This is my first "real" tractor. I have learned a lot over the past two years. I only wish I had bought a tractor 10 years ago. It has saved me so much time and work.
I've had my 2520 for a little over two years now. I originally bought it for mowing grass (62D MMM) and moving some dirt (200CX loader & BB). Since I bought the tractor I've added a SB1164 3 PH snowblower, JD 655 tiller, BB2060 box blade and a set of pallet forks.
The only implement that I don't use is the 62D MMM. The cut quality was okay, but the tractor and mower were too big to use around the house and buildings. I still use my 18 HP Simplicity with a 50" deck for lawn mowing. I have about 3 1/2 acres that I mow.
The other implements I've used and they all work well. With the box blade I will lose traction before I lose power. This is because the tractor is fairly light when compared to the power of the engine.
With the snowblower I sometimes have to slow down as I will lose power when taking a big bite of snow. A big bite of snow is crusted snow 24+" deep and the full 64" width of the blower.
On previously broken ground the tiller works great. On non-broken ground with heavy sod it will break it up, but you need to go slow and make many passes. It's better to plow or disc the sod first, with a bigger tractor, then till.
For most of what I use it for the tractor has performed flawlessly. For the things I ask it to do that are a little out of it's league, I have to go slower and take my time. It does get the job done, it just takes more time.
I do most of my own maintenance (oil changes, etc.) and this tractor is easy to work on.
I know most of the compact tractors out there are good, well built machines. I bought John Deere because in my area John Deere seems to hold it's resale value a bit getter than the others.
I bought mine from a dealer 70 miles from my home. I do have a JD dealer 15 miles from my house and they weren't really interested too much in selling me a compact tractor.
The dealer 70 miles away was great. They made me feel like I was important to them. They took their time and explained everything. They gave me what I felt was a good deal and delivered the tractor for free. If and when I go tractor shopping again, that will be my first stop.
