JD 4320, is it enough tractor?

[cjtinkle]

Back in 2007, we bought a JD 4320 for a current property we own. Life changed, and we ended up moving to 5 acres on the edge of town, so the tractor gets used for an occasional project, but has mostly been idle in the shop these last 7 years.

2 years ago we purchased 70 acres to build our retirement home on. There's maybe 12-15 acres in pasture, the rest is wooded and has trails. So there's not a ton of brush hogging, and we don't plan on making more pasture.

We will be doing extensive gardening and have a tiller, a row planter, hipper, row maker, box blade, wood chipper, grapple bucket and brush hog. There's also going to be 1/2 mile of gravel road down to the house. The first 1/4 miles stretch has been built, and we're waiting on our dozer guy to start the next stretch. The trees (a significant amount, because the utility company news a 30 foot easement in addition to the driveway) will be laid along side the clearing as the dozer goes, so we'll have those to contend with (probably a lifelong project).

Is our tractor going to be enough for these projects? Oh and we also have a backhoe attachment for it.

We'll be hiring out the road construction, ground clearing and pad building. So the tractor will just be needed for maintaining the property and gardening.

TIA!

 

[Gordon Gould]

I would say you will be fine. I do all the same kind of work and extensive small scale logging on our hilly 170 acres with a 30 hp L3010. It sounds like you are well equiped for what youu will want to do. I would not switch tractors until you find that there is something that it can't do that you really want to do yourself.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You have plenty of tractor for maintaining your new property. A 40 hp @ PTO is perfect size for bush hogging and can even move large round bales in most cases especially if you use a QA bale fork. I do an amazing amount of work with my much smaller B26 TLB removing unwanted trees, digging out stumps etc. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the capability of your JD.

My brother in law maintains 32 acres of pasture with his 40 HP New Holland 2310 with cab mowing with his 6 foot bush hog, moving round bales with ease, lifts and can unload 1500# super sacks of ground feed from his pick up and move them into his barn under an 8 foot door.
Upgrading to a cabbed tractor would be the only reason to trade for a new tractor.

 

[JMER817]

I'm maintaining 25 acres with my 4120 which is the same size with less hp (35 pto) and have yet to run into a job where I didn't have enough tractor.

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much what everyone else said, I don't see the real "need" for a different machine. After using it a while, you you may "want" something bigger/cab etc., but maybe not; I'd wait and see.

 

[chevy]

I have a 4120 & use a backhoe on it.
Based on what I can do with it, I see no reason to upgrade tractors, unless you just want to.

 

[rekees4300]

We'll be hiring out the road construction, ground clearing and pad building. So the tractor will just be needed for maintaining the property and gardening.

I have 42 acres similar to yours and JD4300 4WD. It's plenty tractor for brush hogging, pushing snow, FEL work and other light to moderate tasks. You have the good sense to hire out for heavier projects. Many folks try to use a small tractor for large projects and end up breaking the tractor. I think your 4320 will be a good machine for your needs.

 

[JMER817]

I have 42 acres similar to yours and JD4300 4WD. It's plenty tractor for brush hogging, pushing snow, FEL work and other light to moderate tasks. You have the good sense to hire out for heavier projects. Many folks try to use a small tractor for large projects and end up breaking the tractor. I think your 4320 will be a good machine for your needs.

The older 4300 is similar to the current 3000 series. The 4320 is a larger tractor

 

[cjtinkle]

Oh thank heavens, I was so hoping you guys would all say that! A bigger tractor really isn't in the budget. When we bought the place, we considered it, but instead put that cash that could have gone to a larger tractor into a Gator, as we figured the pair would give us more options and we could get more done. The Gator has surprised us with it's work capacity, and we felt like we made a good choice, but we're not living there yet using both all the time... I keep second guessing myself

 

[rekees4300]

The older 4300 is similar to the current 3000 series. The 4320 is a larger tractor

Oh okay, it hard to keep track of JD's ever changing numbering system, that means there's even less reason to trade in the 4320.