ReallyBigWoofers
New member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 5
Hello All,
I am new here. Have been lurking in the back ground and reading all I the post i could, so thanks, your experiences were fantastic for a new tractor buyer / owner.
I thought I would drop some of my impression on the various tractors out there for what that is worth.
The good news is that this will not turn out color debate, cause only one "fit" my needs. That was the Kubota BX1850, I needed a lawn tractor with the ability to add extras to do some little tasks. The Kubota BX 2350/24, JD 2305 and NH TZ offerings were a little to big from my situation: by big I mean Phyiscally (2 inch made a difference) and Cost. So my opinion to poeple shopping, bigger is not always better. The Bigger Kubota BXs, JD and NH would not fit between my trees and down in the gulleys I have.
General Comments about the brands / features i found through my research and testing, and i am an engineer for what that is worth.
First, any of the fore mention brands are excellent, I can honestly say that if i could fit the Kubota BX 2350, JD 2305, or NH TZ, I could not have gone wrong with either of them. So as many of the other posters have said here before, "research the dealer", find the one you are can trust. I was lucky and had 2 Kubota dealers close, one was good, the other also good but felt right. The deal maker for me was when i asked about service, the one dealer said," today i have a farmer here who needs the implement to feed his livestock, i will worry about getting paid later, and if your tractor was here for repair, and i promised it today, you would get it tomorrow, because he has to feed his livestock, you just have to mow your grass". That is a person i can trust.
Now for the design / build issues:
Ergonomics: For me (6' 220lbs.) and wife (5'), the NH was the best, JD next, and the Kubota was the worst, I hope when the new seat arrives this changes alot. NH: seating, controls, display, and getting on and off were all great. JD: seating, and controls were actually the best but getting on and off and seeing the display was terrible. Kubota: seating is terrible, controls are ok, display ok, getting on and off very good.
Misc.: everthing else was about a wash for me except for the Cooling: the Kubota appears to be fantastic because the air to the radiator goes through 2 screens, 1 of which you can see and reach out and wipe off when operating, the other is easily accessible also. The JD and NH seemed like the radiator could plug with grass clipping over time. This was a real problem with my old tractor.
Other design ramblings: All had terrible placement of the hydraulic filter, with the NH the worst or most exposed to possible damage.
So of the 3 bigger tractors (BX2350, JD 2305, NH TZs) if they fit my situation which would i buy if dealer and cost were the same...
If i had to do more mowing: the NH, just seemed like a mowing machine.
If i had to do large number of varied tasks: the Kubota, just seemed to do everything well.
If i had to do more heavy tractor work: the JD 2305, just seemed more tractorish, but was pretty nimble. But getting on and off was a deal breaker for my wife, she has MS and yet does most of the mowing.
I hoped you enjoyed my first post here, and thanks for letting me ramble along. Again, I am not an expert on tractors or there use.
So in closing, think about what tasks you will need to do with your tractor. For me, on 3 acres, a small area of tightly packed trees, and 2 ponds with steep banks, the Kubota BX 1850 is perfect except for that darn seat which i hope will be fixed soon with the new seat that is comming. And really the seat has not been that bad, but if i had to sit in it for hours, i could see it being a real pain.
Again, this is just my opinion, and i am no expert.
Thanks
Really Big Woofers
I am new here. Have been lurking in the back ground and reading all I the post i could, so thanks, your experiences were fantastic for a new tractor buyer / owner.
I thought I would drop some of my impression on the various tractors out there for what that is worth.
The good news is that this will not turn out color debate, cause only one "fit" my needs. That was the Kubota BX1850, I needed a lawn tractor with the ability to add extras to do some little tasks. The Kubota BX 2350/24, JD 2305 and NH TZ offerings were a little to big from my situation: by big I mean Phyiscally (2 inch made a difference) and Cost. So my opinion to poeple shopping, bigger is not always better. The Bigger Kubota BXs, JD and NH would not fit between my trees and down in the gulleys I have.
General Comments about the brands / features i found through my research and testing, and i am an engineer for what that is worth.
First, any of the fore mention brands are excellent, I can honestly say that if i could fit the Kubota BX 2350, JD 2305, or NH TZ, I could not have gone wrong with either of them. So as many of the other posters have said here before, "research the dealer", find the one you are can trust. I was lucky and had 2 Kubota dealers close, one was good, the other also good but felt right. The deal maker for me was when i asked about service, the one dealer said," today i have a farmer here who needs the implement to feed his livestock, i will worry about getting paid later, and if your tractor was here for repair, and i promised it today, you would get it tomorrow, because he has to feed his livestock, you just have to mow your grass". That is a person i can trust.
Now for the design / build issues:
Ergonomics: For me (6' 220lbs.) and wife (5'), the NH was the best, JD next, and the Kubota was the worst, I hope when the new seat arrives this changes alot. NH: seating, controls, display, and getting on and off were all great. JD: seating, and controls were actually the best but getting on and off and seeing the display was terrible. Kubota: seating is terrible, controls are ok, display ok, getting on and off very good.
Misc.: everthing else was about a wash for me except for the Cooling: the Kubota appears to be fantastic because the air to the radiator goes through 2 screens, 1 of which you can see and reach out and wipe off when operating, the other is easily accessible also. The JD and NH seemed like the radiator could plug with grass clipping over time. This was a real problem with my old tractor.
Other design ramblings: All had terrible placement of the hydraulic filter, with the NH the worst or most exposed to possible damage.
So of the 3 bigger tractors (BX2350, JD 2305, NH TZs) if they fit my situation which would i buy if dealer and cost were the same...
If i had to do more mowing: the NH, just seemed like a mowing machine.
If i had to do large number of varied tasks: the Kubota, just seemed to do everything well.
If i had to do more heavy tractor work: the JD 2305, just seemed more tractorish, but was pretty nimble. But getting on and off was a deal breaker for my wife, she has MS and yet does most of the mowing.
I hoped you enjoyed my first post here, and thanks for letting me ramble along. Again, I am not an expert on tractors or there use.
So in closing, think about what tasks you will need to do with your tractor. For me, on 3 acres, a small area of tightly packed trees, and 2 ponds with steep banks, the Kubota BX 1850 is perfect except for that darn seat which i hope will be fixed soon with the new seat that is comming. And really the seat has not been that bad, but if i had to sit in it for hours, i could see it being a real pain.
Again, this is just my opinion, and i am no expert.
Thanks
Really Big Woofers
