Is B2710 or similar too small?

[max]

Sometime in the near future I will be in the market for a 4wd compact tractor and need some size/hp direction. I've never owned a diesel (just old farm tractors-gas), so I'm not sure of the capabilities of the modern compact diesel.
While my main usage of the tractor will be for loader work around the place, I would also need to plow snow from 250' driveway (possible 2-3' drifts) and also occasionally cut approx. 22 acres of old hayfields (2-3 times/yr). I'm sure the hardest thing I would ask of the tractor is to cut these fields. There are a few hills, however most of them are fairly flat. They are all grass with very little brush around the edges. Most of the grass is sparse or thin with only a few spots being thicker.
I think that something around the size/hp of a B2710 or similar would be fine for my loader & driveway needs, but I'm not sure if a tractor of that size/hp can handle cutting that much acreage. As I said before, I'm not sure of what these little diesels can really do. Any thoughts or input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Max

 

[Bird]

max, it simply depends on how fast you want to get the job done, i.e., how wide a mower do you want for those hayfields. I have a B2710 and use a 5' brush hog, and from your description of those old hayfields, you could do it in one day, but it might seem like a long hard day, or you could make two short easy days of it. And you sure won't hurt the tractor. I haven't seen your property, but you say you think the hardest thing you would ask of the tractor is the mowing, when I would have thought that would be about the easiest thing for it to do. I mowed about a 30 acre pasture last Fall that was about half level, about half on a hill, two tank dams, and then back into the edge of the woods, and it had been untouched for a year; tall, deep, and thick grass, and I fooled around for nearly 19 hours on that job, but the tractor never even showed any signs of being under a load.

Bird

 

[max]

Bird,
Thank you for your reply. It's nice to hear from someone who has experience with this size tractor to know how much it can handle. What I have been using for the fields up to this point is a 1953 Allis-Chalmers WD-45 tractor with a pull-behind 5' Woods brush hog. You're right - it takes me a good 2 days (not steady) to cut. While I plan on getting a new 5' 3-pt. brush hog in the future, I might have to make do with the old Woods IF the new tractor can handle it. The ol' Woods is about 20 years old (just rebuilt) and quite heavy - as they say, they don't build them like they used to! Like I said before, I really don't know what these little diesels can do, but it looks like I might be pleasantly surprised! Would I have any problems pulling the ol' Woods for now? Thanks again!

Max

 

[Alan L.]

I use a 5' cutter with my 2710 also and from the sound of it you could probably finish that pasture in about 12 hours or so. My mower weighs about 600 pounds and it picks it up just fine.

 

[Thomas]

Good Morning Max.
The B2710 & B2910 seem to be the best all purpose compact tractor in the Kubota line.
If you notice some dealers can't get them quick enough.
The first time mowing it will take you longer,than everytime afterwards your time will shorten.
Not to take anything away from the other models,but these B series tractor are very durable.
To add what Bird has already written,after you call it a day and park the tractor it going to be you that calls it quites not the tractor.

My driveway little longer than yours and I use a plow on my B7100,and when plowing the snow and pushing back the snow drifts I don't consider it work but fun as you will find out.

Good luck and have fun doing your home work towards your new Kubota,and jump right in and ask any questions.

Take Care.

Thomas..NH

 

[Bird]

max, I don't know what the old Woods mower weighs, but I doubt that it's heavy enough to be any problem at all to pick up with the 3-point. If it's extra ordinarily heavy, you might want the front end loader, or some other weight, on the front to keep the front end from being too light when you pick up the mower. And I know you'd have no problem with having enough PTO power to use it. If it's working right, you might just want to keep it.

Bird

 

[M. Sullivan]

Think your only limitation would be ground conddition of the field--ruttted, bumpy,..... Not sure anything in the K line priced close to the 2710 would be much different, though.

Great machines. Good luck.

 

[max]

Thanks to everyone for their input so far on this. Maybe I used the wrong term for the Woods brush hog when I said "pull behind type". Maybe a trailer type would describe it better. It is not a 3 pt type of mower - it has 2 wheels on the back & can be pulled by any sufficient tractor w/pto or even moved by a pickup or whatever(too bad my truck didn't have a pto!). I was concerned about the B2710 or similar not having enough power and pto hp to pull it easily, but I think Bird answered that one for me!
Another question - I have been looking at the "big 3"(orange, green, blue) websites and have been trying to compare specifications and can't seem to find many specs on the Kubotas. The website www.kubota.com has minimal specification info - not like the other two (i.e. pump capacity, hitch lift capacity 24" behind link ends, loader size & capacity, etc). Are there any other websites that may contain comparable or additional specs? I'm in the early stages of searching and have not visited a dealer as of yet. I did get a general brochure in the mail from Kubota, though, and it is basically the same minimal info contained on their website. Any ideas? Thanks once again!

Max

 

[W5FL]

There are a lot of Kubota specifications on the web. Search Kubota and look through them. I am sure any dealer will have brochures on the B Series and L Series. There is a seperate brochure on the loaders and a lot unsaid between green/blue/orange on what the specifications really mean. They are not apples and apples, unfortunately. Carver advertises on this site and sometimes has specs on some of the tractors and loaders. The old KTS site had good specs, but since Kubota put up their own site, the specs are not quite as easy to find. I have many of them as do others on the boards if you have specific questions. We have all done the comparisons you are doing and arrived at our own conclussions based on our intended usage. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif You won't go very wrong with any of these tractors and loaders.

There is a lot of information on this board if you use the search function and also do a search on the archives. You can probably get enough information on popular model numbers to read for several hours. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

max, I guess I was asleep at the switch and overlooked that "pull behind type." I'm not used to seeing them in that size, probably because they're more expensive to buy. If it's in good shape, you'll just want to keep that.

Like Wen said, visit a dealer and get the individual sales brochures on the different models and you'll probably find what you're looking for on the specs. The B2710 pump capacity is listed in the brochure as 9.5 gpm (the manual shows 6.4 gpm for the 3-point and 3.1 gpm for the power steering), hitch lift capacity 24" behind lift points is 1300 pounds. I have the LA401 loader with a 54" wide bucket, 18.8" length, and 20.3" height, struck capacity 6.7 cu. ft., heaped capacity 8.1 cu. ft., (60" bucket is optional), ASAE rated lift capacity of 882 pounds, maximum lift height 83.9".

Bird