Not sure why you eliminated the zero turn. I have a B2710 and a Toro ZTR, I'd take the ZTR any day of the week for speed, maneuverability, quality of cut and lower initial cost. The B2710 has a few advantages. On really rough ground where you would shake yourself to pieces on the ZTR it's a little more comfortable but not much. It can also mow much higher if you use a bush hog. I mow the pasture at about 10" to keep the grass healthy, finish mowers won't cut that high. And obviously the B2710 can do many other things, but you already have two tractors to do those things.
B2320 Gear vs HST for Mowing
- Thread starter SanDucerro
- Start date
- Views: 11468
-
- Tags
- kubota b2320
OP
SanDucerro
Gold Member
My thoughts on this were two fold. First - my L3130 weighs quite a bit more than the B series. Right now we only have native grass in the yard so it's not - by any stretch of the imagination - "delicate" (heck - I think of it more as just weeds, but they are green and look OK when mowed). When I've used the L3130 and the Bush Hog on the "yard" it always leaves tracks - more so from the Bush Hog than the tractor, but I'm getting tire marks as well from the R4's. In another post I read a suggestion this might have occurred if the tractor was in 4WD and I should make sure to be in 2WD when "mowing yard grass". Our plans are to replace the native grasses with St Augustine this year and to shrink the yard down to a more manageble size. It's currently about 7 tenths of an acre of fenced in area. We're going to pull the front fence in about 30 feet and put a side road to the back pasture along the left side. There will also be a rather large garden in back. Once we've "shrunk" the yard I'm not sure the L3130 would "fit" as well.
Second - I looked to see if I could find prices on a MMM deck for the L3130 and I could not. The newest versions of the L series don't even offer the MMM option any longer. But, making a best guess I figured the MMM to be around $3000 if - and that's a BIG if - I could find one. I'd then need to swap out the wheels and tires for Turf and my best guess here was $2000 (and that might be low). So I figure I'd have $5000 in parts to keep using the L3130 as my new lawn mower. That seemed a bit high.
OP
SanDucerro
Gold Member
I looked HARD at Zero Turns, but came to the conclusion the B2320 could do more than just mow - as such it would have other uses around the farm. We plan on shrinking the "yard" around the house and laying down St Augustine so it's easier to manage. Once that's done I could probably get away with a small riding mower - wouldn't even need a zero turn. But, I also have 5 acres of vineyard and another 5 that will be winery grounds by the end of the year. So that kicks any small riding lawn mower to the curb and brings us back to a zero turn.
I'd like to stay with a Kubota, so I did my due diligence on the zero turns they offer. I looked hard at the ZD323 since it's the low end (price wise) diesel Kubota offers - it came in at a MSRP of $13,873. That's a load of change for a dedicated lawn mower. For $600 more I could go to the B2320 Gear tractor (MSRP $14,415) and gain functionality that would allow me to use the "mower" in the vineyard as well. Which is why I started this thread in the first place.... Of course we're now looking at going to HST so the numbers change a bit (B2320 HST at MSRP $16,130).
I think what sealed the deal for me on the B2320 over the Zero Turn is that the B2320 is available at 0% for 60 months while the Zero Turn tops out at 48 months. I'm all for free money... :thumbsup:
Gary Fowler
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2008
- Messages
- 11,917
- Location
- Bismarck Arkansas
- Tractor
- 2009 Kubota RTV 900, 2009 Kubota B26 TLB & 2010 model LS P7010
Is the money truly free or is the interest just hidden in the pricing. Most times there is a monetary increase in price for the 0% interest that may or may not be better to get financing at alternate places. Check that out for true pricing for "cash" vs 0% financing deals. A good dealer will tell you if there is hidden charges in the 0 financing.
OP
SanDucerro
Gold Member
Oh I'm 100% positive the interest is hidden in the pricing, but I've got a good dealer who generally offers an excellent discount from MSRP. "Free" money is an oxymoron anyway - ain't nuthin' free... But it is nice to simply divide the price by the number of months to get the payment.
Besides, as an "older" dude I can recall when a good interest rate was 18%. And based on that - yes, 0% is free money. :laughing:
Besides, as an "older" dude I can recall when a good interest rate was 18%. And based on that - yes, 0% is free money. :laughing:
bandaidmd
Platinum Member
Anyone who finally tries one of those "funny looking" zero turns for mowing grass will wish they hadn't waited so long.
On any piece of equipment that relies on the pto speed to be relatively constant HST so many plusses its hard to find a negative. I can adjust my ground speed instantly when mowing with the hst but with a gear tractor it involves clutching and shifting waiting for the mower to spin back up...uggh
On any piece of equipment that relies on the pto speed to be relatively constant HST so many plusses its hard to find a negative. I can adjust my ground speed instantly when mowing with the hst but with a gear tractor it involves clutching and shifting waiting for the mower to spin back up...uggh
walker450
Platinum Member
I vote HST for obvious reasons. I believe it is worth every penny.
If you are still worried about the durability of Hydrostatic transmissions in general (I was also), remember that large dozers are now using hydro transmission and large combines have used them for many years now. They are a proven system.
If you are still worried about the durability of Hydrostatic transmissions in general (I was also), remember that large dozers are now using hydro transmission and large combines have used them for many years now. They are a proven system.
OP
SanDucerro
Gold Member
That was never the question. My L3130 has HST and it's flawless. The cost difference was the question - if it was worth the extra for a situation in which I would not be shifting that much to begin with... I love HST, but I like my HydroShuttle in the M7040 just as well. Most of the mowing I'll be doing is the same exact runs I currently use the Bush Hog on. When the Bush Hog was attached to the geared M7040 I had no issues, but I'd NEVER put the M7040 on the house lawn - that would be just nasty!
Bluegill2
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 1,876
- Location
- Success Missouri
- Tractor
- Kubota L3800DT, L3750DT Shuttle
I want a tractor for tractor work & a lawn mower to cut the yard. HST is OK for a lawn mower, but I don't wan it for tractor work.
Recoveryhill
Gold Member
What's "tractor work" in your book? I'd probably go geared were I plowing 40 acres but would find it hard to get to love with the "tractor work" I do which includes bush hogging pasture and roadsides along a half mile of unpaved mountain roads, use of a grader blade and box blade with rippers to repair washouts in very tough clay/rock roadbeds, pulling four inch diameter trash trees out of the ground and more. The ability to maintain a proper RPM/Torque while feathering the go pedal is just the cat's meow. Sure it whines a touch but so does my g-friend and I love them both.
