Kubota F series

[jcummins]

I currently have a ZD326 and it's pretty good. BUT...I have several issues mowing with the ZD326 that is making me think I might want to change to a different machine.

First I'm mowing 4 acres every week, and wish I could cover ground faster, or have a bigger mower.
Second, wish the mower is out front, so I could get under low hanging trees and bushes, and wish the the mower stuck out further from the sides of the machine so I could trim closer...thinking a bigger deck.
Third I have a pond, and trimming with a weed eater around the pond is getting old, and at my age...I need a different solution. I've got two pond dams...one is about 25 degrees, the other is closer to 30 degrees....the ZD326 simply can't even get close to going there.

The Ventrac interest me, but support of the machine scares me. Looking at the F series, their 72 inch deck sticks out some, the mower is in front, and it can be 4wd. Who uses these, and would they be any good on the pond dams?

I haven't had the funds for a tractor although could really use one. A batwing and tractor has be used by the former owner to mow both the pond edges and the dams...and it worked for him, although he was right at the limit on the dams. That could be what I end up doing.

 

[TripleR]

JOHNTHOMAS is the only one I know who uses them and he has two, check his threads if he doesn't show up and you might PM him, he is really a nice guy and very helpful. We would like to have one, but have to have tractors anyway, so that's what we use on our pond levies.

 

[Dan W]

I bought one partly based on what my dealer told me and also based on John's comments. You are right,
John was very helpful.
Have not cut grass with it yet but it certainly can blow snow. Mine is a F3680, bought a new 57" snow blower, and 60" mower deck. Looks like I will be cutting grass next week. Will let you know how much quicker it runs. My previous mower was mi-mount 60" mower on my B7800. By all accounts, this should speed things up nicely.
Dan

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My first F was a F2680e 2wd 60" mowing deck which I used to mow a couple of acres of flat rental property. It has about 120 or so hours on it and is owned by Barlows Kubota Dealer here in Somerset. I think he is asking $10500 for it which is about what he gave me for it toward my new F3080 4wd 72" side discharge deck. My other F is also a F3080 4wd 72" rear discharge deck that I've had almost 3 years. I have about 5 hillside acres that I mow with it. My older one has about 110 hours on it. I chose the F over the Z because of needing something for steep hillsides, a steering wheel instead of levers and the deck is out in front of me rather than under me.
As far as I'm concerned the F is the premium mower and all mowers are listed some where below them.:laughing: Kubota shows the F has a faster top speed than their Zs but that will only apply on a paved parking lot for either machine. They are so fast that it's hard to stay on it at full speed on a yard unless it's concrete/blacktop smooth.
The F front deck stands up for servicing the blades, comes off and on easy if you want to, can be used for other purposes (though limited) where the Z is mower only. The filters, fluids and any parts of the machine are easily accessable with the bonnett raise. Seat has arms and back has adjustable lumbar support as well as settings for riders weight. Steering wheel also tilts. HST so letting off of pedal stops the machine. Height of cut can be adjusted in a minute plus lifting the deck lever in other situations.
Any further questions, just ask.:drink:

 

[jcummins]

I'll add to my initial post. The former owner used a tractor and batwing, but had some 70 or so acres to also mow. I definitely could use a tractor...but...I see myself putting a far greater number of hours on a mower than a tractor. He also happen to have a ZD326, simply because the batwing can't do many areas. He just did not mow as much with his ZD326 and used the batwing in areas I now mow. There are several areas around the pond that a batwing would not go. Also, he definitely did not side hill the dams, he mowed at an angle down them...and the steeper one has a considerable wet spot below the dam, and his tractor would not go there.

Point is...I don't have 70 acres to mow....and his tractor and batwing was not the best setup for the pond areas...he made it work though. I do have regular 4-5 acres to mow. Also I want to start finish mowing the smaller dam, unlike it is being maintained now, it would be mowed every other week. And if I can finish mow the smaller dam, I'd consider doing the same for the steeper dam. These are some of the reasons that I think the tractor/batwing isn't the best solution at this point in life.

AND...it will be diesel. I do not want to mess with gas cans. Currently I pump diesel from my truck to both my mower and utv, and want to keep it that way.

 

[jcummins]

John...I did my post right after you posted and did not see it.

