B3030 vs JD 2520 - Which one?

[Lindy]

This board is great -- I've learned so much about CUTs during my search over the last few weeks.

I think I've narrowed it down to two different tractors: Kubota B3030 or the JD 2520.

Intended Use:
I have about 6 acres. Some gentle slopes, but no serious hills. The whole things needs to be finish mowed. We have a few trees, but not a lot. The ground is pretty bumpy in some areas -- especially the reclaimed pasture/farmland. There are some areas I'd like to level off by shaving and reshaping. Other areas need to be built up. The topsoil has a lot of clay and stays pretty soggy in the spring. Lots of blowing, drifting snow in the winter. We get a lot of wind, and our 500' blacktopped driveway is in a really bad spot (too low and too close to the pasture fence). We have a garden to maintain, and other miscellaneous mulching/topsoil work to do.

For the mowing, so far I've gotten by with a JD 325 lawn tractor, 54" deck. But the pasture pounds the crap out of that poor little tractor. It's nice, but it wasn't made for 6 acres. I currently (try to) use an ATV with a 50" snow plow for snow detail in the winter, but it takes a REALLY long time. If I don't plow ~5 driveway widths the entire length of the driveway, the next snowstorm or windstorm will drift us in really good. Often I wind up having to "bulldoze" the snow because the ATV is not heavy/powerful enough to push the snow to the side without spinning me in a circle. The snow moves ME instead of me moving the SNOW.

The Comparison & Price Check:
I think I've narrowed it down to 2 tractors.

1. Kubota B3030, LA403 FEL, 60" MMM, R4's ==> $18.5k
2. John Deere 2520, 200CX FEL, 62D MMM "Onramp", R4's ==> $18.4k

Are these prices reasonable? Which is the better deal? I'm leaning towards the Kubota, but I've always liked JD. I test drove them both. The 3pt on the 2520 kept hitting the rear tires (R4's). Didn't like that. The Kubota seemed really smooth, but perhaps the hydraulics weren't quite as fast.

What do you think? Are these tractors good ones for the jobs I listed above?

Thanks!

 

[ChuckinNH]

I'm looking myself, and have looked at both tractors too. I like them both, and think they both would do a good job for the chores you have in mind. Actually, the Kubota B2630 is more of an even match for the JD 2520, and is less expensive. I don't like the 3pt hitch rubbing on the JD, and have been following posts about it, but I do like the drive over deck. I think the 3pt setup is much nicer on the Kubota, and it has more power, and a very useful 3 range hydro. I guess I would take the JD 2320 over the smaller B series, but I would take the Kubota B2630/B3030 over the JD 2520. The other big advantage for your snow situation is that the Kubota has a 63" snowblower / 72" front blade available while the JD front mounted implements (blade /snowblower) are considerably narrower than the 2520 wheel width. Something to think about

 

[Lindy]

I don't like the 3pt hitch rubbing on the JD, and have been following posts about it, but I do like the drive over deck. I think the 3pt setup is much nicer on the Kubota, and it has more power, and a very useful 3 range hydro. I guess I would take the JD 2320 over the smaller B series, but I would take the Kubota B2630/B3030 over the JD 2520.

These same things crossed my mind, and I agree with you on all of them.

The other big advantage for your snow situation is that the Kubota has a 63" snowblower / 72" front blade available while the JD front mounted implements (blade /snowblower) are considerably narrower than the 2520 wheel width. Something to think about

Hmmm. Good point. Thanks for the heads-up. Didn't know about that. The original plan was to get a 3pt snowblower as part of the pkg deal, but I've decided to stick that $$ into the tractor instead and add the blower later. At least I'll be able to dig myself out now with the FEL if worst comes to worst.

 

[Toolguy]

I vote for the Kubota. I have a B3030 and have compared it extensively with the JD2520. The 2520 will probably do anything the Kubota will do but the Kubota will do it better. 3 speed trans. 3PTH arms that don't rub the wheels. More ground clearance. Taller rear tires. Metal hood and fenders. A flatter deck making it easier to get on and off. An excellent seat on the new models, I have the new seat on mine. Bottom line is that the Kubota is more machine for the money IMHO. You will not be disappointed. Good luck.

 

[lawn_king]

I know the B3030 will be a good match for your needs as i have owned/operated one for 2.5 years. I cant chime in on the deere as i know nothing about them. I hope you have some cash set aside for the chiropractor, because your going to need it if you plan to clear that 500 foot driveway with a rear snowblower!

 

[Lindy]

I know the B3030 will be a good match for your needs as i have owned/operated one for 2.5 years. I cant chime in on the deere as i know nothing about them. I hope you have some cash set aside for the chiropractor, because your going to need it if you plan to clear that 500 foot driveway with a rear snowblower!

Ha! True. But it's gotta be better than the current 3 hours of slamming and pounding I'm taking on the 4 wheeler right now. Man, once those snowbanks settle in, it's almost impossible to move them with that little thing.

Couple things regarding a front snowblower:
1. Are they maneuverable enough to clean out the tight spots?
2. Don't you miss the ability to scoop & pile?
3. Those things are awfully expensive

 

[Killer_B]

Lindy,

Last summer I was ready to buy a B3030. Then I test drove three of them. All had a very annoying vibration problem. Annoying to me, that is. A lot of people don't seem to mind or even notice it. On one of the tractors, the FEL control lever and the pins for the folding rops rattled so much at idle that I thought they might grind themselves into dust. On another, my feet went numb on a 5 minute test drive around the lot. I figured I would learn to live with it.

