My 2305, 2350 and TZ25DA observations.

[newbomb_turk]

Like many out there, I am in the market for a Sub-Compact tractor. Rather than an exhaustive listing of all pros and cons of each, I will list the deal makers/breakers that I have found.

First, my usage model. 1+ acres nice lawn. 2 acres field, that may be groomed to lawn one day and 1+ acres of greenbelt/brush/blackberries that I can only work the edge (very steep). Additionally, many of the usual landscape projects apply, and 500' + of gravel driveway. I am in the Pacific Northwest (west side) so a snow blower is not needed.

Setup I want is Tractor with FEL and 54" MMM + MCS. Will look an a BB and hog in the future.

Prices are all close: 2350 ($14,700) 2305 ($15,100) TX25DA($14,975). All have similar financing (if one chooses to do so).

My results:

I think the JD and the NH are built slightly better. More attention to detail. The Orange one had mismatched plastic parts, stickers applied off-center, and a general 'lesser' finished quality.

The 2 pedal HST on the NH and JD is far superior. I am baffled as to why Kubota has the goofy pedal system on the 2350. This is the single largest problem I have with the Kubota. This may be the deal-breaker

Service is best by far with the Kubota dealer. The JD dealer has renowned, crappy service. The NH dealer is 40+ miles away, across the state line, and I have to haul it myself for service. JD is 1 mile away, and Kubota is 3 miles away.

I really like the PTO MCS on the Kubota and NH. The side mounted MCS on the JD bugs me. Regardless of what people say, I am not convinced the extra weight will give me an even (golf-course) cut with ~20 lbs attached to one side of the MMM.

I don't need a 60"+ MMM, although many of you will say I do. I don't have many obstacles, but do have some uneven terrain. I am assuming the 54" MMM will have less scalping, and if I have to mow for 10 more minutes, so be it.

The JD loader control is the best. The NH and Kubota side-mounted arms look and feel cheap.

The Sensitrack on the NH is great. Especially for mowing with all the NW rain. If the dealer wasn't across the state line (and unresponsive) I would probably buy it tomorrow.

Self-service (I am fairly handy) is much easier on the NH.

My 5 year old son wants the Kubota. He is a tractor freak.

I'm, leaning JD (seems best all-around) NH close second (best tractor, but bad dealer issues) and Orange third (that crappy pedal). My son likes Green too

Any comments,

Todd

 

[VABlue]

I have the 2305 and 54" deck (no collection system), so here's the first comment on deck size! I wish I had the 62", but not enough to talk trade. It's not the cut time, it's being able to get close to objects. You say you don't have any, so that should work out. But if you need to trim under a deck overhang, get out the trimmer with a 54" deck. Tree's? The 54" won't allow you to turn around them without backing up a couple of times. I'm with you on cutting time, I also have a smaller yard and don't really need ~60" of deck. But hindsight proved the forum correct in that it would be nice to have, anyway.

Good notes on the three. My decision was between the 2350 (2450?) and 2305, prices were identical. The Kubota pedals didn't bother me, but the loader control and seat did, just not enough to deter a purchase. Wifey swung the vote with a house color-coordinated decision... I don't think you can go wrong with either color, but I would lean towards the better dealer. Even if you can turn a wrench you're paying for the warranty, so why not use it if you need it?

 

[Volfandt]

Go with what fits you the best. Fit and finish only goes so far in tractor work, and the color won't make it any better, after a few hrs of seat time the "fit" of your seat in the seat matters the most

re. Kubota pedal, I have the old style treadle pedal (it's all above board as opposed to being below board on the newer BX's) and I've grown so accustomed to it that I don't even have to think about making direction/speed changes, a simple shift of my right foot fore or aft is so intuitive I don't even have to look away from the task at hand to make sure I don't accidentally hit reverse when I want to go forward or vice versa.
I finish mow 4 acres and have never had a fatigue issue. Course I don't use the cruise control on long auto hauls so fatigue isn't an issue with me anyhow

re. Kubota plastic fit & finish. The new BX2350's are in their 1st release yr and there were some issues with the intake screen not matching up to the rest of the tractor and Kubota has come out with an upgraded properly fitting screen for replacement, seems the BX you're looking at must be an older early production model which hasn't had this new updated screen installed.
There was also a newer tighter fitting knob upgrade, a new floorpan upgrade and new dash upgrade.
While it could be argued that these changes should have been made before the machines left the assembly line, they have been for the last couple months, the selling/servicing dealer should perform these upgrades for free before they sell the older 1st run machines. These are all known issues on the older 1st run machines and are all considered warrantee issues and covered by Kubota.
I just wanted to make you aware of these issues. Course if you don't like the HST pedal then they're a moot point anyways.
Good luck on your decision and enjoy the process. Tain't often one can go out and operate so many different machines

 

[ChuckinNH]

While I agree that the loader controls are in a nicer place on the JD (haven't sat on a NH), I found that loader function was much smoother on the Kubota...... with sufficient rpm. I am used to rolling the bucket back as I lift through a pile of dirt, and the JD doesn't seem to allow this. If you try to rollback while the loader is lifting, the loader will stop. Dumping times are considerably longer too. The Kubota has somewhat more control over the three point with it's "1/4 inching", and has a higher lift height. All the attachments, and quick hitch items are compatible on the Kubota, and very well engineered. The MCS on both is a wash as far as installation I think, and I don't know which is the lesser of evils there. If you want a 54" deck, the Kubota has the option of the "fine cut" version which is much deeper, and perhaps the same deck they use on their commercial ZT's. The Kubota steering has a lighter feel, but the JD seems to be more turf friendly. I like both pedal setups, the JD a bit more when going/ looking forward, and the Kubota better for doing anything in reverse as it's much easier to access when turned a little sideways in the seat. A backhoe can be added at any time to the JD, and to stay with the Kubota brand hoe, that decision needs to be made upfront, and comes with a much bulkier ROPS. I like the QC feature of the JD loader, but feel that removal is just as easy with the Kubota, the main difference being that you have to get off the seat to lower the parking stands. Though the undersides of both tractors are a bit "soft", the Kubota transmission filter seems a little better protected. They both are roughly the same HP but the JD does have a larger engine, and probably produces more torque. In the end, they are both very good products, and you will be very happy with either.