Kubota F series

[Scooby074]

The one place this is not true is a yard with multiple 20 to 30 degree plus slopes like mine. I've had several with a zero turn try to mow mine while I was out of town and they all say the same, how do you mow this? My response is that I do it with my ear phones on and just go to it. The 4 wheel drive and torque of the diesel make it a breeze. I wouldn't even try it with another mower. It is so stable you forget you are on a hill side. I have a few that would make your butt pucker the first few times - once you have experienced it you have trouble controlling your speed. I would agree with your statement however - in most cases a zero turn would likely equal it - with the exception being hills and longevity. These things with 5-8000 hours are not unheard of. I'll bet not too many zero turns can claim that.

Oh yes, slopes are the exception to the rule.

On F's getting 5000h+ , well they are a 100% commercial machine, not a homeowner unit, a better comparison regarding longevity would be to the upper ZD's like the ZD331 which shares an engine with the F3080. My brother runs a couple ZD's and they have several thousand hours with no issues.8-10 hrs a day, every day. Its pretty much expected on commercial grade machines. Id expect the same lifespan out of the Deere equivalent models 14xx and 15xx. Anything in these classes, the ZD,F and 14xx is very far beyond your typical homeowner machine in strength and lifespan. And cost.. cant forget that

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Oh yes, slopes are the exception to the rule. And cost.. cant forget that

And, the ands can go on. These are not the only 2 ands.
My opinion comes from over 4 years of use, operating and maintaining 3 Fs and currently still own 2 of them. My actual ownership and usage experience is on slopes, steep slopes and flat congested rental units with toys, A/C units, porches, drive ways and other hidden objects waiting to attack my blades and the limestone on my residential acreage.
Time spent to maintain is no comparison or another exception to the rule.
Effort to maintain is another exception to the rule
Reach of the front deck under trees, shrubs, buildings, etc. Another exception to the rule.
I could keep going but owning a product and using it and having actual experience is different than knowing someone that does or reading about it.
Just sayin.
I agree that a zero turn can turn in a tighter circle but other than that there is no other way that it's "better" or than an F or as good as or I'd have zero turns especially since they are cheaper than Fs.
I ocassionally hear the Zs are faster. Not according to Kubota. The F has a faster top speed but neither one can mow or no one can stay on one to mow at the top speed. Is one race car driver faster than another? Appears so. Can a fast experienced z turn operater beat a novice F mower? Should!
Just different league machines and price alone tells it. But I've got more than price in the F decision making side, I have actual hands /butt on experience.
I say buy the best you can afford if it's something your going to actually use and not just put up in the garage. Throughout history people have tried to justify buying the cheaper item and telling themselves it's just as good as the more expensive one. My experience has me convinced that it's just not true, usually/mostly and almost absolutely not true for something that's going to be used real often under sometimes hard conditions.
Flat 1/4 acre lot with no trees, shrubs, extending porches.......get a zero turn. You will have made the right decision and saved a lot of money. Maybe even get a gas model and save more at the front end.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Forum double posting. Deleting the repete post.

 

[Rip]

To JCCummins or others if you are still 'on-the-fence', JohnT and others helped me decide on a used ex-municipal F-2880 4x4 with 1500+ hrs and a 60" deck for our 4+ acres in Tasmania which is about 25% flat, 50% at 25 deg and the rest upwards of 35 +/- deg. All I needed was a great mower and this machine handles it all !

For less 'pucker-factor' I did add 3" wheel spacers to the main wheels and also fluid-filled them for even better stability and traction, but it did great stock. (I am going to add about 100lbs of rear counter-weight though) This unit had been heavily used but reasonably maintained (except cosmetic) and I have had no trouble with it in nearly 6 months I have had it. Would absolutely do it again.

By the way, for those thinking of using a snowblower on these models in winter.......plan on an enclosed cab of some sort or you will become more of a likeness to Frosty-the-Snowman than you may wish! I have another open-station tractor with a blower and I am very selective as to when I venture out on it (with full snowmobile suit, baklava, goggles, etc.)

I have been off the forum for a bit and have not read all the way through, so much of this may have already been said. F-Series are GREAT mowers though.....consider well-maintained used for reasonable $$ though. Many commercial operators sell or trade them in after 3 to 4 years and they would still have many years & hours life in them.

 

[osu s2k]

Cant say enough good things about the f series, we have had an f2260 with 5 foot deck since 2009, just upgraded to the 3680 with 6 foot deck, never had any problems just needed a bit more size for our property. I will be listing it up on ebay

 

[Xfaxman]

Cant say enough good things about the f series, we have had an f2260 with 5 foot deck since 2009, just upgraded to the 3680 with 6 foot deck, never had any problems just needed a bit more size for our property. I will be listing it up on ebay

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[JOHNTHOMAS]

Cant say enough good things about the f series, we have had an f2260 with 5 foot deck since 2009, just upgraded to the 3680 with 6 foot deck, never had any problems just needed a bit more size for our property. I will be listing it up on ebay

Ist your F2260 a 2wd or 4wd? How many hours, where is it located and how much you expecting to get for it?

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Started with a F2680e 2wd 60" rear discharge deck 5 years ago that I used for flat rental property that I mow when the grass gets high enough to know where I've mowed with no doubt. I mow about half as often as most people. I bought a F3080 4wd 72" rear discharge deck a couple of years later for mowing my hillside home 4 acres mowing area. Last year I traded the F2680e 2wd 60" rd deck with 130 hours to Barlows for a new F3080 4wd 72" side discharge deck. A few weeks ago I sold the 3 year old F3080 and Barlows had sold the F2680 with 60" deck but had bought it back and my buyer wanted a 60" deck instead of the 72" side discharge deck soooo Barlows traded decks and delivered the F3080 to NC for the buyer. That leaves me with a near new F3080 with a 72" rear discharge deck for home hillside use and without a mower for rental property.
Not wanting to be resistant to change I tried a Z331 and it just isn't what's happening. I prefer the deck out in front of me, not under me and I prefer a steering wheel over 2 levers to push and pull to change directions. I also talked to Steve Barlow and the Kubota Reg Rep was at Barlows and they both told me the Z isn't for people that mow on the long schedule like me. They said the Z is for regular 2" cutters not 5" to 7" mowers like me. I did cut some higher grass with the Z331 and it really slowed down which doesn't happen with the Fs so the Z would be much slower in high grass than an F.
Anyway I've bought the F2680e back with 150 hours now on it plus the 72" side discharge deck with 35 hours on it. I don't like the side discharge deck but that's what it now has. It also has 2 new bar tires plus the original turf tires on the side. I'll try the bar tires but may offer them up for sale and put the turfs back on it.
I can now say I've tried a zero turn and Fs and I prefer the Fs and why and the short comings of the z vs the F from some experience. The ZD331 I tried was a trade in from a Tn man that had one F already and traded the ZD331 to another F so guess he to prefers the Fs over the Zs and with experience using both machines.
Lots of people believe what they have is better than what other people have and some times it's true and some times it's not. Some times they haven't tried both or several options and if they have then they may change their minds.
If I were a commercial mower doing small yards on a weekly basis and driving around with a mower on a trailer, loading and unloading every hour or so I'd maybe buy a Z or if I had a flat 1/4 acre "lawn" I might buy a cheaper Z but not with the size and frequency (or lack of frequency) that I mow.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My new old 150 hour F2680e with 2 sets of tires and an almost new 72" side discharge deck returned home yesterday afternoon all shined up from Barlows.:cool2:

 

[Dan W]

John, how much counter wight do you have installed on the rear, or did your dealer add any

Dan