Kioti CS2510 vs Kubota B2650 for Snow Removal

[RCbondo]

I want to replace my 1969 David Brown 780 that I've been using for nearly 20 years mostly for snow removal using a five foot rear snowblower. The DB 780 also has a FEL. I have only just begun researching replacement options so I welcome suggestions.

My wish list for a new tractor includes: diesel, 4WD, heated cab, front mount snowblower, FEL, and smaller than the DB 780 so it's easier to get in my shed. I currently use the FEL in the winter mostly to move the thick crud left by state plows where my long drive meets the highway. I think I can get away without the FEL in the winter by adding a blade on the three point hitch but it would be nice to easily switch between snowblower and FEL if necessary.

I believe the B2650 is the smallest Kubota with factory cab option. I talked to a Kubota dealer about my wish list and he came up with a $32K price tag for the B2650 including cab, 51" snowblower, FEL with 60" bucket and quick hitch to easily switch between snowblower and FEL. I haven't talked to them yet but found my nearset Kiota dealer has a listing for a CS2510 with snowblower, cab, and FEL for $21K.

Why the $11K difference between the CS2510 and B2650? I imagine the Kioti doesn't have quick hitch and I'm not sure its snowblower has chute deflector control from the cab. I've reviewed the specs on each at Tractordata.com and the B2650 appears bigger and heavier with greater lift capacity, and has A/C in the cab (which I don't need). Both dealers are two hours away. Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[handtools]

You are comparing two different size tractors. The Kioti CS2510 is a subcompact and would compare to the BX series Kubotas. The B series Kubota would closer compare to the CK series Kioti.

 

[TheMadOne]

I want to replace my 1969 David Brown 780 that I've been using for nearly 20 years mostly for snow removal using a five foot rear snowblower. The DB 780 also has a FEL. I have only just begun researching replacement options so I welcome suggestions.

My wish list for a new tractor includes: diesel, 4WD, heated cab, front mount snowblower, FEL, and smaller than the DB 780 so it's easier to get in my shed. I currently use the FEL in the winter mostly to move the thick crud left by state plows where my long drive meets the highway. I think I can get away without the FEL in the winter by adding a blade on the three point hitch but it would be nice to easily switch between snowblower and FEL if necessary.

I believe the B2650 is the smallest Kubota with factory cab option. I talked to a Kubota dealer about my wish list and he came up with a $32K price tag for the B2650 including cab, 51" snowblower, FEL with 60" bucket and quick hitch to easily switch between snowblower and FEL. I haven't talked to them yet but found my nearset Kiota dealer has a listing for a CS2510 with snowblower, cab, and FEL for $21K.

Why the $11K difference between the CS2510 and B2650? I imagine the Kioti doesn't have quick hitch and I'm not sure its snowblower has chute deflector control from the cab. I've reviewed the specs on each at Tractordata.com and the B2650 appears bigger and heavier with greater lift capacity, and has A/C in the cab (which I don't need). Both dealers are two hours away. Any thoughts are welcome.

BX2680 would be the apples to apples comparison. With FEL, front snowblower, dealer cab(heat only), comes out to 25,420 list. Take that to your dealer and see if you can get a better deal(you should). That's without any of the bells and whistles that Kubota offers, so watch for feature creep.

Also, keep the David Brown if you can. They're nice old machines.

 

[RCbondo]

I wish I could keep the David Brown. I just built a garage and shop this summer and it's quickly filling with stuff. My wife already set a limit of one tractor.

Thanks for clarifying compact vs subcompact. Now I'm wondering if either size will do the job. I've seen YouTube videos of a Kubota B2601 with a front and rear blower comparison and both throw the snow a good distance higher than my current setup so I am encouraged. Does the faster rpm of a mid pto translate to greater throwing distance? How do modern rear blowers work with only a 540 rpm pto. My David Brown has both 540 and 1000 rpm at the pto and even at the higher speed I still don't throw it as high as I would like. You can see in the picture below what I am up against today. The blower is barely getting it over the existing banks in some places. I can tilt the blower back to get the chute more upright which will help. What do you think? Would either of the Kioti or Kubota compacts or subcompacts do the job with a front blower?

