PrairieOak
New member
I promised I would share feedback after using my new tractor a few weeks. I took delivery of a B2650 with FEL, rear blade, and a Vrisimo flail mower earlier this month. Primary work for it will be mowing trails (3/4-mile), mowing lawn (1 acre), mowing prairie (4 acres), and plowing a 300 foot drive. I am very pleased so far.
FEL: I've only used it to move a brush pile that has been expanding over time and to haul sand for some trail grading. Easy to use. I've disconnected it from the tractor fully once. I did so on "flat" ground. Re-attaching was more work to get aligned with all the pivots in the right place than I had hoped. I think the lesson is to park it on truly flat ground - drive or other graded surface. I've since removed just the bucket using the quick attach coupling. Much simpler than the whole FEL and I can use the added weight up front from the FEL frame while I am mowing.
Rear blade: I've only used for some trail grading so far. Worked great. The snow will come soon enough.
Mowing: We decided to replace our lawn tractor (JD X534) with the Kubota + flail for the lawn as well as the prairie work. It does an acceptable job on the lawn. Photos are immediately after mowing relatively lush grass with mulched clippings clearly evident but not bad and 3 days later after some rain with the clippings virtually gone. I'm still adjusting the height to find where I like it. Right now I'm checking the flail knife height by placing a 2-1/2" diameter tennis ball under them and adjusting the top connect bar until the knives touch the top of the ball.
Before we could do the entire lawn with the X534 and occasional string trimmer use along features. With the bigger tractor, I can mow within 6-12" of the features and then come back with our push mower to clean it up. With the wider turning radius (vs. 4-wheel steer and mid-deck before), I've decided the "zamboni" pattern (moving oval) works most efficiently.
Trail mowing is where the Kubota + flail really shine. It's faster, a much smoother ride, better visibility, and the flail is perfect here. I'm eager to mow the sections of prairie not slated for burning this year. This was the primary driver for getting the flail. It cuts through prairie forbs and grasses better than our old lawn tractor and it mulches them for faster composting without smothering young plants.
All in all :thumbsup:
FEL: I've only used it to move a brush pile that has been expanding over time and to haul sand for some trail grading. Easy to use. I've disconnected it from the tractor fully once. I did so on "flat" ground. Re-attaching was more work to get aligned with all the pivots in the right place than I had hoped. I think the lesson is to park it on truly flat ground - drive or other graded surface. I've since removed just the bucket using the quick attach coupling. Much simpler than the whole FEL and I can use the added weight up front from the FEL frame while I am mowing.
Rear blade: I've only used for some trail grading so far. Worked great. The snow will come soon enough.
Mowing: We decided to replace our lawn tractor (JD X534) with the Kubota + flail for the lawn as well as the prairie work. It does an acceptable job on the lawn. Photos are immediately after mowing relatively lush grass with mulched clippings clearly evident but not bad and 3 days later after some rain with the clippings virtually gone. I'm still adjusting the height to find where I like it. Right now I'm checking the flail knife height by placing a 2-1/2" diameter tennis ball under them and adjusting the top connect bar until the knives touch the top of the ball.
Before we could do the entire lawn with the X534 and occasional string trimmer use along features. With the bigger tractor, I can mow within 6-12" of the features and then come back with our push mower to clean it up. With the wider turning radius (vs. 4-wheel steer and mid-deck before), I've decided the "zamboni" pattern (moving oval) works most efficiently.
Trail mowing is where the Kubota + flail really shine. It's faster, a much smoother ride, better visibility, and the flail is perfect here. I'm eager to mow the sections of prairie not slated for burning this year. This was the primary driver for getting the flail. It cuts through prairie forbs and grasses better than our old lawn tractor and it mulches them for faster composting without smothering young plants.
All in all :thumbsup:
