John Deere 1026R or 2520 for 10 acres?

[Stefanowich]

Hello, I'm new here and need some help with the same ole question....which tractor do I get?

This will be our first tractor so I have a lot of questions. We're closing on a foreclosure the end of Feb which has 11 acres. One acre around house has been maintained but the other 10, previous horse pasture, is overgrown, mostly weeds, no trees, just over grown weeds and brush. We have 3 horses that we've been boarding so are very excited about moving out of the city and maintaining our own horses on our own property.

So my question....Is a JD 1026r too small for the job? I went to my JD dealer right down the road from me, he was very helpful but said with that much land, I'd be better off with a JD 2520. He said a 1026r would do the job, just take longer and that I'd be working that tractor pretty hard?

He gave me a quote for both:

JD 1026r with FEL (D120) and Frontier RC2060 Rotary Cutter for $16448 after taxes
JD 2520 with FEL (200CX) and Frontier RC 2072 Rotary Cutter for $20900 after taxes

A $4500 difference, which maybe in the long run isn't too bad but honestly, we're tight, we'll have to finance... a difference of $275 or $350 a month.

I've looked at Kubota's but honestly their pricing was very similar and I like the feel of JD more plus they are seriously 10 mins from my house. I've looked at used tractors but again are pricey and need to save the cash for other projects.

My wife prefers the 1026r (because of price), I like it a lot too but ****, those front tires are so small! I like the size for around the house, but the other 10 acres..I'm concerned. The 2520 I feel maybe better for us, but money is tight, love the size as it is still compact, just more hp, 72" mower instead of 60". greater lifting capacity. I don't want to tear up the yard either though so I go round in circles back to the 1026r. Small tires, too small, back to the 2520, round and round.

Also, another questions.... that RC2060 or RC 2072, can I use this to cut down the pasture without breaking something or should I borrow or rent a dedicated bush hog? The Kubota dealer said that I can so long as I cut as high as possible and then again set lower, worst case I'd burn a belt? Once it's cut down, won't be an issue.

Future projects..... drive way, hauling dirt, drilling fence post, hauling hay, etc. I told my wife with either tractor, we'll have to rule out round bales as there is no way with the 1026r and not sure about the 2520 with a 3pt hay spike?

Oh man.... any input would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Buppies]

I do not know what part of the US you are in but while shopping last year Kubota was cheaper than Deere by a few thousand dollars with Kioti being seven thousand cheaper on a 50 hp machine. MasseyFerguson was equal in price to Kubota. It would seem to me that you need a little larger machine to do what you need like 30-35 hp. If your ground is uneven or hilly the wider the better for stability. The LS machines are also spoken of highly. If you buy to small now it will end up costing you more later. Just my thoughts hope they help

 

[the old grind]

Rather than confuse by suggesting other models/brands(*) I say go with the larger of the two for this reason: if the smaller model comes up short you risk losing as much as the $$ difference, and getting jobs done, on the way to getting something with enough power. Plan for the biggest implement you'd use, since a big tractor can be throttled back for the others. btw: Best used deals are commonly offered by those who started too low & soon lived to regret it.

*I guess you already know that 'satisfaction is often inversely proportional to distance from a reliable dealer'. ;-)

 

[newt92]

Chris, I guess my question here is did the dealer size up those mowers for the tractors or did you choose them? For a bush hog type rear mower, the 1026 is gonna want a 4'. 5' will be too much, now the 5' would be best for the 2520 but could handle a 6' if its not worked too hard.

I think the 2520 might be a better choice for what your wanting to do. You need test drive them, see if you can demo them both, there is a huge difference between the two tractors...

 

[DT86]

Some one mentioned on here the other day than no one ever regrets going bigger. So I'd say if you can swing the payments then go for the bigger one.

 

[dbaer78]

Have you looked at the John Deere 3005? It's a bare bones tractor but offers slot of power for the money. Don't let me confuse things though! Good luck!

 

[chevyman29]

the 2520 is a good little tractor that will surprise you with how much work it will do . i loved mine . i will say if you look and have the time to wait you can good some great deals on a used JD . my cousin just got a 2 yr old low hour 4320 for 20,000 otd . out of the two tractors mentioned go with the 2520 without a doubt . as for the rotory cutter i would check the used market for a nice used one . probably save a few bucks . good luck and enjoy that property.

 

[94BULLITT]

I would go with the 2520.


The build and price is down on kubota but I think you could proabably get a L3200 Kubota 4WD, with a loader and rotary cutter for close to what the 2520 is. You would have a tracotr capable of safely moving round bales then.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6787235

 

[bigtiller]

I just traded from a 2305 to a 2720. It is expensive to trade up. The difference between the 1026 and 2520 is one is for mowing the yard and the other is for mowing the YARD .

 

[kiotiken]

I think they're both too small. I'm on my 3rd tractor in as many years and I can tell you, you're better to do it right the first time. I started with a used JD 955 but after lots of mechanical trouble bought a brand new Kioti CK30. After 1 year, I traded that for a Kioti DK45 and I finally have the right size tractor for what I do with it, and I'm only on 3 acres.

