3320 Cab vs 3520 Cab

[Nuru]

Well just before I pull the trigger on a Cab tractor, i was speaking with another dealer just gathering some info and that dealer indicated that they had been advised that if you are going to use a MMM, especially the 72" MMM on the 3x20 series Cab Tractors, that you should go for the 3520 Cab instead of the 3320 Cab. The reason he said was that the 3320's normally aspirated engine will strain (performance will drop off very noticeably) in the summer (especially on the hottest days) to run the MMM and AC. Also he indicated that this was especially true on hills/slopes and that it might have some trouble running the 72" without AC. Apparently some Customers have indicated this, and it seemed like Deere was also advising the Dealer of this potential issue. My property does have slopes that need to be mowed, but nothng too crazy.

So my questions to everyone are:

Does anyone have any experience with this?
What additional maintenance must be done on the Turbo-aspirated tractor
Should I go for it or stay with the 3320?

I was all set to go on the 3320 but now i am having some second thoughts.
If I go to the 3520, the I will need to buy one less implement right away, and would have to get the other two later ouch!

Did hear more info on the drive over decks, this guy saw them in action:

• no requirement to leave the tractor when installing it,
• Automatically it connects to to the PTO
• Automatically connects up to the tractor mounts
• earliest availability is late June to mid-July

 

[tglass]

Hmmm...not sure what your dealer is talking about. I have the 3320 cab, 7 Iron mower, and haven't noticed any problem in the summer. I've had her in pretty tall stuff and rarely hear the engine pull hard. What I understood when I bought mine the 72" wouldn't be any problem, and so far it hasn't. If J.D. is bringing out a drive over deck, etc. I'de like to hear more about it. Might be time to do some trading.

 

[Nuru]

Hmmm...not sure what your dealer is talking about. I have the 3320 cab, 7 Iron mower, and haven't noticed any problem in the summer. I've had her in pretty tall stuff and rarely hear the engine pull hard. What I understood when I bought mine the 72" wouldn't be any problem, and so far it hasn't. If J.D. is bringing out a drive over deck, etc. I'de like to hear more about it. Might be time to do some trading.

OK, yeah i was kinda wondering as the dealer on this deal is not saying that either.

I have heard the turbo does help in the summer heat. Did you run your unit up slopes while cutting? How about the AC being on?

Yes there is a drive over deck coming out in the middle of the year but it has not been officially announced. Yeah i would like to trade for that one too once it comes out.

 

[JasonMac]

**** I used to run a John Deere 4200 Hydro with a 72" John Deere Belly Mower, and it never gave me any problems. Sure it didn't have a Cab or AC, but keep in mind it was only a 26HP Machine. It did my hills fine, sure steep hills had to be done in "B-RANGE". But it did it fine. And yes, it had fully loaded turf tires, with loader installed w/heavy duty bucket.

However, I do have a 3720 now, and I have to admit, the Turbo is pretty cool! But I would think a 3320 Could do it!

 

[Nuru]

**** I used to run a John Deere 4200 Hydro with a 72" John Deere Belly Mower, and it never gave me any problems. Sure it didn't have a Cab or AC, but keep in mind it was only a 26HP Machine. It did my hills fine, sure steep hills had to be done in "B-RANGE". But it did it fine. And yes, it had fully loaded turf tires, with loader installed w/heavy duty bucket.

However, I do have a 3720 now, and I have to admit, the Turbo is pretty cool! But I would think a 3320 Could do it!

Thanks, actually, I would imagine that the extra 600 or so pounds and the AC would make quite a difference on your former unit.

But i am thinking that I only heard that form one dealer and another dealer at the same facility did not mention that - I will do some additional research today and then just make a decisnon and go with it.

 

[JasonMac]

I did eventually get a Jodale Perry Cab for my JD4200. That was about 600lbs too. I mowed with it the last year I had it. Sure there was no AC, but it still didn't seem to make a difference at all. I didn't even notice the extra weight of the cab at all as far as performance goes. Like I said before C-Range was clearly not good for doing any hills at all, with or without the cab. B-Range did it all, and never even noticed the difference in performance with the added weight of the Cab. Jodale Perry makes the best aftermarket cabs you can buy for tractors. They are solid and heavy like the factory cabs, and they look "factory" inside and out.

