JD 3320 and 6ft cutter

[trook]

I have a JD 3320 with a 5ft frontier 2060 rotary cutter. It cuts with ease. Frontier recommends a minimum of 20hp at the pto with this cutter. I am considering upgrading to a 6ft 2072 rotary cutter. Do you think the 3320 can efficiently handle this cutter in all but the most extreme conditions?

The 3320 has 32.8 hp at the engine and 25.5hp at the pto. Frontier recommends a minimum of 25hp at the pto for the 6ft 2072. I have a FEL for ballast.

Your thoughts?

 

[nmu98]

In the most extreme conditions........ The answer to that has to be no. I have a 3720 and in real tall thick grass I get a slight decrease in RPM's with an MX5.

In most situations, you will be fine, but push it in thick stuff and go to fast, and you will bog down. You might just have to slow down, thats all....

 

[trook]

So then, do you think I'll notice an obvious difference between the 5ft and 6ft in thick grass?

 

[WH401]

So then, do you think I'll notice an obvious difference between the 5ft and 6ft in thick grass?

Well if Nmu's 3720 gets a good load drawn on it from an MX5 in thick grass then I think you with a 3320 will notice a big difference in thick grass with a 6 ft'er. Like Nmu said, your probably going to have to go slower, a lot slower I would expect. Personally I think you'll be better off with the 5 ft cutter. Yeah it may not give you the biggest swath per pass, but if your going to have to go super slow for the 6 ft'er to work then it's not worth it, too stressful on yourself.

But it also depends on what your definition of "thick grass" is?, how tall is it too?

 

[Ordite]

I run a 72" KK rear finish mower with my 3320 and it has more than enough power for my needs. I do not have a large acreage and I mow among trees so a relatively fast travel speed is not needed. I like the 72" width as it gives me some leaway in mowing close to objects without having to run the tractor tires that close. My mowing definitely is not extreme conditions as I cut to a height of 3 1/2" but the grass usually not more than 5-6" in height. Usually run the engine at about 2200 rpm which is a little less than recommend rpm for the mower. Keeping sharp blades makes a big difference.

 

[nmu98]

Well if Nmu's 3720 gets a good load drawn on it from an MX5 in thick grass then I think you with a 3320 will notice a big difference in thick grass with a 6 ft'er. Like Nmu said, your probably going to have to go slower, a lot slower I would expect. Personally I think you'll be better off with the 5 ft cutter. Yeah it may not give you the biggest swath per pass, but if your going to have to go super slow for the 6 ft'er to work then it's not worth it, too stressful on yourself.

But it also depends on what your definition of "thick grass" is?, how tall is it too?

I agree with above!

The only thing i would like with a 6 foot cutter is the fact that i would not have to be so precise on cutting right to the edge of the RC. I tend to get a 4.5 foot cut because i overlap a bit. I could get a 5' or 5.5' cut with a 72".

If you are not cutting switchgrass or a very thick stand, you will be fine. But if you get into real thick (extreme) stuff, you will have to go slow.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

My thoughts....
What you have between your ears makes more of a difference then what you have under the hood...

My Dad runs a 6' Bush Hog behind his L2900 Kubota and it does what I think is a "Normal" Duty job with no issues...If I were buying one, without a doubt I'd be shopping for a 6 footer as well...honestly behind my 3520 I dont plan on buying ANY attachment of any sort smaller then 6'... I got a 5.5' Box Blade (Barely Used Woods GB65, right place/right time/right price) and I sometimes wish I had the 6'

If your worried, go with a 6' Flail....I beleive they need less HP to do the same amount of work...

 

[nmu98]

Dave has a great suggestion. A flail

They do not stick out far behind the tractor. They need less hp....

I want one......

Is it carroni that makes affordable ones?


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Flail......

Sorry I am so googly eyed on the flail..... We have a 15 foot flail and I so wish it was smaller so I could use it around trees... It is the coolest thing ever.

