Buying Advice It shouldn't be this difficult...

[dodge man]

John Thomas, your driving my car. Sorry to get off subject, but any tractor will be unstable on hills, if you have room, just go straight up and down them. If you can't, then stabililty becomes important.

Picture of my Challenger. It is whats called the Classic RT, where I think John Thomas's is the regular RT.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

John Thomas, your driving my car. Sorry to get off subject, but any tractor will be unstable on hills, if you have room, just go straight up and down them. If you can't, them stabililty becomes important.
Picture of my Challenger. It is whats called the Classic RT, where I think Jphn Thomas's is the regular RT.

I agree but there is unstable, more unstable and really bad unstable. Some times it's serious with blood and broken bones and some times it's just a change of under wear.
Mine has the electronics/computer add and the Bigger Chrome wheels add. I think there are three "styles" and the adds or options that are included make the "styles" different. I traded my 2009 R/T 6 speed for this new Automatic so my wife can drive it during "emergencies" when I'm driving the Avalanche.
I'm pondering (almost past pondering to actually doing) adding a 16" to 18" Chrome stripe down the middle of the hood.
Picture of my trade in.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

For my purposes, if I have narrowed it to the B2920 or B3200, which would you chose? We live in Harrodsburg. Thanks for the advice

I'll probably spend a third of my time mowing around the house with MMM, a third doing landscaping, and a third building trails and cruising the land looking for something thing that needs tractor work.

I picked the B3200 myself but I never really looked at the B2920. If I had it to do over I'd look at the B26/29/30/32 20's. Between the B2920 and the B3200 I'd go with the one they weighed the most. Serious about that. If they weigh near the same then I'd probably go with the B2920 if it was $1500 or more less cost. I'd probably pay $1500 more for the higher HP mostly for resale value if the purchase price wasn't an issue personal finance wise. But above all...........I'd go sit on and drive around Barlows lot the ones I'm considering. I'm convinced that will help you decide the one over the other if the cost difference isn't that big of an issue. If I still had mine I'd let you drive it on my hills but I don't still have it.
I really believe any of the B's in the 26HP and up will do all of your jobs adequately so to me it's just down to feel on it and affordability.:thumbsup:

 

[Hotrocks]

I keep coming back to the 2920. For some reason, it just looks right. I like the B2920 drive over MMM and although the B3200 has a larger loader, when I compared lift capabilities, I thought the difference was minimal.

I'm also torn about the 4' or 5' bushhog. Brady at Barlows said the 5' would be fine as have several other posters on here...but there are the few who say 5' is to big. Another dealer I spoke with also said the same thing Brady said. It looks like it would be about 4" wider than the tractor on each side =o). I wish I had a little more experience with various size tractors and attachments. As it is, my only experience is the last couple years with a BX2200, which I thought was pretty awesome.

That's it... I'm sticking with the 2920. This back and forth is keeping me up at nights.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I keep coming back to the 2920. For some reason, it just looks right. I like the B2920 drive over MMM and although the B3200 has a larger loader, when I compared lift capabilities, I thought the difference was minimal.

I'm also torn about the 4' or 5' bushhog. Brady at Barlows said the 5' would be fine as have several other posters on here...but there are the few who say 5' is to big. Another dealer I spoke with also said the same thing Brady said. It looks like it would be about 4" wider than the tractor on each side =o). I wish I had a little more experience with various size tractors and attachments. As it is, my only experience is the last couple years with a BX2200, which I thought was pretty awesome.

That's it... I'm sticking with the 2920. This back and forth is keeping me up at nights.

I bought a 4' Rotary mower from Barlows last month for my B2320 which handles it fine so I'm certain the B2920 will handle a 5' with no problem.
Go for it (B2920 and 5' Rotary mower) and don't look back.:thumbsup:

 

[chriscos]

I love my B2920. I seriously considered the B3030 (B3000 now?) as well. I looked at the B3200 but I figured if I was getting something that "big" (relatively of course), I might as well get all the bell's and whistles on the B3030 instead. At any rate I chose the B2920.

