Buying Advice JD 3320 - Overkill?

[Ptolemy]

Well I've taken the plunge and purchased approximately 14 acres of mostly wooded land in Fauquier County, VA. Less than 1/2 acre is cleared and as such I've purchased an LD120 riding lawn mower to cut the grass. I've actually use a 21" push mower to cut it in a few hours but figured a riding mower would allow my wife to help

My next challenge is the driveway. It is gravel and over 1800 feet long with quite an incline. I've attached some photos of it appropriately labelled in hopes of given some perspective of what I am dealing with.

I bought the house from the builder who was previously maintaining the driveway and he recommended at least a 30hp tractor in order to handle the slope and be able to drag the driveway. I believe he was using a 10 year old Kubota 3010 to get the job done.

My primary tasks for the tractor would be caring for the gravel driveway, snow removal, and some general loader work such as hauling cut firewood, and leveling ground for a garden.

The JD 3320 is my top contender at this point although I've seen some recent posts related to high center of gravity. Although I don't anticipate doing much work across the slope of my property, the driveway is quite steep and plowing snow is one of the main tasks for this tractor.

I'd welcome any advice on:

1. Whether I'm crazy to consider this tractor for the tasks I've described above.

2. Should I consider the cab? I realize it is a bit more in price but heck you only live once, right?

3. For dealing with the driveway I've heard no less than ten conflicting opinions. Use a box blade, use a york rake, get a land plane. Front blade is best. Help!

4. I stopped in my local JD dealer and had him give me a quote for the stock 3320 with the 300CX loader. I haven't tried to negotiate yet, just wanted to see what the starting price would be. He quoted me 25K. Seems high to me but again - I'm new. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for all help.

 

[dkostiha]

I have a 3120 and love it. I think a 3320 would be good for you. I like the bx blade for dirt and gravel work.

 

[loingrader]

3320 sounds perfect. bigger or smaller would work too but i think you are right on track with the 3320.

i've got one and live on 14 mainly wooded acres. use it to mow the yard with a 72d belly mower, put a 7 foot 3 point blower on for snow clearing duties and i use my box blade mostly on my driveway with the occasional drag with a normal 3 point blade.

biggest difference of a 3320 vs a 2000 series for you will be loader capacity and snow blowing ability. I move a lot of downed trees and with a markham grapple on the front i still have enough capacity to grab a lot of branches. i sometimes wish for more loader capacity but make due just fine. with a 2000 series i would probably not be as happy with it's loader abilities.

my 3320 with hydrostat will move my 7 foot lorenz snowblower thru snow amazingly quick. the blower weighs over 900lbs and a smaller tractor would not work too great. i like a 7 footer because i can make 1 quick pass and get the vehicles out even thru a 10 foot drift.

cab vs open... the visibility on an open station and the ability to jump on and off quickly and easily made it a no brainer for me. i also would not be able to do much in the trees with the height and size of the cab. throw in the added cost and it made the decision even easier. i'm blowing snow 5 months out of the year and can see the benefits to a cab, but i just bundle up and with the 3320 and 7 foot lorenz i can have my drive blown out in 20 minutes most mornings.

more random musings about my 3320 here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...298-jd-3320-attachments-extensive-review.html

i doubt you would ever regret getting a 3320!

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

From your description, but not familiar with VA, don't think I'd go any smaller than 3x20. First few minutes the 3x20 may "feel tippy" but set your wheels to wide and with a bit of seat time you'll feel very safe. I have an area where I quite often mow on the side slope and I can tell you my 3320 is less tippy in exactly the same place than my riding tractor.

I had an O/S 3320 and bought a Cab 3320. I'm looking forward to cool in summer, no bugs, dust and heat in the winter. Low trees are not really a factor for me. As for snow / gravel, as you have found, if you ask 10 people you'll get 11 opinions. Better solutions often involve spending more money.

Ask yourself what's the largest load you may want to lift and determine if you want to size the tractor for that. I was very tempted to go with 4x20 to get the extra FL capacity.

