b2910 or NH TC33D ?

[kch]

Need help, I have narrowed it down to the Kubota B2910 or NH TC 33D, the 33 is about $1,200 more. Which one?? It is going to be used for a Little League, to mow apprx. 20-25 acres and to move dirt with a loader and some box scraping. Mainly mowing. Also which would be better, a 72in belly mounted mower or a rear Woods 72in rear discharge finish mower. I am confused. One more question, some say the industrial tires will work better then turf even on grass ??

For those who would recommend the L3010, even with the rebates I think it is just to big and to heavy for the mowing, so I dropped it from consideration.

 

[2thdoc]

I'm not familiar with the 2910, but I do own a 33D. Got it with a 6' rear discharge belly mower. Also have a 3 pt. hitch side discharge mower that hasn't been used since I got the belly mower. For mowing close to trees, fences, etc. the belly mower can't be beat, in my opinion. R4's haven't been a problem except in early spring when the ground was quite wet, then the front tires would scuff a little during sharp turns; I imagine turfs would too in such conditions. Also have the SuperSteer option; personally, I really like it.

 

[tdenny]

kch,

I think you can't go wrong with the tractor purchase and since I have neither I won't recommend one. But I was wondering about your tire question. Do you think you'll need more traction? In what capacity might the R4 tires be better?

I play softball and the maintenance crews use both types of tires for outfield and infield work. My tractor has turf tires and I have not once had a slippage problem in any capacity and I haven't had any problems with tire marks, etc. on my own lawn. I live near Seattle where it rains often and almost never snows. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Golfgar4]

Hey, welcome to TBN.

I've checked out both of these machines, and personally, I prefer the TC33D. Remember, it's a personal preference. I find that the pedals on the Kubota seem to sit too high for me and it's uncomfortable moving my foot back and forth.

There are a number of other factors that may determine your ultimate selection. A $1,200.00 is a lot of money. And a lot of guys will tell you that you can buy a couple extra implements with that money. This is true. But if money isn't the driving force behind your selection, then ask yourself which dealer you're the most comfortable with. Do have a better feeling for one over the other? Is one located more conveniently to you than the other? I'm convinced that except for the money side of it, how you feel about the dealer and the kind of support you'll get after you purchase is the second most important consideration in buying. Any of the big 3 manufacturers are good machines.

Running a close third (some would say it's more important) is how does the tractor feel for you. Are you comfortable with how it fits you? Do all of the controls feel like they're in the right place? Remember, you're going to be spending a lot of time (hopefully) in the seat. You want something that feels good to you. Try them out. Most dealers will let you operate them in the yard, and some dealers will even bring one out to you for you to try at your location.

Turf tires are intended for lawn work. They provide a wider footprint on the ground, thus reducing the chance of scuffing the yard. They can get plugged with mud and slip fairly easily. They are also more susceptible to punctures than the industrials are. I would think if the vast majority of work will be on grass, the turfs would be what you would want.

Both the belly mower and the 3pt mower have their places. Traditional wisdom seems to say that the belly mower gives a better cut. But it also reduces your undercarriage clearances, which can be a problem if you're doing landscaping work or a lot of loader work. The 3pt rear discharge can cut close to obstacles on either side, just like the belly mower. It can be taken off and put back on easier than the belly mower, but you can't get into real tight places with the 3pt mower hanging off the back, and you have to be aware of what it does when you make your turns (swings in as you swing out).

If you do some searches for these various topics, you'll find a ton of information out there. Your questions have been asked and answered any number of times in the past.

Good luck in your decision making process. Make sure you let us know what you decide to get! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[gusg]

I agree with everything everyone else has said. You have to decide for yourself. I tested the New Holland boomers, JDs and Kubotas. I ended up with a Kubota B7500. The Kubotas to me seemed like a better value. I did like the blue and green colors better though. I would have liked to have the B2710 but $3000 was a lot of money for what I would be using the tractor for. I guess I will have to just buy a bigger piece of property so I can trade it in for a larger one.

I would look at the B2710 also. It is identical to the B2910 just two horses less and a few nicer features that I didn't think were worth the extra $1300 over the B2710. The 4 cylinder engine is very smooth. If you were to buy a B2710 that would make it $2500 less than the 33D. That would buy a whole lot of implements or a couple of very nice powered implements.

I think the mower choice depends on how much you will be leaving the mower on and doing FEL work. If you are going to be pulling the mower off all of the time and there are no obstacles in the mowing area, then I would go with the rear finish mower. It will probably be less expensive than the MMM also.

I have R4 tires on my tractor and they are great. IMHO they also make the tractor look like a tractor instead of an over grown garden tractor (just my opinion for those with turf tires). I don't rip up the turf unless I am in FWD and turning on a slope. They work great for FEL work also. I would make sure that you fill the rear tires if you are going to do much FEL work. They make working with the FEL safer and as far as I can tell they don't make any difference on the turf.

You are just going to have to go with what makes you more comfortable.

 

[Kodiak]

KCH:

I looking at your request from a little more of a business perspective. I do commercial mowing for several large estates. A couple of 12 acre lawns and one 19 acre place. And these are the owners who are very picky about how their property looks. Currently I am using a New Holland TC29, with a 72" First Choice rear discharge 3pt finish mower. I went with the 3pt mower because I have a lot of 3pt experiance. Either mower should work good for Athletic feilds. However if the operator lacks experiance or multiple operators will be involved the belly mower might be easier to operate. Although they do limit your ground clearance, and may interfere with your loader operations. the 3pt mower are easier to remove freeing up the 3pt hitch for other implements. They are also considerably cheaper to purchase and easier to maintain.

