B2910 vs L3130

[powerquest]

I am new to the site, what a great source of info. I have been waiting for my local dealer( upstate NY ) to get his new stock in to make my final decision on either a B2910 or L3130. I will be purchasing a FEL and belly pan finish mower as well. The tractor will be used most of the time just mowing a large lawn with occasional FEL work and brush mowing with a 5 foot brush hog. Can any of you give me some advantages or disadvantages to help me make my decision. This is my first tractor and hopefully my last.

 

[steveky]

Hi, not sure what transmissions you've decided on but try the HST, I had made up my mind on the GST and the dealer kept insisting I give the HST a try and I'm glad I did, its great for mowing.

L3010 HST

Steve

 

[Pacesetter300]

I found myself starting out a number of months back with the same desires you have. Every dealer I shopped has discouraged me from combining a FEL with a belly mower. You loose your clearance with the mower attached and it is difficult to remove and replace. You have to REALLY do some soul searching to determine how you're going to use the tractor. Every tractor is a compromise, the more loader work you do, the larger, heavier, more powerful tractor makes life easier. The more mowing you do, the less you need the size and weight, it even becomes a detriment. I have seriously looked at everything from a B7500 and MF GX2300 on the small end to a Kioiti DK45 and NH TC45D on the big end. For mowing and very light FEL work, I feel the smaller units are fine. I have to admit that mowing my front 2 1/2 acres with a DK45 would really be overkill ( I have 20 acres total). I have personally decided on the L3130 HST with AG tires. In doing so, I have given up on the idea of using it as a lawnmower. I will Bush hog my "back 14" , clear out a mass of dead trees around the border of the field and do some landscaping. Whatever you decide is right for you, if you are going to use both FEL and mower, I would seriously consider a 3PT rear finish mower. Much cheaper ( about 1/2 the price of a MMM and don't forget the mid PTO is now extra on the 3130). Hope my five cents worth helps.

Good luck with your decision
Russ Vaughan

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

Welcome...a good place this is!

<font color=blue>I will be purchasing a FEL and belly pan finish mower as well. </font color=blue>

First the question! Where are you purchasing that belly pan from???

Your profile is blank for the most part...so we can't tell much about you...but...

I bought a B2910 this year...I would say I love it, but feel "buyer's remorse" to some degree that I did not go one step larger, to the 3010, which is I guess the old version of the L3130.

I have four acres...2 are wooded slopes. The increased loader capacity appeals to me. THe increased size does not seem like much now, although it did when I was thinking about my first tractor purchase.

The B2910 can do all that I need I suppose. I will be happy with it in the long run I am sure. Even though the amount of grass I cut is not much, I regret I did not go with a 72 inch RFM. I got a 60 inch woods and it does not extend past the rear tires as much as I would like when cutting the grass beside my pond, on the level bank. would feel safer if the tires were a bit farther from the waters edge.

Guess this doesn't help too much...but every little bit does, right? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I say go one step larger than you think need and be happy in the long run!

Of course, I started looking at the BX22, so I am about four steps beyond what I thought I needed and still have second thoughts...

Good luck!

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[grandad]

Welcome to TBN. 2910 and 3130 have similar hp, but the L3130 is quite a bit heavier and larger. Pros and cons to that... size is an advantage for loader work and handles some implements better... a tiller, for example. A smaller chassis has the advantage for maneuvering in tight spaces, storage, etc. You would have to decide your priorities, of course. The saying goes that there's not many who wish they'd bought a smaller tractor, though.

 

[BobinCols]

Either tractor will do the job nicely. I try to buy the most I can for my money, and when i bought, the 2910 was $500 less than the 3010 that I bought. Compare spec per spec there is no comparison-close on horsepower but that's it. With the new 3130 you would be getting the latest and greatest from Kubota and not a tractor that has been relatively the same the past few years as the 2910. You have to drive both tractors and let your body decide. I do know that the 3010-3130 engine (which is a 3 cyl and the 2910 is a 4cyl), the 3 cyl engine is a lot smoother and is a lot more pleasant to my ear at pto speed.

 

[Rockdog]

I have a B2710 and trading for a new L3430. The 2710 & 2910 are virtualy the same as is the 3130 and 3430. Only difference is about 3 hp and money. The 2710 is a 27hp and the 2910 is 30hp. The 3130 is 32hp and the 3430 is 35hp. I really like my 2710 but as others have said, best to think ahead or maybe just a little bigger than you think. I thought 5 years ago I would buy only one tractor for a long time. Three years later, traded in my B2400 for a B2710, and now trading the B2710 for and L3430. The factory cab is why opted for the 3430, not available on the 3130. I have and am going to continue using the mid mount mower(MMM) set-up. It is a bit of pain to take on & off at first but now it's a 3-5 minute job. Other drawback is that the mmm cost $3300 - $3500. Considerably more money than a rear finish mower(RFM). Good luck and welcome to TBN.

