2320/2520 MMM question

[JJKJ]

I'm getting very close to my tractor purchase, and as many I'm still struggling between a 2520 and a 2320. Mowing will be the primary use for my tractor; I'm concentrating on which will be better for that role. I'm trying to determine if the adjustable mower stop on the 2320 should be part of my decision making process. The dealer says it's a significant feature the 2520 is lacking. For those who mow with a 2520, do you really wish you had an adjustable MMM stop? Without the stop, what sets deck height, the guide wheels or manually stopping the deck with the 3ph (or independent lift)?

I've been back-and-forth too many times now trying to figure out if the benefit of the additional power of the 2520 will out-weigh the 2320 benefits of adjustable mower stop and increased manueverability with its shorter wheelbase.

Thanks,

John

 

[topstoy]

I just bought the 2520 but for different reasons. I wanted a bit more power for field work and backhoe work. If I was going to be mowing with a MMM I would have gone with the 2320. I looked at both and with he money that you save by buying the 2320 you will have enough left over to get the MMM. Good luck to you. T

 

[kennyd]

I think more important than the adjustable stop is the gearing on the 2520. Many users complain that the High gear is to high for mowing (lack of power, especially on hills) and the low gear is to low (very slow travel speed)

Both machines have the same transmission, but the 2520 has bigger tires and that changes the gearing.

My vote is the 2320 if your primary use is mowing, unless you have a very flat area that you mow.

Without the stop, what sets deck height, the guide wheels or manually stopping the deck with the 3ph (or independent lift)?

The wheels are just for anti-scalping, the 3PH or IL sets the cutting height.

 

[orlo]

Hi:

I have a 2305 with a mowing setup like the 2320 and I also have a 3720 (soon to be a 4720).

It's my understanding that there is a lead screw adjustment on the 2520 similar to that on my 72"MMM on my 3720 (That I stopped using and went to a RFM since it was a pain). I think on the 2520 you can also use the 3pt hitch to hold the deck at a height but I wouldn't trust it as much as the mowing height adjustment knob.

On the 2305 it works well, a bit hard to turn sometimes but holds the deck height just fine.
With the knob you can even adjust the height while mowing if you're careful.

The comments about the speed are on a lot of posts around here. The 2305 is actually geared the best of the lot for mowing in high gear (IMHO) but the 2520 is geared pretty high so I would agree that the 2320 would be better in that respect.

Also, the 2520 or the 2320 and 2520 used to have tire rub issues when the front loader is installed - Not sure if you will have a loader.

 

[tree11]

I have the 2520 with the 62d mid mount deck and independent lift. Height adjustment is no big deal when you get used to the setting knob on the independent lift. When the dial on mine is set at the 2 o clock position, that is about a 3 inch cut for me. It would be nice if they actually had some indexing on the independent lift control though. As for mowing, I always mow in Low. I can get away with mowing in High but the cut sucks. The blade tip speed is not like a zero turn so you really need to mow in low to get a good cut. I personally think the low gear is plenty fast for mowing and I would guess you would need to do the same with a 2320. With all that mentioned above, I would personally just buy a good zero turn instead of a tractor as a primary grass cutter. I know that I will be looking for a good zero turn as soon as next summer.

 

[sal64]

hello i have a 2320 62d mmm it mowes very well i use low gear at about 2500rpm up and down hills i find that is perfect speed any faster and it gets bouncey on my ground, high is to fast for mowing, i dont like the adj nob to much the mower drops if u raise it to mow high.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would still give the X748 and X749 a real hard look if your primary interest is mowing. It has a ground speed range of 0 to 8.5 mph forward and 0 to 6.5 mph reverse that is moving right along for mowing on smooth grounds. Good control over the deck height too and depending on the model good manueverablility and or hitch options.

 

[JJKJ]

My land has two fairly steep hills that I would only mow in low regardless of the machine. The remainder of the land is nearly flat, very slight slope.

I'll do a couple searches on mowing speeds; gearing wasn't a factor I had previously considered.

I have considered the multiple machine approach a few times. A zero turn would make quicker work of my mowing, but I really don't want the maintenance and upkeep of two machines.

I looked at the X748 again during my last visit to the dealer. Very nice machine; I think if mowing and snow removal were my only tasks, I'd go that route. However, for the minor cost difference (actually costs are very close) I would really rather have the additional capability of a CUT. I know I am giving up some comfort and mowing performance by passing on the X748, but I think the trade-off is worth the downside.

Thanks,

John

 

[orlo]

If you are not sold on the 2520 or 2320 take a look at the 2305. I used to mow 6acres with mine (now I do it with a 3720) and I could mow the flats full open in high (almost 9mph). It didn't bounce around too much so the cut quality is pretty decent. I think the tip speed is around 15K so it's not commercial but decent. You can also turn at high speed without
worrying about flipping over.

I now mow about 2 acres with it and it's an awesome mowing machine. I mow with an 84" RFM on the 3720 and I've said many times I think I could almost beat it with the 2305 considering I could go faster on the 2305 than the 3720 without bouncing all around.

The MMM on the 2305 is easy to take on/off but I gave up on the MMM on the 3720 and went with the rear. To much hassle to take on/off, adjustments are lost, etc. On the 2305 (2320 and 2520 also) you can take the deck on/off pretty easily. You could consider a RFM also - You could probably find one with a super high tip speed (My 84" is 17,900 or 18K which gives an excellent cut quality.)

