Buying Advice New buyer with questions

[skid-kid]

First I want to say this is an awesome sight with piles of great info and want to thank all the guys that hang around here with the answers.

Now I have about 15 acres of property with about 5 cleared and the rest wooded, mostly level. I have read and read and done a ton of research and I have narrowed my tractor selection down to a few and I am looking for some final opinions.

I would like a fel, bh, front snow blower, and a mower (undecided on mmm or rear mower)

I found a 2006 JD 3120 with 450hrs and it includes 300CX Fel, 447 BH, it does have a mid PTO but no mower(good for the front mount blower though). There is a digging and material bucket for the Fel, and set of 48" forks. There is a 12" and a 24" bucket for the hoe. Private sale for $20,000.00. He used it for a small landscaping buisiness and said it is time to move to bigger equipment. It is a 29.5 hp tractor with 22hp PTO. I was kind of worried about the PTO hp if I get a 59" front blower or other PTO implements, but I don't know if I should be bother by that, that is why I'm asking here.

I also found a 2005 JD 3520 with 220hrs and it includes 300CX Fel, 448 BH, and 72" 7 iron MMM (not the quick attach MMM). At a dealership for $28900.00 before tax. Now I'm dealing with a 37 hp engine and 30 hp PTO.

The specs on these two tractors are the same as far as hydraulic output, and lift at the three point hitch and overall tractor weight. The only real difference I see is the eng and PTO hp. My real question I guess is going with the 3520 worth the extra $$$$ for basically 7 more hp. Sorry that was so long but I always see you guys asking for more info and thought I would try and get it all in on the first go. Thanks.

 

[orlo]

Skid Kid:

I had a 3320, and a 3720 I just traded in on a 4720. I had a 59" blower on the 3720cab and that moved snow very well but I had 44hp/ 35pto HP. With 22PTO HP you might be moving snow a little slower than you want but I suppose that depends on your point of view. I also have a 2305 with 18pto HP and a 47" blower and I think with just 4hp more the 59" wouldn't run very fast. This makes me think you'd be a bit disappointed with the 59 on the 3120. Also the 59 will cost you over 5K (Yes, 5K with mounting hardware) for that puppy.

Not too many folks here with 3120's compared to the 3320/3520, and 3720's, it kind of gets an undeserved bad rap.

My 3320 was just a tad more HP (I think it was 32.5 and 25 PTO HP. I never ran the blower
on it. I did run a 72" MMM and for a few weeks ran an 84" RFM and that was fine on the 3320. High range it wouldn't accelerate like a rocket but in low and mid it was fine. I had the 300CX on it but no BH. The BH is a significant amount of weight also and will slow it down a bit.

I ran a chipper on the back of my 3320 and it was fine.

The biggest difference I noticed with the 3720 and 3320 was in using high range when accelerating. If you were going to be running back and forth all day in high it may make a difference. The other thing is if you plan to use high HP PTO attachments and only you will know that.

Not that it means anything, but the 3320 also has the biggest engine block of the 3x20 series. It's a 1.5 liter block vs the 1.3 in the 3120, 3520, and 3720. The 3120 has no turbo on the 1.3, the 3520 has the turbo, and the 3720 has the Turbo with an intercooler and more boost.

Also, no cab option on the 3120. I can't speak too much for price, that doesn't sound bad but it really depends on where you are and the condition of the equipment.

Also, I'm assuming both are hydro's.

I 'used' to run a MMM on my 3320 then switched to a RFM with my 3720. The MMM's cut beautiful, but you'll bang the crap out of it unless you take it off for tractor work and it's a lot of $$$ (Probably close to $3,500-4K with attaching hardware now list) (Was about 3k in 2005). I currently run a 84" RFM and the only thing I miss about the MMM is hooking it up to my cyclone rake for leaf collection. My 3320 ran the 72" MMM and 84" RFM fine and the small drop in HP for the 3120 probably wouldn't make a difference.

If you don't have any obstacles I'd go with a RFM (Just my opinion). If you have a lot of obstacles you may want to re-consider. Also, you can back a RFM under low trees to mow - You can't do that with a MMM. You could also mount one of the new Auto-Decks on it but I can't even imagine what those cost now.

Sorry I'm so long-winded, but one final point. If you are at altitude you DO want to consider the turbo. As many folks have stated here you'll lose I think around 3% HP with every 1000 feet with a non-turbo. Turbo's don't lose HP as they maintain the boost pressure regardless so that may factor into your decision.

 

[skid-kid]

Orlo

Thanks for the response. When I talked with a dealer he told me that this was the last year for the 3120 and that the only reason it was still on their website was for the remaining tractors to sell out.