 

[dodge man]

Can you continue to use a rear blower. They cost less and then you have the FEL available. I’m not sure how quick it is to switch from the FEL and front snow blower. I didn’t think it was that easy.

 

[TheMadOne]

View attachment 593490

Having seen your predicament, I suggest going to Graybull and grabbing this:
4 wheel drive tractor - farm & garden - by owner - sale


Along with a nice double auger blower. She never said how big of a tractor, did she?:laughing:

That said, most snow blowers designed to work with compact tractors are not going to work well against a Wyoming winter. If the David Brown is oversized, then I'm out of ideas.

 

[RCbondo]

I have been blowing in reverse for 20+ years. I am willing to spend the extra for the front blower and a cab to make snow removal more pleasant. As you can see from the picture above, there are a lot of hours on the tractor from November through April.

As a test I have deliberately avoided the FEL for the last two or three weeks to see if I can get away without it. My old blower doesn't like the thick highway plow debris and goes through shear pins unless I take it really slow. In town after big snow dumps they use a grader to pull snow from the sides and make a windrow down the center of the streets then use a rotary and blow it into dump trucks to haul away. I'm thinking maybe I could use a blade on the rear to do the same with the highway crud then blow it.

The Kioti dealer said the blower and FEL swap would take about 20 minutes. With the quick hitch on the Kubota it should be even faster.

 

[RCbondo]

Having seen your predicament, I suggest going to Graybull and grabbing this:
4 wheel drive tractor - farm & garden - by owner - sale


Along with a nice double auger blower. She never said how big of a tractor, did she?:laughing:

That said, most snow blowers designed to work with compact tractors are not going to work well against a Wyoming winter. If the David Brown is oversized, then I'm out of ideas.

She didn't. That would do the trick. I've always coveted the monster rotary machines our highway department uses to clear avalanches and cut back snow banks. That would make quick work of my road and driveway too.

I guess I'm looking for real world examples of how compact tractors work in big snow country. I don't want my quest for comfort and forward blowing lead me to a tractor that won't do the job. And of course, I'm reluctant to listen only to the dealers. I remember a rule-of-thumb that said you needed 10hp at the pto for each foot of snowblower. My David Brown has (had) 43hp at the pto, which makes it undersized for the five foot blower based on that rule. So I question how the B2650 with a 19hp pto drives a 51" blower. But the B2601 with the same blower on the YouTube video blew the snow farther than my setup. Go figure.

 

[atsah]

I think 5 HP per foot would be about right. It would seem to me you would need a compact tractor in 45-50 HP range, it would have decent size rubber and could take a decent size blower, the 540 and 1000 make no difference, I like the blower on the back and a loader on the front, it's a good combination for snow removal IMO. Seems to me the tractors you're looking at would be to small for the snow removal you intend to do with it..

 

[TheMadOne]

She didn't. That would do the trick. I've always coveted the monster rotary machines our highway department uses to clear avalanches and cut back snow banks. That would make quick work of my road and driveway too.

I guess I'm looking for real world examples of how compact tractors work in big snow country. I don't want my quest for comfort and forward blowing lead me to a tractor that won't do the job. And of course, I'm reluctant to listen only to the dealers. I remember a rule-of-thumb that said you needed 10hp at the pto for each foot of snowblower. My David Brown has (had) 43hp at the pto, which makes it undersized for the five foot blower based on that rule. So I question how the B2650 with a 19hp pto drives a 51" blower. But the B2601 with the same blower on the YouTube video blew the snow farther than my setup. Go figure.

How old is your blower? What make/model? Also, what consistency is your snow? Light fluffy stuff is going to go further. The David Brown should be able to sling snow pretty well, paired with the right blower.

If you want a forward blower, cab, and enough power, well the Grand L6060 exists.

Fair warning, the Case I linked to is by far the cheaper option. Grand Ls are about the same size as your David Brown.