How much of a slope can the F series handle? both side hilling? and Up/down?
Can it go all the way down a 30 degree slope...stop...and back up it?
You like rear or side discharge better? Do you have much scalping with the 72"?
And...do you think the 72" sticks out enough to be a value in mowing next to the pond?

Filled with questions ain't I.

 

[TripleR]

If a person has very much land it is next to impossible to get one machine to do it all, we sure couldn't and neither can John; wish we could as it sure would be a lot cheaper.

 

[Rustyiron]

FWIW, I have an old F-2000, I'm sure the newer, bigger HP models will cut circles around it but that little mower has been through he!! and will go just about anywhere you point it, jut not so much in mud. I've had it for about 28 years now and once the wife put it in the deep end of the pond doing the banks (nosing in) and she says it slipped, well..... I had just done a major fluid change and after about 30-45 minutes under 6' of water I just brought it to the dealer in disgust. They did about $235 in work (honest dealer "Antietam Tractor" in Hag. MD) and told me to pick up the aquatractor! Go for it!

 

[willi67]

The question is how much slope can you handle?.. LOL .. An F series will go up/down 30 degrees easy, as for side hilling it felt safe at 25 degrees for me. The only limiting factor were the turf tires that lost traction on boggy ground.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

It will do steep hills up and down and fluid can be added to main drive wheels if more traction is needed but I've never done that. I drive mine up some banks that I can't walk up. I do mow across my front bank some times to vary the mowing pattern and it's fairly steep.
I had a F2680e 2wd 60" deck at my mostly flat rental property and mowed with it for almost 4 years. There is a drainage ditch in front and one time I got a bit to far down in it and couldn't move. Thought :LKJHGFDSDFGVBNM< now what am I going to do? Finally lifted the front deck and then it dawned on me that the metal rod on the left floor was a differential lock. Pressed it and the F popped up out of the ditch. Never tried that again. The same F would do most of my hillside residential land except for the steepest parts which it would do backwards or with the front deck slightly raised. It probably would do it all with filled tires but I didn't want to chance it and bought the F3080 4wd and now it's never an issue. I told about the F2680e to tell the rest of the story. I traded it to Barlows for a new F3080 72" deck to use at the rental property. Welllll there is a lower back corner where the water flows to and I pushed an old mattress back there to hide it for awhile. Got my 4wd F in that wet area and got STUCK I couldn't believe it. Had to get someone with a 4wd truck to pull my F 4wd out of the muck :thumbdown: :ashamed: :shocked: :shocked: :confused3:
OK, sooooo don't get it into or on WET ground.
I got a baffle attachment on my new side discharge 72" deck which seems to really chew the grass up but the first day I used it the wind was blowing and kept blowing grass and dust all over me so I decided I liked the rear discharge deck better because it just blows the cut grass all over the bottom of the F which a compressor with a long reach blow attachment will remove easily which is what I do with mine after 2 or 3 mowings. The rear discharge allows cutting close on both sides and lays the cut grass down more evenly than a side discharge especially if you blow it in the same direction 3 or 4 times in a row. The baffle I had added does help grind it up some but the finer ground still blows out the side and of course will accumulate with several passes running the same direction.
I mow up to the edge of a deep ditch but am very careful but it's not wet. I'm now very aware of doing wet ground. I do mow down steep (dry) areas and back straight back with no problems or concern. I do mow some banks cross ways that I'd never do with any tractor. I do scalp some areas with the 72" deck but a slight tap on the lift lever will raise the deck a small amount when you hit areas you know your going to scalp. I have lots of limestone rocks I've been mowing but a tap of the lift lever lets me miss them. I also don't mow until the grass if high enough to see for sure I've mowed and I don't mow close, I like my mowed grass to have a bit of hight to it.
If I haven't answered your questions, let me know. If you want to come try mine, your welcome to because I have plenty of mowing to do. I won't charge you for the trial run but I won't pay you for mowing my yard, either.:laughing: :drink:

 

[jcummins]

JOHNTHOMAS...that helps a lot. Thank you. For my purpose the F series may be the best solution currently on the market...now figuring out how I can afford it. I like the idea of that rear discharge to. I've ate up the chute cover on this ZD326 trying to trim close. Also on a windy day, and mowing wrong with the wind, I'll get covered in grass.

