Any thoughts before I buy a Kubota GR2120? Any close competitor I should consider?

[fjcruiser]

I am looking to replace my Kubota ZG23, 54" zero turn mower. I've owned the mower since new in 2007. I love the mower, but our new home location has too much slope to feel comfortable.
I mow approx. 1 1/2 acres of lawn 1-2 times a week. About 1/3 of that is too steep for the zero turn. I have mowed most of it when dry, but slightly wet and it can be a rodeo. I am in NW Oregon, so wet is pretty common.
I like the idea of diesel. Awd/fwd would be great for the slopes.

I have great local dealers for both Kubota and Deere. Here are the prices for the tractors the dealers recommended.
Kubota GR2120 54" $9100 Sound like early problems have been corrected.
Deere 758 54" $14000

At this point I'm leaning towards the Kubota GR2120. Checks most of the boxes I'm looking for and is way cheaper than the Deere.

Are there any other tractors I should consider?
How about owners of the GR2120. Any issues that would make you reconsider buying again?

Thanks in advance...

 

[atitus74]

I think question is, the price is so close to a BX what are the features most important to you and what might you need a few years into the future to help you decide between a mower and a sub compact tractor?

 

[Diggin It]

I'm not sure you'll gain much satisfaction mowing slopes with either of those. There are a few machines designed for mowing slopes. Question is, what else would you need some thing for? What other tasks might you have?

As far as comparison prices, my LS was priced out at around $17K with the loader, mower and backhoe. The base price with the mower only would have been closer to $10K.

 

[fjcruiser]

Thanks for the replies.
I have been debating in my mind if I can justify the extra price for the sub compact. I'm not sure the bigger tractor would give equal/better results mowing, but not sure. I was hoping by posting this thread I might get some opinions on that. In addition, if I bought one I'd have a hard time not getting the loader also. I own a tractor with loader already, a mid sized JD5083E. It is too large for yard work but is used everything else almost daily. I have a tiller, box scraper, rotary mower, etc. for that tractor.
I haven't looked at any other brands. There is a LS dealer about an hour from us that I should check in with. I've heard good things about them.
I did get pricing from JD and Kubota

Kubota BX2380 with loader and 54" mower: $15,640
JD 1025R with loader and 54" mower: $17,250

Buying one of the tractors above with loader would be handy at times, I'm sure. It would be a no brainer if I didn't already own the bigger one.

 

[dodge man]

I was very close to just buying a 4 wheel drive lawnmower like you are about 10 years ago. I ended up with a BX that I just recently traded in. I got about 50% of the original purchase price on the trade in. Since you already own a tractor you can probably find a nice used BX without the loader for a pretty decent price. Them not having and end loader really seems to lower the value of them. Just guessing but 5k might get a used one with no more than 500 hours on it.

 

[ratitude]

You might look at Simplicity. I too am considering a new on but I'm not sure what. I have a JD 318 which I love but would like something with a bigger deck. Not interested in a zero turn either. Don't need a loader or implements because I have a L2501.

I like the idea of the JD X700 series but if they are that much the Kubota looks pretty good.

I don't know what other brands there are which make a premium lawn and garden tractor.

 

[MHarryE]

It was a lot of money to buy the GR2120 to replace the big box store JDs I owned. Once I had it I found the lower horsepower wider deck GR2120 ate the JD alive. The short turn radius is outstanding in my tree and machinery studded yard. We have some very steep slopes my wife leaves for me - not a problem. Assembly quality is what I have come to expect from USA built Kubota product - not up to the Japanese level. Replacing fuel filters - the book says dealer must do. I did both myself and asked the dealer what I screwed up because it’s no problem. He said it’s because you need to remove a tire to access one filter and they deem that too difficult for a customer. The thought of calling AAA to change a flat on my lawn tractor boggles me - maybe that is a Georgia thing.

 

[fjcruiser]

I was very close to just buying a 4 wheel drive lawnmower like you are about 10 years ago. I ended up with a BX that I just recently traded in. I got about 50% of the original purchase price on the trade in. Since you already own a tractor you can probably find a nice used BX without the loader for a pretty decent price. Them not having and end loader really seems to lower the value of them. Just guessing but 5k might get a used one with no more than 500 hours on it.

Thanks for the feedback. I have been looking for used for some time. Most of the used tractors that pop up are getting along in age and hours or are pretty new and nearly the same as new pricing.

 

[fjcruiser]

You might look at Simplicity. I too am considering a new on but I'm not sure what. I have a JD 318 which I love but would like something with a bigger deck. Not interested in a zero turn either. Don't need a loader or implements because I have a L2501.

I like the idea of the JD X700 series but if they are that much the Kubota looks pretty good.

I don't know what other brands there are which make a premium lawn and garden tractor.

I looked up this Simplicity brand online. I didn't realize the made a 4wd lawn mower. I have never seen one locally. I looked for a local dealer. closest one to me is 100 miles away. No wonder I haven't ever seen one...

 

[fjcruiser]

It was a lot of money to buy the GR2120 to replace the big box store JDs I owned. Once I had it I found the lower horsepower wider deck GR2120 ate the JD alive. The short turn radius is outstanding in my tree and machinery studded yard. We have some very steep slopes my wife leaves for me - not a problem. Assembly quality is what I have come to expect from USA built Kubota product - not up to the Japanese level. Replacing fuel filters - the book says dealer must do. I did both myself and asked the dealer what I screwed up because it痴 no problem. He said it痴 because you need to remove a tire to access one filter and they deem that too difficult for a customer. The thought of calling AAA to change a flat on my lawn tractor boggles me - maybe that is a Georgia thing.

Glad to hear you like the GR2120 so much. I am going to a Kubota dealer tomorrow that has both the GR2120 and BX2380 in stock. Will be nice to see the 2 side by side and compare them. I'm still leaning heavily toward the GR2120.
There is an LS dealer not too far away I hope to have time to stop by as well.