TC24 VS B7610

[Avalanche]

New to this forum. Live in central MA. Making a decision NH TC24 vs Kubota B7610. Both have HST drive w/R4 tires. TC24 equiped w/;loader; woods backhoe; soft cab w/heat, wiper, lghts, strobe; 51" snow blower w/man rotation & elect deflection ($28299.). B7610 equiped w/ LA352 loader: Bradco 3265 backhoe: Curtis soft cab w/ heat, wiper, lghts, strobe; BX2750 snow blower w/ man rotation & elec deflection($24750.). I will purchase a 4 ton Warrior trailer to haul ($2800). I have a new, nearly level, 3 acre commercial retail nursey and garden ctr. w/ 70 car parking area; partial paved/ partial 3/8 compacted crushed stone; lg main retail builing & (3) 40x100' green houses. The rest of the property is completly developed as outside retail and covered w/ 3/8 compacted crushed stone. I have finished most of the larger site projects using a JD 944H, NH L80 skid steer & various CAT loaders and excavators. HOWEVEVER, these smaller tractors are somewhat unfamiliar. I need a unit that can negotiate tighter areas; a quiet retail friendly unit that does'nt intimitate customers; and a powerfull unit for what I have come to expect from the my other equip. I can still rely on my other equip. for any larger jobs that may come along. Open for Xmas, snow clearing around the building areas can be extremly tight and difficult. Blowing is essential and I would prefer to use only one piece of serious equip. I don't believe I can load mulch products very efficiently w/ eithier of these machs. however other uses will include planting nursery stock/ trees; grading, lifting, looading, hauling, and diging throughout the site where the larger machs. are no longer feasable. I felt the TZ's & BX series were probably sufficient for most of my needs BUT I don'nt want to underbuy. The TC and the B seem to offer considerably more beef in a fairly digestable size. Price-wise I believe it's worth the jump to the compacts. So, all this said, I hope I've provided enough background for some good advise on which of these machines might be better suited to my needs. Oh, and I'ld like to purchase the machine today. Yes, I'm serious. Thanks for your help.

 

[8561]

They are both excellent machines. You could buy either and be very satisfied. However, a more direct comparison to the TC24 in Kubota is actually the B2410. The TC is a full featured machine. The B7610 is the budget version of the B2410. They run in exactly the same chassis, have the same motor and the same loader. The B2410 offers some additional features, most notably position control on the three point hitch, a better seat, as well as some others. These may or may not be important for your application. You may prefer the curved hood and loader arms of the TC.

I would point out one other feature available as an option on the B2410 not available on either the 7610 or the TC24. It is the Bi-speed turn option. I only mention it because you say you have some very tight operating spaces. Bi-speed runs the front tires at nearly twice the normal speed when turning the front wheels sharply, dramatically reducing the turning radius. It can be very, very handy in tight places. I have it on mine. I don't have it engaged all the time, but when I need it, it's great. I believe the B2410 Kubota is the only compact available offering this feature.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

In addition to the above mentioned information also compare the loader specs of the 2 tractors, you will find that the TC24 has quite a bit more lift height if you need to load into a pick up truck. You will also find that the TC24 has greater overall lift capacity and greater breakout force.

 

[Avalanche]

Thanks for your reply Bob. One of my concerns w/ the TC24 is is its' general new engineering/ profile as it compares to the traditional B7610. I certainly find the visability a plus w/ the TC. This new design, seems to have created a much leaner machine; a little taller, shorter by lenghth, and thinner in width. I read the comp. of the TC to a goat and would agree that they are similar looking but have great reservations about using the TC on inclines and tricky spots where it may not be as stable as the B7610. The TC seems to be the best fit for my tight applications but I am concerned it is not the beef I want for digging and loading. Maybe it's that plastic hood and all that stuff about teaching old dogs new tricks. Maybe the TC will be defined as the less is more tractor. Thanks, Jim

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Jim, in many ways I think you have the wrong impression of the TC. First, it is not new, it has been around for several years, however this year it has new headlights and a new grill. As for the plastic hood, I've bounced several large chunks of clay off my hood without any dents or dings. On the other hand my Kubota B2910 has a $400 dent in the metal hood. Ditto the fenders, my TC has taken several branches to the fenders without any dents. As for not having the "beef" for digging and loading, it is far heavier than the B7610 and the 12LA loader has far more capacity than the Kubota's. As for stability, I can honestly tell you that I have no idea which is taller or which has a higher center of gravity so I don't know which is going to be more stable. I use my TC24 for mowing, but I think the lighter B2410 or B7610 would likely be better mowing tractors on my clay soils.

 

[8561]

Avalanche - I'm confused by your second post. You are concerned about the TC on inclines and slopes, yet your original post states a level lot. Either way, I would think the stability of the two machines in question would be similar. The first thing you mentioned as a requirement in the original post is an ability to work in tight spaces. This prompted my response of the bi-speed 2410. No contest with the TC for agility in tight spaces. The 2410 is the same size as a 7610, on the same chassis, but has the option of tremendously increased agility. You said you had larger equipment available for larger jobs, so I made the assumption that loader capacity was not an overrididing factor. The TC certainly has increased advertised specs for loader capacity.

