Which Kubota

[wurso]

Hi,

I'm a newbie and never owned a tractor in my life. With that in mind, I need something with the following requirements:

1) It must be a Kubota (a Kubota dealer is close to where my home is).

2) It must be capable of moving lots of snow! My home is located in the far reaches of Northern New Hampshire, just below the US/Canada border. It's not uncommon to have 5 feet of snow on the ground. I'm unsure if a snow blower is what's needed or a front bucket loader. If it's a snow blower, then I'd want it to be front mounted. If it's a front bucket loader, then which one is appropriate?

3) It must have some sort of cab. Snow in my face and down my neck while moving it when it's 40 below zero is not an option!

3b) It must have a block heater (note the 40 below zero on item 3).


4) It must be able to mow 6' of lawn in one pass. I have about 5 acres of lawn.

5) It must have HST. My wife will need to run it from time to time, and we want to keep the operation as simple as possible.

Any ideas or suggestions would be most welcomed! Also, approximate pricing would be very helpful.

Thanks,
--Wayne

 

[Bird]

Wurso, you can do what you want with one of the bigger B models (B2710 or B2910) and an aftermarket cab (Curtis, Sims?), but I'd recommend that you go look at the L series Kubotas (I'd say just about any L series; just pick the one you like best). You can get a lot of information about them at http://www.kubota.com except pricing, and you can click on the link to Carver Equipment for a great deal of safety information, pricing, etc. And hopefully, that local dealer you mentioned will be helpful. Good luck with your shopping.

Bird

 

[wurso]

Hi Bird,

Thanks very much for taking the time to help me out! I started looking at the B series, then started looking at the L series as you suggest. I thought I had my mind made up on either an L3010 with a Curtis, or a L3710HSTC with the factory cab. The only two chores that I'd want the tractor to do is move snow, or mow grass. Any thoughts on the factory cab system versus a Curtis?

Yesterday, I looked at one of the F series front mowers and got all confused again. Here's what I was thinking...

The F3060 has 30 horses, can take a 60 or 72 inch front mounted mower, is quite compact, and you can get a curtis cab and a snowblower attachment for it. My wife likes the size. On the other hand, an L series seems to be a real tractor with perhaps better choices for tires, and of course it comes from the factory sporting its natural testosterone fog that surrounds it! Any ideas on the F versus the L idea?

With regards to the L series, what are the pros and cons of Front Loader versus a front snow blower? I don't envision myself ever moving dirt. Just snow. How easy/hard is it to disconnect and reconnect a front snowblower. How well do they work? I presume that the snow blower is a two stage machine and has shear pins. With regard to the front loader, is there a specific bucket that is more appropriate to moving snow?

Thanks again for your help!

--Wayne

 

[Von]

Wayne,
I live in NY where we get the lake effect snow, you know how it is, we get 35" to fall in one night! I have a B8200 (same size just not the HP as a B2710) with a 8ft. back blade and a FEL to move the snow. The problem you have is where to put all the snow when it keeps falling. If you don't push it way back to start you can run out of room later in the season. With a snow blower its not that much of a problem because they throw the snow so far that you don't end up with the big banks that can drift back in. A loader is so handy for so many other task that you will wonder how you got along without it after having one for just one year. Yes it is the most you will ever spend on a wheelborrow, but your back will thank you every time you use it! I would think that a B2710-2910 would work just as will as the L's and have the smaller size that your wife likes and it will take alot of other implements to do other task, where the F series won't. Good luck on your search. Von

 

[wurso]

Von,

Thanks very much for your suggestion. I will definitely check out the B2710-2910 series. You are right about making sure that you start stacking snow well away from where you need to clear. As you know, once the winter gets well underway, You quickly run out of room to stack it.

Thanks again,
--Wayne

 

[Bird]

Wayne, I have a B2710 that'll be a year old next month and has 198 hours on it, front end loader, rear finish mower, brush hog, box blade, tiller, and some plows, and it's great, but there is no factory cab for the B series. I've only seen pictures of the aftermarket cabs and they look good. I'm just partial to having the whole unit one brand, and that's purely a personal preference, just in the event that there's ever a problem (only a remote possibility), I only have one dealer to deal with. I've not used an F series; looks like a great lawnmower, but not nearly as versatile as a compact tractor. As for snowblowers, I live in Central Texas, so the only thing I know about them is what I've read on this and other forums./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif But I think Von gave you good advice on that. Happy tractor shopping./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[DRFoster]

I recently went round and round with a similar decision. I ended up with a B2710HST, LA402 loader and 5' Farm King Rear snowblower. I'll add a 5' Curtis blade that hooks up in place of the loader bucket before the snow flies. I struggled with the front vs. rear snowblower for a long time. What ended up making the decision for me was discussing snow removal here in the Northern Utah mountains with others that do it. Pushing snow with a blade is MUCH faster than blowing. People here are able to do most (75% or so) of their snow removal with the blade and the rest with the blower. Where I live 10 to 12 inch snows are common with occasional 2 to 3 foot dumps. Except for the first and last few storms, our snow tends to be light and dry. Although I plan on going through my first winter with the tractor without a cab, depending on how it goes, I may put one on next year.

 

[ChrisfromCT]

Wurso,
Pushing snow is as much a function of weight as it is traction. Therefore the laws of gross tonage apply. The opposite applies for mowing. The Grande L 3010 is a sweet machine, but may be too big for mowing. I have 8 acres and mow about 4-4.5 and I am in the process of getting a B2410.
I'm ordering turfs and a full set of R4 rims and tires for the winter. I am also ordering a Curtis loader blade to push snow with. This should be a big step up from plowing with my old Farmall Cub. I ordering a 60 inch mower and collection system as well.

Good luck

 

[wurso]

Bird,

Thanks very much for sharing your experience. I just came back from my local Kubota dealer, and based upon the fine information that I've received from each respondent, I'm now looking more toward a B2910. Looks like it will have a front end loader, and a 6 foot mower along with a soft-sided cab that's heated.

Of course this could all change tomorrow if I get better information from the helpful folks on this forum. Thanks again everyone!

--Wayne

 

[wurso]

Thanks very much for your info. In northern New Hampshire, we get a vast variety of snow; sometimes dry, sometimes slush, sometimes wet and heavy. Every now and then, we just get what we call an ice storm; water that falls and freezez imediately upon contacting any surface. I think I've decided to shy away from the snow blower idea. Sometimes the snow is quite hard packed near where the street plows go by. I think a front end loader makes the most sense.

Thanks again,
--Wayne