I'm going to put in a plug here for the New Holland Class II TC series. Not just because I own one (I also have a Kubota). But because they are a little bigger than the B2910, ie they they ride a little better and definitely have a better seat. this makes a big differance in the fatigue factor after a long day in the saddle. If money is that big of an issue, you might consider a TC29D instead of the 33. Same physical size as the TC33D, and plenty of power for operating a 6' rear finish mower. Also between $600 to $800 dollars cheaper than the TC29D. Although the bigger TC33D might be better if someday you want to go with a bigger mower. One of my competitors is currently mowing school district athletic feilds with a TC33D, pulling a 12' bat wing mower. He doesn't appear to be having any trouble with that combo on those flat feilds.

I am currently using R4 tires on my TC29, I prefer those over turf tires for loader operations. I have no problems mowing with the R4's, and remember Those estate people are very picky about the appearance of their lawns. You just have to remember not to turn to fast or to sharp, or they will scuff.

 

[kch]

Thanks very much for your and everyone elses opinions, it does help to get others ideas and thoughts. I never thought it was going to be so hard and there would be so many options to pick from.

Does it matter that the NH hood and fenders are fiberglass and the Kubota is all metal??

Also alot is said about the dealers, how do you know? The NH is in a rural farming area and the Kubota is in the city. Both are about the same distance apart, so??????

The NH dealer recommend R4's even on turf because the turf's are cone shaped w/less tread on the ground VS. the flat R4's which are flat and distribute the weight better not leaving a grove. The Kubota dealer said the exact opposite.

If I went with the Kubota I would get a MMM and if I got the NH I was going with the Woods rear mount maining because I heard the NH, MMM's were hard to get off and on. I just was not sure if you could get the same quality of cut with the rear 3pt. mower since 4 tires would be running over the grass I guess you can not trim around thing as well as a MMM. I was leaning to the rear mount because I did not want to be taking the MMM on and off all the time. I never heard of the one you use and searched the web for First Choice and got nothing. None of the dealers I have been to carry that brand. Is the Woods RD72 or RD 84 as good? and should i pay $200 more for the 84 in. ?? I was told the woods RD 72 cut as good as any MMM.....what would you do???
You do this for a living............thanks

 

[kch]

I like the feel and comfort of the NH but I am more concerned with buying the best quality and the one that's most reliable. I get the feeling that the kubota may be better built. I guess because someone told me they build the whole thing themselves where the others use "globel resourcing" meaning I guess they have other companies build all the different parts and then it all comes together. Who knows!!!!!

 

[Kodiak]

Kch:

Actually the New holland hood and fenders are not fibreglass, but a composite material that is very strong, yet light weight. As I said before I also have a twenty two year old Kubota. Its on its second pair of fenders due to rust, and I have had to rebuild the hood after a small stump rolled out of the back of the bucket and crushed the front of the hood. I don't expect these type of problems with the New Holland.

As far as dealers go. The rural New holland dealers probably sees more day to day working (ag) tractors. The urban Kubota dealer well he's dealing with more home owners, and some commercial users. My advice is to walk straight through both dealerships. Avoid the showrooms and the salesman, and go back to the shop and talk to the service techs. Because they see all of the problems that come in. Thats what I based my decision on when I switched from Kubota to New Holland this spring.

The shape of which ever tire you choose will also be dependant on the amount of air you run in them. To get good flotation out of the turf tires you have to run them at a lower air pressure. That seem to make them almost to soft to be effeicent for loader work. Turf tires usually only come in 4 ply versus 6 ply for the R4's. you may be more prone to get flats with the turfs. For your application I don't think I would have your rear tires filled with liquid for extra weight, however you should always counterbalance the rear of your tractor for loader work.

Its been a lot of years since I mowed with a belly mower. It seems like most people that have them just resign themselves to the fact that it is going to be on most of the time. Due to how hard they are to take off and put on. As I said previously that is why I go with the 3pt mowers. Secondary reason is that I also have a backhoe. And the subframe for the backhoe is not compatible with belly mowers. Woods makes very good mowers, rugged and long lasting. The RD models are really good quality top of the line units, however you will pay a premium price for that quality. Same with Landpride,Befco and a few others. The First Choice mowers that I mentioned earlier share that same quality. In fact my First Choice GM30-72 is almost an exact clone of the Landpride FDR2572, with some improvements thrown in. And at @ 2/3 of the price of the Landpride. I've said this before and I'll say it again. Its nice to see a company that respects quality as much as it does quanity. As well as placing it in a price range that the average man can still afford. Do a search here on TBN under First Choice and you will see other positive reveiws. As well as a web link to contact them. I think you might want to stick with the 72" mower, unless you feel fairly competent in handling 3pt equipment. The overall width of the back tires on the TC33D is @ 60". This will give you @ 6" of over hang past each tire, so you can get up against fences and other obstacles easily. with the 84" you can mow a bigger area faster, but your talking @ 12" of overhang that you have to get used to swinging it around obstacles. Remember when you turn one way a 3pt implement turns the opposite. Well hope this answers some of your questions. And good luck on your new purchase.

 

[Kodiak]

One more addendum to my previous post. You also mentioned doing some backblading. Both Woods and First Choice make good backblades. Once again with Woods your going to pay that premium price for their Quality. With First Choice your going to get that premium quality at a more economical price.