John Deere 790 - A Good Deal?

[dirt ditch]

Until last weekend I had never thought about gear vs hydro fuel consumption. I was clearing snow off my dad's driveway when his neighbor came over and we started talking tractors. He had owned a geared compact JD tractor that was destroyed in a tornado 2 years ago. He replaced it with a Hydro compact JD of the same HP. He said running a rotary cutter or rototiller, he could get 12 hours of hard work out of the geared tractor on a tank of fuel, but only 8 hours on the same amount of fuel with the hydro.

 

[Mech]

Until last weekend I had never thought about gear vs hydro fuel consumption. I was clearing snow off my dad's driveway when his neighbor came over and we started talking tractors. He had owned a geared compact JD tractor that was destroyed in a tornado 2 years ago. He replaced it with a Hydro compact JD of the same HP. He said running a rotary cutter or rototiller, he could get 12 hours of hard work out of the geared tractor on a tank of fuel, but only 8 hours on the same amount of fuel with the hydro.

I know my 790 is almost unbelievably economical. I致e never actually measured it but I know if uses significantly less than a gallon per hour when working hard. I think it has a 5 gallon tank and even though I致e worked it for 4 hours at a time I致e never used close to a ｽ tank of fuel. And I work it hard. When I'm grading I need to run it at over 2200 RPM to pull with all the weight I have on my BB. Has anyone with a 790 done an accurate measurement of the fuel it uses?

 

[10boomer]

Thanks DCox.....

When you shift do you have to come to a complete stop? I've seen other posts that indicate this may be necessary.

 

[Mech]

Thanks DCox.....

When you shift do you have to come to a complete stop? I've seen other posts that indicate this may be necessary.

For me not always but I never know if I do or not. If you want to be sure not to grind gears you need to stop.

 

[jenkinsph]

Compact tractors and fuel economy,

The fuel usage for these tractors is so little I don't know why anyone would be concerned, it is the cheapest part of owning and operating.





Steve

 

[GreenWannabe]

10B,

For effective loader use, the 2520/2720 needs 800lbs hanging on the 3PH.

Do a search for "2520" and see how this has been a great performer for it's owners...the 2720 is the same everything but 2 more HP.

Deere's recommendations a couple of years ago was 772 pounds on the 3ph plus either loaded rear tires or three wheel weights on each rear wheel. You might ask your dealer to check in the sales manual for your loader; that's where the info was published.

 

[kennyd]

Deere's recommendations a couple of years ago was 772 pounds on the 3ph plus either loaded rear tires or three wheel weights on each rear wheel. You might ask your dealer to check in the sales manual for your loader; that's where the info was published.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I really just want to emphasize that you need A LOT of weight to make the tractor work better. The OP said:

when I tested at the JD dealer (they had a nice pile of sand and gravel to play with) the 2720 lost traction well before the bucket was full (actually about half full)....even in 4wd. Not sure how much weight on it, although there was a small implement on the 3-point.

I do not think the tractor was ballasted properly, and that's why the results where less than steller at the dealer

 

[dmp437]

The price for a new 3320 scared me a bit (since only 36 month 0 interest is available) so am looking at the used market.

If you liked everything about the 3320 except the price then I would consider a used 4310 or 4410. The eHydro was the most popular version of that line and I see quite a few of them with low hours for a reasonable price.
There's also a chance that I'm slightly biased. I do know that for loader work the eHydro is hard to beat.

 

[10boomer]

I think you guys are right that the tractor did not have enough ballast....would definately account for the fact that it lost traction when only 1/2 a bucket full....guess it was not a fair example of what it can do. I've asked the dealer to add some weight (heavier 3pt implement, ballast weights, etc) so I can test again.

For the 4310/4410 - is that similar to the 3320? I will start looking at the used market for those as well as the others on my list. I'm out in the Austin area and used tractors go VERY quickly....but will keep my eyes open. The JD790 I asked about is a private sale and the guy hasn't advertised yet (so I have a little bit of time to decide on it....

Thanks for all your good suggestions....please "keep'em coming....."

 

[kennyd]

For the 4310/4410 - is that similar to the 3320?

They are equivalent to the 3320/3520 series. EXCELLENT machines. Search my friend