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

By the way, I agree with you on the plastic. While it will take some abuse metal won't, I can be pretty handy repairing and painting metal. Break the plastic, and you just bought a new one. Plus, it just doesn't seem right on a tractor (to me). Just my opinion.

 

[Avalanche]

Tim, thanks for the input. Yes my area is nearly flat however there are a few areas with fairly steep grades. Adding to that that, I will trailer the machine off site for various landscaping jobs from time to time - sure to bring some unknown challenges. As you can see my uses are varied. I'm looking for a machine that is most usefull under most of my criteria. Not disrespecting any one brand, I am looking for the best in all catagories for the compact series. Today I also looked @ the JD4115. Nice equip. Ran alittle rough however. I'm begining to think the biggest difference between these 3 tractors is COLOR. To Bob -I've measured these tractors up one side and down the other. Although the TC looks much smaller in size, it is just about the same as the Kubota. Loader to loader the LA12 is rated for +165#s and seems very responsive. The B7610 w/ LA352 seemed alittle slugish. I also looked @ a B7510 w/ the LA302 which was much more responsive (smaller pistons; higher presure). I must admit these Kubotas have very smooth power. I stepped up to the B7610 for the added HP using the backhoe and snow blower ( & $1000 ++). I'm wondering if I went with this mach. if I might be better off with the smaller, more responsive LA302. I'm focusing on these two tractors in part because I've got two very reputable dealers close by. Jim

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Personally I think you need to look at the tasks you are going to do.

If the tasks are FEL oriented, then I would go with the TC, the TC24's loader is as good as the Kubota LA402 on the B2910 (and since I use both I can tell you that I spec for spec in real world use, the TC is equal to the larger Kubota loader, but the TC is superior in terms of usability because of bucket visibility). Breakout strength on the TC is substantially more (400#) than on the B7610 and that helps you get the bucket up out of the pile of dirt/mulch as well as with digging. In real world use, I beleive that the curved arm loaders of the NH tractors are vastly superior to any other on the market.

If the tasks are mowing oriented, then I would lean in favor of the B7610 or B2410 because they are lighter. I believe the optional steering feature on the B2410 would make it softer on the turf. The B7610 and the TC24 don't offer the steering feature of the B2410, but both can also be "brake steered" which will spin the tractors around in a very small circle but it is a bit hard on the lawn to brake steer.

If the tasks are PTO oriented (tilling) then the tractors are a tie.

If the tasks are 3pt oriented then the TC probably has a bit more advantage because the machine weighs a bit more it will have a bit greater traction (but that is not going to be significant so maybe call this one a moot point? or a very very slight TC advantage).

I believe the TC has a greater lift capacity on the 3pt hitch, but I think almost all tractors have more 3pt lift capacity than is necessary so that would not be any real advantage, although it is a "spec" advantage that sales people like to throw around. I would call the 3pt capacity a draw between these tractors regardless of which tractor can lift more. The reality is most tractors have a lift capacity that will pull the front end of the tractor off the ground long before it will lift an implement that is as heavy as the 3pt is rated for.

For trailering the B7610 or B2410 will be ever so slightly easier because it is lighter. But this "advantage" falls into the same miniscule advantage as the above traction advantage offered by the TC24. So perhaps neither is really worthy of much consideration (and by the way I trailer both the TC24 and the B2910 on the same trailer with the same SUV).

I can tell you that I like the sound of the Kubota engine better than any other tractor I've ever sat on (other than antique Olivers but that is another story). My NH doesn't sound quite as smooth as the Kubota, but I'm comparing a 24hp to a 30hp machine. But I doubt that the engine "sound" is going to matter one wit in the long run or even in terms of reliability.

In the steel versus plastic debate I have come to love the plastic. I have both. I've never broken the plastic, I have dented the steel. There is one thread in the safety forum (?) where a LARGE tree fell on a JD that had plastic fenders, the tree broke, the fender was fine. To me, if you think it is a factor, then you need to get over it. Plastic has proven itself. And while you probably can't fix it, you probably won't have to.

 

[8561]

I just want to again say for the record that I think the TC24 is a great tractor and is certainly a very worthy choice. In fact, in many situations, I would steer someone in that direction as opposed to the Kubota. If I couldn't own a Kubota, I would run, not walk, to a New Holland dealer. In my scenario, the somewhat lighter weight (for mowing and trailering) as well as the increased agility outweighed the increased specs for some functions that the TC enjoys. I guarantee you'll love whatever you choose.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

To be fair to these tractors you need to reconize that the 7610/2410 should be much cheaper than the TC24. The TC does out spec the Kubota in some areas, but your also paying for that performance. People tend to lump all 24HP machines into an equal catageory and that may not always be good.