Do I need 4wd on a new F2690?

[daugen]

I am considering buying one of these high end mowers and mowing my own 8 acres again instead of a mowing service which I tried
out this year. Service costs me almost 10k per year. Huge amount of weedeating, orchards, fences, etc. I mow my two orchards anyway, one fenced, but they weedeat.
So am considering going back to what I did the year before when I mowed with my diesel JDX750 with a 60 deck. It takes me a long time to mow all of it, and for sure a lot of trees to get under and around. Figured the outfront deck was the most efficient. My older brother has owned one for almost twenty years and it keeps on mowing.

By reading other threads here on these mowers, learned I want a rear discharge. All that grass no longer going into my mulched rose garden...
I also want to consider the mulching kit. Plus the air seat. Grass is mowed in 2 to 2.5 inch range. Centipede, Bermuda and fescue, a real mutt. Plus 4 acres of field grass which is turning into nicer lawn slowly cut at about 3.5 inches. Like the taller look, don't want it to look like a lawn. I also cut that grass with my Kubota tractor and seven foot LP finish mower, which is rear discharge, and which with sharp blades is 95 percent the equal of the smaller decks. Helps to have totally flat lawn/topography here, plus ditches. But of course you can't get very close to anything with the tractor and I always worry about smashing the rear mower into something on turns. Hired help regularly scalps edges of ditches due to poor skills and going too fast.

Lastly I have physical limitations, bad right arm and hand, losing grip, need a steering wheel, not levers(gave up beautiful Ferris Zturn with suspension years ago) with the lightest possible steering effort.

So, you Kubota experts, is it worth $3,275 to add the 4wd? No traction issues here at all, maybe a one degree slope in some areas for water drainage.
My automatic default is to choose 4wd, but maybe not. Which one rides better? Has easier steering?

Sounds unlikely I'll find one of these sitting on my local
Kubota dealer's lot.
Thanks for all input. Drew

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I am considering buying one of these high end mowers and mowing my own 8 acres again instead of a mowing service which I tried
out this year. Service costs me almost 10k per year. Huge amount of weedeating, orchards, fences, etc. I mow my two orchards anyway, one fenced, but they weedeat.
So am considering going back to what I did the year before when I mowed with my diesel JDX750 with a 60 deck. It takes me a long time to mow all of it, and for sure a lot of trees to get under and around. Figured the outfront deck was the most efficient. My older brother has owned one for almost twenty years and it keeps on mowing.

By reading other threads here on these mowers, learned I want a rear discharge. All that grass no longer going into my mulched rose garden...
I also want to consider the mulching kit. Plus the air seat. Grass is mowed in 2 to 2.5 inch range. Centipede, Bermuda and fescue, a real mutt. Plus 4 acres of field grass which is turning into nicer lawn slowly cut at about 3.5 inches. Like the taller look, don't want it to look like a lawn. I also cut that grass with my Kubota tractor and seven foot LP finish mower, which is rear discharge, and which with sharp blades is 95 percent the equal of the smaller decks. Helps to have totally flat lawn/topography here, plus ditches. But of course you can't get very close to anything with the tractor and I always worry about smashing the rear mower into something on turns. Hired help regularly scalps edges of ditches due to poor skills and going too fast.

Lastly I have physical limitations, bad right arm and hand, losing grip, need a steering wheel, not levers(gave up beautiful Ferris Zturn with suspension years ago) with the lightest possible steering effort.

So, you Kubota experts, is it worth $3,275 to add the 4wd? No traction issues here at all, maybe a one degree slope in some areas for water drainage.
My automatic default is to choose 4wd, but maybe not. Which one rides better? Has easier steering?

Sounds unlikely I'll find one of these sitting on my local
Kubota dealer's lot.
Thanks for all input. Drew

No difference in ride or steering with 2wd or 4wd on Fs. If you get the RD you probably don't need the mulching kit and not sure it's available with RD.
If your land is flat or rolling with out any really steep places you DO NOT need the 4wd. Save your money. My first F was a F2680e 2wd which I used to mow rental property. I brought it home to do STEEP hillside and it would even mow all of it except for steepest parts but it would even do them by lifting deck wheels just off the ground or backing up the hills. I used the 2wd for several years and traded it to a F3080 4wd 72" SD so I could take it home after depreciation. I hated the SD so sold the tractor to a gentleman from NC but he wanted the 60" RD off my original F2680e which was available because my dealer Barlows had the F2680e on his lot. Barlows delivered the F to NC with some other orders from NCAfter trading the decks I then bought the 2wd F back with the new 72" SD deck :thumbdown: I then later traded it to a ZD326 60" RD which I later sold when I sold the flat rental property.
Bottom line is I've owned a 2wd F twice and two 4wd Fs and currently own one 4wd F with 72" RD deck. I say you don't need the 4wd but it will make it easier to sell/trade if your that kind of guy but probably not worth the additional cost. If it were me from what your describing I would NOT buy the 4wd for that extra additional amount which sounds high to me by what I pay for Kubotas from Barlows.
I've bought a couple of mulching kits for some mowers that didn't have RD available and am as satisfied with a SD with mulching kit with side chute removed and blocking plate installed as the rear discharge and maybe better satisfied. In fact if I were to buy another one I'd get SD with mulching kit installed if available and if not vailable then the RD for sure

 

[628pm]

If your ground is flat, no need of 4wd, I have the 4wd model and sometimes forget to put it into 4wd when mowing my steep ditches. For me the 4wd works get when I have to back out of a ditch that is too wet to mow at the bottom. Save your money if not needed. Also I would of purchased a rd if the deck would of fit on my trailer (mow the inlaws 4 acres each week). Might try the mulching kit to see how that does.

