JD790, B7610, or CK30

[WkndWarrior]

I've been wrestling with which tractor to look at for a few weeks now. My needs are as follows:

1) Primary use will be to mow 3 acre lawn, and I would like to attach a 60" belly mower for maneuverability. I don't want to mark up the yard too bad, either.
2) Secondary use will be to use as a tiller/preparation of hunting food plots with a tiller, small disc, harrow, etc.
3) Eventually would like to attach a rear mount cutter to mow 5-10 acres of CRP pasture once each year
4) Will use to plow what little snow we get in Central/Southern IL

The above mentioned tractors all seem to be in my budgeted range. I am planning to only get the tractor and mower initially, with an eye toward getting a FEL in 12 - 18 months due to budgetary constraints. I already have a tiller available for my use. I've also heard conflicting info. about the ability to mount a MMM to the CK30.

As you can see, I'm a newbie. Any advice, comments, suggesttions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Between the JD790 and the Kubota B7610, my choice would be the Kubota, it is a more modern design, it is very light and makes a great mowing tractor with a 60" Mid Mount Mower. For FEL work it is pretty good. The frame size is nice and small so that aids with manuverability around trees and shrubs. And it has the Kubota diesel engine, something that I think is probably the best in the industry. The 790, while a very capable tractor has a bit more power but seems very cramped to me, and is an old design that I just don't feel very comfortable with. I would say the two tractors are roughly comparable machines.

Toss the CK30 in the mix and we have a much heavier, larger tractor that is compared to smaller lower power machines. I like the CK30, it has a nice modern design and a very capable loader, certainly the most powerful of the 3 you picked. The tractors are a mis-match. If you are looking for the largest most powerful you can get for the money, the CK30 would be the winner. But I don't know about using a Mid Mount Mower with the CK, I also don't favor using a heavy machine for a lawn mower around the house. But for bush hogging, this would again be the better choice.

 

[KiotiJohn]

MMM= the Kubota in my book. The CK30 MMM is not yet available, and if it's made by the current maker of the MMM for CK20, I wouldn't want it because of design flaws (to me) that on one allows too much out the front clogging the prescreen on the radiator too quickly, and on the other, the belt pully is too small and belts wear quickly.
The CK30 is not a good comparison to the others, it's much larger and heavier. I don't care much for the JD model, but that's just me. The Kubota sounds right for MMM and the other uses if you can't pull a rear finish mower around that 3 acres.
John

 

[WkndWarrior]

Do you think the 24HP offered by the B7610 is enough to till and cut fescue?

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do you think the 24HP offered by the B7610 is enough to till and cut fescue?)</font>
Yes.

 

[DanR67]

WW -

I've had my B7610 w 54" MMM (my first CUT) for just over 1 year now - so I can't comment on the other two - other than the CK30 is much larger than what you'll need for mowing. I can mow my @ 2 - 2.5 acres in @ 1 hour with my 54" deck - it rocks! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

You mention the MMM for "manueverability" - do you have lots of trees / rocks etc. to mow around? That was the case for me - so I did go for the MMM.

However, if you have "mostly straightaways" (or lots of mowing under "overhanging tree branches")- then I might recommend that you save some money on the MMM and get get a rear finish mower instead - but then take the saved $ and get the FEL now - really! You will NOT have any regrets!

The FEL isn't necessarily the greatest for routine snow removal - but it'll do just fine for occassional use. I'll bet you'll find plenty of other uses for it once you see what it can do - I think "power wheelbarrow" is the least of its' uses! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just something to think about - Good luck deciding either way!

Dan

 

[WkndWarrior]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( WW -

You mention the MMM for "manueverability" - do you have lots of trees / rocks etc. to mow around?

Yes, many trees and obstacles throughout the yard.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red">
Do you think the 24HP offered by the B7610 is enough to till and cut fescue?
</font>

I have a Kubota B2910 and a New Holland TC24D. I use the TC24 with a 60" MMM for mowing and it is great. It is GREAT for mowing around bushes, planting beds, etc. I use a tiller on both tractors, both have FELs as well. My lawn is a combination of planted fescue & clover that is very thick and the mower works good . . . in other areas I have reclaimed prairie grass and weeds as a lawn and the mower cuts that without any struggle. I looked at and almost bought a B7610 --same power & size as the TC24D-- (long story why I didn't but let's just say it was not the fault of the tractor). I really like the smaller size but that size packs more power than you might realize. Even with heavy clay soil, I can run the tiller at full depth on the first pass thru sod.

 

[RoyJackson]

The 790 will suit your tasks admirably. It's got the weight and size to easily handle the 3 acres of lawn mowing and up to 10 acres of field mowing. It's also big enough to handle the tilling.
The Kubota would be great for the lawn mowing, but too small for the tilling and field mowing.

The CK30? Depends what kind of dealer service you can expect.

All in all, if you're OK with gear tractors (which are fine unless you're in confined areas...even there it's OK if you don't mind clutching), the 790 is the "pick of the litter".

Good luck in your choice.

 

[Michigan_Mike]

Have you considered two machines?
Maybe start with something small to handle the mowing, and when you're ready to take on the rest, add a second, larger one?

I started with a JD 445 with a 60" mmm and front blade, thinking I could do all of the things you mentioned.
Boy was I wrong. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Now, I use it only for mowing about 2 acres of lawn, and light snow removal.

I got a 790 about a year ago, and use that for what you show as 2 and 3, and also for heavy snow removal. (I grew to love my 790 this past winter. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

But to me, the 790 is too heavy to mow a lawn. The few time I've needed to run it over a lawn area, I can see how much it compacted the ground.

Just my thoughts.