First Impressions of new Kubota B2650 with Cab.

[PHPaul]

Picked it up at the dealer yesterday after waiting nearly 4 weeks for them to get one in. They couldn't arrange delivery until mid-to-late next week, but I was all done waiting, thank you, so I drove up and picked it up.

Got some seat time today and discovered a few things:

1. My Woods 650 3PH backhoe is NOT going to fit without modification. It's got to be set back at least 6 inches and the upper mounting point is a shade too wide to fit in the bracket on the tractor. I'm going to meditate on that for a while and decide if I should modify it, or just sell it and rent a trackhoe when I need one.

2. The rear remotes I had added are a different size (larger) and not compatible with my existing hoses and cylinders for the box blade and snowblower. Just need to get the appropriate adapters.

3. The hydro whine is REALLY loud under load. Going to have to start wearing ear protectors.

4. Otherwise, the hydro is handier than a pocket on a shirt. Never really thought about how much time I spent shifting the trans and range levers on the JD. I was a bit concerned about how well a hydro would work under a heavy load, so I put the box blade on and set the rippers as low as they would go and tore the dickens out of my badly pot-holed driveway. It handled it fine, but I'll be some glad to get the hydraulic toplink operational.

5. The loaded rears make quite a difference. I tilled a neighbor's garden without needing 4WD, which I couldn't do with the JD. Speaking of tilling, the cruise control is nice, but it doesn't pop off when you hit the brakes. You need to set it back to zero to change direction or stop. Hafta remember that.

6. The cab makes hooking up implements harder for two reasons: Less clearance at the rear of the tractor, and having to go around the through the doors to tweak the 3PH position.

7. LOT of glass on that cab. Excellent visibility, but even with temps in the high 40's, when the sun comes out it gets warm in there. I actually ran the AC for a few minutes.

8. God Bless the man that invented power steering.

 

[s219]

Looks good!

 

[MidTn Mark]

Congrats on the new ride. I can't imagine how useful that cab is going to be in about 6 months..

Mark

 

[MidTn Mark]

Congrats on the new ride. I can't imagine how useful that cab is going to be in about 6 months..

Mark

 

[PHPaul]

Congrats on the new ride. I can't imagine how useful that cab is going to be in about 6 months..

Mark

That was the main reason for the upgrade. I'm tired of freezing my wrinkled old butt off blowing snow.

It'll be nice during black fly season as well.

 

[TripleR]

Congratulations on your new tractor, very nice.

Some people use a notched piece of PVC etc. through the back glass to move the 3PH controls to hook up.

 

[mposter]

Well, I am awfully close to pulling the trigger on a B2650 so would value any additional insights you have as you get to know the new tractor. If you can, keep in mind that my last tractor was a restored JD "B" back in the late seventies, so these new diesel, hydro, power steering things are all new to me ;o)

 

[PHPaul]

mposter, my only "less than thrilled" reactions to the tractor are really, REALLY minor, nit-picky things.

First, the back of the tractor around the PTO and 3 point hitch is awfully crowded compared to the JD750 it replaced. The PTO shaft is shorter, the drawbar is shorter, the upper mount for the 3 point is tucked in under the cab overhang and is a shade narrower. The centerline-to-centerline distance between the PTO shaft and the drawbar is several inches shorter as well. This is a factor due to the way the anti-torque arms on the PTO pumps for my backhoe and log splitter are set up. They'll need to be re-engineered.

The stabilizer arms are a mixed blessing: They are MUCH more effective than the chains on the JD were, but they're also in the way to some degree. I had to remove them to even think about mounting the the backhoe. (I'm still debating whether to modify it to fit). I haven't tried it, but I expect they'll be in the way when I'm ready to mount the PTO pump for the log splitter as well.

The mounting pins for the lower arms on the 3PH are noticeably smaller as are the lift arms on the rockshaft. The top link is smaller in diameter with smaller screw adjuster ends as well. It remains to be seen if this will become a problem, but I don't really expect it will.

I DO like the ratcheting adjustment for the side-to-side level on the 3PH, that's a huge improvement over the crescent wrench and jam nut approach.

It seems to be a little harder on fuel than the JD was, but that could easily be the fuel gauge linearity and the tightness of a new engine. Just seems like the gauge is dropping pretty quickly. I'll know more about that when it comes time to fill it up and I can do the math.

Control layout is very handy with one minor exception: The 4WD in/out lever is too low and too small. Again, a petty complaint and easily lived with.

It was much easier than I thought it would be to get used to having the brakes on the "wrong" side after nearly 30 years of operating a tractor with clutch on the left and brakes on the right.

I like the LCD dash, especially the ability to monitor actual PTO RPM.

 

[JJZ 109]

Had a brand new 2009 B3030 with cold weather cab. I had the same complaint about the hydro whine. It was a good little tractor for sure. Not sure about your fuel tank capacity, but if I recall correctly the B3030 was about 7 gallons. That could be the reason that the guage goes down faster than you're used to.
In the end, the loader didn't have quite enough power for some of the things I need a loader for so the tractor went down the road.

 

[PHPaul]

I had the chance to test the loader a little today, and I'm...satisfied. A little disappointed as the numbers in the specifications were higher than on my JD, but there was no discernible difference in actual operation. Worked fine, just not the extra capacity I was hoping for.

I believe the tank is 7.x gallons. The one on my JD was 6.x

I know on my truck the gauge isn't very linear, the first 1/4 tank disappears awfully quickly, then it levels out.

I sorta suspect I'm seeing the same thing on the tractor.