What was Kubota thinking?

REDD · Mar 6, 2007

I can't figure out why Kubota put the brake pedals on my B3030 on the same (right-hand) side of the tractor as the foot operated direction pedal. I can them saying "if you're braking you have no need to also make it go", but what about those times when you want to use one of the brakes to spin the tractor tighter through a turn? I tried that once, having both legs off to right with my feet doing do different things at once, and it was cumbersome as all heck. It musta looked to a bystander like I was either having a seizure or I had to go to the bathroom. My brother's JD is not set up this way. Luckily, I haven't really a need to have to use both feet at once a lot, but you'd think it would have been just as easy to put the brakes on the left-hand side.

Anybody have any ideas why the tractor is made this way? Are all Kubota models this way?

alchemysa · Mar 6, 2007

My B1550 HST is about 20 years old and its the same set-up as you describe. Fortunately my block is flat!

wushaw · Mar 6, 2007

The cruse control handle is to be used when you want to use directional braking

duber34 · Mar 6, 2007

Maybe if you set the cruise and then use one foot to brake steer?

Regards,
Duber

Sully2 · Mar 6, 2007

All I know is that 2 montsh ago I was wth a friend as he was tractor shopping....and he tried out a JD that had the brake on the LEFT side. He said there was no way in H*** he'd ever get used to that setup...and he wanted a JD in the worst way.

He's "big time" on that deal of lock a brake and spin the tractor...and he ended up getting a 5030 HST and using the cruise is what he was told to do...??

Im not in that big of a hurry..I can turn around instead...

Stef · Mar 6, 2007

Japenese have two right foot! That's the reason why there's no PTO clutch on the left side either. I tried the cruise control with the left-right break and I didn't find that operation very safe so I don't use it.

I'm a bit disappointed about that setup. They could have put the breaks or the PTO clutch on that left side. Ok, it's easier to get on and off the tractor but I'd had like a fonction for the left foot either clutch or break.

Nice tractor nonetheless but IMHO the mix "break-cruise control" isn't very safe.

AndyMA · Mar 6, 2007

Sully2 said:
All I know is that 2 montsh ago I was wth a friend as he was tractor shopping....and he tried out a JD that had the brake on the LEFT side. He said there was no way in H*** he'd ever get used to that setup...and he wanted a JD in the worst way.

Personally I think putting the brake on the left side is very dangerous as just about every vehicle we drive has it on the right side. We are programmed from the time we elarn to drive to expect the brake on the right side. In an emergency people would tend to jab at the pedal they expect to be the brake.

As we've seen recently with the inability to keep the pto running when you leave the seat some John Deere's have serious safety related usability issues.

Andy

Timber · Mar 6, 2007

LOL they are not steering brakes like the cutter brakes on a sand rail. Remember it is a tractor not a race rail. 2 wheel drive tractors use this set up to pull aggressively. Older tractors were gear driven with a hand throttle. you had the clutch on the left side and on the right a left and right wheel break peddle.You had 3 forward gears and 1 reverse and nothing else. Lets say your pulling a stump you would throttle up and use the clutch and alternate the braking to work your stump or what ever. Now lets say your working a large food plot and your turning your soil. your plow has bitten in and your running say 2 + acres in front of you, your front is light the plow is in deep and you have good momentum and she starts to drift so you use corrective braking. These are standard features on a tractor. If you a commercial AG farmer you would have a use for this feature. Most people have no use for individual wheel breaking. Basically it is for controlling drift with a back end attachment under a load. When your running furrows in a field it is pretty useful. It has no use for cutting your lawn. Your hydrostatic peddle is not your throttle. The throttle is still on the steering Column as it has always been since the before the model T

mikeyd · Mar 6, 2007

my 5030 is set up same way. Drives me nuts. As far as using the cruise with the brake, I find that to be unsafe, especially when plowing snow around cars , buildings etc. I just cross my left foot over to the brake pedals, luckily with the 5030 there is enough room. In an otherwise well thought out super tractor, this is one area where it could be better.