Maneuverability of B-series tractors?

[gerard]

I had the same problem and planned on trying to get a large enough tractor to both field and finish mowing. Discovered it was beter and cheaper to get a small riding mower for the finish work. (18.5 HP hydro, 46in deck new for $1200, kind of a no name but less than the cost of a 5ft PTO finish mower!) 5 miles of trails is a lot and I'd want something you can go pretty quickly on. With the B2910 you should be able to go with either a 6ft flail mower or 6 ft rotary cutter.

 

[Kelvin]

Jrv, there are some "trail" issues that you need to elaborate on. How rough are the trails and are you planning to use a finish mower or a rotary (or flail) mower to mow them with?

Other thoughts...
For maximum maneuverability, you would want a mid-mount finish mower. If the finish mower would work on the trails, would you want a 60" (5ft) deck where two passes would get slightly less than 10 ft when overlap is considered, or would you want a 72" mower where a 10 ft wide path is pretty much guarenteed even after overlap is considered?

The B2910 (and I believe the B2410) can handle a 60" or 72" mid-mower. The BX choices are 54" and 60".

If you are going to use a rotary or flail mower for the trails, then you would almost have to go to the B2910 if you wanted to have a 60" mower. This would offer you the opportunity to have the mid-finish mower installed for one job and the rotary mower installed for the other (that combination would work for some and not for others).

As has been mentioned before, you can purchase an entire riding mower for less than a 3 pt finish mower. Mid-finish mowers are even more expensive.

 

[PaulB]

How about a Steiner turf tractor with front mounted 72 inch mower, and get a front loader or their front mounted slip scoop (like a mini loader ) as the need arises? Seems that if 99 % of your need is mowing, get a real mower, right?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by PaulB on 6/9/00 06:41 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[glen b.]

jrv, got to agree with Bird and the rest of the guys that said bigger is better for this application. And after you run a 2710/2910 with a hydrostat you will be surprised how manuvurable it is. That transmission makes a lot of difference. I understand, from experience the problem with the trees but, thats something you can deal with, but if you don't get enough power to start with you will be a lot more frustrated. glen

 

[MChalkley]

Glen B. - You're right, the transmission does make a lot of difference. You can control the speed better, so you don't overshoot, and stopping, backing up, and starting again are so easy that you don't mind doing it if you need to. It keeps the tractor maneuverable enough to do the smaller jobs, even though you've got the power to do bigger jobs.

Mark

 

[jrv]

Perhaps 80% of my trails are very smooth, so much so that I have drive over them comfortably at top speed (~ 20 mph) in my ATV. About a mile is rougher with rocks strewn about and will need work. Any new trails we cut will be a little rough to start with.

The 10' width desired may have been a little wide: perhaps 9' is OK. The goal is to be wide enough so that when cruising in my Deere Gator ATV, tall sticker grass doesn't constantly whack me as I drive by. The Gator is 60" wide and I figure a couple of feet on either side leaves room for thorn bushes to grow in and still is wide enough to go at top speed.

I'm trying to buy just one tractor instead of a riding mower and a tractor, primary for maintenance and storage reasons, not cost.

I'm probably going to have to rent a B to see how much trouble mowing the yard is or get the dealer to let me take one and try it out. I'm also a little concerned about the weight of a 2910 + mower + driver in the yard.

 

[Thomas]

Good Morning jrv.
By the sounds you have nice trail system.

The B2910 weight about 1763 lbs and I believe the 60" mid mower weights little over 340 lbs,if you are going to add a front end loader on figure another 970 lbs.
With out the front end loader you can figure around a 1 ton tractor easy.

That would be a great idea if a dealer would let you try a model at your home. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I was wondering what kind of tire thread your considering ?

Take care and good luck.

Thomas..NH

 

[Kelvin]

As far as the mowing chores go, either of the B series that you are looking at will handle the chores with reasonable ease (60" finish mowing). Other chores and duties may steer you toward one tractor over another.

You might ask the question "How many people use the B2150 with turf tires to finish mow the yard?". Why ask this question? Because, according to the sales brochures, the 4-cylinder 24hp B2150 is almost 100 pounds heavier than the 27hp B2700 (I found that to be quite a surprise, but I have not seen that fact mentioned on this board). I believe that there are a lot of people who have used the B2150 for the majority of their finish mowing.

The B2410 is the only Kubota to currently offer "Bi Speed" turning. That feature also increases turn-radius maneuverability quite a bit. You'll have to ask those who have had it if it is worth it or not.

You sound like you'll want to disconnect the loader to keep the weight down while mowing. I believe that there is a slight problem disconnecting the loader with a mid-mount finish mower installed (I think the complaint was "the mower gets in the way of the support legs coming down" or something like that. It was mentioned on this board sometime in the past).

Info for 4wd HSD Kubotas (from sales brochures):
B2410=1477 lbs
B2150=1828 lbs
B2700=1741 lbs
B2900=1763 lbs

 

[W5FL]

Interesting weights.

One B2410 tractor = 1 Rear Tire on M6800 filled with ballast! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Kelvin, your comment about having a problem disconnecting the loader with the mid-mount mower installed sure makes me wonder. I don't know about all the tractors, but I don't see any way there could be a problem with the B2710 and its loader.

Bird