Buying Advice B2620 or B3300SU

[MikeInMaine]

My First Post!

Shopping for my 1st Tractor. Considering Kubota B2620 or, at roughly the same price, the B3300SU. Need lots of advice! The B3300SU has no mid-PTO, but I'm not that familiar with what implements, other than a mid-mount mower, might use one.

I will be starting out with a self-feed chipper, landscape rake, box blade I can borrow, and probably a backhoe. The B2620 can run a 4" chipper, but the B3300SU can run the 6" chipper because it puts out 25 hp at the PTO.

Possibly a rear snowblower in the future.

Thanks for any & all advice.
Mike

 

[KU Gator]

The other tool for a Mid PTO would be a front mount snowblower.

I would suggest the first step if you have not already done so is to go somewhere that has both plus maybe a small L and test drive them. Get them up to PTO speed RPM to feel the smoothness of each. Some contributers have posted that Kubota is offering a B2630 rebate of $1K. It is a very nice machine but even with the $1K additional off, may be a bit more. But no amount of comparing specs is as good as a test drive.

Good luck.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I have the B2620, and like it, but for backhoe use I would get the B3300SU. More reach, more power, and 180° swing angle on the boom. Mid pto is for MMM, front mount snowblower as mentioned, and rotary broom.

 

[TripleR]

Does the B3300 have position control? If not, I would pay extra for a small L or Bxx30.

I agree with the others specs will tell you only so much and then you need to spend some time on them.

 

[rjkobbeman]

Does the B3300 have position control? If not, I would pay extra for a small L or Bxx30.

I agree with the others specs will tell you only so much and then you need to spend some time on them.

I don't know first hand, but according the the spec sheet, only the Bxx30 series have position control. I could be wrong though. Kubota's spec sheets are not always 100% accurate.

 

[ChuckinNH]

No, The B3300SU doesn't have position control, and as trippleR said, I would be reluctant to spend much more than I have to get a tractor without it. Between the OP's two choices, and for about the same money, I would still take the B3300SU for backhoe work. A B2630 lists for about $2,000.00 more than the B3300SU so even with a discount it is probably 1K more, and that may be an issue. List on the B2620 is something like $600.00 less than the B3300SU. Unfortunately, the B3030 is almost $3400 more than the B3300SU, and that would make even me wonder if the mid pto, and position control is worth it for my uses.

 

[TripleR]

No, The B3300SU doesn't have position control, and as trippleR said, I would be reluctant to spend much more than I have to get a tractor without it. Between the OP's two choices, and for about the same money, I would still take the B3300SU for backhoe work. A B2630 lists for about $2,000.00 more than the B3300SU so even with a discount it is probably 1K more, and that may be an issue. List on the B2620 is something like $600.00 less than the B3300SU. Unfortunately, the B3030 is almost $3400 more than the B3300SU, and that would make even me wonder if the mid pto, and position control is worth it for my uses.

Yep, $3200 would be hard to swallow; $1000 financed might not be too bad over the course of the loan.

Of course for about $49, you can get a set of chains; just a thought if all you use is a rotary cutter.

 

[ChuckinNH]

On Kubota's with the great 1/4 inching you can set a lower limit to the travel of the 3pt. It takes a bit of trial, and error to do it the first time, but it does work, and I use that when using my rotary cutter. I guess it would work when digging potatoes with my middlebuster too, but it's pretty hard to know how far under the ground you are......... position control is still best.

 

[MikeInMaine]

Thanks to ChuckinNH, TripleR, rjkobbeman, and K U Gator for your thoughtful comments. Sounds like 1 vote for the B3300SU, especially for backhoe work.

Yes, $1K up or down does make a difference, even when committing to such a big purchase. My wife went white last night when we talked about the tractor, implements, trailer, etc.

I will see if I can do a test drive -- very wise suggestion.
Thanks, MikeInMaine

 

[bxowner]

I'll just chime in to mention that there's a lot of emphasis on position control being better than 1/4 inching... but there's little emphasis put on which implements are easier to control with position control. I have a 48" Woods brush hog for my B2920 and am clearing viney, course brush to keep the tick infestation down - in about 20' sections at a time. I'm not running the tractor straight for distances of any more than 40'-50' and have to back up constantly. This means a lot of lifting and dropping of the 3-pt-hitch. Add to that, the areas I'm clearing are on varying slopes. So, my point is that it wouldn't matter if I had position control or 1/4 inching (like I do), as the level that the brush hog is at varies with every pass...

Much more important to me would be the decision about whether I'd be getting a back hoe or not. As Chuck said (you'll learn to lean heavily upon Chuck's advise!), if it were me and I were really going to buy the back hoe, I'd go with the higher hp tractor and forego the mid-PTO. In fact, I've learned that a mid mount mower is a pain on these tractors to install and remove - I can't imagine what it would be like to frequently go between a BH and a MMM. The extra hp at the PTO would tip me in favor of the 3300.

