Mow tractor for a 'rough' yard, around barns and corrals, etc.? Kubota B2320 or ...?

[Sid Post]

Right now I'm mowing my yard, fence line, around barns, corrals, etc. with a Kubota L4600 and a 5' brush hog (rotary cutter). With the canopy, mowing around trees is an issue as well. My property is sandy, sloped and, rough due to ground moles and ferral hogs. :smiley_aafz:

I have used my friends BX23xx (2340?) and find the small tires and low slung nature of it to be problematic at best, though I haven't damaged the mower deck yet. Rocks and tree limbs hidden in tall grass are not an unknown to me, and I have turned up half buried bricks as well (guessing the ecentric previous owner used them for erosion control and his wife used them to 'frame' plants and bushes). :confused2:

I'm thinking about a Kubota B2320 with a 60" midmount mower in the ~$10K range. Is this an appropriate choice? I should note that I really don't like hydrostatic transmissions and preferred geared tractors, mine being a geared model and my friend having an HST Kioti which he loves, me not so much so ...). This would work a whole lot better around the house, barns, corrals, fence lines, etc. and won't 'launch' things as easily towards the house, cars, windows, etc.

My other option seems to be a flail mower and soldiering on with my 'big' tractor and a push mower but, I'm mowing about 4 acres every other week right now so, cutting my push mower duty down is important to me. Plus, I don't always need 40+HP for gathering firewood, dragging a 4' section of harrow to knock down mole hills, etc.

I have been shopping John Deere/Yanmar tractors pretty hard but, I don't really see many appropriate for sandy hilly soil for less than $10K so, I tend to lean towards orange paint based on liking the fuel sipping reliability and dealer network of Kubota. New Holland's look like contenders but, they seem more expensive in general and Mahindra seems to be a pretty weak in the rear ends with vulnerable bits down low (thinking about tree limbs, hidden stumps, etc.).

Am I on the right track considering a Kubota HST B2320 (gently used)? Is that tractor a reasonable choice for the harsh (not a manicured suburban lawn) service it would see? I would like a geared L2501 but, it is basically the same size as my current tractor with less HP .... :confused3::mur:

Other thoughts or recommendations for me? :anyone:

TIA,
Sid

 

[smstonypoint]

I have a B2320 (HST) that I use with a 4' rotary cutter and a 3PH sprayer.

I'm happy with my purchase, but the ride quality isn't great. Most of my use is in and around wooded areas on ground that is far from smooth. I purchased the tractor new in 2014 and have just 170 hours on it. If I used it more, I would upgrade the seat.

Good luck.

Steve

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I also have the B2320... nice little machine with a fel. So far it has done what I have asked of it, mostly fel work and pulling a 60" land plane for my cabin driveway. I'm just like you, in that I do not like the hst at all, and would prefer a geared version, but... it seems ok. I toyed with getting a 60" mower deck, but so far haven't really needed it. I will warn you, at 6'3" I had to remove the seat and use the bolt holes farther back to get comfortable... easy fix though.

 

[jeff9366]

Why not use the Kubota L4600 to smooth your land?

PTO-powered roto-tiller or a HEAVY Disc Harrow would be probable implement choices. Soil would need to be moist.

"I'm mowing about 4 acres every other week." If this is all, a PTO-powered roto-tiller would be a good choice for smoothing.

VIDEO:tractor smoothing land - YouTube

 

[jeff9366]

My property is sandy, sloped and, rough due to ground moles and ferral hogs.

I'm mowing my four acres every other week with a Kubota L4600 and a 5' brush hog (rotary cutter). I don't always need 40+HP for gathering firewood, dragging a 4' section of harrow to knock down mole hills, etc.

Rocks and tree limbs hidden in tall grass are not an unknown to me, and I have turned up half buried bricks.

Once is the land is reasonably smooth a $1,300 purpose built, framed chain harrow should suffice for maintenance. A purpose built 1/2" diameter chain harrow, five or seven feet long is really effective pulled in its most aggressive mode. A framed harrow will collect a lot of junk and allow you to dump the junk where you please, without operator having to get off the tractor.
VIDEO: Wingfield 3pt American Harrows - YouTube

VENDER: Wingfield 3pt tractor harrows provide the operator full control of the chain harrow mat.



I converted a 4' drawbar Chain Harrow into a lift Chain Harrow for cultivating an organic Blueberry patch.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...c-countyline-tarter-boom-pole.html?highlight=

However, not heavy enough mat for your need.

