Tractor Sizing John Deere 1026R or 2520 for acreage

[itpdk9]

Like you, I started off looking at the 1026r. Seemed like a really nice tractor but I wanted something a little bigger. It came down to the 2520 and the 3320. I read everything I could about both tractors and still couldn't decide. I then found a dealer that had both tractors in his yard available to test drive. Within 5 minutes of driving, I was sold on the 3320.... My buddy tried to get me into a Kubota... After those orange tractors sit out in the sun awhile, they fade and turn pink

Here is mine....



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that is a very nice deere, does yours have the hydro tranny if you don't mind me asking how much was your set up with front loader. John deeres website annoys me it is so hard to try and price everything out. I would love to own a deere but I can't get the price to match the equal equipment on a kubota. And if my tractor turns pink I am man enough to deal with it…lol

 

[TripleR]

We own a JD and Kubota SCUT and up to an M8540. Like jenkinsph, any mentioned will do the job. The one tractor for all tasks is going to necessarily mandate a compromise, so figure out which will leave the smallest amount of compromise. Without looking at the property in person, I really couldn't recommend a 1026R over a 2520 or vice versa. You might talk to your dealers to see if you can try one out and if not drive them on site as much as possible.

As to brand, we own more Kubotas than anything else, but always recommend trying then all out. My brother has a lot of knowledge and experience and just bought a Kioti as the best bang for his buck though he too likes Kubota, John Deere, Massey Ferguson etc.

Good luck.

 

[meburdick]

ZBoogie,
I have been looking the same as you. I really wanted a JD, I went and looked at the 1026r I really liked it but was afraid it was a bit small. I then looked at the 2000 series which were nice. I figured I better check out Kubota as a lot of my friends have them and say that you get more for your money. So I went to Kubota they gave me a better price for a loader and tractor B3200hsd, which is 32 hp and is a much bigger more capable tractor than the 2000 series JD. So take a look around and definitely drive them. I drove both JD and Kubota and as much as I loved the Green, I am choosing the Orange. Good luck shopping Oh I should add that Kubota has 0 for 60 and JD is only 0 for 48.

That was one of the machines I considered as well. The price point of the machine was ok, but adding implements to it drove the cost way high, way fast. That machine also has a 32HP motor, and I can do the exact same amount of work with my JD with a 26HP motor... Hmmm

As others have mentioned - the 1026r is a great Swiss Army Knife machine. Does lots of stuff, does it reasonably well, and keeps the cost down a bit compared to larger tractors. But, it absolutely doesn't do the same work as the CUTS do. Smaller mowing decks, smaller 3PH capabilities, and lower lifting capacities with the loader.

When you're evaluating a new machine, I always recommend that write out the tasks that your machine will need to go regularly and buy a machine based on the heaviest regular work it will have to do.

If you're going to still have someone else do the brush hog work, don't buy for that capability unless you want to someday take that on yourself.

When deciding on how much loader capability you need, look at it from the perspective of "how much mulch will I put down every year, how much does a bucket-worth weigh, how far do I have to move it, and how many loads do I need to be done in?"

If your terrain has a slope to it, you need to be considerate of that for moving across the slope. Sure, a very large machine will drive the mower deck, but will it stay upright on that slope? You may be well-served by doing a dual machine thing - get a garden tractor to mow with and a small CUT or SCUT for everything else.

If you go the route of a SCUT or CUT from JD, I implore you to leave $1,000 aside to get yourself a set of Artillian JDQA Pallet Forks. They are immensely useful.

 

[El Wood]

that is a very nice deere, does yours have the hydro tranny if you don't mind me asking how much was your set up with front loader. John deeres website annoys me it is so hard to try and price everything out. I would love to own a deere but I can't get the price to match the equal equipment on a kubota. And if my tractor turns pink I am man enough to deal with it…lol

I checked my paperwork and the tractor was 21,246 and the loader (300 CX) was 4,910. It is a hydro with R-4's. I also got the mid PTO, rear Power Beyond and front plumbing to run a grapple. I'm having a great time with it. Hope that helps!

