him. As many of you also know I am a physician and work long hours. I recently was promoted to a new position which is busy but offers more regular hours and blocks of off time (read: tractor time). I have thought about doing a side business doing landscaping, and gravel work and building rock walls, a task with which I have shown some aplomb. I know not whether this will ever materialize. I have owned a 4520, which was my favorite tractor, but it simply was too much for me. Too hard to haul, too big to get in my many tight spaces. When I purchased this most recent tractor, I paid a fairly large sum down and am using one of the JD promotions for the balance. It is easy for me to send in the check each month, but I do wonder at times whether I am getting a full return on my investment. I thusly have thought about again downsizing but was curious to hear from those who use the 2320 whether they feel it has adequate power, especially for pulling hills, etc. I do not need something large, in fact, smaller for me is better. A lighter tractor can be towed behind both my truck and my wife's SUV--which is convenient. I do not want to get something, though, that struggles to climb my hills. As I have mentioned to others before when asked, I probably would not go with a 2520 as the cost/benefit of that machine v. just keeping what I have now is not that great. Also, for those who use their machines for business: if I were to keep my current tractor, are there any stipulations for tax purposes about opening a "company" and depreciating the machine over time? My accountant is sharp, but he looks at me with a blank stare each time I mention opening a "side business." The ability to do this would certainly swing me back more into keeping my current machine, although it would not solve my wife's angst about the space it takes up in the garage. I would very much like to hear from those who use 2320's daily in hilly environments to get their thoughts. I have had a bad experience with my first "big" tractor--a 4310--and do not want to duplicate this. It seems the torque to weight ratio of the 2320 is only slightly less than my 3720, but it has only two ranges--which I am not sure how much of a liability that would be.
John M
I have been debating trading (yet again). As many of you know I currently have a 3720 tractor. It is a great machine!!! I have kept this tractor longer than any I have owned and now have a whopping 124 hours on it. I actually use it only sporadically but when I do I will use it 10-15 hours at a time. The machine has done flawlessly. My question is this: each year about this time my wife and I talk about how my tractor takes up a lot of garage space and how she loves what I can do with it, but it seems too much for our property. When I bought the tractor, my father also had 16 acres with which I helped him, in addition to my 6 acres, so I felt I could justify the machine. Now, my dad leases out all but four of his acres for hay production and I have a lot less to do for him. As many of you also know I am a physician and work long hours. I recently was promoted to a new position which is busy but offers more regular hours and blocks of off time (read: tractor time). I have thought about doing a side business doing landscaping, and gravel work and building rock walls, a task with which I have shown some aplomb. I know not whether this will ever materialize. I have owned a 4520, which was my favorite tractor, but it simply was too much for me. Too hard to haul, too big to get in my many tight spaces. When I purchased this most recent tractor, I paid a fairly large sum down and am using one of the JD promotions for the balance. It is easy for me to send in the check each month, but I do wonder at times whether I am getting a full return on my investment. I thusly have thought about again downsizing but was curious to hear from those who use the 2320 whether they feel it has adequate power, especially for pulling hills, etc. I do not need something large, in fact, smaller for me is better. A lighter tractor can be towed behind both my truck and my wife's SUV--which is convenient. I do not want to get something, though, that struggles to climb my hills. As I have mentioned to others before when asked, I probably would not go with a 2520 as the cost/benefit of that machine v. just keeping what I have now is not that great. Also, for those who use their machines for business: if I were to keep my current tractor, are there any stipulations for tax purposes about opening a "company" and depreciating the machine over time? My accountant is sharp, but he looks at me with a blank stare each time I mention opening a "side business." The ability to do this would certainly swing me back more into keeping my current machine, although it would not solve my wife's angst about the space it takes up in the garage. I would very much like to hear from those who use 2320's daily in hilly environments to get their thoughts. I have had a bad experience with my first "big" tractor--a 4310--and do not want to duplicate this. It seems the torque to weight ratio of the 2320 is only slightly less than my 3720, but it has only two ranges--which I am not sure how much of a liability that would be.
John M
