With the 2520, still need the 318?

[Mpick]

Hi everybody,
New at this and I have done my best to research the John Deere 2520. But I would like to ask a few questions with out a commission involved, I bought the property next to me and now I am taking care of 7 ½ acres total, fruit and Nut trees and 2 homes sit in 3 ½ acres and 5 acres of flat lawn, with 300 feet of lakefront that I need to clean and maintain. I currently have a John Deere 318 with the 50” deck , before the new property I was mowing about 1-½ acres and scraping 25 ft of beach down by the lake with a 48” rear scraper blade and it did a Great Job! Now I need a bigger tractor plus I need to do quite a bit of work that requires a Loader. So is the 2520 with a 53” fel, 62D deck, 5’ 5” box blade and 6’ landscape rake a good start? I don’t have Chris2530 $$$ Lol… Sweet rig and Thanks again for the Help!

The other question is the 2530 big enough? I get the feelin that tractors are alot like a workshop, never big enough. I am trying to cut my mowing time down from 4 hours, so I asked the John Deere guy because the JD ad said up to 7 Acres. I didn't want to be pushing the limits as far as seat time or the capablities of the machine. He told me about the 3120 and even though JD doesn’t show it with a mmm, he said they could add the hydraulics and the pto. But with the modifications that would put me over my budget and no BB or rake. The Hydro is a manditory, my wife loves to mow, but she likes the Hydro peddle. From what I have gathered the 2520 should be just fine but I thought I would shoot it out here to make sure. .

Also I was thinking I would like to sell the 318 to offset the 2520 cost. I currently have to push mow and weedwack anyways now, so would it be alittle more or a Lot more? I have noticed that most postings on this site with the 2520 seem to be mowing field's or they have a second rider mower. But I was wondering what a ballpark figure should be, are they still popular? Just about everyone down here in my part of FLA, wants a zero-turn mower, I however haven't figured out how to put a 3pt hitch on one yet. She is a real clean machine, it has the 3 pt hitch with the moveable rear blade (not JD) and a JD Front Blade along with the chains and weights. The Front Blade I bought from one of my clients that had it for his 318 and didn’t need it anymore when he moved down here to Florida, I thought I could, well it doesn’t work to good pushing sand and thats when I started thinking FEL. It has been well maintained and never had any troubles that I know of, I am the 2nd owner for 7 years came with my first piece of property, just under 500 hours and All manuals. And shipping wouldn't be a problem I don't think. The 2520 would be shipped from Ohio if I say go!

Sorry so long, hope I didn't post in the wrong area.
best Regards,

Martin

 

[aesanders]

I think a 2520 would suit you just fine.

Why ship it form Ohio though? Greensouth in central Florida has decent prices. Gotta be cheaper buying it local than shipping it in from Ohio I would think. Plus if it breaks you have the dealer that sold it to you coming to fix it. My 2320 has sprung a couple hydraulic leaks and Greensouth fixed it both times. They came and got it and repaired it and brought it home to me all under warranty.

 

[Chris2520]

A 2520 would be great for you.
dont waist time with a 53 inch bucket. get a 61. a 2520 will carry anything you put in a 61 inch bucket. as for mower. i still have a GX lawn tractor.
and i love it. you would haft to pry it from my cold dead hands. the 2520 is what i use as a tractor. if you have a nice lawn tractor. i would keep it too. you can get in tighter spaces.
also seems some people like the rear mowers on the 2520 better than the MMM. you will love the tractor.. be sure to post pictures when you get it...

and who is Chris2530 , Did John Deere come out with a new Tractor
i dont know about....

Chris....

 

[prosperity]

If you want to cut your mowing time - think zero-turn.

I just traded my 2210 - actually a pretty fast finish mowing machine with the 62C deck.

But, I needed more tractor for loader and 3 point work, and just outgrew the 2210. Plus, I mow about 4 acres, plus have a few commercial accounts that I take care of.

I figured that the 2520 would be a bit cumbersome for finish mowing compared to the 2210 - especially if you are looking at speed.

I ended up getting the 2520 as figured, but without any finish mowing equipment, and got a 727A Z-Trak. For finish mowing, you just can't believe the speed of the Z-Trak.

So now I have the best of both worlds I think.
However, if I ever get rid of my commercial accounts, I think I might go with the 62D deck for the 2520 and get rid of the Z-Trak.

I have the 53" bucket, and feel it is a perfect fit for the 2520. I know a lot of folks here swear by the 61" bucket, but when doing some serious digging with the tooth bar on, I can easily find the limits of the hydraulic system. As far as bucket capacity, I don't mind the slightly smaller size when moving material - just might take an extra couple trips.
Another reason for me with the 53" bucket, is I do a lot of work on a hillside - too much weight on the front end on a hill scares me!

