Questions for owners of 3x20 and 4x20 series

[tomd999]

Hi All,

I'm researching my next purchase. I've decided to go into the 30+HP/medium to large chassis size. I would like to ask the owners of the 3x20 and 4x20 series a few questions. Please let me know what model you have and if it's open or cab as well.

1: How stable is the tractor traversing inclined ground and also while working with the CX loader with heavy loads? (please let me know if yours is cab or open and if your tires are loaded)

2: Does the tractor have good traction when doing loader work or does it spin the tires when pushing into or pulling away? I'll be outfitting with loaded R4's

3: Have you found the CX loader to be lacking and not have enough power either when working with 72" HD bucket with dense material like stone dust or with pallet forks?

4: Will the 300cx loader lift a 1 ton pallet off a 4x4 PU bed or is it beyond its upper limit? How is the 400cx loader at lifting 1 ton on pallet forks?

5: How is E-Hydro upgrade in the real world? Do you find the rollout, load match and cruse control switches usefull or is it all hype fron the media people?

6: If you have the front snow blower on the 3x20, how is the performance in dense snow? How easy is the change over from loader to blower?

7: What if anything would you change if you could about the tractor?

8: Back to the loader, does the loader work well with the chassis, either 3x20/300CX or 4x20/400CX or does it have a tendency to twist the tractor up on 3 wheels from time to time?

Thanks in advance

Tom

 

[JD3520Turbo]

Wow, thats a lot of quesitons.
I have an open station 3520 and I can tell you that it is to light in the rear for lifting much, unless you have a ballast box or fluid in the tires. Also, the Original tires are suspect. Mine would not hold air for very long, so I swithced them to Michelin R-4 Radials. Night and day difference in traction performance. I filled them with Wiper washer fluid for weight. Again, made a big difference

A 3000 series won't lift 2000lbs off a pickup. They are not that strong. If you did, the rear end would be completely off the ground, and you would be tipping sideways. I am pretty sure that the loader wouldn't pick that up. I have a 300X with a 60inch bucket, and I have a tough time breaking out of a dirt pile with mine. I have to back up and then it will lift it up.

Stability, is not bad, but not the best either. These tractors are narrow, but that also makes them useful in the woods. This tractor will get inbetween things that a large one can't.
I do have the wheels on the front turned outward to widen the front out, and I have 4 inch spacers on each rear wheel for 8 inches more rear width. Helps in the stability dept.

IF loader work is what you are going to do, then by all means get an Ehydro. That is the one thing I love the most about this little tractor. It can change directions very quickly. For loader work, it is a time saver.

If I were to improve it, I would design more turbo boost to give this tiny engine some low end grunt. It does pretty good as long as its wound up tight, but if you lug it a little to far, it just dies before you can release your foot off the pedal. It has very little bottom end in it. I killed it many times pushing snow this winter, because it would bog down just a little and then boom, it was dead.

 

[dkostiha]

I have a 3120, open platform with hydro trans. My tires are not loaded, but the loader lifts dirt and rock well, but I keep a 5' shreader on the rear because I shread alot and ot works as a good ballast. My R4 stores work well overall and the wider stance makes it very stable. The 300 loader is not rated or designed to pick up one ton. I like the rig alot overall.

 

[AKfish]

4: Will the 300cx loader lift a 1 ton pallet off a 4x4 PU bed or is it beyond its upper limit? How is the 400cx loader at lifting 1 ton on pallet forks?

Tom

Tom;

IMO - that's not in the cards for the 300CX. That's a 1,500lb loader on good days! You're pushing the upper limit on the 400CX, too. I think it will curl it loose and then you could pick it up - but not likely very high.

A ton with my JD 110 is about all I want to work with - and much more than that - not very high off the ground, period.

If you're planning to work with heavy pallet loads on a consistent basis - you might want to consider a 5000 series - or a good sized Skid steer.

AKfish

 

[om21braz]

If you're planning to work with heavy pallet loads on a consistent basis - you might want to consider a 5000 series - or a good sized Skid steer.
AKfish

+1 From a 4120 owner, these machines have plenty of power IMHO for loader work. You'll run out of traction before horsepower. But for 1 ton loads on unlevel ground, I personally would not consider either of these machines.

 

[9973720wb19]

Tom:
I owned a 3720 cab for about 1.5 years and traded it for a 4720 cab about 3 months ago. Here are the major differences I see:

1) the 4720 is much more stable on the hills and rough ground. ground speed is better with the 47 because each bump does not make the tractor rock - thus bring you to a craw. I think the 37 wheel base is too small for a cab, maybe the non-cab is better?
2) I never had a issue with the 37's FEL not doing what I asked of it...it's a pretty strong unit, but the 47 can do all those things with ease and more - bigger bucket, etc.
3) I don't use my cruse control, variable RPMs (which ties the trans to the RPMs) both are somewhat a waste of money.
4) My propery is hilly with wet spots in certain seasons, I like the larger front tires (r4s on both) that comes with the 47...better traction in mud.
5) with the 47, I got a 72' bucket and self level...self level is great!
6) I wanted to run a 84' rear finish mower which the 37 would not handle due to HP and weight. the 47 has no problem - so faster ground speed and wider deck equals more done faster.
7) on the 47 I got wheel weights...like that option!
8) if you have tight spots and want a MMM (which I had on my 37) you would loose these benfits with the 47. the 47 is much bigger than the 37 in person than it is on paper.

