new to tractors - buying a 2320

[jcv]

Hello everyone. Great forum you have here!

I've owned one tractor in my life. It was a little Ford 16hp diesel, 4wd, manual trans, 3ft FEL. It was too small and too slow to do much of anything so I sold it years ago. I've always wanted a larger tractor.

I have only about an acre of land, it is mostly lawn. My driveway is about 100 feet long with a turn-around. I will be mowing my lawn, removing snow from the driveway and making a driveway all around back. I have a machine shop in my cellar and I need to be able to get around back all winter. I also need to get pallets of material out of my truck.

Here is what I hope to buy in the near future:

John Deere 2320
FEL - 61" bucket
62" MMM with hydraulic control
pallet forks
weight box
turf tires
47" front snoblower

IMO, I should have way more tractor than I should ever need, what do you folks think?

The price I'll be paying for this package is $21,700 delivered. I can't get them down any more than that. Am I getting a half-decent price? This is from a local dealer that has been around forever and has a very good reputation.

Any input on this purchase will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Jay

 

[JiminGa]

the price seems a bit high honestly I think you should be under 20. a quick question, you say you need to remove pallets of material from your truck, how much do those pallets weigh? the fel is strong, but it's not going to be able to handle a pallet that weighs more than 1100 or so pounds.

 

[Runner]

I agree with JiminGA. The going rate seems to be between 10% and 15% off list price. I asked for 12% off list and the dealer agreed.

The pallet forks are a neat attachment, I really like mine.

 

[jcv]

Thanks for the replies.

The skids of material I'd be lifting would never be more than 5 or 6 hundred pounds.

That's a bummer that the price is high. I don't know what I can do to get it down more. He must have started right at list price because he's come down twice. Supposedly he can't come down any more.

I've been tempted to pass on the snowblower to cut the cost for me... I see a lot of people moving snow with the FEL. I just don't want to wish I had bought it because I doubt I'll spend over 3 grand on it later on... it's easier to get it all at once - what do you guys think?

 

[kennyd]

IMHO, for a 100' drive and turn-around, you should consider the front blade, or even a rear blade to save money. The front blade is about $1100 and the rear about $300-$400 or so for a good one.

But, the 2320 sound like it will fill your needs quite nicely.

 

[jcv]

Thank you for the reply kennyd. Besides the driveway and turn-around, I also have to do around the back of my house, over the lawn, which is probably double that. I was afraid I'd wreck the yard with the bucket or a blade - what do you think?

 

[ChuckinNH]

A rear pto mounted snowblower would also cut your costs some. It could be that he is giving you a fair deal on the tractor, but charging closer to retail for the attachments. There is one dealer near here that likes to do that. If he will break it down, perhaps that would help in the negotiations. Here in NH, the 2320 I have looked at is tagged at $15,300 on the lot with a 61" loader bucket. It can be had for $14,800. That dealer wants $3,000 for the front mounted snowblower though, and that is about retail. Hope this helps some.

 

[jcv]

Thanks for the reply. I'm also in NH!

I'm working on the guy a little... I don't know if I'll get him down any more or not. If he came down another $500 we'd be right at 10% off list... that would probably make me happy.

I seriously considered the rear snowblower but I think going backwards all the time would drive me nuts LOL. I think I'll just go for the front snowblower. He doesn't have one in stock - he's going to check his other store. If it's on backorder maybe I'll just buy the tractor without it and try it for the rest of this winter. If I really want it I'll get it next winter.

 

[JCB]

JVC,

I've got a front snow blower, loader and rear blade that I use on a 2210 in Wisconsin. The blower is nice, no question about it.

Once the ground is frozen the loader and blade work fine. You still tear up your lawn some with the blades, but not that much. It depends on the quality of your lawn, but for me the lawn quality is poor and ripping the occasional chunk of sod is acceptable.

I don't have the exact same blower as you, but still have some advice. The blower takes a sub frame assembly to route the mid-pto under the front axle. The blower is quick-tatch to the subframe: you simply pull two pins, raise a cylinder and disconnect four hoses. The subframe stays on and you can use the tractor normally. However, the loader does not fit on with the subframe mounted. The subframe interferes with the loader legs and while taking the snow blower on/off is a simple 1-minute process...going from blower to loader is more of a PITA and takes about 10 minutes. Just something to think about if you need to use the loader alot with the blower.

Also, if you'll be unloading from trucks. Try budget forklifts on the web. They've got a couple units (micro & mini I think) that more closely match the 200cx capacity and should be much lighter than the larger forks sold by deere. I didn't buy a frame from them, but did buy a set of tines from them and ended up with a set of forks just over 200# that can lift more than the loader.

Hope any of that help.

Joe

 

[unreconstructed]

I have a 2320 and a 5203. I use the 2320 for a lot of the things you mention. It should do you an fine job.

As to your problem with the price--my area is cotton country and the two dealers I have dealt with want retail for CUTS and equipment. Their attitude is go somewhere else if you don't like the price. I ended up buying the 2320 here for several reasons. the 5203 I bought 230 miles from here where the market is mainly for CUTS and not expensive row crop machinery. The price was considerably less than here. Don't know if that is your problem. If it is, you may just have to pony up if you want to stay with one dealer you really like. I use the service and parts department at one dealer, but refuse to buy anything from the sales department. Go to another dealer for the big stuff. I know this is no suggestion for lowering the price, but it is my experience.