 

[marchanna]

I have a Kioti with a 73” flail mower and small Kubota with a 54” belly mower.

I have steep inclines, rocks, roots, stumps, potholes, etc. That Kubota is a GR2120 and can do almost all of it. The Kioti is a DS4110, geared tractor - much nicer to mow with in my opinion, does almost as nice a job and in about half the time. The flail mower goes over everything - the belly mower requires a lot of avoidance. The only problem with the Kioti is it’s too heavy for mowing in the spring when the ground is wet.

 

[LMychajluk]

If it was me, I'd start w/ a pruning saw for the trees and work on smoothing and getting any loose rocks out of the field before trying to use a finish mower on it. Get the field cleaned up of debris and you could probably just use a big riding mower on it (like a Simplicity w/ SCS suspension system and a 61" deck). If the OP isn't interested in smoothing/cleaning the field, an offset flail would probably be the way to go.

For a manual tractor, the Kioti CK2510 is available in a manual and has a drive-over 60" MMM available, but is a bit larger than the B2320 (which may not be a bad thing, depending on the slopes the OP is talking about). It should be enough to run a 54" flail mower (maybe even a 60", if it's just 2 weeks worth of grass growth), and can be had w/ 1 remote if you want a flail w/ a hydraulic offset.

 

[Texasmark]

Right now I'm mowing my yard, fence line, around barns, corrals, etc. with a Kubota L4600 and a 5' brush hog (rotary cutter). With the canopy, mowing around trees is an issue as well. My property is sandy, sloped and, rough due to ground moles and ferral hogs. :smiley_aafz:

I have used my friends BX23xx (2340?) and find the small tires and low slung nature of it to be problematic at best, though I haven't damaged the mower deck yet. Rocks and tree limbs hidden in tall grass are not an unknown to me, and I have turned up half buried bricks as well (guessing the ecentric previous owner used them for erosion control and his wife used them to 'frame' plants and bushes). :confused2:

I'm thinking about a Kubota B2320 with a 60" midmount mower in the ~$10K range. Is this an appropriate choice? I should note that I really don't like hydrostatic transmissions and preferred geared tractors, mine being a geared model and my friend having an HST Kioti which he loves, me not so much so ...). This would work a whole lot better around the house, barns, corrals, fence lines, etc. and won't 'launch' things as easily towards the house, cars, windows, etc.

My other option seems to be a flail mower and soldiering on with my 'big' tractor and a push mower but, I'm mowing about 4 acres every other week right now so, cutting my push mower duty down is important to me. Plus, I don't always need 40+HP for gathering firewood, dragging a 4' section of harrow to knock down mole hills, etc.

I have been shopping John Deere/Yanmar tractors pretty hard but, I don't really see many appropriate for sandy hilly soil for less than $10K so, I tend to lean towards orange paint based on liking the fuel sipping reliability and dealer network of Kubota. New Holland's look like contenders but, they seem more expensive in general and Mahindra seems to be a pretty weak in the rear ends with vulnerable bits down low (thinking about tree limbs, hidden stumps, etc.).

Am I on the right track considering a Kubota HST B2320 (gently used)? Is that tractor a reasonable choice for the harsh (not a manicured suburban lawn) service it would see? I would like a geared L2501 but, it is basically the same size as my current tractor with less HP .... :confused3::mur:

Other thoughts or recommendations for me? :anyone:

TIA,
Sid

I thought long and hard about a MMM for my 2400. Decided against it since I use the tractor for tractor tasks not mowing exclusively if I had one. Price is $2500 so it's a wash on cost compared to a big box conventional rider. A 3 pt bush hog type rotary mower is better suited, mower deck stays cleaner longer, and you can detach it when you are doing other things. You really need to think about deck hygiene.

Mowing wet grass gets caked on the under side and unless you are mowing this time of the year with no dew on the ground you will be mowing wet grass....the earlier in the day (when it's nice and cool for you) the worse it is Lots of advertisements about cleaning it all out, but on those babies, just like riding mowers, the only way to get it out is with a tilt up deck out front of the mower (MMMs just don't do that), removing the deck and flip it (yeah right...every time you mow????) or jacking your whole mower up, getting down on the ground and scrape and spray. Other than hours spent on attempting to get a soft ride, I have spent more hours on do-dads, purchased and made myself, to assist in the clean out of decks when you mow other than in 100 degree heat. Good luck.