Jerry

 

[powerquest]

Thanks for the great reply's. I failed to mention that I was looking at the HST models of these trators with Industrial tires. My main concern about the 3130 is the extra wait. Will this tractor rut up my yard with the extra 1000 lbs? I was also concerned about the width, I will be brush hogging in my christmas tree farm. The tree's were only planted 7 ft apart and the old 245 kubota I'm using now is the ideal width. I could make do with a little more width but not much. As far as finish mowers go a rear mounted is definetly cheaper but will it do as good as job as the belly mower. My dealer said that they corrected the problems on the 3130 that they had with the old 3110 as far as mounting a belly mower on it. Also I was quoted 19,300 for the 2910 and 21,500 for the 3130 both set up with the HST, industrial tires, FEL and 72 " belly mounted mower. Do you think that is a fair price? Sorry about the long post. Just trying to get educated as much as possible before my purchase. Thanks

 

[cisco]

I do not believe you can go wrong with either - both are good units. However, a fine lawn, and a 3130 with R-1s, is not an ideal combination, even with R-4s you will not want to venture on the lawn if the ground is damp, much less wet. I've a 3410 GST (R-4s), as I desired the maximum horsepower I could get to the pto in a medium sized frame - but, as you correctly observed, the 3000-3400 series weighs very significantly more than the 2700-2900 series (with the higher horsepower of the former, more weight IS needed, as is FWD on my 3410, or you'll lose traction long before your horsepower limit is reached).
Given your desire for a "large lawnmower" (which is what a tractor with a low clearance belly mower is) and a modest brush cutter and loader, I'd go with the smaller tractor, and save a few bucks plus wife-alarming ruts in your lawn.

 

[grandad]

Sounds like mowing width in your Christmas trees is a major issue for you... going to the small side. If your trees are planted 84" apart and you need to mow BETWEEN them, your clearance will disappear as they grow beyond seedlings. The 3130 would be maybe 60" wide with industrial tires and a 60" brush mower would have a deck that's really 62-64" wide, so - best case - you're going to have a foot or less on each side as you mow. You may need to keep your old tractor just for that or it may mean the 2910 would be preferable.

If you keep a perfectly groomed lawn, the bigger tractor definitely has more potential to chew things up. If you have a former field you keep mowed at 4-6" so it looks OK from the road, the 3130 will do just fine.

Lots of 2710's and 2910's sold to people with requirements like yours.

 

[frank_f15]

you really need to examine closely what you want to do with the tractor 90% of the time. sometimes i wish i had more weight and more lifting with the fel, but for most of my use my tractor is fine. sometimes too heavy and to big is not the way to go. YOU have to determine that.
welcome to the forum and keep us posted.

 

[Pacesetter300]

Check with Kevin Emerich at Emerich Tractor. He's near Albany. I think you'll find his price a lot better than the one you got. Plus, he's a great guy to deal with.

http://www.emerichsalesandservice.com/

Russ Vaughan (Pacesetter)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I went thru the same decision process earlier this year, and settled on the 2910HSD. For me, it is working out perfectly. I have used the FEL the most, and am starting to do lots of blade and brushhog work as I get the land around the new house cleared. I have 40 acres of heavy oak forest, and the smaller size is letting me keep more trees, and still manuver around them. The R4 tires do quite well in loose soil, and the landscape rake is getting the yard in shape for seed. Perhaps the biggest size advantage for me is the fact that I can run the 2910 in my garage with standard 7x9 garage doors. The ROPS clears the doors by about 1/2 inch. I'm afraid that the 3010 would require a seperate shed with taller doors, or sit outside. They are both good choices, but I prefer the smaller size and manueverability of the 2910.

Don M.

 

[art]

The new Kubota's are getting to the dealers as we just got in our first container load. The L would give you a little heavier tractor than the B-series. They both would handle the Bush-hog but the L would do better.

 

[JeffRey30747]

You are right about the grand Ls being to tall for a standard garage door as my L3710 won't go through one unless I fold the ROPS, but with that option they will still fit.

 

[Kelvin]

Hi,
Welcome to the site.

There have been a lot of good responses so far. I'll throw in my 2 cents worth.

Bottom line (for me): I'd recommend the B2910 since your intended tasks are "most of the time" finish mowing and "occasional" FEL / brush hog work.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the L-series Kubotas; most of what I think I know I've learned on this site.

The only comment that I don't agree with deals with the FEL/Mid-mower combination being a bad idea. The way that I understand it, in the 1970s, 1980s, and up to the mid 1990s, (basically the non-flat-deck model tractors), a person with a Kubota tractor that had both FEL and mid-mower may have had less ground clearance (compared to the mid-mower clearance with no FEL, which was poor to begin with). To my understanding, the flat-deck B-series Kubotas have no problem with the FEL / mid-mower combination.

For finish mowing and light-to-medium FEL work across a nice lawn, the B2910 is probably your best bet. The way I understand it, the B2910 will handle a 5' rear rotary mower.

For heavier FEL work and more extensive rotary mower work, the heavier L-series should be considered. However, I've heard somewhere that the mid-mower design on the L-series are not as good as the mid-mower design on the B-series, but I can't remember where I got that information. Since I don't know how accurate that information is, you might add it to your list of comparisons to evaluate.

Hope this helps,
Kelvin