Deere 2R vs 3R

[WinterDeere]

Howdy folks,

I'm shopping a new tractor, an upgrade and replacement to my faithful old 855, and looking at the largest 2R and smallest 3R offerings from Deere. Looking for opinions from anyone who has had or owned both.

My uses are:

1. Spreading seed and fertilizer on my lawn (4 acres).
2. Skidding logs off of my firewood trailer (all < 5000 lb., most actually < 1000 lb.)
3. Moving 40 yards of mulch each spring.
4. Moving firewood around my wood lot.
5. Occasionally skidding logs out of the woods to my trailer.
6. Moving various things like firewood sheds or chicken coops about the property.
7. Harvesting walnuts every fall with some small walnut harvesters.
8. Moving snow with loader and snowblower (currently Woods SB-64S)
9. Occasionally brush-hogging trails in the woods (currently Woods 48")

My 855 actually does most of this pretty well, with the following exceptions:

1. I could use more PTO horsepower for the snowblower, it bogs in deeper snow.
2. I could use a larger bucket for both mulch and snow
3. I could use more weight for steering when plowing with the loader.

The machines I'm considering:

2032R
2038R
3033R

The 2R's should do 99% of what I need, they outclass my old 855 in every way. But two things have me considering the 3033R:

1. Better stability when skidding the heaviest logs off my firewood trailer, I've had some frightening pulls with the 855.
2. Better weight and stability with all loader work, which has me even more concerned as my kids get older and may start using the machine.

Ignoring price, the main disadvantages of the 3033R, as I see them are:

1. Taller, might be an issue under trees when using to spread seed, fertilizer, and harvesting walnuts. My 855 ROP's already hangs up on things, and my head will now be at that height on the 3033R.
2. Larger footprint in my already-tight shed.
3. Heavier, may be more an issue for lawn use.
4. Ergonomics, I really do like the loader visibility better on the 2R's, and find the SCV control lever on the 3R's to be a nuisance for getting on and off the machine from one side.

Disadvantages of the 2R's are obvious:

1. Lighter
2. Smaller
3. Less capacity
4. Stupid location of diff lock pedal where you're probably going to step on 4wd lever when trying to use it.

The 2R's are obviously a little less expensive, but machine, fuel, and maintenance costs are not a primary consideration. They're not far enough apart in cost for that to matter much.

Thoughts?

 

[airbiscuit]

Wow, you are right on the bubble there - both would be an upgrade for you. That said, I think ou would be with the larger frame 3x. It just is MORE.

PS: trim the limbs.

 

[spitter]

Go with the 3 fold down ropes when under trees.If you are that worried about the lawn go with Galaxy Turfs . A 3046r with Galaxys on the back would be a bad az looking tractor:thumbsup: . Pretty darn useful too.:drink:

 

[Oldoak]

Wow, you are right on the bubble there - both would be an upgrade for you. That said, I think ou would be with the larger frame 3x. It just is MORE.

PS: trim the limbs.

That would be my choice if it were my decision to make. :thumbsup:

 

[shooterdon]

I traded my 855 this year and glad I did. Just not big enough for my needs but it was a good little machine.

I gave up on Deere. My local dealer was so-so and pricing was outrageous. Went with an LS4140 Cab HST. Got the oversize turfs, loaded tires, third function and radio for $31k. Dealer had a good deal on a FarmKing 74" pull blower for $4k. The larger tractor made the rear attachments I was using on the 855 too small, but I saved so much I can buy new ones. Traded the brush hog and tiller. Still using the blade and rack but cannot angle as much.

If you are set on a Deere, I would get the 3 series. That was the one I priced out and it is a great machine. The loader capacity was way below what I wanted (less than half of the LS) so it got scratched quickly.

 

[WinterDeere]

Thanks, guys! Wow, I can’t imagine needing more loader capacity than the 3033R, for what I do. I’m more headed the other direction, with the loader capacity that machine has (2125 lb. at pin), I’m thinking filled tires are almost mandatory. That machine with filled tires and loader is going to to run 4600 lb, and I’m not sure I want to be using that all over my lawn on a daily basis.