Your invite kind of sounds like what I do. I invite people out all the time to fish. Rule is you catch a fish, you mow an acre. I've had no takers. With you, bring your mower, you can catch all you want and I'll do all the mowing for you. At 4 1/2 hours away you are a tad to far for a test ride, but appreciate the offer.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

JOHNTHOMAS...that helps a lot. Thank you. For my purpose the F series may be the best solution currently on the market...now figuring out how I can afford it. I like the idea of that rear discharge to. I've ate up the chute cover on this ZD326 trying to trim close. Also on a windy day, and mowing wrong with the wind, I'll get covered in grass.

Your invite kind of sounds like what I do. I invite people out all the time to fish. Rule is you catch a fish, you mow an acre. I've had no takers. With you, bring your mower, you can catch all you want and I'll do all the mowing for you. At 4 1/2 hours away you are a tad to far for a test ride, but appreciate the offer.

Contact Barlows about trading your Z for an F. The Fs don't have the longer term (60 mo) for 0% interest like the other models but they do have 60 months for a lower rate, 36 mo 0%. 4 1/2 hours for them would be a short trip. I live near Lake Cumberland and we have a car show every month that makes the trip worthwhile for some. Somernites Cruise - Home
Barlows has my used F2680e 60" rear discharge about 130 hours, or they did a couple of weeks ago when I was there. They are asking $10500 for it. Fill the tires and it might work for you. Maybe trade your Z to it.

 

[jcummins]

Yes, saw your earlier post on your F2680e. From the study I've done, I wouldn't consider anything less than a F3080 72" read discharge.

 

[IvanS]

I just went out and checked the bank behind my pool with an electronic protractor (my smart phone) - it's 25 degrees plus/minus - I mow it up, down or across with my F2260 - four wheel drive with the optional wide tire set. I don't do it when the grass is really wet, but a little damp is okay. I can't say enough about where that F-Series will go. I've had other folks mow that pool bank and they are truly amazed how stable it feels even mowing across the hill. I wouldn't even want to try that hill with a zero turn as the hill has a changing contour - think shaped like a cone.

 

[Xfaxman]

You definitely need 4WD. I mowed a darn dam with this one, no problem. Same darn dam that I rolled a Wheel Horse rider on.

TORO 72" 4WD

 

[pharmer phred]

Does the weight of the mower out front tend to pull the mower downhill when mowing across the hillside? I'm looking at buying an F3080, but am not sure about using it on my steep lawn.

 

[IvanS]

Absolutely not on my 60" cut, can't speak to the larger ones. Mine is as stable as you could want, it has a very low center of gravity, these things are not simply lawn mowers by any stretch of the imagination, if look closely at the F series you will see it is basically a tractor running backwards with smaller diameter rear tires installed. I'd say it's about equivalent to a smaller B series tractor in it's core construction.

 

[Xfaxman]

Does the weight of the mower out front tend to pull the mower downhill when mowing across the hillside? I'm looking at buying an F3080, but am not sure about using it on my steep lawn.

No. The deck is light compared to the diesel motor in the rear. The TORO Groundsmaster is the same basic design as the Kubota F series. TORO has been making this design for about 43 years, so it is a good machine.

If you are mowing across the hillside with a 2WD, the rear will tend to slide downhill and the uphill wheel will lose traction.

At least that is what this 2WD did.


With the 4WD, it just went along the dam, never spinning a wheel.

 

[willi67]

One thing I did not like about the Kubota F series was the turf tires, no traction in the wet,
looked for something better but could not find it in that size, however since then I have come across this pic (not mine)
of a John Deere set up for hillside mowing with what look like HDAP tires, don't know if you can get them for a Kubota F.
I have seen Kubotas with bar treads on the front though.
IvanS, what tires do you run? I was not aware of a wide tire option

 

[IvanS]

I'm not at the house right now, so can't give the specifics. My unit is 13 years old - the F2260 was offered with a wide tire option (I think 2" wider) and mine has that. They are turf type tires and will slip if it's really wet, I just mow the other parts of the yard until the steepest parts of the hill are drier. It does not have to be completely dry - but if it's real wet I don't do the big hills.