Buying Advice Hard to decide - Looking for advice

[MCrisler]

Ive been reading a number of posts over the past year getting ready to take the plunge to get a new tractor.

Hers my situation. I live in Northern California and have a 2.5 acre property with fairly flat land and heavy clay soil. I have a 56 TO35 with a 5ft rotary cutter that I use to mow about an acre of undeveloped land. I use a rider for the landscaped parts. My Fergie is pretty tired and struggles under stress and gets bogged down mowing thick & tall grass, plus it does not have a FEL.

I have a long circular gravel drive way that needs grading and RE-rocking at least once a year after the rains. We also find we are in need of a loader to move rock, soil, mulch and do debris cleanup. We also are planning on planting some oaks, fruit trees and a 1/4 acre hobby vineyard in the next couple years (or sooner). Which I will need to till, mow and drill.

Based on what I have read/heard I think that the Kubota's, the B2650 & L2501 would be good choices. Both look to be great all around tractors with similar base features. Here is my dilemma, I haven稚 been able to get any solid advice about whether I can use my rotary cutter with either model. Is 19 HP PTO enough to operate it and do some grading? Or should I go for a higher PTO HP model to use the cutter and to enable me to do the upcoming work?

Thank you for sharing any advice/experience you can give.

 

[tjkubota93]

Should be fine unless your brush hogging sapplings. Definitely get a b instead of a bx. If you like doing things yourself get a backhoe to start with. You already know how useful a loader is, I wont go into that.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Ive been reading a number of posts over the past year getting ready to take the plunge to get a new tractor.

Hers my situation. I live in Northern California and have a 2.5 acre property with fairly flat land and heavy clay soil. I have a 56 TO35 with a 5ft rotary cutter that I use to mow about an acre of undeveloped land. I use a rider for the landscaped parts. My Fergie is pretty tired and struggles under stress and gets bogged down mowing thick & tall grass, plus it does not have a FEL.

I have a long circular gravel drive way that needs grading and RE-rocking at least once a year after the rains. We also find we are in need of a loader to move rock, soil, mulch and do debris cleanup. We also are planning on planting some oaks, fruit trees and a 1/4 acre hobby vineyard in the next couple years (or sooner). Which I will need to till, mow and drill.

Based on what I have read/heard I think that the Kubota's, the B2650 & L2501 would be good choices. Both look to be great all around tractors with similar base features. Here is my dilemma, I haven稚 been able to get any solid advice about whether I can use my rotary cutter with either model. Is 19 HP PTO enough to operate it and do some grading? Or should I go for a higher PTO HP model to use the cutter and to enable me to do the upcoming work?

Thank you for sharing any advice/experience you can give.

Either one will run a 5' Rotary. I ran a 6' Landpride with a B2650. I had bought a B2650 and took my nephew to look at Kubotas for his first tractor purchase. He bought the L2501 and I was almost ready to trade him. I aquired more wooded mountain acres and traded to a L3901.
Go to dealers lot and try the two you've mentioned and decide then because they are pretty similar machines with one being a bit more deluxe while the other is more base utility. Either will meet your listed needs.

 

[jeff9366]

I live in Northern California. I have a 2.5 acre property with fairly flat land and heavy clay soil. I mow about an acre of undeveloped land. I use a rider for the landscaped parts.

I have a long circular gravel drive way that needs grading and RE-rocking at least once a year after the rains.

We are in need of a loader to move rock, soil, mulch and cleanup debris. We plan on planting some oaks, fruit trees and a 1/4 acre hobby vineyard in the next couple years (or sooner). Which I will need to till, mow and drill.

Based on what I have read/heard I think Kubota's B2650 & L2501 would be good choices.

For 2.5 acres the B2650 will be ample. It is a deLuxe model. You are due for deLuxe.
The L2501 is an economy model and a good one, but unadorned and rather loud.

While the B2650 is lighter than the Ferguson, B2650 4-WD, diesel power and the Loader will make them equal at your dirt moving tasks. B2650 will power 5' Rotary Cutter as well as the L2501 but you MAY notice a slightly less power mowing relative to the Fergie. Just one acre of undeveloped land to rough mow.......right?

My Fergie is pretty tired and struggles under stress and gets bogged down mowing thick & tall grass.

Your Ferguson may be putting out only 20 to 25 PTO horsepower today. Diesel power will provide 90% of potential PTO torque over a wider rev range.

VIDEO: Kubota B-Series vs Standard L�1 Series - YouTube


For tree planting and hobby vineyard a Three Point Hitch mounted Middlebuster (AKA Potato Plow) may suffice along with some supplemental spade work.

VIDEO: tractor middle buster - YouTube

 

[moship]

You might want to specify make and model number for the cutter. Nearly every manufacture sells a light, medium and heavy duty cutter and the overall weight difference is significant. It is also not uncommon for the blade thickness & width and corresponding rotating mass to differ between the models for the same size width.

I'd consider the 3pt lift capacity and overall tractor weight when making the comparison between the two tractors.

 

[chim]

You might want to specify make and model number for the cutter. Nearly every manufacture sells a light, medium and heavy duty cutter and the overall weight difference is significant. It is also not uncommon for the blade thickness & width and corresponding rotating mass to differ between the models for the same size width.

I'd consider the 3pt lift capacity and overall tractor weight when making the comparison between the two tractors.

Good point. My Ford 1210 handles a 5' Caroni RFM like they were made for each other. When I tried a 5 foot LandPride RFM on the little Ford, it did wheelies even with the two suitcase weights on the front. The LP deck handled the tractor. The same LP deck on our B7500 worked just fine.

 

[MCrisler]

Should be fine unless your brush hogging sapplings. Definitely get a b instead of a bx. If you like doing things yourself get a backhoe to start with. You already know how useful a loader is, I wont go into that.

Thank you the advice. I知 leaning toward the B. The backhoe is on my wish list

 

[MCrisler]

Either one will run a 5' Rotary. I ran a 6' Landpride with a B2650. I had bought a B2650 and took my nephew to look at Kubotas for his first tractor purchase. He bought the L2501 and I was almost ready to trade him. I aquired more wooded mountain acres and traded to a L3901.
Go to dealers lot and try the two you've mentioned and decide then because they are pretty similar machines with one being a bit more deluxe while the other is more base utility. Either will meet your listed needs.

Thanks for the advice, very helpful. That痴 a great idea. I will go to a couple dealers and test them out.

 

[MCrisler]

Thank you for the advise on PTO, noise differences and the implement options. Great comparison on PTO output, that helps me to better understand what’s needed. Fergie is definitely not putting out the original 30+ PTO. I love that tractor. Time to make it a show piece and not a workhorse.

 

[MCrisler]

It’s a few years old and came with the Fergie. Runs great. Great advice, I find out what model and weight it is.