The 2305 doesn't have the ground clearance, lifting capacity (2000psi vs about 2400 on the 2320/2520, separate brakes and the added HP but the high range gearing is much more realistic for mowing.

One more note, if you mow a large area don't bother with the collection systems. You'll empty way too often. I have one and don't use it, I use my cyclone rake when needed instead. In the summer I use the mulch kit on the 62C and that works very well.


Anyway, my .02.

 

[Henri88]

Nice write up orlo. Very informative.

 

[jenkinsph]

I guess it is hard to decide which way to go, it is likely you need something to mow with as a given but may need something capable of other tasks. I can see any of the 2000 series or X700's could handle your mowing needs. I don't feel the 2000 series have enough tractive effort to do much real work though, for ground engaging tasks you need something at least twice as big to do much good.

I would think you really need to define for yourself what other needs you have beyond mowing and snowblowing and how much of this other work you will be doing.

 

[Runner]

I guess I am the odd man out. I have a 2520 with the 62D, without independent lift. I always mow at the same height (as high as possible) so indexing the cutting height is not important for me.

I do have the limiter chains that JD sells which attach to the rear fender braces. These are used to set the lowest allowable height of the mower when you lower the lift. They are also used to hold the mower in the highest setting when you need to use your three-point hitch for other things.

I also agree, it would be nice to have gearing somewhere between "low" and "high" for mowing, however, my property is rough and steep enough that anything above low gear would usually be too fast for comfort anyway.

All that being said, I also have a 72 inch rear finish mower and between it and the MMM, I find myself using the rear mower most of the time. I feel is delivers a more even cut and like being able to back it under trees, etc.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

[JJKJ]

I appreciate all the replies and info. I'm working on digesting it all now and mulling it over. Have two questions though:

If you have independent lift on the 2320 (which I would do), do you set mower height by the adjustable mower stop or the IL? Does the 2320 adjustable mower stop only work in conjuction with the mechanical lift, IL, or both?

From what I am reading, if I plan to mow the same height each time, setting the mower height with the IL is easy?

Thanks,

John

 

[Runner]

As mentioned, I don't have the independent lift, but I believe they do have a mower height adjustment system available for the 2520 with IL. Here's a picture of the adjustment knob.

 

[orlo]

I cannot speak for the 2320 or 2520 directly but I have a 2305 with Independent lift (I added it only so I could mow with the BH on, the mechanical lift works fine). The lift cylinders for ALL the decks I know of bleed down quickly so they will not hold a consistent height.
(My 3720 and 2305 are all the same and there are lot's of reports on here). You will need some sort of mechanical stop or use a mechanical rear lift. Even when using the rear mechanical lift you want a stop since you won't be able to really accurately reproduce any given height without it.

In my opinion, I'd never get the IL unless I had to/wanted to for a different reason, I thought the mechanical one worked fine. (In my case as mentioned with the BH on I have no 3pt arms to lift the tang/lever on the mechanical lift so I needed to).

 

[tree11]

Actually, the independent lift on my 2520 seems to work opposite compared to what Orlo is saying. I do agree that the bleed down rate is high but that is only when I put the deck in the raised position. So when I put the deck up and park it in the barn, the deck will lower on its own to the cut height that I selected when pressure bleeds off. So when I am cutting, the deck is already down to the selected height and can only up. What am saying is deck height will not change when I am cutting as it is already down to the lowest selected level.

 

[JJKJ]

After looking over everything, the decision may come down to price. I've got quotes from a few dealers. The dealer with the best quote (and in stock) for a 2520 came in just under $1000 more than the best 2320 quote I got. For the $1000 price difference, I think the 2520 is the way to go. I may give up a bit in mowing advantage to the 2320 but I think the other advantages of the 2520 will make up for the difference.

Is there a way to lock the deck up on the 2520 without the optional JD kit (or a copy of it)? Can you turn the independent lift knob to a point it locks the deck up? Mainly asking because I've read the threads of the hyd allowing the deck to bleed down.

Regarding gearing for mowing, does anyone have the 2520 top speed in low? I found the 2320 speed which I believe is 4.5mph. If the 2520's trans is the same, the bigger tires should give it a higher speed in low, correct? To me, I would think anything 5mph or higher would be more than plenty fast for mowing in low range.

John

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Regarding gearing for mowing, does anyone have the 2520 top speed in low? I found the 2320 speed which I believe is 4.5mph. If the 2520's trans is the same, the bigger tires should give it a higher speed in low, correct? To me, I would think anything 5mph or higher would be more than plenty fast for mowing in low range.

John

Ground Speeds

NOTE: All ground speed calculations shown are with machine equipped with standard tires and operated at 2600 engine rpm.
Forward and Reverse - Range High 0-20.9 km/h (0-13.0 mph)
Forward and Reverse - Range Low 0-7.2 km/h (0-4.5 mph)

 

[JJKJ]

Crap, I must've confused my numbers. I thought 4.5mph top speed in low is for the 2320. The 2520 would have to be higher with it's bigger tires correct? Since I must've had the incorrect number for the 2520, anyone have the top speed in low for the 2320?

Where do you find those specs? I've looked the spec page for both tractors on Deere's website as well as my 2000 series brochure with no luck.

Thanks,

John

 

[ChuckinNH]

Well, the solution is to drive them, and see if they go fast enough for you. 4.5 mph is faster than you can push a walk behind for very long, and a whole lot easier! If you mow much faster than that you will complain about the quality of the seat....... not being rude, just saying that especially with R-4's you will notice more speed pretty quickly.