Which Kubota do I need?

[Anonymous Poster]

I just built a house in Indiana on about 15 acres. About 7 acres are wooded and the rest is grass/brush. All of it is hilly, with very few areas of open flat ground. Some of the hills are quite steep. Having never owned a tractor, I can't decide how much tractor I need. I am going to be mowing several acres of uneven ground, and I know I want a FEL and a mower. I also have about an .8 mile of gravel driveway to maintain and clear of snow in the winter. Add to these tasks a lot of general landscaping and some large gardens. Lots of seat time!

I like both the 2410 and 2710, and they look like they would do the job. What do you experts think? Could I get by with a nicley setup BX2200 or should I go with the 2710. I don't mind speding the money, but of course I don't want to waste it either.

Any comments would be appreciated! I look forward to being a part of the TBN community

 

[fishman]

<font color=blue>I am going to be mowing several acres of uneven ground</font color=blue>

This seems to be a task better suited to a 2710 than the bx, in my opinion. I have 10 acres that are much less demanding than yours, but I do have a lot of clearing, landscaping, and dirt work (FEL time!!/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif). I went with the 2910 after looking at the 7500 at first. Again, my opinion, but I think that although BX is a great mowing/gardening/general task tractor, it does have its limitations.

I am sure there will be those of us that disagree with that statement, and then there will be others that recommend a 3710. I am suggesting you look somewhere in the middle, which appears to be what you are doing anyway.

 

[Thomas]

Have you consider Compact Tractor Book??..for there a lot of great info.

Maybe your local K-dealer has a demo to try out.

 

[Will_C]

Hoosier; I have a BX and I love it! Having said that, I think Fishman is correct. For your application, a 27/2910 makes perfect sense. Depending on the amount of grass you cut, the L series may be worth considering. I take care of two three acre parcels, but it is all finish mowing. With brush and woods, definitely consider the B's. Just my thoughts,
Will

 

[Wood_Butcher_Dav]

I'll throw my two cents in. As a proud owner of a BX2200 I think you would be asking a little too much from this tractor with the amount of ground you'll have to maintain.

Dave

 

[gerard]

A little too big is a LOT better than a little too small! B2910, L3010 (ideal), L2600

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks to all for the quick and insigtful replys. I purchased Muhammad's book a couple of weeks ago and found it extemely helpful. It helped me arrive at my original decision of going with the 2410 or 2710. I guess I wanted to be sure I wasn't just justifying the larger tractor to myself.

I am going to take your advice and see if I can get a demo to try out on my hills.

Thanks all!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Well, after looking at the tractor configurations and their respective price tags, I figure the 2710 is my best bet. Do you really think a 2910 or even a 3010 might be necessary? Here I thought a 2710 was more than enough, but maybe it is just enough?

 

[DAP]

YOU also have a common problem, one not easy to solve. You mention "quite steep slopes".

The 2710 has a lot of mass. It will roll on steep slopes with side approaches. In a perpendicular approach (much safer), it may lose traction.

I have some 20+ degree slopes on my property (short runs though) and would NEVER even think about taking a CUT larger than a B7400 on them.

I use an 18hp JD with a 4ft MMM for all my mowing tasks. A CUT would not fit in the many tight spaces I have around flowering trees, shrubs and structures on my 7 acres.

My forthcoming entry into the CUT market for a 27-30hp machine will not remove my mowing needs so the JD stays in my barn. With 2 horses, 2 greyhounds, 2 goats, a felon cat, 12 acres (7 mine, 5 trying to be mine), I can justify the 2nd machine.

Be careful with those slopes. Bigger is not always better. Nor is it always faster.


For clarity, my mowing acreage amounts to about 2.75 to 3 acres. It takes me just under 3 hours to do this amount with the 48" deck. To prove the point, the maneuverability I get on this garden size tractor pays dividends in terms of time, due to the specifics of my mowing obstacles, slopes, structures etc.

I had to resign myself to the fact that I need multiple machines to manage this property properly and efficiently. I thought a lot about a zero turn machine for mowing, however, the LX288 is a fantastic mower, and have gotten some utility out of it other than mowing (pulls a 1 ton capacity wagon with no problem, integrates and pulls a 400lb leaf vacuum/mulcher/chipper with no problems). I also have used it to drag a chain harrow in 2.5 acres of paddock (though that chore will be off loaded to the CUT when it arrives in the barn.).

 

[Boondox]

Hoosier -- Your mowing duties are similar to mine (154 acres, but only 7 isn't forested), as is the terrain. I started with a 20hp Kubota, but it didn't have the power I needed. I considered a 2710, but the 2910 had a far better power to weight ratio, and in my testing proved to be a MUCH better climber. I eventually went with an L3010 because of other demands I placed on my tractor, but given your situation would seriously consider the 2910 over the smaller machines. Ballast the tires, and place them at the widest setting.

On the other hand, take a serious look at your property. of that 7 acres, how much of it won't be mowed because of buildings, ponds, etc? How many trees or other obstructions will you need to navigate around? If none, go with the 2910. If not, go smaller. In my experience, mowing 7 acres with a 20hp tractor was a chore, but mowing with my L3010 is a dream and only takes part of a morning.

Pete

 

[DAP]

Pete ... gimme the shakedown on your power to weight ratio for the 2910 (and I'm assuming your figured this comparing it to the 2710).

