2305 or 2320 or...?

[unreconstructed]

I bought the 2320 over the 2305 for the full cat 1 3ph. Actually, I wanted a 790 but it does not have a foldable ROPS. So the 2320 got the call. I actually bought the 2320 for future use when we move to our retirement place and have not really got to give it a good workout. I have mowed some thick tall grass with some tough weeds mixed in and it went through the mess with no problem. You can spend another 1500 bucks or so and get the 2520. The 2320/2520 issue has been beaten to death in previous threads. You should be able to find those threads easy enough if you are interested in that issue.

I grew up on a farm and this was my first CUT and was surprised how easy the radiator and hood grills stop up when mowing. I understand from reading several posts that this issue is common among all CUTS, so I won't fault the 2320 on that issue.

 

[planman8]

I am on my second year with my 2305. I mow my two acre yard with it and love it. I have to be carefull with how soft the ground is or I leave tire depressions in the yard. I know that the 2320 is even weighs more than my 2305. You might want to consider that when mowing your lawn.
Planman

 

[croasdale]

Has anyone come up with a workable solution to the radiator clogging? I had the same issue with the 8n (but it never overheats) so I wrapped a piece of aluminum mesh window screen around the grill guard to enclose the radiator. It's ugly but it works. All I have to do is bump it a little to knock most of the weed debris away from the screen. Where is the radiator on the 2320? Could a similar screen solution work?
BTW, was quoted $12,100 for a new NH TC30 today. Big, powerful 4WD tractor but no folding ROPS or HST.

 

[jdbower]

Has anyone come up with a workable solution to the radiator clogging?

I've seen some professional mowing machines that have reversible radiator fans, they go on a high-speed reverse burst to blow out the clippings. I've been temped to try to get a high airflow 12V radiator fan, mount it to the back of the grill and hook it up to a pushbutton switch. It's not all that high on the pile of things to do since I rarely overheat (only once so far, and that was at a very high ambient temp).

 

[JDFANATIC]

Has anyone come up with a workable solution to the radiator clogging? I had the same issue with the 8n (but it never overheats) so I wrapped a piece of aluminum mesh window screen around the grill guard to enclose the radiator. It's ugly but it works. All I have to do is bump it a little to knock most of the weed debris away from the screen. Where is the radiator on the 2320? Could a similar screen solution work?
BTW, was quoted $12,100 for a new NH TC30 today. Big, powerful 4WD tractor but no folding ROPS or HST.

croasdale,

I think the radiator clogging is being pushed a bit out of context. ANY tractor needs clean, fresh air. No matter which brand you settle on, you will want to watch the accumilation of debris on the intake. That is it.

 

[Mayor]

I like my 2305, but if I had it to do over again, I would spend the extra for a 2320. For the reasons you mentioned, plus an important one - an external hydro oil cooler. The 2305 is great, but work it hard in warm weather and the hydro will overheat giving you poor performance. Good luck.

Still having that problem?

 

[Mayor]

We all like the tractors we have. It all comes down to the use. I cut grass 80% of the time and the 2305 does a great job. If I was doing loader work 80% of the time then the 2305 might not be right. The 2500 or 3000ish is more in line with that work. I have a good friend that has a 3000ish deere and it will do everything you ask. It's one superfast tractor with loads of power.

3320

 

[Greenster]

Still having that problem?

Yup. I think probably 75% of the 85hrs I have on the machine has been spent with the FEL and BB working my landscape project and fixing our communities access road (rainy summer). Granted, I have to work it pretty hard to get to the point that the FEL gets quirky, but it does. It's just a matter of oil temp and the ambient temps. I feel if I had an oil cooler this would not be an issue. Now that were going into 'winter', I probably won't see the issue again until next summer. Don't be surprised if I upgrade to a 2320 or 2520 though.....

 

[unreconstructed]

Someone posted that the mulch kit took care of the radiator screen issue.

Yes, everything needs clean air. My point was how quickly the screens stop up on the little tractors with a MMM. Its something you have to watch mowing dry grass. My tractor experience has been with row crop tractors pulling shredders (rotary mowers) and with my 5203/MX6 none of which develop any radiator screen problem out of the ordinary.

I had heating problems with my 2320 from the outset and was constantly cleaning the screens--probably every five minutes or so. I eventually lost the motor at 25 hours-I shut it down everytime the light came on and let it cool off so I did not run it hot. The dealer said the heating problem was a factory defect and JD replaced the engine. I have not had the tractor back very long and have not had time to try it out again. But I will be paranoid about the clogging issue nevertheless.

Most posters have said this is not an issue with them. I did find some complaints about this on another forum, but do not remember the site.

 

[gary_dsc]

I've got the mulch kit on my 2305 and I haven't had any problems with screen clogging. Using the MMM, I mow around 3 acres on a regular basis as well as mowing waterways which I only mow a few times a year and which sometimes get up to 2' high in places. This little tractor just runs right thru it with no problems. My JD dealer said that he normally recommends that muching kits not be installed until late summer, but I have been using it since I got the tractor back in late March. It's good for shredding the grass as well as corn husks and other crop stubble. I've start mulching leaves lately and it does a good job on those as well. I check both screens after mowing, but have never seen any major debris on either screen. I simply brush or blow away what little has accumulated. My last tractor was a 445 which also had the mulch kit and I had to clean screens very often with that setup. No so with the 2305.