Now... to add yet another level of consideration that TripleR touched on... if you're not confined to small spaces and the need for a lot of maneuverability, I'd definitely consider the L-series. Then you get position control, but also the beefier frame and (I believe) more useful back hoe for reach and depth.

ABOVE ALL ELSE... which several people have mentioned... get to a dealer that has a few models and test drive them. Don't feel bad about running them for 20 or 30 minutes each, either. I always feel pressured by salespeople - it's just in my nature, I guess - but have paid some costly lessons from rushing into purchases. The most expensive one that comes to mind was an Audi A4 that had a driver's seat that hit me right in an *** nerve... 15-20 minutes into driving it, my right leg fell asleep... for 5000 miles before I sold the darned thing. If I hadn't been so enamored with the features of the car and spent a little time with it on a real test drive, I'd have discovered this neat feature earlier (i.e. before financing charges, taxes, etc. were paid!).

 

[MikeInMaine]

Thanks bxowner. My friendly neighborhood tractor dealer gave me the exact same advice regarding the mmm and the backhoe, so it's good to hear consistent advice from different people.

It might be a case of ignorance, but I'm not too put off by the 1/4 inching control. Maybe someone could explain why I'd regret it later.

Funny story about your right leg falling asleep in the Audi. I'll ask for a test drive!

Thanks again, Mike

 

[KU Gator]

The 1/4" valve on the 3pt hitch is used on all of the Kubota BX's and all the B's except the Bxx30's. It is probably cheaper than the position control valve. On the equipment I use like the box blade it does not really matter. It goes up and down just fine with reasonable control of the speed. But when I use the rotary mower (brush hog), as I mow, the front of the mower gradually sags down so I need to ease it back up with the control. The rotorary mower has only one wheel in the back and the front is supported by the 3 point hitch. Out of curiosity I put my box blade on the back of the tractor. It weighs about 500 lb. In ten minutes with the motor on or off, the box dropped about 3/4" from the fully raised position. If you used a rear finish mower (RFM) it would not matter because it has wheels on all four corners, so it just rides on the ground.
The Position control valve used on the L models and B2630 or 3030 will maintain the implement at a set height so the mower would not sag down. It also would be more easily repeatable to get an implement like a plow to the same depth on each pass.
When we test drove tractors, the dealer gave us the keys to a BX, the B2920 and a B7800. My wife and I each drove all three 2 times each. They even offered to get a BX24 out of the show room as it was what we were considering. Make sure as bxowner says, you give them a good ride and get them up to PTO speed.
BXowner - German cars always have hard foam (MDI based). I have had an Audi and 2 VW's (My BMW motorcycle doesn't count). I know your pain but love their cars.

 

[ChuckinNH]

There is a mechanical stop on the 3pt hitch control rod that can be set to limit how far the hitch will drop, and I find that worth setting if I'm going to be doing a bunch of brush / rough cutting. It is a sliding stop on the operating rod.

 

[TripleR]

There is a mechanical stop on the 3pt hitch control rod that can be set to limit how far the hitch will drop, and I find that worth setting if I'm going to be doing a bunch of brush / rough cutting. It is a sliding stop on the operating rod.

Thanks for the info, I will have to try that.

 

[KU Gator]

Yes, thanks Chuck for posting that again. You sent it to me last October and for some reason I could not seem to find it in my computer. Will probably be mowing this weekend if we don't get too much more rain today.

 

[MikeInMaine]

That's a nice tip, Chuck. How do you like your BX42 chipper?

 

[ChuckinNH]

The BX42 chipper works very well, and my neighbors like it as much as I do! I did have to adjust the knife clearance when it was new to keep it from plugging on really leafy, or viney branches, but it has been great. It even works pretty good on leaves if I run it at 960 pto rpm ( an option available on the B2X20 series.) So far I probalby have about 40 hours on it.

 

[MikeInMaine]

I want to thank all of you who helped me with my first tractor purchase. You gave me a lot of good things to consider.
At the last minute, the dealer threw another model at me to consider: the L2800, because there were additional customer rebates which brought its price down to where I could consider it. I did test drive that, and the B2620. In the end, while the L2800 was probably the better deal, and is a more able machine, I put a "hold" on a B2620, and will purchase it later this week. I know I'm getting a real nice machine, and you'll probably hear more from me down the road.
Thanks again,
MikeInMaine

 

[TripleR]

Congratulations on your new tractor, are you bundling it with your implements?

 

[MikeInMaine]

Thanks, TripleR. I'm just starting out with the FEL and a landscape rake. I've got a lot of use for a good PTO chipper, but can't afford it or anything else at this point. I'd like to think there's a snowblower in my future too. A good friend nearby with a Kubota B7500 has a box blade he'll let me use. Maybe we'll go halvsies on something else down the line.

There's actually a lot of work that I can do here with just the FEL and rake, so I'll concentrate on that, and acquire more implements as time and finances allow.
MikeInMaine