 

[xkbal]

I have a 3720 cab, unloaded R4 tires

I found the stock tractor unstable and added 6" extensions on the rear axles. Made a huge improvement. That being said you have to be careful with any tractor on hills, especially if doing loader work.

I have not had issues with wheel spin doing loader work. I do have ballast for the rear when doing loader work. I don't work with dense materials like you're talking bout though.

Don't use pallet forks but would be very surprised if you could lift a ton out of a pickup.

Happy with the E-hydro. Didn't originally have the rollout/loadmatch/cruise switches but added them later. Nice to be able to just flick a switch rather than use the electronic menus to adjust the rollout/loadmatch.

The one item I'm very disappointed in is the front mount snowblower. Even before I added the axle extensions I felt it was too narrow for the tractor. There is no shear bolt to protect the impeller so if something gets in there it's cleverly designed too break a $200 universal joint. The impeller housing is light duty metal, I was blowing some very heavy wet snow and it actually caused the impeller housing to bow out, now about 1 to 1.5" clearance between impeller blades and housing. It's easy enough to switch between loader and blower but that is the only thing this blower has going for it.

Overall I like the tractor and the only thing I would change would be to have Deere step up and provide a snowblower for it that would suit the tractor quality.

Al

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

I think with the 3x20 you would be disappointed if lifting 1 Ton from a pickup is more than a one time requirement. Comments based on 2008 O/S

Having said that, I purchased a skid of tile at HD. It registered 2,150 lbs on the electronic scale of the forklift they used to set it in the back of my PU. My Forks are approx 350 lbs. I was able to lift the skid approx 1 1/2" - 2" off the bed of the PU - back up very slowly - lower the load - move very slowly into my shed and set it on the floor.

Later to move the skid to my garage - again was able to pick up approx 1 1/2" - 2" off the floor and transport very slowly to the garage. It would have been impossible to load the skid back on the PU.

I mostly use my BH as a Ballast Box. I purchased an 84" High Volume Bucket for snow. It weighs approx 550 lbs. Seems packed icy snow is heavier than I first imagined. With an unbalanced load of snow i.e. one side full and other mostly empty, I have three wheeled the tractor a couple of times.

Initially the tractor felt tippy and then I reversed the rear wheels. I sometimes mow sideways on a hill and going in exactly the same places, I believe the 3320 is actually less tippy than my Craftsman riding mower. Usually mow with both the BH and FEL / Bucket installed.

 

[dusty3030]

I recently got a new 2011 4120 ehydro, open station, r4 tires that are NOT loaded nor do I have wheel weights with 400x loader.
I only have 16 hours on it so far.
What I have done is dig up and remove two 12" x 16 foot metal culverts that were full of dirt and replace and bury with one culvert.
I have also moved and spread out 30 yards of wet sandy dirt.

I LOVE this tractor. Moving the dirt I only had my 6' Landpride box blade or a Farm King 10' spike harrow on the three point. I scooped up as big a heaping load as I could each time, I could tell it was up there but never spun a tire in A range 4wd.
I prepped the area with a 8' Tuff Line 3pt heavy disk and never spun a tire or grunted the tractor down.
I spread the dirt with the box blade forward and backward and even though driving on the loose sandy soil never spun out or bogged down.

I don't have the automotive style cruise or motion match, just the standard cruise and loadmatch.

From the questions you asked and my impression of my 4120 I don't know if I would use it commercially to unload one ton pallets all day or load heavy loads all day every day. If for personal use and now and again I'd say heck yes. Reason I say this is because 2,000 lbs is up on the upper side for this series tractor and loader so I wouldn't want to run it towards the max all the time in a commercial enviroment - that usually doesnt' work out too well for anything and seems to be a better job for a bigger skid steer or all terrian forklift.

As far as the ehydro and overall stability and driving the 4120 - most of the 16 hours on my tractor were put on it this past Saturday, I felt no more fatigued the minute I stepped off of it than when I climbed on it Saturday morning - 100% easy to use and comfortable. It sticks to the ground, turns on a time and you can see what you are doing without stretching or leaning.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I think with the 3x20 you would be disappointed if lifting 1 Ton from a pickup is more than a one time requirement. Comments based on 2008 O/S

Having said that, I purchased a skid of tile at HD. It registered 2,150 lbs on the electronic scale of the forklift they used to set it in the back of my PU. My Forks are approx 350 lbs. I was able to lift the skid approx 1 1/2" - 2" off the bed of the PU - back up very slowly - lower the load - move very slowly into my shed and set it on the floor.

Later to move the skid to my garage - again was able to pick up approx 1 1/2" - 2" off the floor and transport very slowly to the garage. It would have been impossible to load the skid back on the PU.

I mostly use my BH as a Ballast Box. I purchased an 84" High Volume Bucket for snow. It weighs approx 550 lbs. Seems packed icy snow is heavier than I first imagined. With an unbalanced load of snow i.e. one side full and other mostly empty, I have three wheeled the tractor a couple of times.

Initially the tractor felt tippy and then I reversed the rear wheels. I sometimes mow sideways on a hill and going in exactly the same places, I believe the 3320 is actually less tippy than my Craftsman riding mower. Usually mow with both the BH and FEL / Bucket installed.

I'll echo these lifting results for my 300x loader. I've lifted pallets of lime over 2000lbs and retaining wall block pallets in the same range. Now I wouldn't expect to do this on a regular basis. But for a once in a while removal from a truck bed I think you'll be ok. I should mention that I had my 448 hoe on the rear.

Matt