The lower PTO hp is what had me worried but I thought it was a pretty good deal with the extra buckets and forks. I would like to stick with a MMM because there is a very good chance that my wife and mother will be operating this tractor as I still deploy every once in a while and I was worried they lose sight that there is something swinging around behind them when they turn. I do have obstacles to go around but alot of them are trees and you would be able to back a rear mower under them.

The 3520 already has the MMM but like I said it will cost me about $30500.00 to bring it home (maybe that is a good price, I don't know). But then it would also be purchased from a dealer and I would hope that would help if I needed service. No matter wich one I get I will have to save for a blower.

A cab really doesn't matter to me, and would probably bother me in the woods. Both tractors are hydros.

I'm in western PA and both tractors appear to have well cared for. My place is about 1800 feet above sea level so I don't think I will have a power issue.

 

[RoyJackson]

If you're just going to maintain the 5 cleared acres and a little bit of work in the wooded area, the 3120 has plenty of power and capacity for the work. 22HP will run any implement a residential user would use, including the snowblower (how long is your drive?). A 3ph snowblower is a lot cheaper and you still have use of the loader, so give that some thought.
Unless there are a lot of obstacles, a rear mower will do your finished lawn quite nicely for a lot less money then the mid-mount mower.
So, keep that extra $8900 in your pocket!

Now, one caveat: that landscaper may have run the crap out of that 3120, so look it over good before you buy.

 

[skid-kid]

I thought that also about the landscaper. I would hope that he took care of the equipment that put money in his pocket. But you never know.

I have been spoiled with a front mount snowblower on a GT275 for about ten years now. Things have just become to much work with it. I have two driveways totaling about 300'. I also clean out my mother, brother, and brother inlaw when the snow gets bad. The last time it dumped about ten inches it took me almost six hours. That poor 275 has done a ton of work over the last 14 years for just a garden tractor, and it is still running. I call it the little john deere that could. I already have some problems with my neck and shoulder and just don't think I could be looking behind me that much and I do get into some tight spaces around porches and vehicles. Not saying it can't be done with a rear mount.

When we moved in here I was still active USMC and we really didn't have plans of staying more than 4 to 6 years. We put a mobile home in a field and started mowing it. Plans changed and now I am in the PA Guard and we will be building a house here in the next four to five years. Got the garage built this year.

I want to clear back about another acre of woods and remove the stumps. The whole place needs sprayed, plowed, disked, dragged, and some real grass planted. I can't imagine mowing without getting my kidneys bounced out. So I do have some things in mind other than just mowing some grass and moving some snow. I know that is a lot of work but it will make me very happy in the end. There are some places I would like to clean up in the woods and food plots are always in the equation.

 

[JCB]

Skid,

My two cent. For mowing, tilling, blowing etc. (homeowner tasks) a hydro trans and the ability to slow down help make up for a lot of PTO hp. If you plan on baling hay all day long then you really need hp.

Roy and Orlo are probably right. On this site, you'll get a lot of advice to go bigger but the 3120 probably would fit you well. The 3120 diesel will be a night and day difference from the 275. It'll chug and blow through snow that the 275 would have to rev up to move.

Joe

 

[AKfish]

This is a difficult call. The extra goodies with the 3120 are really hard to pass up and the price is pretty reasonable, too. Good chunk of change difference between it and the 3520.

But... the 448 hoe is worth more than the 447 - and it's more capable. 'Course the MMM (the 7-iron is a hummer, too) is already on the 3520, too. You'll have to come up with more $$$ to set up the 3120 to mow this summer. There's at least $4k "on the table" with the difference in the hoe and a MMM for the 3120 - IMO.

So, it's not a "straight up" difference of $8,900. And of course, there's the price difference between the 3520 vs the 3120. Should you ever decide to sell or trade up for another machine... Well, the money difference right now -- would definitely pay off later - IMO. (There's a reason that Deere dropped the 3120 from the 3000 series - they didn't sell.)

Lastly, I've been working on our 20 acres for the past 6 years; clearing trees, digging stumps, rototilling, dragging, seeding, spraying, fertilizing and mowing.
My last TLB was 30hp at the pto. I used every Hp... I don't think I would have been satisfied with 22hp at the pto. Especially when tilling, discing and getting my hay fields established.

I'd spend some time lookin' both machines over and making sure everything works, etc. Then I'd research the relative value and the asking price - to see how much wiggle room there is on each machine.

Then I'd make an offer on the 3520....

AKfish

 

[skid-kid]

Well I spent to much time at the dealerships and just ordered a new 3320 with 300 CX FEL, 375 BH, and 72" auto connect MMM. I'm a sucker but I'll be a happy sucker in three weeks.

 

[AKfish]

Congrats on your new tractor!

Best of luck and safe tractorin'!

AKfish

Oh yah -- post some pics when it arrives home.

 

[caliber1]

Congrats on the new tractor. Too late to reply that my 3120 has done everything I have asked of it and then some. Keep us posted on how you like the 3320.