John Deere Press Room 2007

John Deere’s smallest compact tractor, a 2320 23hp model, has been working since the start of the year at Alnwick Cemetery, managed by Alnwick Town Council in Northumberland.

The tractor, equipped with hydrostatic transmission, 200CX front loader and mid-mounted 54in rotary mower deck with mulching kit, was bought from local dealer Greenlay (Grass Machinery) of Cramlington to replace an older John Deere 855 compact model.

"Although it was 12 years old, the 855 was still going perfectly well," says cemetery superintendent Rob McConnell. "However, it was looking a bit rough around the edges, and the council wanted to change it, before we had to start spending money on repairs – although it had never had a major breakdown in all that time.

"Greenlay’s salesman Roger Stewart recommended the 2320 as it seemed perfectly suited to the various jobs we have to do at the cemetery. As well as cutting about 15 acres of grass, we use it with a trailer for loading and transporting soil to and from the graves, and with the loader for moving stones and gravel for the pathways. We also cut the grass in a children’s play area in the town, as both this machine and our five year old 4100 compact are licensed for road use.

"We couldn’t take a bigger tractor or deck, or have a large rear collector fitted, because of having to cut the grass between the headstones," adds Rob. "We also had the 2320’s deck converted from side to rear discharge, to avoid throwing grass over the graves, but with the mulching kit fitted it does a very good job anyway and the grass doesn’t fly about at all.

"The mulch deck works perfectly well in wet weather too, and it leaves a nice clean, presentable finish, which is very important. As well as being a very manoeuvrable tractor, it’s very easy to attach and detach the front loader, with its drive-in design and parking frame.

"We couldn’t specify a cab either, because of all the low hanging trees around the grounds, but the engine is designed with anti-vibration mountings, so this makes it much quieter as well as more comfortable for the operator. John Deere machines are generally extremely hard working and robust, with very good fuel consumption, and I’ve been very pleased with the new tractor’s performance so far."

June 2007