 

[meburdick]

I checked my paperwork and the tractor was 21,246 and the loader (300 CX) was 4,910. It is a hydro with R-4's. I also got the mid PTO, rear Power Beyond and front plumbing to run a grapple. I'm having a great time with it. Hope that helps!

Just for comparison purposes... I bought my 2520 when Deere was offering 0% financing AND a $2500 rebate if you bought two attachments with the tractor (loader counts as one). They were offering up-sell incentives into the 2x20 machines specifically because they weren't able to get the 1's off of the assembly line.

I got the machine, 200cx loader w/ CUT Carrier (JDQA) and front brush guard, 61" bucket, 62D MMM w/ mulch kit, ballast box, 54" front-mount blower, and had the rears filled. I also had the power chute control option installed, the chute deflector option, and got the additional brackets to allow for the simplest changes between loader / mower and snowblower. Total for me, in including local sales tax and the Artillian forks w/ shipping, and I came in a couple thousand under the cost of your 3320 and loader. Considering the base price of the 2520 is about $4000 less than the 3320 and I got a $2500 rebate, that accounts for the bulk of the pricing difference.

The 2520 consists of: 26HP, MFWD (4x4), mid and rear PTO, foldable ROPS, hydrostatic transmission, and turf tires.

 

[ZBoogie]

Just for comparison purposes... I bought my 2520 when Deere was offering 0% financing AND a $2500 rebate if you bought two attachments with the tractor (loader counts as one). They were offering up-sell incentives into the 2x20 machines specifically because they weren't able to get the 1's off of the assembly line.

I got the machine, 200cx loader w/ CUT Carrier (JDQA) and front brush guard, 61" bucket, 62D MMM w/ mulch kit, ballast box, 54" front-mount blower, and had the rears filled. I also had the power chute control option installed, the chute deflector option, and got the additional brackets to allow for the simplest changes between loader / mower and snowblower. Total for me, in including local sales tax and the Artillian forks w/ shipping, and I came in a couple thousand under the cost of your 3320 and loader. Considering the base price of the 2520 is about $4000 less than the 3320 and I got a $2500 rebate, that accounts for the bulk of the pricing difference.

The 2520 consists of: 26HP, MFWD (4x4), mid and rear PTO, foldable ROPS, hydrostatic transmission, and turf tires.

Well I bush hogged my property using a JD 955 33HP 4X4 with a 5' bush hog. It took 6 hours for 6 acres. I wouldn't want any less power. The property has a 50' drop 10% grade is places. It only has 10 total trees on it so it is pretty wide open. How would a JD 955 stack up against either a 1026R or 2520? Mowing/bush hogging is my main task.

 

[meburdick]

Well I bush hogged my property using a JD 955 33HP 4X4 with a 5' bush hog. It took 6 hours for 6 acres. I wouldn't want any less power. The property has a 50' drop 10% grade is places. It only has 10 total trees on it so it is pretty wide open. How would a JD 955 stack up against either a 1026R or 2520? Mowing/bush hogging is my main task.

In very basic terms..

PTO HP
955: 27
2520: 20.5
1026r: 18

So, they really don't compare in terms of PTO HP - that 955 is quite a bit beefier than either.

 

[ZBoogie]

Makes me wonder now. I guess I really need to test a 1026R and 2520. The 955 didn't bog down once.

 

[94BULLITT]

Maybe you need to look at some bigger tractors like a 3032 or 3038 or a Kubota B3200 L3200 or L3800.

 

[Gittyup]

A 5 foot mower won't bog anything over 20 hp. Don't get too hung up on hp. There is a lot more to consider. If u want to stay with a 5' mower, should then turn focus to nimbleness. The 2520 is more modern than a 955 and has plenty of power.