I can appreciate the needs analysis, fact-finding and decisioning process you're going through as I did the same thing last year.
Originally, I was going to buy a 2305 TLB and got a good price quote on it, too, $17500 delivered. But I ended up with a 2520 instead! How did that happen?
The 2305 TLB is a wondrous little ant, that given enough time, can with little bites literally move mountains while retaining the maneuverability of a garden tractor. But it has characteristics that may or may not be issues for you. For example, the low ground clearance and lack of protection around the hydro filter was a show stopper for me because of the work I'm doing in the woods.
The 2520 has more power, hydraulic flow, ground clearance and load bearing capacity. It's heavier, transfers more power to ground and PTO attchments and is more rugged. But depending on the jobs in mind, one may or may not be more versatile or best suited to your needs than the other.
I initially identified landscaping as primary use, i.e., moving earth and bulk other materials, digging post holes, lifting trees and shrubs, and pulling logs and wagons. Later I added moving 500-800 lb. rocks. And since then I've added subsoiling and tilling (method to be determined, plow or rototiller) multiple 4+ acre fields along with small garden plots.
Before making the buying decision I rented a 2520 with FEL and backhoe for a weekend and tested how well it could everything I had in mind. I even dug out the stump of a 60 ft spruce tree, pulled some old fence posts and moved that 10 yard pile of gravel I'd had sitting around for too long. I also visited the dealer and drove around the 2305 and 2320. I found that, ergonomically, the 2305 and 2520 had equivalent operator feel, but with the 2320 my knee kept banging the dual SCV control stick. And although the dealer was willing to sell any or all of the three, he would not sell a 2320 with backhoe as there were too many issues regarding the suitability of a hoe on that model and product returns.
The 2520 cost a LOT more than the 2305, money that could have been spent on more attachments. If I'd bought the 2305, this winter I'd be moving snow with a snowblower rather than the FEL, and in the comfort of an after market heated cab! In restrospect, I realize that for the really heavy or big jobs or jobs that I don't have a lot of time to do, I'll rent a machine designed and sized for it, as in the long run it'll be cheaper and safer to have the right machine and minimize the wear and tear on the 2520.
I now have 45 hours on the beast. Without the hydro oil and coolant heaters it starts and goes when the temperature is well below zero. It does everything I ask it to do. And I enjoy the seat time. I think you will, too, regardless of which model you end up buying.
Kamik
