Owner review of Kubota B2920 v. Deere 2320

[dodge man]

The urge is to push the pedal down on a HST when it starts to stall but this gears it up which is the wrong way. When it starts to slow down you need to let up on the pedal. You should probably gear down to the med. range. I know this isn't what you want to hear but it is what it is.

 

[licoln]

Thanks for the input. I do understand that. I have been using Kubota hydro-static tractors for over 20 years. The problem with the B2920 is that the tractor slows down but the engine does not. The tranny just bypasses. I have to push real hard on the peddle to get the engine to slow down. Yes I could shift down. What it comes down to is that my 24hp can out work the 29hp. Both tractors are b series Kubota. Close to same Physical size. Identical tires. I had expected 29hp to do more than 24hp. I thought that was a reasonable expectation. If I was using the PTO to power something I would likely see the extra power but the tranny is not putting the extra power down to the tires where I need it. I had demo'ed a b2320 and found the tranny acted similarly. I assume its the design of the three speed hydrostatic. For my situation the old tranny works a lot better. I would check out John Deere but I use these tractors on the upstairs floor in our barns and the Kubota is already maxing out the floor capacity (and then some) and the John Deere is even heavier.

 

[s219]

We run both our tractors in high range.

The b2920 required a lot more foot pressure on the peddle and eventually quit moving.

(right leg gets tired from pushing hard for hours on end)

Do not press harder on the pedal, that is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. That raises the gear ratio even higher and makes the problem even worse.

It sounds like you think the 7610 is working correctly, but I bet the HST is shrieking loudly on it, which means you're in too high of a range or pressing too far on the pedal. In the same situation, the 2920 is simply opening a relief valve to prevent overheating of the fluid and damage.

High gear is for transporting the tractor at high speed. Low resistance ground engaging work and pulling can be done in medium. Low gear is for intense ground engaging work and pulling. The user manual should mention this. High gear is not intended for ground engaging work or pulling, it's really just for transport.

I think you're simply using the HST wrong, both in the range selected, and the fact that you're pressing the pedal down more when you should be backing off. The 7610 is letting you get away with it, but I bet the HST is shrieking loudly and you're borderline cooking the fluid and asking for trouble. The 2920 is going into relief/bypass to prevent problems. Anytime the HST shrieks, it means you need to back off on the pedal or lower the gear range.

I'd almost suggest you should have a gear tractor, but you'd likely find that a high range fixed gear would not have enough grunt and you'd need to downshift to a lower gear. Which is exactly what the 2920's HST is trying to tell you. A gear tractor would begin to bog down or stall the engine when in too high of a gear. But on an HST, which is just a pump, you'll either cook the fluid or trigger a bypass relief. The fluid cannot really transfer the load between the wheels and the engine in a way that would cause a stall -- it will shear/slip first. (similar to a torque converter on an automatic transmission).

 

[licoln]

The B7610 is working correctly. The HST is not shrieking loudly. Just putting power to the wheels while requiring little pedal pressure. Not at all like a torque converter. More like a variable displacement pump running an hydraulic motor. If I were to ignore the engine rpm I can easily stall the engine with too much pedal pressure.(which I don't)

A little background on me. My two sons and I farm broiler chickens together. We clean our barns every 8 weeks moving over 500 tons of litter. The b7610 moves about 200 tons of that. It cleans all the second floors on our two story barns.
I have been operating tractors since I was 10. Was raised on a Dairy operation. I Have thousands of hours experience operating Hst and other tractors. I currently own 6 HST tractors. Three of them Kubotas. Three John Deeres. I've owned my own farms for over 25 years. Currently I own 4 farms. We load our trucks with a M9000 and a M8540. That is all to say I have a pretty good idea on how to operate a tractor. Have never cooked an HST yet. We really like the B7610 and it gets used a lot. When I saw a sale price on a new B2920 I thought it would be a chance to get a backup tractor for the b7610 and upgrade in power as a bonus.
What you say describes the B2920. Shrieking HST telling me to shift down and go slower. Like a variable displacement pump that bypasses a lot of fluid. The Kubota rep confirmed that this design has bigger clearances and more fluid bypassing. To me more hp should translate to more tons moved an hour.
Here is the main point I was trying to make. In this case the 29hp moves less tons per hour than the 24hp. Regardless of gear selection. Not what I was looking for.
It looks like the b7610 will have to work for a few thousand more hours until someone makes a model that works as well and doesn't weigh more. (second floor in two story barns can't handle more weight)

 

[dodge man]

I wonder what the size of the engines is, I'm talking displacement not power. They might be similar in size. The older tractor may make as much torque as the newer one but less horsepower.

 

[RG1]

The B7610 is working correctly. The HST is not shrieking loudly. Just putting power to the wheels while requiring little pedal pressure. Not at all like a torque converter. More like a variable displacement pump running an hydraulic motor. If I were to ignore the engine rpm I can easily stall the engine with too much pedal pressure.(which I don't)

A little background on me. My two sons and I farm broiler chickens together. We clean our barns every 8 weeks moving over 500 tons of litter. The b7610 moves about 200 tons of that. It cleans all the second floors on our two story barns.
I have been operating tractors since I was 10. Was raised on a Dairy operation. I Have thousands of hours experience operating Hst and other tractors. I currently own 6 HST tractors. Three of them Kubotas. Three John Deeres. I've owned my own farms for over 25 years. Currently I own 4 farms. We load our trucks with a M9000 and a M8540. That is all to say I have a pretty good idea on how to operate a tractor. Have never cooked an HST yet. We really like the B7610 and it gets used a lot. When I saw a sale price on a new B2920 I thought it would be a chance to get a backup tractor for the b7610 and upgrade in power as a bonus.
What you say describes the B2920. Shrieking HST telling me to shift down and go slower. Like a variable displacement pump that bypasses a lot of fluid. The Kubota rep confirmed that this design has bigger clearances and more fluid bypassing. To me more hp should translate to more tons moved an hour.
Here is the main point I was trying to make. In this case the 29hp moves less tons per hour than the 24hp. Regardless of gear selection. Not what I was looking for.
It looks like the b7610 will have to work for a few thousand more hours until someone makes a model that works as well and doesn't weigh more. (second floor in two story barns can't handle more weight)

Sounds like what you really needed was a nice, clean B7810 instead of the 2920.

How much slower in middle range is the 2920 compared to the 7610 in high range? Not close? Close?

 

[pinetree10]

Great comparison. I often wish I knew a guy with another brand of tractor in a size similar to mine so I could try it out and see how different it feels compared to what I have. I really like what I bought but I find myself wondering just how different these other top brands operate, particularly the ones that are heavier or that use the treadle. One thing is for sure though, I would never recommend buying a tractor without putting some serious thought into what I was going to use it for and making sure I got the right weight and HP.

Congratulations on your tractor.

 

[skeeterbug]

I know this is an old thread but would the three 3 cylinder of the B2920 vs a four 4 cylinder B7610 make any difference?

 

[oldballs]

Generally speaking a 4 banger is smoother than a three banger......but in specific models that may not be true and other variables might be of more concern.:2cents:

 

[s219]

Generally speaking a 4 banger is smoother than a three banger......but in specific models that may not be true and other variables might be of more concern.:2cents:

It's the other way around -- inline threes are inherently better balanced than inline fours. I hope we don't have to rehash the whole thing again. It's all online if someone wants to google "engine balance".