 

[VABlue]

Any possibility you could get a 2520 out to your place for a weekend? If so, you could mow with it and see if it fits in your yard - which is the only real question you need to answer here. There's no doubt that a 2520 will easily handle whatever 7 acres can throw at it. But can it mow well enough to warrant tossing the 318? Can it get close enough to the house/fence? Fit around/under tree's or decks? Not damage the lawn due to its size/wieght/wheel type?

A weekend with one would provide your answer...

 

[Chris2520]

Any possibility you could get a 2520 out to your place for a weekend? If so, you could mow with it and see if it fits in your yard - which is the only real question you need to answer here. There's no doubt that a 2520 will easily handle whatever 7 acres can throw at it. But can it mow well enough to warrant tossing the 318? Can it get close enough to the house/fence? Fit around/under tree's or decks? Not damage the lawn due to its size/wieght/wheel type?

A weekend with one would provide your answer...

Thats what i was thinking. in an open field it would be great. but for me. i haft to cut close to the house and around bushes. thats where my GX comes in handy. with my 2520. i would of done sqeeshed something...

 

[Mpick]

Wow! This is great, it's like being at the family picnic! Thank You!
I wish I could have tried one, shoot my local dealer didn't even ask me or the money lady to sit on it, more or less drive it. The Kubota guy didn't neither, but he started it and raised the bucket... But it came down to comparing the spec's, the different reviews on this site and the reliablity of my current machine. I found two isolated problems and one main problem with the deck wheels, that they have a fix for. (Chris2520, sorry I was also looking hard at the B2630).

I plan to do some landscaping, moving everything away from the house about 3 foot with R/R ties, rock and Palms. My 318 cuts it all close now with the 50" deck, the 10 citrus trees are spaced 8' apart and triming around the houses with the push mower, weedwacking and blowing is about 30 minutes now. I will keep the 318 for now and most likely wait till fall or early winter to get rid of it if I am not using it, I also figured that is when it might become a little more popular anyways. I would love a Zturn but it isn't in the budget, the dock will be next. That's why I want a good all around tractor.

Best Regards and Thanks again,
Martin

 

[NewJDGuy]

I purchased the 2520 as soon as it came out. I live in Ohio (outside Cincinnati) and have 2 acres... I also cut my parents field (4 acres) instead of using the Ford 8N with a woods mower, and occassionally tow it to a Cabin on 55 acres. It replaced a LT160 (JD lawn tractor) and an IH LowBoy, as I needed something to plow the snow in the winter. Suffice to say, the 2520 with 62D MMM does a fantastic job. I don't undertand people that claim they need a ZT for their lawns. I can edge a 4 in diameter tree, to the same extent as using a lawn mower. Just have to back up once and alter angles to get both sides. Now this may be the result of years of laziness growing up and cutting grass with the LowBoy and other garden tractors. I learned to get exceptionally close to the tree, and would back up and go at it again all the way around the tree. Yes, it's tiring with a manual transmission and lousy turning radius. But with the 2520 I'm amazed at the very tight turning radius and love the hydro tranny.

The tractor does a wonderful job with the yard, and I've found numerous uses for the FEL (61inch w/ toothbar), and the 3 pt. I use a broadcast spreader a few times a year, a PHD to plant trees, the occassional bush hog for my other property, back blade and am looking at other toys, er I mean implements.

It's nice to only have to park and service one vehicle. The prior combos of tractors essentially provided me with a utility tractor and a near ZT grass cutter. The 2520 does all that and more. I cut my grass cuting from 4 hours to 2 hours. I don't have alot to cut, but have numerous trees, rolling hills and a swale that is often wet in the spring. (4 wheel drive comes in handy).

Hope this helps.

 

[Mpick]

NewJDGuy, THANK YOU, Man that is what I needed, except the snow part... last time I seen snow in my part of Florida was in 1987, I think? Well it did shut down I-75. But I am ready for the next one, I bet I'm the only one in my part of town that has a snow plow! Think of all the $$$ I could make... So anyway's, I ordered my 2520 yesterday and I should have it by next week. I included the 62D, FEL, and the IMatch. I didn't get any of the add-on's, because there is a big auction place called Week's that has good prices on BB's, rake's and everything else, around 10 -15% cheaper then TSC and about 1/3 the price of JD. I figured I'am playing in the sand, not in rocks, flint and clay. I figured the 62 D would handle the mowing just fine and leave some power for speed and also let me get in close to the tree's. My property sounds alot like your's in size except it is flat. The other difference right now is the temp and humidity are about the same, around 100 degrees. Its like a jungle out there, you just about need to cut 2 X a week.

My big chore is that I need to fill in a canal which is about 50' X 15' by 10' deep, using sand that is about 100' away. Alot of seat time ahead, but because it is sand I didn't get the toothbar.

Thanks alot for the mowing info,

Best regards,
Martin

 

[aesanders]

I live in Central Floida and have a tractor mounted snow blower. We can go in partnership if we somehow go into another Ice age and clean house pushing and blowing snow.

Congrats on your new machine...