 

[Nuru]

I looked at the Joedale cabs and Curtis and decied to see what the a trade in delta would be in cost and sofar the delta is not very big at all and I get A/C and heat.

Definitely understand the A. B. C range selections. I mow in A or B, most of the time in B ranges. BTW, how much did the 4200 weigh, without the cab?

 

[AKfish]

Nuru --- you're chasin' this harder 'en a coon dog on a deer track!

Yur gonna have to get over to a dealer that's got one of 'em for you to put it thru it's paces! The 33 has more cubic inches than either the 35 or the 37, no?

How often do you currently mow at WOT with your 4310? Do you ever NEED WOT to manage your hills now?

What makes you think that 600lbs of cab and AC will push that 3320 too hard?

(BUT.... we all know the answer to this conundrum --- get the turbo or FOREVER be second guessin' yourself!!)

You ain't never gonna be happy unless you get that turbo and you'll be hummin' up and down those hills always wonderin' if you couldn't be mowin' just a little faster or with just a little less throttle --- if you had that turbo...

Best regards.

AKfish

 

[Nuru]

Nuru --- you're chasin' this harder 'en a coon dog on a deer track!

Yur gonna have to get over to a dealer that's got one of 'em for you to put it thru it's paces! The 33 has more cubic inches than either the 35 or the 37, no?

How often do you currently mow at WOT with your 4310? Do you ever NEED WOT to manage your hills now?

What makes you think that 600lbs of cab and AC will push that 3320 too hard?

(BUT.... we all know the answer to this conundrum --- get the turbo or FOREVER be second guessin' yourself!!)

You ain't never gonna be happy unless you get that turbo and you'll be hummin' up and down those hills always wonderin' if you couldn't be mowin' just a little faster or with just a little less throttle --- if you had that turbo...

Best regards.

AKfish

Thanks Akfish, every so often I do notice the 4310 in B mode seems to slow down quite a bit on the hills, so I just go to A range and plod up the hill. This is not in any tall grass either, so a little more power might be good. I am also considering a flail mower, so I may not need to consider the extra power using one of those on the Rear PTO. Might make the 3320 concerns go away totally.

 

[Nuru]

Dealer and I are within 2k of what I can say yes too - Dealer going to sharpen the pencil a bit and see what they can do to whittle the price down as much as possible. I hope they find a way to do it!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Now this is my opinion only, but if I was going to spend that much $, I'd go ahead and get the 3720. I can easily bog down my 4310 (or anybody elses) pulling my 5ft LX5 in our thick hay pastures. Speed is dependent on depth, thickness and type of grass. I can also pull down our 65hp 5420 on a 6' cutter. That is 10.83HP for each foot of blade (double what is recommended).

Now, add an AC which can eat up to 5HP (parasitic hp) and you are not left with much for PTO hp. A turbo gives you the torque where you need it.

Nuru, wasn't it you who wanted a turbo'd 4310???

Tell your dealer to wittle his pencil and give you exact figures and let us know just how much more the payment would be comparing the 3320-3520-3720.

 

[jsboening]

When I bought my 3720 cab it was only $1600.00 more than a 3520 cab. I didn't think it was a big deal on an almost $40,000 purchase all together. Coming from a 4100hst this machine has incredible power. Even at less than pto rpm's it has a ton of torque. When I had my 4100 I always wished for 5 more hp. I wasn't going to be in that position again and have this kind of money involved.

 

[AKfish]

This is a fair sized chunk of change to plunk down.

And in all seriousness, the difference between the turbo and the non-turbo models isn't enough to put yourself into a position where you're gonna be kickin' yourself after they unload the tractor in the front drive....

(See how easy it is for me to spend that $40,000+!!!)

Best of luck with whatever decision you make.

AKfish

 

[Nuru]

Now this is my opinion only, but if I was going to spend that much $, I'd go ahead and get the 3720. I can easily bog down my 4310 (or anybody elses) pulling my 5ft LX5 in our thick hay pastures. Speed is dependent on depth, thickness and type of grass. I can also pull down our 65hp 5420 on a 6' cutter. That is 10.83HP for each foot of blade (double what is recommended).