Being a Kubota guy, I didn't even plan to look at the other brands. On a whim, I stopped by a JD dealer. Long story short, I ended up on a JD 3320. Similar HP to a B3030, but way more tractor in most other respects. And a silky smooth 3cyl motor. Don't let the physical size of the 3000 series scare you. They are very agile and easy to maneuver. And the larger tires, higher weight, and real suspension seat (not the pseudo version like the B3030) make it a ride like a Cadillac on rough terrain.

My biggest misgiving on this tractor was all the fly by wire electronic wizardry that seemed like completely unnecessary complexity. And perhaps it is. But it is very pleasant to use. The auto style cruise with resume feature is my favorite.

Good luck and happy shopping.

KB

 

[billbill1]

I'd go with the 3030 and try to get a cab with it. They sold last year in Kansas for $18,950, cab and tractor only, with heat and ac. A co worker bought one and he loves it. He got a loader as well but don't know what his final price was.

 

[Renob]

The B3030 will run a 72" MMM. With 6 acres of grass to cut, I'd be looking at the big deck.

 

[Lindy]

Long story short, I ended up on a JD 3320. Similar HP to a B3030, but way more tractor in most other respects.

That's a really nice rig you've got there, KB, don't tempt me! Thanks for the pic. But that tractor would be another $4.5k or so for a similar setup at my local dealers, and I just can't spend that much. I've already gone over my original budget by quite a lot They had a factory cab model at one of the dealers I visited, and it was really, really nice. It's just too much $$$.

Thanks for the heads-up on the vibration on the B3030. I didn't notice it at all when I took a test drive, but I'll check for it again. If anything, from what I recall it seemed smoother to me than the other one I test drove (B7510).

 

[Lindy]

I'd go with the 3030 and try to get a cab with it. They sold last year in Kansas for $18,950, cab and tractor only, with heat and ac. A co worker bought one and he loves it. He got a loader as well but don't know what his final price was.

I'd love to do that, but again the price just gets too high by the time I add in a FEL and MMM. I'm a little concerned about garage space with the cab, too. My garage door is pretty low, so I'll probably have to use the folding ROPS to get the thing in there as it is.

There's a nice looking B3030 on ebay right now in Canastota, NY, which isn't too far from me. It's a B3030 HSDC with FEL and MMM, 338 hrs. Currently at $15.4k.

 

[Lindy]

The B3030 will run a 72" MMM. With 6 acres of grass to cut, I'd be looking at the big deck.

Good point, Renob. Couple of reasons I'm leaning towards the 60" MMM over the 72" -- maneuverability, scalping on ridges and uneven spots that I haven't cleaned up yet, getting the thing into my garage next to the car, and (again) $$$. But your point is taken.

 

[teeravis1]

Lindy - Here is the thread on the B3030 vibration Killer_B was talking about. I've had a B3030 for 1.5 years and put 108 hours on it and have no issues with it - I love it. I don't feel any vibration in mine at all. The only issue with mine is I have the old seat which is a crappy seat, however you will not have this problem with a new one because Kubota has replaced the crappy seat with a good one now. So you can make your own assumption and hear more opinions on the B3030 Vibration, I attached the thread below that talked about it. Enjoy your Shopping!

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...oard-vibration.html?highlight=B3030+Vibration

 

[lawn_king]

Ha! True. But it's gotta be better than the current 3 hours of slamming and pounding I'm taking on the 4 wheeler right now. Man, once those snowbanks settle in, it's almost impossible to move them with that little thing.

Couple things regarding a front snowblower:
1. Are they maneuverable enough to clean out the tight spots?
2. Don't you miss the ability to scoop & pile?
3. Those things are awfully expensive

I think the front mounts are more maneuverable than the rear. From the description of the driveway/land low spots, drifting snow, you will be doing lots of blowing. When you want to do fel work, you drop the snowblower & mount up the fel, with practice you can do it in 15 minutes, perhaps less. As far as expense, well nothing i can do for you there. Figure the time & fuel traveling to the chiropractor, and your health insurence my not cover the visit?

 

[Ductape]

I'll go ahead and throw my 2 cents in. Get the cab model, and skip the $$$$ belly mower. The few grand you save between the factory belly mower and a RFM will pay for at least half the cost of the cab !

 

[lawn_king]

I have to agree with ductape on the cab. That driveway is 500 ft. long, so its at least 5000 sq.ft. If he orders that tractor he should get the remote fel control, its far superior & way more comfortable to operate than the standard joystick. No rattle what so ever, at any rpm.

 

[sunnyside360]

I was in the same predicament about a year ago. It boiled down to either the B3030HSDC or JD 3520 Cab. After driving both I went with the JD 3720 mainly because the cab was so much quieter -- 3720 instead of 3520 because the dealer had it on the lot and gave me an unbelievable deal. I really liked the B3030HSDC except for the excessive vibration and noise in the cab.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Another option would be to buy a B2630 since you aren't interested in a 72" mower deck. The difference in price between that, and a B3030 would buy you a Curtis, or aftermarket cab for winter use. I'm not sure why the JD2520 is regarded as powerful, while the B2630 is not, and it does have a very smooth 3 cylinder engine. The JD does offer a little more torque, but not the lifting capacity, nice 3pt, powerful backhoe options, etc., etc. It is possible that the new B2920 due out will be enough less to put a front mounted snowblower, and aftermarket cab well within your budget....... just more random thoughts since I am in the same process.

 

[AKKubota]

I'm in the same market. My understanding is that, while they don't rub, the 3030 tires ar a tight fit - particularly when considering chains. I'm leaning towards the 3030.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I guess that the turfs seem to be the tightest fit, but my dealer tells me that wheel spacers are available for the large B series tractors. The spacers provide more stability, and room for chains.