Should I go for a John Deere 320?

15 years ago

I have found a lot of good information in this forum in the past, but this is the first time I've posted a question. I own a JD LX277 that I use to mow 2 acres of lawn. I use an old Gravely walk-behind to blow snow off my 50-yard-long driveway, till the garden, and occasionally mow brushy areas on my 5-acre property. I'd like to replace both with one do-it-all machine that I can also use to spread gravel and move mulch and topsoil around. If I were buying a new tractor, I suspect it would be an X534 or X540, and I would be in debt for the rest of my life. I have an opportunity right now to buy a 1993 320, equipped with just a 48-inch deck, with 1,600 hours on it. The owner says it is in very good condition and runs fine (but he is two hours away from me and I haven't seen it), and he is asking $1,600. Is this a good price for this tractor with a lot of hours? Will I be able to find the attachments I need for it? Would I do better to keep looking and spend more for a 400-series tractor of the same vintage, or should I bite the bullet and buy a newer model? If so, which model do you think would work best for me? All advice is welcome.

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Comments (3)

zoulas
15 years ago
1600 hours is a lot of hours for a GT. These GT's are meant to last approximately 20 years and that unit is close to that. Having said thay, JD has a high resell value to he will probably get good money for it. That unit averaged 100 hrs/year. That probably means he also plowed the now as well, so expect some rust. If its not rusted then he probably painted it. If you do go for it, you MUST have an absolute expert look at it and ask the right questions. Also, look at the JD zero % financing options. You may be able to get a that x540 for a good deal with 0%
sergeant
15 years ago
Well you can still get a 30inch Mechnical tiller for the 320 from deere and single stage 42inch snow blower that fit on the Following Machine will fit the 320
240
245
260
285
325
335
345
355
GX325
GX335
GX345
GX355
GX255
Gt225
GT235
GT245
LX255
LX266
LX277
LX280
LX289
For the most part any of the Above tractors attachment will work on a 320
The 320 is based on the old 285 frame and that frame became the 325 thru 355 and GX325 thru GX355 Frame
You may want to look at the link Below They specialize in late model Used Deeres and they have very reasonable shipping Rates across the U.S.

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Power
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frisbee_ossipian
Original Author
15 years ago
My thanks to zoulas and sargeant for their thoughtful responses.

I decided not to buy the John Deere 320, but instead bought a 1995 Simplicity Sunstar 18 hp with 48" deck and plow for $1,600. Allegedly, this tractor has only 75 hours on it. The story is that the original owner had it for a couple of years, using it only for mowing, and then died. It sat for a number of years before being acquired by the guy I bought it from, who has a small engine repair business. He went through it, cleaned the carbs, etc., and then used it to plow his driveway. He had a Honda tractor he prefered for mowing. Now he has a snowblower for the Honda, and the Sunstar was just taking up space. He advertised it for awhile at $2,800 but got no responses, so he accepted $1,600 from me. Maybe I got took--we'll see. It looks new enough to have only 75 hours.