Now, add an AC which can eat up to 5HP (parasitic hp) and you are not left with much for PTO hp. A turbo gives you the torque where you need it.

Nuru, wasn't it you who wanted a turbo'd 4310???

Tell your dealer to wittle his pencil and give you exact figures and let us know just how much more the payment would be comparing the 3320-3520-3720.

Sounds like a good plan to investigate. I am betting that the pricing will increase ~40 bucks per tractor, so the 3520 is currently $40/month morem, and the 3720, I have not looked at yet, thinking it was out of reach with any attachments, so I would be hunting cheap deals on attachments for a few months.

Actually I wanted a turbo 4100!

 

[Nuru]

When I bought my 3720 cab it was only $1600.00 more than a 3520 cab. I didn't think it was a big deal on an almost $40,000 purchase all together. Coming from a 4100hst this machine has incredible power. Even at less than pto rpm's it has a ton of torque. When I had my 4100 I always wished for 5 more hp. I wasn't going to be in that position again and have this kind of money involved.

Sofar the Diff between the 3320 and the 3520 as configured with the amenities that i want is ~$2k, the diff between the 3520 and the 3720 (my amenities), is probably ~$2.5k, so it would end up taking out the loader. Now I could do this and just buy a flail mower, but I think I would be better served with the loader and the flail mower as part of this deal and get the front 3PT hitch later in the year - hey my second oldest just mortally wounded my neighbors ~$600 plus installation mailbox this morning and it was bright and sunny too! So i am taking in everyone's advice and will probably finally make the call tomorrow and pull the trigger tomorrow morning. Right now it looks like the following choices are for consideration:

A) 3520 Cab, the flail, and the loader

B) 3320 Cab, the flail, and the loader

C) 3720, the flail, (I have a dirt scoop so I could use that and make a lot more trips with the AC on!)

Like A, a bunch, but B would work almost all of the time.

time will tell.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Dunno if this helps or not...but here's my story...

When I first decided I wanted a tractor it came down to 3 basic decisions...
a) Used ROPS Tractor...use for a while, sell & upgrade down the road.
b) Brand New ROPS Tractor...seriously speaking around here the difference in price between a good used & brand new isnt that much....again, sell & upgrade down the road.
c) Bite the bullet now and "Get what I want" right off the bat....

Ended up with C, and not a day goes by I'm not happy....after I came to that decision I obviously had to decide between what color, model, options, etc.. and one thing I figured out right away was I wanted the turbo 3520. Dunno if it was mental or what but the 3520 I test drove just had alot more snot then the 3320, looking at the spec sheets I wouldnt have guessed it would be that noticeable...both identically setup...

 

[Nuru]

Dunno if this helps or not...but here's my story...

When I first decided I wanted a tractor it came down to 3 basic decisions...
a) Used ROPS Tractor...use for a while, sell & upgrade down the road.
b) Brand New ROPS Tractor...seriously speaking around here the difference in price between a good used & brand new isnt that much....again, sell & upgrade down the road.
c) Bite the bullet now and "Get what I want" right off the bat....

Ended up with C, and not a day goes by I'm not happy....after I came to that decision I obviously had to decide between what color, model, options, etc.. and one thing I figured out right away was I wanted the turbo 3520. Dunno if it was mental or what but the 3520 I test drove just had alot more snot then the 3320, looking at the spec sheets I wouldnt have guessed it would be that noticeable...both identically setup...

Yeah it is starting to look like the 3520 to me too. I got a quote on a flail mower for $1695 plus $117 to deliver from Agri-Supply, so my mower cost is now pretty reasonable. i still am waiting to see the results of the dealer pencil sharpening, i will keep you all informed..

 

[Nuru]

Well Monday is probably the day for trigger pullin, just need to sharpen the pencils a bit, bot me and the dealer, and see where we end up. Kinda close but need to be closer.

 

[Nuru]

Well I did it, I got a little more off and pulled the trigger on the 3520., Then I suddenly realized that I had to get insurance due to financing a portion of the purchase. Gee I hope that is not a huge amount!

 

[jsboening]

Check your homeowners policy.