 

[beenthere]

My thought would be at least the 3320. And as for the cab, I don't get one mainly because of the woods work I do. Would just tear it up. But secondly, I really like working the tractor in the open air. Sure times when A/C would be great, and times when heat would be great. But most of the time, neither are needed. Good luck with your decision. Don't think you will regret the 3320 decision.
As to price, not going there. Squeeze the dealer if you want. I let the dealer set his price and I decide if I'm willing to pay it (or not). On a 3720, I didn't buy. And the dealer didn't get a sale. Still we are on good terms.

Getting Ag tires will allow you to widen the stance more than the R-4's. That may be a decision for you to make when ordering.

 

[Mpking]

I know this is the JD forum but have you considered a Kubota L3240? I started off looking at the 3x20's but settled on the Kubota after getting advice on this forum. I probably wouldn't go with anything smaller than the size/hp of the 3320 though or else you might run out of steam pulling gravel up a hill with a box blade/land plane/rear blade/etc.

I have a very similar 1/2 mile gravel driveway. My L3240 and grader scraper did a very good job of filling the pot holes and building the crown back up. I like the land pride brand scraper because it has the scarifiers that I can lower to scrape through really tough pot holes so they don't come back so easy.

It took me a total of about 6 hours to scrape my road from end to end making numerous passes to build the crown back up. Mind you, nobody had done a single thing to maintain it in about 7 years when the neighbors got together to lay down some gravel so it was in very bad shape. Yours looks much better so whatever you decide, you'll probably have an easier time.

 

[RoyJackson]

3320 would be a good fit...

As far as what to use on the drive, why not ask the builder (who had maintained the drive) what he used? The tractor he used is quite comparable to the 3320.

As far as the cab...not a good idea if you intend to work in the unimproved acreage. That, and the cab will raise the tractor's center of gravity (high CofG was one of your concerns...why add to it?)

Fauquier County, VA has a pretty moderate climate...the area does get snow, but blizzards (>10") are the exception not the norm. Snows are normally in the 4"-8" range. A front blade might be a better choice then a blower. But you will want chains.

Speaking of chains, which tires do you want for the tractor? I'd pick R-4s...but you might need to add spacers (recent posts concerning the 3x20 series indicate there is not much gain in swapping the R-4s side to side...I don't know that as a fact...something to ask your dealer).

 

[msmud]

I think the 3320 is an excellent tractor but you could spend thousands less by going with the 3032e/3038e. Their heights to the top of the hood and rops are considerably less than the 3x20 series, and maximum width with R4s is about the same (R1s can be spaced wider in the 3320.) My 3038e is much more stable than a relative's 3320 Cab model on similar slopes, and it has considerably more power. It's low enough that I avoid branches that hit the 3320 Cab.

It might be worth it to you to test drive a 3032e.

 

[Transit]

Cab or not? How cold does it get in VA, how long can you work in the cold?
As for hp, there are many posts about under powered tractors whatever the brand. You may not use the hp all the time, but when you need it you have it.

 

[Nitro-Fish]

Which dealer are you talking with? I think you would be OK with a 3320, just be sure to get the 300CX loader (I would also recommend getting a 6' bucket, it makes moving snow from the driveway go a bit quicker too). I almost went with a 4320 instead of the 3320, but decided against it at the last minute; I was dealing with Eaheart equipment in Warrenton to begin with, but wound up going with VA tractor in Orange, of course now they have merged 4 dealerships into one and are going under the VA tractor name. I was sold on the 3320 because of it's size, there have been a few instances where the 4320 would have come in handy, but the 3320 seems to do just fine, it has handled everthing I have thrown at it. As far as the 3320 being tippy, I have the open station & at first it did take some getting used to, but I think more of the tippy feeling is in the suspended seat, not the instability of the machine; I am used to the feel now, and I have put it in some crazy places with no problems. If you do go with the cab unit, there are spacers available to help if it feels too tippy, they are actually for a skid steer loader, I think they are around $300.00 for a set of 4 (some like to double up, 2 on each wheel), not bad for a few more inches for width. Best thing to do is try the different models for yourself, compare the different features and get the one you are most comfortable with. Good luck in your choice.