B2601 for a smaller piece of land

[noose]

Back to the forums for some advice. I have a Kubota L4701 with some heavy duty attachments that I use on my 60 acres. It is a mix of pasture, scrub, and heavy trees. I must say it is a real workhorse.

Fast forward to today and I'm buying another property. This one is 4.7 acres. It is heavily wooded and there's no way I'm getting my 4701 and shredder on there. Of the 4.7, probably 2/3 is heavy oaks and junipers with lots of tight spaces.

I'm trying to figure out the best small tractor to primarily mow down weeds, scrub, and tiny saplings and do some light FEL work and box blade work. I'm seriously considering a B2601 but haven't found one in stock to try.

My requirements are:

-Mowing about an acre on a regular basis. Mowing another 2ish acres in the spring and fall to keep it under control. It's all scrub and nothing heavy.
-FEL for gravel to patch roads/driveways
-Box blade to cut a trail through the property and cut some swales for proper drainage
-LOTS of trash and rubbish pickup with a grapple
-LOTS of fence post digging with an auger

While I will have to mow some pretty heavy brush, it will be a one-time thing. Once gone, I'll maintain it. That brings me to a few questions:

With the 60" belly mower, what's the max punishment it can take? 1/4" twigs? Maybe 3/8". I'll get out and sawzall anything big and toss it aside but there's a lot of vines and health-sized weeds... I'd like to know how much punishment the belly mower can take and hopefully skip the hog.

Is that B series going to be too big for tight spaces? The BX series seems so small... I'm trying to get the best of both worlds. A tractor with some decent capability and in a maneuverable compact package.

The lift capacity of the FEL on the B2601 is just short of 1K. I have a BGR mini grapple that weighs in at about 450. Can I use it on that B2601 for light duty work - i.e. pick up trash, small rocks, chopped up chucks of smaller trees, etc.? I'll have a box blade for ballast but may need a bit more back there.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I have a B 2320 on my 5 acres at my cabin. No mower deck, but it does have a fel and a 5 ft landplane I use for the road. I don't think the mower would be good for anything but grass. The fel is pretty good and quite fast. Unfortunately for me, it is the only hst tractor I have, and I hate it for that reason alone.

 

[jeff9366]

BX has only 9" of ground clearance. Not enough ground clearance to cross downed branches and depressions in the land.

Ground clearance with a MMM is only 3". Belly mower are only for FLAT turf. The blades are too light and a designed to lift grass. The right tool is a Rotary Cutter AKA Bush Hog, one brand of Rotary Cutter.

A "B" might do it. Have you considered an L2501? Weight is your friend for the tasks you have enumerated.



Consider a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment for tearing out brush. Corrals brush well. Good for light grading.

VIDEO: ratchet rake brush clearing - YouTube



Personally, I would buy a HD Rotary Mower with a Category 4 drive line, such as the Land Pride RCR2660, for the L4701 and have at it. The blades on RCR2660 are 1" thick X 4" broad. Buy a pro quality chainsaw and thin the trees to 6' spacing.

Why tie up money in a light tractor and light implements for the tough tasks you have specified? My L3560 is the same physical size as the L4701. I work in mixed woodland every day. I do a lot of thinning. Better fewer trees but healthy trees.

How many engine hours have you put on the L4701?

I have a Kubota L4701 with some heavy duty attachments that I use on my 60 acres.

Inform us of all the attachments/resources you have for your L4701 and handheld equipment relevant to primping your new property.

You need to enter the L4701 in your T-B-N PROFILE to it shows with every post. You will receive replies more germane to your situation if you list your approximate location: ie: northern Texas or whatever.

 

[radios1]

it's going to be a lot of work to maintain 2 properties, but why not just make a path for your L4701 so you don't have to use 2 tractors??.. odd that the L4701 can't fit there.. take some trees down!.. you might need the L4701 for some jobs on the second, small, property!.. the LA765 loader, is rated to lift 1684 LBS. not a great deal, but you really shouldn't go for something less, since you'll be taking down a LOT of trees!.. 2/3 of 4.7 acres is a lot of dangerous trees!. they do die, and some lose branches that can kill someone easily.. I've seen how far into the dirt a branch falling from a 60 foot height from an oak tree goes, 1 foot!.. and some whole trees will be rotted in the center, and you'll find them after a good wind, or snow..

 

[terryknight]

I won't comment on whether or not you get a second tractor. I will say that if you are looking at the b2601 look at the b2650 you get a lot more for ~1200 more. that's the way i went when i got a small second tractor

 

[majorwager]

O p
It is NOT necessary to modify your avitar and jeffy has no authority to direct you to do so.. There is no empirical data supporting response quantity based upon avatar composition.

Though the L3560 may be close in weight to l4701, the 3560 appears a dwarf sitting along site w/ its' little tractor tire size.

 

[noose]

You guys are harsh, lol. First, I won't be ferrying my L4701 back and forth between properties that are 1.5 hours apart. My truck and trailer combo are barely up to the task and I'll need it at both places regularly. Time is a very valuable asset. Much like land, there's only so much and you can't make more. The 5 acres will be my permanent home. The 60 my hunting and such.

I found a new B2601 in stock to look at and while it's nowhere near as big as the L4701, it's most certainly no "BX".

NOTE: I don't cut down trees. I work around them unless absolutely necessary -- i.e. they are dying or a threat to nearby others, structures, power, etc. This property is filled with live and post oak, pecan, juniper, persimmon, fig, cacti, and so on. Therefore I need to not be a bull in a china shop.

Lastly, I'll take a look at B2650. I've heard several times the money difference isn't much but the tractor is a noticeable step up.

 

[art]

Kubota's mower decks start off at 6" ground clearance and with the heavy duty drive belt you can easily run over 3/8 diameter stock with no problem.

 

[Stubee]

I use a B2320 with FEL, 4’ rotary cutter & back blade to do most of what you’re talking about (no grapple). After long consideration I left the R4s unloaded because it’s mostly in the woods a long way from my truck & trailer and I didn’t want to mess with a punctured loaded tire. After 5-6 years I’m very happy with it. It will scramble most places that I took my ATV into as long as it’s not too wet. It’s a great woods machine.

I’ve filled my loader plenty of times with just the back blade hanging out there and no instability if you just use common sense. I can’t imagine going over stuff much more than tall grass & weeds with a MMM. I’d get a B or similar and a cheap mower for the true grass.

 

[radios1]

You guys are harsh, lol. First, I won't be ferrying my L4701 back and forth between properties that are 1.5 hours apart. My truck and trailer combo are barely up to the task and I'll need it at both places regularly. Time is a very valuable asset. Much like land, there's only so much and you can't make more. The 5 acres will be my permanent home. The 60 my hunting and such.

I found a new B2601 in stock to look at and while it's nowhere near as big as the L4701, it's most certainly no "BX".
NOTE: I don't cut down trees. I work around them unless absolutely necessary -- i.e. they are dying or a threat to nearby others, structures, power, etc. This property is filled with live and post oak, pecan, juniper, persimmon, fig, cacti, and so on. Therefore I need to not be a bull in a china shop.

Lastly, I'll take a look at B2650. I've heard several times the money difference isn't much but the tractor is a noticeable step up.

how about a very nice used case 580E or Se then.. something that will last a very long time, and is easy to get parts for..