There’s no doubt the 3033R is better than the 2038R in every way but horsepower and price, but when is a machine too big for it’s intended purpose? I suspect I’ll regret going with the 2R a few times per year, when I need to move something real heavy, but I worry I might regret going with the 3R every other day of the year. That’s sort of where my head is.

I’m so happy with my local Deere dealer, that I didn’t even consider other brands. They have a half-dozen local locations, and seem to always have every part I ever need in stock, if Deere still makes the part (and sometimes new old stock, even when Deere doesn’t make it, anymore!). I can share the pricing they gave me, if you guys want to give an opinion on that and it’s not against the forum rules, but I’m not really too worried about finding the lowest-cost machine. My number one priority is zero down time, and a dealer network that will always have every part I need in stock, for quick repairs when they’re needed.

 

[BigBlue1]

The weight may be a big consideration if you are running it on a lawn. I know on my property, with fairly soft black dirt, even my 2520 can leave impressions as I drive across the lawn in wet times of the year. I would certainly love more loader capacity and higher reach but that's a trade-off that isn't worth it to be at this point.

Rob

 

[WinterDeere]

One thing I’ve been reasoning out in my head is that, ignoring side wall strength, the actual load per square inch on my lawn should be independent of the weight of the tractor. In other words, if both machines are running 15 psi in their tires, they’re going to put 15 psi on the lawn. It’s just that the larger machine is going to create a larger contact patch, due to it’s weight.

Heavy tires with strong side walls (eg. R4’s) will invalidate this theory, I’ve heard folks claim they can support the weight of the machine pretty well with zero air in the tires, because their construction is so heavy. But if running 4-ply turf tires or Ag tires, both of which are of pretty flimsy construction, this theory may hold roughly true?

 

[LouNY]

One thing I’ve been reasoning out in my head is that, ignoring side wall strength, the actual load per square inch on my lawn should be independent of the weight of the tractor. In other words, if both machines are running 15 psi in their tires, they’re going to put 15 psi on the lawn. It’s just that the larger machine is going to create a larger contact patch, due to it’s weight.

Heavy tires with strong side walls (eg. R4’s) will invalidate this theory, I’ve heard folks claim they can support the weight of the machine pretty well with zero air in the tires, because their construction is so heavy. But if running 4-ply turf tires or Ag tires, both of which are of pretty flimsy construction, this theory may hold roughly true?

Nope,
measure or calculate the number of square inches of the foot prints of your tires on the rear axle on the ground,
do the same for the front tires.
With the total square inches of foot print for the front axle and the rear axle, go to your friendly local scale and weigh your tractor getting the front axle weight and a rear axle weight.
Once you have those two weights divide the rear axle weight by the number of square inch for the ground contact and that will be the approximate weight per square inch on the rear, now do it for the front and you will know what ground pressure you may be putting down.
Of course this will change with tire pressure changes, fuel weight changes, weight of the operator, weight and weight distribution of any mounted implements, and the slope of the ground for a few variables.
Have fun

 

[WinterDeere]

Nope,
measure or calculate the number of square inches of the foot prints of your tires on the rear axle on the ground,
do the same for the front tires.
With the total square inches of foot print for the front axle and the rear axle, go to your friendly local scale and weigh your tractor getting the front axle weight and a rear axle weight.
Once you have those two weights divide the rear axle weight by the number of square inch for the ground contact and that will be the approximate weight per square inch on the rear, now do it for the front and you will know what ground pressure you may be putting down.
Of course this will change with tire pressure changes, fuel weight changes, weight of the operator, weight and weight distribution of any mounted implements, and the slope of the ground for a few variables.
Have fun

Well, yeah... but one doesn’t refute the other. The point is, do you expect that load PSI will change that much between a 2500 lb. 2R-series on smaller tires and a 2900 lb. 3R-series on slightly larger tires? I suspect the latter will have a larger contact patch, but similar PSI loading on the lawn, and thus no worse for overall lawn damage.