Thanks

 

[Kodiak]

Your assumption of current duties for your tractor are apparent right now. However with this much property, especially with that much undeveloped acreage. Your future needs may grow accordingly. you may want to clear more land, harvest some timber develop pasture or gardens, build trails or ponds, etc,etc. And for such projects you will probably want a tractor with both some weight and the horsepower to handle that weight. Most importantly you might want to look at a tractor that will support a loader with at least a 1000lb max lifting capacity, as well as enough lifting height to load a small dump truck. And a 3pt lift capacity to be able to handle some fair sized implements,
6' boxblade,disk and finish mower, 7' lanscape rake, 5' tiller and brush hog. and you'll need the PTO horsepower to handle that size of equipment.

I would concurr with the Kubota B2910 or L3010. But a good alternative would be the New Holland TC29, TC30 or the TC33.

Good luck on your purchase, and have a ball developing your new home.

P.S. Your property sounds like it was tailor made for a 7.5' subframe mounted backhoe, ie 1001 uses.

 

[Yukon]

I have twelve acres and I mow approx 8 and the other is house and wooded. I own a 2710 and I use it to mow and plow snow in the winter. I have the R4 tires and I have some steep hills to mow and I have not had a problem with it. I believe it is plenty of tractor.

 

[SethO]

My two cents is that regardless of what you think you need or want, you will only buy what you can afford. The key is to be content with it.

Good luck

Seth

 

[glennmac]

You will need power on hills. I would say a 2910 as a minimum.... I know its hard to do in advance, but try to predict what percentage of your tractor time over the next 3 years will be mowing/bushhogging grass vs. bushhogging woody brush/lifting/pulling chores. If mowing grass will be the primary task, the 2910 is perhaps the better choice because it is more maneuverable and lighter. Also, if you want to mow with a mid-mount mower, the 72" mmm on the 2910 is much easier to remove and install than the 72" mower on the L series...... On the other hand, if grass mowing will not be the primary use, or if you want to use a 3ph finish mower, I would go with the L series in your situation...... And, if I were tending to go with the L series, I would wait a couple of months to see what the new Grand L series has to offer.

 

[Boondox]

Heck, you think I remember the data for longer than a month!?! I'm over 40, you know! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif But when I was in the market for a replacement to my B1750, I looked first at the 2710. Very impressive, but the dealer knew my land and suggested I try the 2910. It turned out to be a much better climber. (More hp in the same size tractor.) I ran into the same thing between the L3010 and the L3410, with the larger tractor being a better climber.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

<font color=blue>Your property sounds like it was tailor made for a 7.5' subframe mounted backhoe</font color=blue>

Gotta agree with that! Backhoe use is the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on!

Pete

 

[Anonymous Poster]

HI,

As the proud new owner of a B2910 on 3.7 acres, I would say go for the L3010 and have a tractor you will be happy with for the next 20 years.

I went with a RFM on the back and it seems to be just fine for me...and easy to put on and take off. Also forces me to be proficient at dropping the backhoe and putting it back on.

The B2910 is a nice machine, but the L3010 has some nice features like a loader with more lift height, more weight, and so on.

If I had 15 acres I would almost certainly have went with the L3010. My goal was to buy what the first time what I would be happy with for the long term. I think I did...

The majority here seem to advise going bigger than you think you need to, and thereby avoiding the losses that you will experience if you decide to trade up later to get what you really want. I followed that adviced and it worked for me!

Bill in Pgh, PA...when the weather is nice and I have reason to go there...

 

[DAP]

Pete, I have no reason NOT to respect your opinion but I pose the following question:

Acknowledging that the B2710: 27hp --- B2910: 30 hp, weight difference is under 300lbs, that while testing these envelopes one would lose traction FAR before the 2710 would sag to a stop based on 3hp difference?

Now, I'm not talking PTO hp (2710: 20hp -- 2910 22hp). But my gut (rather scientific huh? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif ) is that it would take an extraordinarily specific situtation to see a cognizant difference between the 2 machines where horsepower is concerned. I might even concede that the 2910 might climb the same hill with a subtly noticeable difference, but the power plants are in the same bell curve when it comes to power output.

The $1200 price diff between the 27/2910 seems to have been marketed with an emphasis on the 'creature comforts' and ergonomics of the B2910 (ratcheting arms, telescoping links, C-Control atenuator, tilt wheel, etc.)

Sounds to me like that sales guy had some 2910 units he needed to move, I dunno.

The real reason for this response is to ultimately settle some confusion in my own mind. These machines are so closely matched they almost seem like a marketing mistake. Why not make the 2910 and the 2915 (where the 2910 is a 2710 with the 30hp plant and the 2915 is the same machine but with the bells and whistles of the current B2910 as stated above).

And yes, I'm planning on the B2710 because I won't miss the 2910's extra gadgets and don't mind saving $1200 clams, but I continue to ponder the 3 hp.

I KNOW, I"LL FIND A 75 HOUR L3010 and snicker at the entire B SERIES! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Boondox]

Doug -- I was able to drive them both on my hill, and I really did notice a difference in the speed. But that was the only difference I noticed. With implements, they seemed pretty much the same machine. Scientific, no way. Biased, maybe...but I had already decided to go to the Grand-L series by the time I had the 2710/2910 comparison. And coincidently, the 2910 was a much quicker climber than my L3010. That comparison was really noticable!

Pete