Buying Advice B2630 - questions and advice needed

Backup · Feb 22, 2006

Hello, I'd like your advice on tractor selection. I am looking for a machine to finish mow 6 acres, and rough cut less than 3 acres - all of it is flat terrain in the midwest. It will need to till ~1/2 acre garden. FEL for general use. There are about 10 acres of woodlot but I have no need for tractor work in there. I have a limited budget, so I started looking at the BX line but now think it is too small. Also, for the 6 acres of finish mowing I really want a 72" mower. I'm drawn to the B2630 as it can run a 72" MMM and maybe a 60" rotary cutter. Here are some questions I can't seem to answer.

Think the 60" bush hog is too big for the B2630?
If so, would the B3030 handle it?
Is the 72" MMM better than a 72" rear mount mower? Pros/cons of mid vs rear?
Turf tires, considering flat terrain and primarily mowing use?
Is there another Kubota model I should evaluate that would better fit my needs (Kubota has too many choices in the B-series)?

I havn't been to the JD dealer yet, but will for comparison. Around me it's either Kubota or JD, and I suspect Kubota will be less money for a comparable capable machine. Thanks

MessickFarmEqu · Feb 22, 2006

a 2630 would be adaquate, but I suspect every time you start to stress that 72" deck you will be kicking yourself for not getting the 3030.

IslandTractor · Feb 22, 2006

Adding to what Neil pointed out, I wonder if there is much price difference between a 2630 and a 7800. Unless you need the deluxe features you might put the money into the bigger engine.

Sully2 · Feb 22, 2006

For the small price difference..I went up to the 30 hp version...

Toolguy · Feb 22, 2006

There was less than a $900 difference in price from a B2630 to a B3030 when I bought mine last August. Not enough $ difference to justify the smaller motor IMHO. It only burns .71 gals per hour when mowing with a 60" MMM at WOT. I don't know if the B2630 burns less than that, but it can't be much cheaper to run. The turf tires have plenty of traction on anything but mud. They are great in the snow. I am also very impressed with how tight the turning radius is and how there is absolutely no front wheel scuffing on full lock turns. That is, of course, if you do not go too fast when turning that sharp. The hydro makes it very easy to slow down when trimming around trees. The Kubota engineers did an awesome job of designing the front axle geometry. I would say either the B2630 or B3030 would be a great choice for you stated usage with the nod going to the B3030. Good luck.

Toolguy · Feb 22, 2006

After re-reading your questions I would like to add my .02 about mowers. I have the 60" MMM and mow about 1.5 acres in 1 hour. It consists of trees, buildings, flower gardens and other irregular grassy areas. On the longest runs where the ground is smooth I can go at top speed in Medium range. This is about 6 mph according to the manual. The mower does a perfect job at that speed. I would think the 72" MMM would do as well. I like the 60" mower for my needs as it is big enough to get the job done quickly and still does not get in the way for small loader jobs. I never mow with the loader on as it is so easy to remove and install. The 72" MMM is wider than the loader bucket so it might get in the way when using the loader. It is also harder to remove and install than the 60". If you have a lot of wide open spaces to mow then a RFM may work better as it will be easier to take it off if you need to use the loader. For brush hogging the extra power of the B3030 will run the 60" hog better in tough conditions. Of course you can always just go a little slower with the B2630 and get the job done, too.

Backup · Feb 22, 2006

Thanks for the replies. I agree, the 3030 would be better, but from the prices I've seen it's around $2000 more. That's more than a little $ in my budget. Maybe I need to research prices a bit more. I don't know much about the 7800, but might check that out. My biggest concern was the 60" cutter, but it seems the 2630 would handle it, and the 3030 would just handle it better.

EDIT: Just saw the new post about the $900 difference. For that, I'd get the 3030. I'll do some more checking on prices.

The 72"MMM says it has a 'drive over' feature to ease installation. Not sure how that works exactly, but at 400+ lbs I don't know if either the 60" or the 72" would be any easier to mount/dismount. I like the idea of a MMM more than a rear mower, but not sure why. It seems more like a 'mower' to me and seems like it would be easier to use. There are not a lot of obstacles to mow around, so I'm more interested in the wide deck to save mowing time. 6 acres with a 60" would take a while.

Toolguy · Feb 22, 2006

$2000 more for the B3030 is a lot of in my book, too. There was about a $1700 difference froma B7800 to a B3030 when I bought mine. I bought the B3030 because since I was buying new I decided to get the latest model with all the whistles and bells that the B7800 does not have. By the time you add the loader and MMM it was only about 10% more. Worth it to me.

The 60" mower rolls out from under the tractor on it's wheels. The 72" cannot do that because of it's larger rear gage wheels. That is why it is a "drive over". Once it is off the tractor I believe you can roll it around. ??? Both mowers are fairly easy to remove and install, but I think there is little more involved with the 72" since you have to raise the gage wheels and chock it in place while driving over it. For 6 acres I would have the 72" for sure.

Chessie · Feb 23, 2006

Howdy,
Mid vs. rear depends on what you are used to. Mid is easy to watch over for precision cutting and rear does a great job getting under trees and decks.
I have a B3030 witht the 72" MMM and it works great. It takes about 5 minutes to remove and install it once you have done it a couple of times. You can roll it around once it is off but keep in mind it is pretty heavy so try and take it off the tractor where you will be leaving it. Drive over is nice and just put it in 4x4 low and back off of it when you disconnect the 3 link pins and lower the gauge wheels on the mower deck. Also the Mid PTO shaft needs to be released.
A 2630 will do what you want. Assuming you cut the lawn on a regular basis and it is relatively dry when you cut it. If you plan on skipping a week on a regular basis you may want to go to the 3030 or if the grass is wet a lot of the time.
Turf tires are perfect for you and are a nice ride improvement
Happy shopping
Jeff