Kubota Gas vs Kubota Diesel engine option

[prs]

I have the Kubota gasser. The extra HP and torque was strongly recommended to run my choice of mower, the big 7' contour. It handle it well. Here in WV I am constantly on slopes, but the limitations are for continued severe slope over long periods in same direction. If you are mowing around a sloped field it is unlikely you would be leaning the same way that severely for so long. I have certainly suffered no ill effects yet. I do not have to choke the engine once it is up to operating temp. I use fuel preservative in gas and diesel and have no problems there either. If your other equipment is gas, that should answer your question; if diesel, again your question is answered unless you worry about the power difference. The diesel members here seem quite content.

prs

 

[zmountaineer]

Kubota gas FTW! Ventracs have to be run WOT...push that lever all the way forward and you're good to go......basically useless under 3000 rpms. Put on some hearing protection and get on to tractoring.

But seriously, I've got the gasser and it's handled everything that I've thrown at it. My hills are steep and brush is thick. I've only lacked power going up a 45 degree hill mowing 3ft high grass. Just had to let off the "go" lever a little and proceeded to crawl up the slope uninhibited. I've never run the diesel but I know someone with one and he says it "seems" underpowered....I have never felt this way with mine. As "rare" as these tractors are, there are 6 within a square mile of my house. I drive by 2 working daily.....golf course and housing development. I expect my gasser to last many thousands of hours.

 

[plowhog]

I believe the 25hp diesel burns 1.1 gph and the 32hp gas burns 1.5 gph.

It's hard for me to evaluate the benefit of using/needing the extra HP and torque compared to the increased difficulty of storing gas (instead of diesel) and a higher fuel burn. The higher fuel burn to make more power is understood-- there is no free lunch of course!

I probably have an equal mix of slopes (that could benefit from horsepower) and flat areas under the canopy of trees, etc, which would not need the extra power.

 

[prs]

Dodge dealers have said for years; "it is always good to have MoPar".

Mountaineer, my 4500Z is at red line full throttle, I usually run it so that I am at 3000 to 3200 while under load.

prs

 

[zmountaineer]

Dodge dealers have said for years; "it is always good to have MoPar".

Mountaineer, my 4500Z is at red line full throttle, I usually run it so that I am at 3000 to 3200 while under load.

prs

Yeah. It sits just below redline sitting still but goes down once you start moving/engage pto. I saw someone (dealer) post a picture of the transaxle pumps in one that didn't run full throttle vs one that did and needless to say, I'm running full throttle.

I want a Ventrac one day Public Group | Facebook

 

[DoubleDeere]

Which deck you planning on running with it? I run the 60" with my 440 Steiner 25HP diesel and 68" Ventrac tough cut. The larger decks are gonna take more power to push them. How fast do you want to mow? Small tires and short wheel base limit how fast you can go on rougher terrain. Dual wheels might also rob more power, not sure I have singles with extenders on them. I like to mow fast. What was it Lee Iacocca use to say? Move over or get your butt run over. Something like that anyway. My set up does pretty good at keeping a fast pace. So when selecting the engine also consider how fast you can actually go ( terrain limited ), how fast do you want to go and deck size.

 

[plowhog]

I'm told the contour mower requires the most power. Which makes sense. I will probably only use the 68" tough cut. With dual wheels and a small lawn, using the finish cut mower might not make sense. My needs are all met with the tough cut.

I think the idea of "move over or get your butt run over" is great for street machines. That's why I have a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner 426 hemi in my garage. :laughing: But I go at moderate speed when mowing.

My slopes can probably be mowed up, turn at the top, down, turn at the bottom, and go back up. So I presume I am returning to "flat land" each time which would reset the 10 minute clock on the max time to run while on a slope?

 

[MossRoad]

I'm told the contour mower requires the most power. Which makes sense. I will probably only use the 68" tough cut. With dual wheels and a small lawn, using the finish cut mower might not make sense. My needs are all met with the tough cut.

I think the idea of "move over or get your butt run over" is great for street machines. That's why I have a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner 426 hemi in my garage. :laughing: But I go at moderate speed when mowing.

My slopes can probably be mowed up, turn at the top, down, turn at the bottom, and go back up. So I presume I am returning to "flat land" each time which would reset the 10 minute clock on the max time to run while on a slope?

So how much lawn are you thinking about mowing with this? If it's only a couple/three acres, your fuel consumption costs between gas VS diesel over the course of a year are gonna be negligible.

You had some questions about the Power Trac in the other forum, correct? When I was researching the PT, I was going back and forth between the PT422 and PT425. How much difference could 3hp make? I wanted to run the 60" mower, not the 48" mower. The factory said the 3 extra hp made a huge difference and recommended I not buy the PT422 if I wanted to run the 60" mower. I've never regretted the extra HP.

In your case, your gas VS diesel, the gas has about 25% more torque AND about 25% more horse power. If you want to spin a large mower deck you need horsepower, and if you want to keep it spinning when you hit tall grass, you need torque. You're getting more HP and more torque with the gas engine option.

 

[DoubleDeere]

I have found in my usage that the tough cut takes less power to run than the finish mower in tall grass. There is no baffling under the tough cut so it does very little if any mulching of the the grass or brush being cut. So you will not have as nice of a finish with that as you would the finish mowers. The move over or get your butt run over is what I tell my wife if she is helping me mow on our JD2025R and I am on our 790. It is a gear shift and I won't stop to drop a gear unless I have to, so she is told stay out of my way . I pretty much am at a moderate speed with the Steiner as well because of our terrain. Some of the commercial guys (understandably) like to run them all out.

 

[buickanddeere]

As previously stated this is a modern gasser operating on unleaded fuel and is probably fuel injected . The gasser will start in cold weather easier . The gasser is easier to start after it is ran out of fuel. Today’s Tier IV emissions diesel is not the low cost and reliable diesel of 20+ years ago.