Go for the FEL quick attach and the pallet forks! They are for the B3200's but they bolt right on the LA364 FEL of the B2920. You can also use the 60" light materials bucket from the B3200 (with or without the quick attach adapter). I have the standard bucket on my B2920 FEL, but I'm thinking about getting the 60" since I tend to deal more with mulch and light compost than I do any digging with the FEL.

If you don't have a lot of "tight" turns for your mowing you may want to go with a rear finish mower instead of the MMM. The MMM does come off pretty easy, but not as easy as a rear finish mower, and a rear finish mower is a *lot* cheaper and can be used on any tractor. The MMM is expensive and only fits the B series (as far as I know). Having said that, I have a lot of nooks and crannies in my yard that does not make the rear finish mower feasible, and I am very happy with my MMM. If I had a different landscape setup around the house, and knowing what I know now, I'd consider the rear finish mower.

Good luck with your purchase!

 

[dodge man]

JOHNTHOMAS, I just thought you had great taste in tractors, but you have great taste in cars also. Carry on!

 

[Verticaltrx]

The 5' bush hog is going to stick out a bit more than 4" on each side, especially on a B2920 which is only 4' wide. On my B3200 my 5' bush hog sticks out 5-6" on each side, and that's on a 54" wide tractor. Remember the bush hog is actually wider than the width of cut, the runners on the sides make up the rest of the width. The extra width on each side can be handy for trimming along things, but also digs in more, causes more scalping and ruts, and sometimes hangs on hidden objects in the tall grass. I would stick with either a 48" or 54" bush hog on the B2920 (woods makes a 54"). Hanging the biggest implement you can on a tractor really doesn't make for a productive unit. Having the tractor and implement properly matched does.

 

[TripleR]

Several years ago, my wife and I actually left our house to buy a B2920. After spending some time at the dealer and seeing how tall and narrow it was and thinking about our hills, we decided against it.

If I got one, I would want wheel spacers.

FWIW, We have 4', 5', 6' and 10' rotary cutters and I personally would not want a 5' on a 2920 for the reasons outlined by Verticaltrx.

Of course I don't own one, so those who do will know more than I.

Good luck.

 

[KU Gator]

We bought a home on 3 acres and bought a JD garden tractor from the previous owner. It worked fine for the mowing and had a blade for snow pushing. Then about 3 years ago we bought 12 acres, 1/2 woods and 1/2 fields for recreation and future building. It is about 25 miles away so needed something to mow and clear but trailerable. Ended up with a B2920 with FEL and MMM. Added a 5' Bush Hog brand Squeeler series mower based on dealers recommendation and trying it at the dealer on may tractor.

It is a good mower and the tractor can spin the blades fine unless it is really heavy grass and I am way behind on mowing. Then have to slow down more. But it is a big mower, weighing over 600# and the weight is way back due to the size of the mower. As suggested by verticaltrx, I would take a hard look at the 54" Woods mower which is about 150# lighter and a bit smaller if I was choosing again for the B2920. You would not loose that much in cutting efficiency.

For use around our house, I think the B2x20 series is the perfect size. Very nimble, easy to use. The MMM does a nice job on the yard and even with the industrial tires, minimal impact on the yard unless it is really wet. The FEL is unbelievably useful. With a rear blade and the FEL, it is a reasonably effective snow removal tool without being too big. I think the unstable aspect is a bit overplayed, but you have to use good sense, keep the FEL low when moving or turning. The MMM adds weight low, so that helps too.

But when I have the B2920 at the other property, there is definitely times when a bigger tractor would help. I usually can get done what I need to do, but a heavier tractor would have more traction for dragging down trees to the burn pile or pulling sapling with a chain. We test drove the B7800, the older brother of the B3200 and felt more comfortable at the time with the size of the B2x20 and both my wife and I noticed the vibration difference in the 4 cyl vs the 3 cyl.