I can tell you're set on JD and you're also tight on budget. That's not a good combination. JD makes great tractors, but you pay for it. I really think you need to be in the 40 hp range, and with Deere (other than the 3038E - not a huge fan of that one, very light weight, very few features and doesn't spec out to any of the competition I was looking at) you'll pay a lot more than the quotes you got. On the other hand, Mahindra, LS, Kioti etc will give you the tractor you need in the price range you're looking at. Except for the 1 acre of lawn that you have, weight is going to be your friend, I'd look at some of the bigger, heavier options.

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't know squat about horses but would first determine which method of feeding the horses would be the most economical. If a round bale feeder will work for horses without problems that is what I would do because it would make feeding so much easier. If you decide to go with small square bales then the smallest tractor I would consider would be the 2720 with more power for the mowing on 10 acres. A better choice for larger bales and most jobs on the 10 acres would be a 3520 as it would provide enough size to make improvements to the property in a meaningful way. You may find that moving up to the 3520 can be offset by the savings in hay costs by buying the larger rounds. Figure hay costs and tractor payments can both be ongoing costs. Then think about pasture improvements and how that can lower the amount of hay you may need to buy and recognize that the larger tractor will be much better to make these pasture improvements. Really need to consider everything before you make the jump.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would agree with most other posters here, shop the other brands that fit you butt as well as the JD. JD has traditionally been higher priced by thousands for same HP as ANY other brand. Personally I think LS tractors offer the best bang for the buck but all brand owners (except JD) to include , New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Case, Kioti and of course Kubota owners all agree that most JD dealers are too proud of their tractors and equipment. Remember that few if any small tractors are actually built in USA as they are all farmed out to Asian, Chinese or India manufacturers. Some are assembled here from foreign parts and some have more dealers around than others but basically most are good quality tractors, however, as of now I would stay away from the Chinese made tractors. Their quality has improved over the years but they still arent up to standards of the Korean, Japanese or India made ones.

 

[Gary Fowler]

As for size, it all depends on what you want to do with it and how fast you want to do it. We mowed 40 acres of overgrown weeds and small trees with a 19 HP 2 wheel drive JD 750 with a 4 foot bush hog prior to upgrading to larger tractors. The small tractor went at crawl speed but cut the high weed and saplings just as well as a 70HP, it just took about 7-10 days to mow it all. For pastures, this is only about a 2 time per year job so not a big deal.
If you cant swing the bigger tractor even after looking at other brands, consider renting a 50 HP tractor with a 6 foot bush hog for half a day to mow the 10 acres with and then you should be easily able to mow it with the smaller tractors from then own.

 

[Stefanowich]

Thanks for all the great input so far. I'm waiting on a quote from the Kioti dealer, they're about and hour and a half from here. Kubota price quotes are comparable to JD in my area. I live in the Northeastern NC area. I'll do as suggested and continue my search in the 30hp range with other models. I'll keep you up to date.

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks for all the great input so far. I'm waiting on a quote from the Kioti dealer, they're about and hour and a half from here. Kubota price quotes are comparable to JD in my area. I live in the Northeastern NC area. I'll do as suggested and continue my search in the 30hp range with other models. I'll keep you up to date.

The best thing you can do is find a tractor you like then go price shopping at 3 or 4 dealers.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You should check out the LS tractor. North Carolina I think is their USA headquarters so I would think they should have more dealers there. They are good tractors with lots of standard features that are options or not even available on other tractors.

 

[US American]

I'd get a 3320 over a 2520 for your intended uses. If you are okay with used machines there are a lot of good Deeres out there. The xx20 series are all good and the xx10s are too. The 2000 and newer xx00s were fairly decent too. You could get a quality used machine in the mid teens. I wouldn't want a frame smaller than the 3x20 series for the intended applications.

 

[Illini22]

Kioti dk40 or Ls4041. Theirs a nice thread about those 2 tractors just a couple down from this one. Very good reading. Like others said about going bigger later is going to cost you ( you know you wlll with horses). In 2 years I would rather have to say " we need a smaller lawn mower for around the house" than we need. Larger tractor for the horses, bales, plowing, etc".
I think another problem with the deeres is their quick attatch system on the FEL's, you have to buy from them ($). some company's are makeing a few attatchments, but they cost more than the regular ssqa item. If your looking for used forks, grapple, etc you'll have a harder time finding one than one with the regular ssqa. Good luck

 

[El Wood]

I was in your shoes about a year ago. I looked extensively at the 1026r and the 2520. The 1026r looks like a great machine but I'm with you...the tires always looked too small for me (I've got 20 acres).

I ended up getting the 3320 but your asking between the 1026r and 2520. I think you would be the most happy with the 2520. It's a powerful little machine. I think another poster mentioned the 3005 which I looked at as we'll. Check it out. It's a solid tractor (bare bones gear shift) but really solid at a good price. You could always go bigger (like many have said) but once you get the property under control, the 2520 would do nicely. I don't think you'll have a problem running a bush hog...

Price out some other brands but one of the big reasons I chose JD is because the dealer is minutes away like you. I drop in for parts and to ask questions all the time. A close dealer is VERY nice.

I always say to others, if you get down to a couple machines you can't decide on, drive them. You'll know in minutes which one is right for you.

Good luck!

 

[Buppies]

Stefanowich there is a dealer that sells Kubota in Mt. Airy N. C. that you should try and also a LS dealer as well. They have been in the past very competitive :thumbsup: