GR2120 Yea or Nay

[Retired Iron Peddler]

Hmmm, I guess my local JD dealer is the exception. They always have time for me even if I'm only "kicking tires" and until last year only owned an old JD 345 lawn tractor. My JD 345 has been virtually problem free and what little service it has needed, they have done an excellent job and based on that, I purchased a JD 655 Z-turn from them last year. I had a couple of small problems with the JD 655 and the dealer was quick to send a tech and a service truck to my place and make the repair at no charge. I'm considering replacing my JD 345 with a JD X750 with an auto-connect 54" mower. To me there's a big difference between the GR2120 and a X7XX series tractors and the JD is worth the difference. For one, check the resale prices.

Both my local Kubota and JD dealers have treated me very well. I have no complaints...

Bill

 

[Pete6114]

It arrived. Checked it all out and started cutting. Works very well and that small diesel sounds great.

 

[locknut]

Sure is purdy :thumbsup:
What's that black hose looping out the front? Something to do with the blower,perhaps?
Looks like you have more concrete than grass

Two things.Always lift deck to the top before adjusting cutting height,and never back the tractor on a trailer and pull it down a highway.Also,when you start cutting grass go ahead and hit that little red button,then you won't kill it the first time you back up :mur:

 

[PHILIP8N]

Sweet! Pick mine up this Friday at 8:00 am! Philip.

 

[Pete6114]

Sure is purdy :thumbsup:
What's that black hose looping out the front? Something to do with the blower,perhaps?
Looks like you have more concrete than grass

Two things.Always lift deck to the top before adjusting cutting height,and never back the tractor on a trailer and pull it down a highway.Also,when you start cutting grass go ahead and hit that little red button,then you won't kill it the first time you back up :mur:

That black hose does go to the blower. Not sure, but am thinking it lifts/lowers it...and you are right about the red button too. Has to be pushed every time the mower is engaged.
Got tired of a gravel driveway and love the concrete.

Also got a couple of gifts.

 

[PHILIP8N]

So the snowblower is hydraulic raise and lower? Are there two connections? Are they quick connects? Philip.

 

[Pete6114]

So the snowblower is hydraulic raise and lower? Are there two connections? Are they quick connects? Philip.

Dont know yet for sure. Haven't had time to figure out how the blower even get's attached. The auger is shaft drive. The chute is manual. Just has to be up/down with the hydraulics and are quick connects.
Reading the manual last night and am amazed as to how much there is to do on it for maintenance. There are a mill grease points, and not all are easily accessible. Much more maintenance than one would think and my L3240.Dont redline it for the first 50 hours either!!!

 

[PHILIP8N]

Dont know yet for sure. Haven't had time to figure out how the blower even get's attached. The auger is shaft drive. The chute is manual. Just has to be up/down with the hydraulics and are quick connects.
Reading the manual last night and am amazed as to how much there is to do on it for maintenance. There are a mill grease points, and not all are easily accessible. Much more maintenance than one would think and my L3240.Dont redline it for the first 50 hours either!!!

Just got e-mail from dealer, mower is ready to go, will pick up tomorrow 8:00am. They are leaving snowblower in crate so I can move around with pallet forks, worry about that later. I got the .pdf operators manual a couple weeks ago, so I have been reading all through it, including the maintenance. More lubrication points for sure. I have no choice but to run it at high idle, as I have grass to mow as soon as it comes off trailer. It is not like you are red lining it, more like high idle, which it is designed for. Think about a generator, it has no choice but 3600 rpm right after start. I don't think this engine even runs that fast for mower applications, I think 3200 rpm is high idle. I will put a photo tach on it when it gets to barn and check. I broke my L3940 in on 20 acres of tough bush hogging, it turned out great. I will do a short break in, couple hours at different throttle positions, and as many heat cycles as possible. Philip.

 

[Pete6114]

Check the fluid levels yourself before you use it. I did, and it was ok. Not so with my john deer purchase fiasco....
I'm working on building a hitch, so i can move my trailers around with it. Still at the design stage..gonna mount it on the weight bar (with weights removed)
Exiting morning tomorrow....have fun!

 

[MiserableOldFart]

First day dry enough to do some cutting with the GR2120 I got the other day. Does a nice job. Taking a little getting used to. The toe/heel hydro control is a little bit awkward for me - not at all like the one on the NH CUT. My arthritic hip doesn't like it, so I'm using toe/toe instead of heel/toe and it works fine. Most areas, I don't do much backing anyway. Traction seems good as does stability.

I do have a question for GR2120 owners; When you turn the key part way, do ALL the warning lights go on to indicate they are working? On mine, the "overheat" warning light doesn't show and I'm concerned it might not be working.

My biggest concern going to a newer garden tractor from a 33 year old WheelHorse was the height of the seat. The seat on the Kubota (and all other high end garden tractors now) is about 4 or 5 inches higher than the Wheel Horse, and I was concerned I might not be able to cut under our semi-dwarf apple trees. But except for a couple small spots, the wider deck and the tighter turning radius allows me to get in there and cut the grass.

We have had a Monsoon June here in the Catskills, so I wasn't able to really try the machine out on the worst of our hills, being too wet, but I cut our little back "field," about an acre and a half of pretty uneven ground. It is a bit hairy to cut back there with the CUT because of the uneven ground and the tilt angles. The GR2120 had no problems at all, and I was relatively comfortable. It was the first cut of the year (normally done on Memorial Day, but was waiting for dry weather.) so the grass was 2 - 3 feet high in spots. A few high blades of whatever bridged the deck and didn't get cut, but much fewer than would be expected with the smaller deck on the Wheel Horse. Normally do second cut on the Fourth of July and if on schedule, that one should get the few errant high ones still standing. The plan is that if this tractor works well for all my cutting, I'll be selling the RFM off of the larger tractor and use that one only for dirt and snow.

I was a bit taken aback by the manual requiring a five minute warm-up of the engine before using the tractor. I thought that was something that had pretty much been eliminated by the newer hydro drives. I also got a kick out of the manual stating the following: If you drink antifreeze, vomit immediately ;-)