New Member

[Steve Wheeler]

Hey guys,

My namve is Steve, I live in Vermont and I'm looking to buy a compact tractor and need some feed back. I will be honest here. I am biasest. I'm a John Deere guy through and through. I have a 1948 John Deere B

I"m looking to buy a John Deere 2320 in March. Does anyone on the forum own one and could give me some pros and cons on the tractor?

 

[miserymule]

Steve,

I have a 2520 which I just bought. It replaced a 4100 that was stolen. I've also owned a 5410 in the past (it was too big for most of what I do, though a wonderful tractor). I went for the 2520 instead of the 2320 to get the extra power, but they are basically identical other than the engine. I got the 200CX FEL, 62 inch mid mount mower, front plow (old one won't fit), and already have a tiller, rotary cutter, and box blade.

So far I really like it a lot. I got the iMatch system which makes installing 3 point hitch equipment much easier; however, not all older implements are designed to be used with iMatch, and I have had to do some "workarounds." (Still trying to get the tiller to fit, but I am optimistic).

There's not much I don't like about the tractor so far, though, admittedly, I haven't had it long enough to really shake it out. The FEL is easy to remove and put on, as is the drive over mower deck -- much better than the old one. I have used it so far for a little mowing, a little bush hogging, I graded the driveway, and moved a bunch of stuff around with the FEL.

Things I would change: the 3 point hitch arms rub on the rear tires when fully raised with the iMatch fixture on. The dealer is going to reverse the wheels to give a little extra clearance which should solve the problem. The smell of the exhaust is stronger than on my 4100, but that may be a function of the newness (I've only got 6 hours on it). I cross shopped Kubota and liked the JD better. I liked the JD hydrostatic pedal arrangement better, really disliked the way Kubota puts brakes and HST pedals on the same side, liked the JD PTO arrangement better,and thought the JD was smoother.

If you get the mid mount mower, the linkage arms will drag the ground when the 3 point hitch is fully lowered. There are some fixes. The cheapest is a little kit that allows you to easily remove the dragging hardware (or perhaps hold it up?). I don't know yet, as I asked them to order it after I saw the problem. It's a couple hundred dollars.

This is all based on very limited operating experience so far, but I am happy with the tractor. If I can help you with any specific question, please let me know.

 

[Steve Wheeler]

Misermule,

I 2320 woule like to get a 2520 but might be to big for me and to expensive. I looked at the Kabota and didn't like it for the same reasons you describe plus it is more narrow.

I tried out a Mahindra 2516 gear drive and liked but it has a shuttle shift and with doing allot of loader work I'm afraid of burning out the clutch.

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Check out the Mahindra 2516 HST then. You won't find a more capable, comfortable and reliable tractor in that size range.

 

[miserymule]

I prefer the hydrostatics myself. Don't know if Mahindra makes one. My JD 5410 (75hp) had a manual shift transmission with what Deere calls "shift reverser," which allows you to change directions with the flip of a lever. It was OK, but I think the hydrostatic is much more maneuverable, as you can control both direction and speed with your foot. It's not only great for mower work, but mowing, and just about anything I can think of to do. I think the HST transmissions are not only more convenient, but, in my opinion, safer. I wouldn't consider buying a tractor without a hydrostatic transmission, unless I had to have a big one, and no one that I know of makes an HST for a tractor bigger than maybe 35 hp or so.

Bargain with the JD dealer a little and see if you squeeze in a 2520. I got mine with 200CX loader, 62 inch mid mount mower, 54 inch front blade with hydraulic angle control, and the iMatch system with some spare fittings thrown in for $20K even.

 

[gonegreen]

Maybe you should tell everyone what your primary tasks would be. I purchased a 2320 last year and debated on the 2520. I have quite a few projects to tackle, but at the end of the day I needed a mower and something to remove the snow from my 650ft driveway. I didn't know if the 2520 was going to be too heavy for my yard, and I liked where the deck height knob was on the 2320 better. I also am new to the game at 100 hrs so far. Do some searches on this site - you'll get quite a few related threads.

 

[slate mike]

I'm in Barre , VT and have a JD3120. Great for mowing if you don't have a lot of side hills(like I do). And the 300cx loader is great, except if you need to move 1 ton pallets of wood pellets. That said, I'm currently trying to sell my 6' finish mower and get a brush hog and also trying to figure out a system using the 3 pth to move pellets.
The point is to figure carefully what you want - need - to do. And buy appropriately. Good Luck.