Which ever you get you will be pleased with the F series mower. Seeing some of the prices on the 1511 zero turn, I didn't pay much more for my F.

Good luck either way.

 

[daugen]

Thanks JT. I was quoting differences off the online build it software; am sure real cost is lower.
If there is no difference in ride or steering, one has bigger tires so wasn't sure, then I'm likely to go for low cost.
When I lived in PA, everyone bought SUVs with 4wd. Here most are 2wd. Resale issue is not insignificant; folks hunt these mowers from all over and I would think many if not most would want 4wd. I will ask the dealer what the take rate is on each.

Ok, what about cost. The old rule of thumb I learned was that the dealers had thirty points and a fair deal was half of that off. I'm sure volume buyers can get 20 percent off, but since this model isn't stocked very much apparently, it gets into a real haggle with the dealer.
I don't like to haggle so if I could get a sanity check on a fair range of prices, that would be very helpful from those of you who have bought them in the last few years.

Now I'm assuming the Kubota version of this style mower is just as good as or better than the JD version?
The Kubota dealer is much nicer here...

thanks 628

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Thanks JT. I was quoting differences off the online build it software; am sure real cost is lower.
If there is no difference in ride or steering, one has bigger tires so wasn't sure, then I'm likely to go for low cost.
When I lived in PA, everyone bought SUVs with 4wd. Here most are 2wd. Resale issue is not insignificant; folks hunt these mowers from all over and I would think many if not most would want 4wd. I will ask the dealer what the take rate is on each.

Ok, what about cost. The old rule of thumb I learned was that the dealers had thirty points and a fair deal was half of that off. I'm sure volume buyers can get 20 percent off, but since this model isn't stocked very much apparently, it gets into a real haggle with the dealer.
I don't like to haggle so if I could get a sanity check on a fair range of prices, that would be very helpful from those of you who have bought them in the last few years.

Now I'm assuming the Kubota version of this style mower is just as good as or better than the JD version?
The Kubota dealer is much nicer here...

thanks 628

I'd contact Barlows and go from there with price shopping. Barlows had a slightly used one a couple months ago, the owner Steve Barlow was "testing" it on his home acreage and said he really liked it.

 

[ironpen]

I think you are wise to get a rear DC deck. If you can, I would definitely get the 72" rather than the 60". Ride will be affected by the tires...not so much the size but the amount of air you put in them. Mine rode like an ox cart when it was delivered, but the dealer put 35 or 40 pounds of air all around. I have a New Holland (mc35...front deck and steering wheel just like the F) that rode much better. After scratching my head for a little while I checked the air in the tires. Lowered them down to around 15 pounds and it was like night and day. You cannot completely remove the 4WD option...it's either locked in or on demand as needed. If your place is flat, I too see no reason to get the 4WD. For pricing comparison, my 4WD mower, canopy, work light kit, the Kubota storage option that fits on the ROPS, and foam filling on the mower tires (highly recommended) and sales tax was $22,300. I assume that was an ok deal....maybe others will chime in on that. I cut at 1 to 1.25 inches and my 6 acre yard looks like a golf course. I know I am in minority on that close cut, but in my neighborhood that's the norm. I also cut 6 to 8 acres of soccer fields at my church and lots of compliments there as well. I also mow in the high speed range 99% of the time...again in the minority on this board, but I see no reason to creep along when there is no need to do so. Of course, that's a personal choice. The RD deck does not clump or wind row at all. This machine seems to be very well built. No problems at all except I had to adjust the valve control that hydraulically lets the deck down gently when I first got the mower. It came up and would not go back down! After looking up in the manual, you just simply raise the seat and turn a little knob and it was fixed in about 3 seconds! I am very glad I purchased this machine.

 

[daugen]

Ironpen, thank you. I have the rears filled on two of my tractors for weight, but do not understand foam filling. Is that for puncture resistance?

 

[DK35vince]

If you can, I would definitely get the 72" rather than the 60". Ride will be affected by the tires...not so much the size but the amount of air you put in them. Mine rode like an ox cart when it was delivered, but the dealer put 35 or 40 pounds of air all around. I have a New Holland (mc35...front deck and steering wheel just like the F) that rode much better. After scratching my head for a little while I checked the air in the tires. Lowered them down to around 15 pounds and it was like night and day.

You could probably lower the tire pressure even more for better ride.
I run my zero turn tires (Hustler Super Z ) at 7-8 psi for a much better ride vs 12+ psi.

 

[Pete6114]

I have 4wd and never used it. Not even when snow-blowing.

 

[ironpen]

Ironpen, thank you. I have the rears filled on two of my tractors for weight, but do not understand foam filling. Is that for puncture resistance?

I am talking about foam filling the little tires on the deck ONLY. Do not put anything but air (and only a little) in the four tires on the mower body. If you make those solid or even semi-solid the mower will beat you to death. It will also likely vibrate lots of things loose on the mower body. Foam filling the deck tires is good...but foam, etc. in the machine tires is a very bad idea. Sorry for the confusion!