Buying Advice 2320 or x530

[Magilla1]

x530 or 2320? I know, I know, it's a weird question; they're two entirely different machines (with very different prices!) But here I go:

I have 21 acres, about three of which I mow. The rest is woods. The part I mow is pretty hilly. I have been doing it with my old Craftsman until it died recently. (In a pinch since the Craftsman when to lawn mower heaven, I'm now doing it with a Honda commercial walk-behind, 48" cut. Nice machine but I'm getting tired of the 3-4 hour workout.) So, while I've always wanted a CUT, I started out by just planning on getting a mowing machine.

Then I started to really WANT the 2320. I have about 1000 things I could do with the FEL. I have 150 yards of gravel driveway, nearly a mile of trails to maintain through my woods, mulching, etc, etc. All of it I could pay the man with the big machine to do whenever I really need it done, but I figure with the 62" MMM and FEL, the 2320 would be an awesome (very expensive, but awesome) machine to have. I've bargained my dealer down about 10% off the JD website price, and I think I could get a bit more if I get ready to close the deal.

Here's the problem: My dealer doesn't have a 2320 or even a 2520 around. I haven't been able to try it out as a mower on my land. I've read carefully the posts saying that low gear is slow and high gear just won't go up hills. They'll order the 2320 for me and it'd be here in a few weeks, but I'm not able to try it out.

I just today tried out the x530 (the x340 too) after my dealer dropped them off for a spin this afternoon. The x340 doesn't hold a candle to the x530. Doesn't go up my hills nearly as well, etc. So if I were to buy a pure mowing machine, the x530 is the way to go. But it's a heckuva price (there's deals by JD now, but it's still well north of $6,000) for a pure mowing machine.

I'm usually a decisive guy, but I'm stuck here. Mowing is important to me, probably the most important job, but I sure could use the 2320 and the FEL for all kinds of work (and in a pinch a bit of snow removal here in the hills of Virginia). The x530 is a sweet little machine, but at the end of the day it's still belt-driven, and I wonder how long its transmission will last going up and down my hills. On the other hand, I'm real worried about the 2320 being slow and not being able to mow nearly as well as the x530.

What do y'all think?

 

[kennyd]

Welcome to TBN

Sounds like you need the 2320 to me

 

[Johndeere3720]

Get the 2320. It will suit your needs and with the 3 point hitch, you can always go and get some more implements to play with.:thumbsup:

 

[bp fick]

If all you had to do was mow grass, it would be a simple choice; a quality mower.

But man, with all the other stuff to do keeping up 21 acres, it is a no brainer for me. Notice you skipped right over the 2305. I won't ask and I would as well. The four wheel drive on the CUT will take grades like you've always dreamed. You might consider spreading the rear wheels a bit to give even more stability. I don't think you'd ever, ever regret getting the tractor.

 

[Magilla1]

You're right; I skipped right over the 2305 because I think you get so much more with the 2320 for just a little more money. If I'm going to use a CUT to maintain my trails instead of hiring the man with the track machine, I want enough clearance. I'm afraid I'd rip out the delicate stuff hanging low on the 2305.

I'd love the 2320 for all the non-mowing fun I could have. But I'm really worried about it as a mower, especially on hills. The x530 mowed like a dream today. Anyone have a feel for the 2320 as a mower? Is it far more tippy on hills than the x530? Is the low gear really annoying slow to mow? If I had the budget I'd get both, but the 2320 alone would be all my wallet can handle . . . and who knows what my lovely wife would feel entitled to buy for herself if I got this for myself. . . .

Thanks, y'all. Been reading as a guest for weeks and glad I joined. Great resource to have.

 

[Rob-D]

If all you had to do was mow grass, it would be a simple choice; a quality mower.

But man, with all the other stuff to do keeping up 21 acres, it is a no brainer for me. Notice you skipped right over the 2305. I won't ask and I would as well. The four wheel drive on the CUT will take grades like you've always dreamed. You might consider spreading the rear wheels a bit to give even more stability. I don't think you'd ever, ever regret getting the tractor.

Bite the bullet and get the 2520 not the 2320. It's a longer chasis with more HP. You can't keep you implements and go to it later, the MMM from the 2320 doesn't work with the 2520. (Might just be hardware though but my dealer ,whom I trust told me its a no go). With 21 acres you could go to a 3320 but I imagine this is way out of your price range.
The 2320 is a wonderful ltractor but the 2520 has a couple of things that make it better. For one if you run out of gas you just refill and go. The 2320 has to be primed if you run out of gas OR you have a problem like water in the cup during the winter. The 2520 has bigger back tires too along with more weight and the ability to utilize more 3 point attachments becasue of its extra PTO hp.
None of this means much to you now but trust me, in a year it will!

Good luck on your purchase. (Use the Deere financing for 36 mos. at 0 percent. Don't get the 48 because the dealer will likely add on because it costs him.) When you get the 36 mos, you can get Deere insurance for 50 bucks a year which is a great deal.

Rob

 

[bp fick]

of course, the previous poster meant diesel, not gas.

Yes, the 2305 also has a sensitive tranny fan, which doesn't like to be speared while in the woods. Many, many folks talk up the 2520 over the 2320. That is a decision you need to make yourself. Somewhere, within an hour's drive, is one sitting on a dealer's lot. Go!

 

[ChuckinNH]

Actually that is not such a strange choice request. I have both a large garden tractor, and a Kubota about the size of the JD 2320. With the drive over deck available, etc. I have been very tempted at times to get the mmm for it. Then when I mow around all my obstacles I think I should have something more manuverable, not less so. Grass / leaf collection is also important to me as is the ease of mounting the collector, and removing it. I've done that a couple of times in one day with the Simplicity I have but sure wouldn't want to even think about it with the collector that Kubota makes for my tractor. I know I'm the naysayer of the bunch, but I think your budget will thank you if you address your mowing needs separately. You can always buy a used larger tractor for trail clearing work, etc. and your wife will appreciate that more I think. I've had larger tractors for a number of years now, and still find that I put twice as many hours on my garden tractor mowing, etc. than I have my Kubotas. It would be more than that if I blew snow with it too, and I could.

 

[Rob-D]

Chuck,
I think that's good advice. I had a MMM for my 2320 and it was a pain going back and forth. I wound up getting a ztrac just for the lawns. On the fields I use a rotary cutter which is fine for me.

Rob

 

[jcmseven]

I would recommend the 2320 in general due to its versatility, but I do not know how well one mows (getting ready to find out). Different folks have different opinions and all have validity. I have experience with the machines you are reviewing and would add my 02 cents.

The 500 series lawn and garden tractors are really nice machines. Unfortunately for mowing they are not much better than the less-expensive 300 series (for MOWING--I reiterate). If I were looking into that line I would go with the 540 because the liquid cooling makes for a longer life and much more quiet engine that has a bit more power too. The X360 is a nice mowing little machine that is less expensive but really can only be used to mow--which it does well.

The 2320 I currently have has been one of my favorite JD machines, and I have had a bunch of them. It is a stout little bugger. It does lack a bit of PTO HP v. the 2520 and 2720 and the loader is not as fast as it does not have a dedicated implement pump for ancillary hydraulics. If one is doing A LOT of loader work this is an issue but for most homeowners it is not. The 2320 will pull any ground engagement attachment that a 2520 or 2720 will and will do it just the same. My 2320 is stable on hills, much more so than either the 3000 series or 4000 series machines I have owned before. It likely is not as stable as a ballasted 2520 or 2720 due to their 6" longer chassis and larger tires. The 2520 is among the most stable compact tractors out there. My opinion here is that for the average property owner a 2320 performs most tasks the same or better than a 2520/2720 for less money. I also think they look better (for what that is worth). If I were looking at a 2720, for example, it might be just as well at that point to move into the 3000 series which is a lot more tractor for a little more money. Once one gets into the mid-high numbered tractors their cost-benefit ratio wanes. This is why I personally went with a 2320.

The 2305 is not a good consideration for you in my opinion. They sell like hotcakes mainly because they offer high versatility at a low up-front price, but they lack many features of the 2320 and over time the moderate price difference favors the 2320 machine. Remember in JD lingo, the "20" means an upscale tractor, while the "5" ending number means a price point tractor and this holds true here.

If you are looking for a dedicated mower, I would suggest not passing over the 700 series machines. There is some misinformation that the 700 series tractors are "as expensive as a 2305" and this is only partly true. The diesel four wheel drive ones are super high dollar, but an X700 or X720 with a 54" mower can be had for a reasonable cost. I know because I just bought one. It was more expensive than an X540 but not by that much for a much nicer machine. I would include that in my comparisons.

John M