 

[WH401]

I run a 72" KK rear finish mower with my 3320 and it has more than enough power for my needs. I do not have a large acreage and I mow among trees so a relatively fast travel speed is not needed. I like the 72" width as it gives me some leaway in mowing close to objects without having to run the tractor tires that close. My mowing definitely is not extreme conditions as I cut to a height of 3 1/2" but the grass usually not more than 5-6" in height. Usually run the engine at about 2200 rpm which is a little less than recommend rpm for the mower. Keeping sharp blades makes a big difference.

I mow about 7 - 8 acres with a Woods PRD7200 RFM behind a 3320 at about a 3 & 3/4 height and the tractor never misses a beat. The soil on my property is very rich and the grass grows very thick, very fast. I usually cut every 2 weeks and by the time it needs to be cut again the grass will have grown to about 8 inches. I run the engine at PTO speed and generally move pretty quick, unless I'm in tight spots. There is one long straight stretch about the length of a football field and I can run in "B" range in 4th gear, which is about 5.5 mph, and it never has a problem with leaving stray, uncut strands of grass behind. It discharges very well at that speed and it's never gasping for power. I agree with you that sharp blades make all the difference in the world. Some people will let the blades go, or never change them at all, then you get a lawn that looks like it was cut with a bushhog.

 

[suncoast]

My first tractor was a 3320. I had a 5' BH finish mower with no problem. You can handle a 6' without any worries. I pulled a 8' disc with the very same tractor.The front end was a little light at times. That tractor pulled the disc in the ground to the axles easily in 4WD. A 6' mower will be very easy. The 3320 turbo is a very strong tractor. The 3320 has a "load match" feature that when switched on will send additional HP to the PTO to match the demand required.

 

[kennyd]

I mow about 7 - 8 acres with a Woods PRD7200 RFM behind a 3320 at about a 3 & 3/4 height and the tractor never misses a beat. The soil on my property is very rich and the grass grows very thick, very fast. I usually cut every 2 weeks and by the time it needs to be cut again the grass will have grown to about 8 inches. I run the engine at PTO speed and generally move pretty quick, unless I'm in tight spots. There is one long straight stretch about the length of a football field and I can run in "B" range in 4th gear, which is about 5.5 mph, and it never has a problem with leaving stray, uncut strands of grass behind. It discharges very well at that speed and it's never gasping for power. I agree with you that sharp blades make all the difference in the world. Some people will let the blades go, or never change them at all, then you get a lawn that looks like it was cut with a bushhog.

My first tractor was a 3320. I had a 5' BH finish mower with no problem. You can handle a 6' without any worries. I pulled a 8' disc with the very same tractor.The front end was a little light at times. That tractor pulled the disc in the ground to the axles easily in 4WD. A 6' mower will be very easy. The 3320 turbo is a very strong tractor. The 3320 has a "load match" feature that when switched on will send additional HP to the PTO to match the demand required.

The OP is asking about a Rotary Mower (bushhog), Not a finish mower.

 

[plastikosmd]

3320 turbo, did you mean 35 or 3720? I agree my 3320 is a tough bugger and I like the torque/displacement..no turbo tho

 

[WH401]

My first tractor was a 3320. I had a 5' BH finish mower with no problem. You can handle a 6' without any worries. I pulled a 8' disc with the very same tractor.The front end was a little light at times. That tractor pulled the disc in the ground to the axles easily in 4WD. A 6' mower will be very easy. The 3320 turbo is a very strong tractor. The 3320 has a "load match" feature that when switched on will send additional HP to the PTO to match the demand required.

The 3320 is a strong tractor, but it isn't turbo charged, only natural aspirated. Also the load match feature won't have any effect when your running the engine at PTO speed for cutting. Your already using all the available power of the engine so there wouldn't be anything for the load match to add.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

..... Your already using all the available power of the engine so there wouldn't be anything for the load match to add.

I think thats a false statement... I may be wrong, but the way I understand how LoadMatch works is by monitoring Engine Power/Speed and adjusting the various outputs....Ground Speed, etc to prevent stalling....In this case if LoadMatch is engaged, and your bushogging and hit some really tough stuff, your groundspeed will "automaticaly" decrease to prevent stalling of the engine...

