Test Drove a New B2650 Today

[CHDinCT]

Like the title says, I was at my dealers today and was looking at a new B2650 cab tractor they had on the lot when the salesman came out. He asked me if I wanted to take it for a test drive and, of course,I couldn't say no. He opened it up and started it for me then said, take your time and give it a good drive, then he headed into the office. Truthfully, I think he was busy with other stuff, but I did appreciate the trust he showed me.

Anyway, this was my first cab tractor experience, and I was quite surprised at how loudly it whined. Kept checking to make sure the breaks were off. Tried L, M and H and it whined bad in every range compared to my BX25, which I thought whined a bit under load, but nothing like this B2650. Just thought I'd check with any current owners or others that have tested one to see if this is normal, or maybe something was not right with the one I drove?? By the way, I'm not seriously looking to buy this tractor, at least now, but if I were, I'd have a hard time accepting how much it whined.

 

[ericdube]

Anyway, this was my first cab tractor experience, and I was quite surprised at how loudly it whined. Kept checking to make sure the breaks were off. Tried L, M and H and it whined bad in every range compared to my BX25, which I thought whined a bit under load, but nothing like this B2650. Just thought I'd check with any current owners or others that have tested one to see if this is normal, or maybe something was not right with the one I drove?? By the way, I'm not seriously looking to buy this tractor, at least now, but if I were, I'd have a hard time accepting how much it whined.

Maybe it's just me, but I've driven both the BX and B2x20 series and found the whine of the hydro to be equally as noisy. While I'm sure there will be some folks who disagree, I'd be hard pressed to point to one hydro being noisier than the other in a blindfold test. With this class of Kubota tractors, it just seems to be commonplace. It's not until you move up to the L-series that you end up with a much quieter hydro.

Having said that, I still found the noise of the hydro in the B2650 cab that I drove at the dealer to be less noticeable due to the sound deadening on the new cab design than the open platform B2620 I use to own. In either case, there wasn't a ton of a difference if you wanted a really quiet cab environment until you moved up to the Grand L series.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[CHDinCT]

Having said that, I still found the noise of the hydro in the B2650 cab that I drove at the dealer to be less noticeable due to the sound deadening on the new cab design than the open platform B2620 I use to own. In either case, there wasn't a ton of a difference if you wanted a really quiet cab environment until you moved up to the Grand L series.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

ericdube, not really deciding at this point, was just going for a test drive. I was expecting what you said, noticeably less hydro whine on the new 2650 cab tractor. It was much worse than my BX25. That's why I'm thinking something was not right with this machine. I can't see how the whine on that machine would pass muster with many potential customers. Since the dealer's an hour away, it's not likely I'll be going back soon to check it out again. Too bad the salesman wasn't around to hear what I heard. I did mention it to him and he just said they all the small Kubota's whine some. Maybe the breaks were stuck, but I checked 3 times to ensure they were off.

 

[bumperm]

First post.

I currently have a BX2230 w/front mount snowblower. Considering upgrading to the B3350 (when it's finally available) to avoid the abominable snowman effect of cab-less blowing. Also will add a backhoe that I sorely miss from my previous larger Kubota.

Could it be that the sound attenuation of the engine noise, due to the cab, tends to accentuate the hydro whine? I think you'd need a sound meter to know for sure, as the human ear doesn't do a very good job of quantifying sound levels, like the hydro whine, with and without a loud "competing" sound. i.e. when in a really noisy environment, the brain turns the overall gain down some so with a lot of engine noise the hydro whine will seem less.

bumper

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Point to ponder. Masybe with BX25 with no cab your hearing the engine running as well as other sounds of the environment along with the HST whine which comes with the BXs. Add a cab and you may block out most of the engine exhaust and engine running sounds as well as environmental sounds. The high frequency sounds of the HST whine which is located under you may be getting into the cab so makes it sound or seems to sound louder.
Prove it with sound meter at the different frequencies or remove the cab from the new one or add the cab to your BX25.
All HSTs I've owned have a whine which gets louder or lower depending on speed and gear chosen.
I have a Subaru Sport, my second one, that has the roof racks that make no noise whatsoever with the windows down. Absolutely can not hear any wind noise at any speed with windows down but roll the windows up and both of the ones that I've owned have noticeable wind noise.
:2cents:

 

[CHDinCT]

First post.

I currently have a BX2230 w/front mount snowblower. Considering upgrading to the B3350 (when it's finally available) to avoid the abominable snowman effect of cab-less blowing. Also will add a backhoe that I sorely miss from my previous larger Kubota.

Could it be that the sound attenuation of the engine noise, due to the cab, tends to accentuate the hydro whine? I think you'd need a sound meter to know for sure, as the human ear doesn't do a very good job of quantifying sound levels, like the hydro whine, with and without a loud "competing" sound. i.e. when in a really noisy environment, the brain turns the overall gain down some so with a lot of engine noise the hydro whine will seem less.

bumper

bumperm, welcome to TBN. Hard for me to say that the sound is really the same as my BX25 but that I just notice the whine more since most other sounds are attenuated by the cab. I think I'd have to drive a few different HST cab models to know for sure, but I can tell you that I really thought/think something was wrong with that particular machine the whine was so loud. I can tell you I would NOT buy that particular unit based on my test drive. I don't know what is normal for that model yet. I posted my experience to see what other B2650 owners would say, but apparently, there aren't too many yet since none responded. It was too bad the salesman went back inside otherwise he might have been able to tell me the tractor whine was normal or not. Like I said, I kept thinking the brakes were still on but no amount of attempted "disengagement" changed anything. Please post back when you have a chance to run either a B2650 or 3350.

 

[94BULLITT]

Could it be that the sound attenuation of the engine noise, due to the cab, tends to accentuate the hydro whine? I think you'd need a sound meter to know for sure, as the human ear doesn't do a very good job of quantifying sound levels, like the hydro whine, with and without a loud "competing" sound. i.e. when in a really noisy environment, the brain turns the overall gain down some so with a lot of engine noise the hydro whine will seem less.

bumper

I think that is it.

 

[bumperm]

I've been calling around trying to find a close dealer with a B2650 to look at (before I order a B3350 :c). Nearest is 250 miles as the small airplane flies in either direction (Elko, NV or Arcata, CA) - - I'm just east of S.Lake Tahoe.

One dealer told me there's a Kubota warehouse with a B2650 in Lodi, CA (only 100 miles). I heard most of the staff is in Memphis for a dealer show and tell, so I'd have to wait 'till next week in any case. They may let me walk around and look but I doubt they have the warehoused tractors all prepped for a driving demo. Maybe it's worth flying over to Elko.

Hope the local dealer comes back with good news about B3350 availability.

bumper

 

[Gator6x4]

Several people have posted on the increased and noticeable hydro whine in the small cabbed units, all brands.

 

[ike]

Several people have posted on the increased and noticeable hydro whine in the small cabbed units, all brands.

Hydro whine on newer units is a major reason I wont part with my 2005 bx1500 that has 260 hrs. It has no whine whatsoever!!