 

[Sid Post]

No big box store riding lawnmowers. They just don't last long and require way to much work to keep running. In the long run, it is cheaper to buy something like a Kubota B2320 than constantly replacing sub-standard suburban riding lawn mowers from big box stores.

Regarding clearing rocks and brush, I'm time limited so that just isn't a realistic thought right now. I'm try to trade some "gold" for some "time".

 

[BMan2005]

No big box store riding lawnmowers. They just don't last long and require way to much work to keep running. In the long run, it is cheaper to buy something like a Kubota B2320 than constantly replacing sub-standard suburban riding lawn mowers from big box stores.

Regarding clearing rocks and brush, I'm time limited so that just isn't a realistic thought right now. I'm try to trade some "gold" for some "time".

Not sure how to answer this since I would answer the same as some above, clean it up. Limbs, that happens, but bricks and such would drive me friggin nuts even with my heavy duty rotary mower with a 190hp gear box built for a beating. I'd have to clean that place up after mowing it! Worst case I would spray some round up and kill everything, clean it (hire this out to a kid), and start it over.

But, if you want a smaller tractor go for it. We have alot of grass to mow so i dedicated our smaller Kubota L3000 as the new lawn mower & bought a 6' finish mower for it that leaves the yard looking like a golf course. Love how it cuts, fits most everywhere, but it's no zero turn. But it'll also be here on & on with just an oil change once in awhile to make it feel appreciated, haha. I'm not sure I could recommend a finish mower though since your hitting bricks and all. But my L3000 is just slightly bigger than the tractor you are looking into so I can say it does work for the task.

 

[Milo]

What about a zero turn instead of another tractor? I was mowing with a B2650 which has a 72" MMM over fairly rough field/lawn but it gave a pretty rough ride plus it was taking too long. Never even tried a zero turn before but bought a Ferris Z2100 (which has suspension) with a 60" deck for $9k and it is SO much more comfortable, faster, and fun to use. I even use it on my trails.

Here it is on a relatively smooth section.

 

[4570Man]

I have a Kubota B7200 that cost me about 1/3 of your budget. It’s been a reliable and tougher than nails. My biggest complaint is lack of power steering. With mowing the primary goal I’d take your 10k and go put 1-2k back in the bank and buy a Ferris 2100. It’ll blow the doors of a tractor with a mmm for mowing. I mowed this field in 35 minutes on my grasshopper. An equal cut width Ferris would have probably been faster since that field was rough and that was the limiting speed factor. It takes over double that long to cut it on the church’s 60” cut garden tractor.

 

[Texasmark]

My experience and it is involved in both time and money, involving different tire types and pressures, tire fluid, tire weights, chassis weights, compression seats, air (compressor operated) seats, different styles and actions, is that you aren't going to get a soft ride with a small tractor. Exception may be cab and backhoe hanging off the rear but I don't need a backhoe hanging off the rear....I have implements to hook up.

 

[Texasmark]

What about a zero turn instead of another tractor? I was mowing with a B2650 which has a 72" MMM over fairly rough field/lawn but it gave a pretty rough ride plus it was taking too long. Never even tried a zero turn before but bought a Ferris Z2100 (which has suspension) with a 60" deck for $9k and it is SO much more comfortable, faster, and fun to use. I even use it on my trails.
Here it is on a relatively smooth section.

I bought one of those too, same brand, 61", ICD deck, premium seat. Springs are set to minimum tension. Replaced the rear wheels with 8" diameter for more air volume, replaced the tires with 2 ply, soft shoulder, 5 psi rated (at 50 mph) knobby ATV tires running at 8-10 psi.....spongy when you grab the ROPS bar and shake it back and forth. Welded about 50
# of steel to a piece of 4" Purlin and hung it off the engine protection pipes in the back for a counter weight to take some pressure off the front idler tires.

Works pretty good if I run fast with it which it can do since the blade tip speed is really fast and the cutter can keep up with the speed. I learned that trick driving country roads in my truck. Go slow and you bounce all over but go faster and the suspension system average position is pretty much a constant so your ride is pretty much constant.

Problem with it is that it mows grass (and weeds), not grown up pasture. However. Where I mow with it, I keep it down to 6" or less and it does just fine.

I put a Tuff Top 48x52 red sunshade (color matches the machine. wink) on it and it makes for a really nice summer mower.

I got the BS Vanguard V twin gas and true to BS nature, fuel is not an issue.