 

[WH401]

I think thats a false statement... I may be wrong, but the way I understand how LoadMatch works is by monitoring Engine Power/Speed and adjusting the various outputs....Ground Speed, etc to prevent stalling....In this case if LoadMatch is engaged, and your bushogging and hit some really tough stuff, your groundspeed will "automaticaly" decrease to prevent stalling of the engine...

I was under the understanding that all it did was increase engine power if you did something that might stall the engine while running at a low RPM. You may be correct though as I have no experience with the option, I have a gear trans anyway. If definitely doesn't send additional power to the PTO when running at high RPMs though, it may just redistribute it accordingly.

 

[WH401]

The OP is asking about a Rotary Mower (bushhog), Not a finish mower.

Yes, and if you had read my first post you would see that I'm well aware of that.

Well if Nmu's 3720 gets a good load drawn on it from an MX5 in thick grass then I think you with a 3320 will notice a big difference in thick grass with a 6 ft'er. Like Nmu said, your probably going to have to go slower, a lot slower I would expect. Personally I think you'll be better off with the 5 ft cutter. Yeah it may not give you the biggest swath per pass, but if your going to have to go super slow for the 6 ft'er to work then it's not worth it, too stressful on yourself.

But it also depends on what your definition of "thick grass" is?, how tall is it too?

In this post-

I mow about 7 - 8 acres with a Woods PRD7200 RFM behind a 3320 at about a 3 & 3/4 height and the tractor never misses a beat. The soil on my property is very rich and the grass grows very thick, very fast. I usually cut every 2 weeks and by the time it needs to be cut again the grass will have grown to about 8 inches. I run the engine at PTO speed and generally move pretty quick, unless I'm in tight spots. There is one long straight stretch about the length of a football field and I can run in "B" range in 4th gear, which is about 5.5 mph, and it never has a problem with leaving stray, uncut strands of grass behind. It discharges very well at that speed and it's never gasping for power. I agree with you that sharp blades make all the difference in the world. Some people will let the blades go, or never change them at all, then you get a lawn that looks like it was cut with a bushhog.

- I was merely comparing my experience of using a 3320 w/ a 6 ft finish mower to "Ordite"s experience.

 

[nmu98]

My first tractor was a 3320. I had a 5' BH finish mower with no problem. You can handle a 6' without any worries. I pulled a 8' disc with the very same tractor.The front end was a little light at times. That tractor pulled the disc in the ground to the axles easily in 4WD. A 6' mower will be very easy. The 3320 turbo is a very strong tractor. The 3320 has a "load match" feature that when switched on will send additional HP to the PTO to match the demand required.

The OP was not talking finish mowers...

There is NO WAY a 3x20 series tractor would pull and 8' disk up to its axles unless there was no angle to the disc. My 5203 would have a hard time with an 8' disc up to the axles.

Load match does not send "extra" Hp to the pto.... Loadmatch reduces the tire speed to not as much "load" is put on the tractor through the PTO....


ON EDIT: OPPS, second page of this thread where he is already attacked for his ignorance... my bad...

 

[jenkinsph]

My first tractor was a 3320. I had a 5' BH finish mower with no problem. You can handle a 6' without any worries. I pulled a 8' disc with the very same tractor.The front end was a little light at times. That tractor pulled the disc in the ground to the axles easily in 4WD. A 6' mower will be very easy. The 3320 turbo is a very strong tractor. The 3320 has a "load match" feature that when switched on will send additional HP to the PTO to match the demand required.

Man, I wan't one of those! I have been looking for a 75 hp tractor in the clothes of a 30 hp one.




Steve

 

[jca47]

you are better off keeping the 5ft. rotary cutter.
not enough tractor for a 6ft.
I have a 3320 e hydro, and a 5ft. cutter and it will bog down in heavy thick or wet grass.
you just have to slow down and work through it.