Deere 2520 with 62D vs Kubota B2630 with RCK60-30B for mowing

[Neandertaler]

Hi all,

i currently own a Deere X495 with the 62C deck and would like to upgrade to something bigger, although 70% of the time will be mowing about 1.5 acres of lawn. I have my eyes set on two offers in my region (both used tractor dealers). One is a Deere 2520 with the 62D deck and 1750 hours and the other is a Kubota B2630 with a RCK60-30B deck and only 480 hours. Both are sitting on Turfs.

I like the twin pedal Setup and the drive over deck of the Deere, but the kubota is in way better shape and looks almost new. I tend towards the Kubota but have one main concern regarding Quality of the cut when mowing (the old Floating vs. suspended deck stuff):

The Deere has the suspended deck whereas the Kubota has the foating (ground contact) deck. My lawn is rough and like some rolling hills with a slope. I hav ethe Feeling that a Floating deck will cope better with the tarrain and give a more evenly cut look. But as i live in western Germany, we have much rain and I fear that i can mow with the Deere better when it is wet as the kuboty will probably leave marks because of all the weight on the deck weels.

-does anybody have experience regarding a Hands-on comparison of these two decks?
-can the RCK60 deck be modded with bigger weels or a rear roller for example?
-how easy is it to dettach/attach the Kubota deck? I find the 62C deck managable but quite a hassle.

besides mowing i plan to Keep my gravel driveway in shape with the tractor with either a box blade or a landplane. I know that both maschines are probably a little too large f? my lot.......but hey....it is after all a fun tractor

 

[Neandertaler]

and another deciding issue: Is it correct that Kubota does not offer any free online PDF ressources like Manuals, parts lists and so forth? I have found the Kubotabooks site, but unfortunately did not find a RCK60-30B Operators Manual.

 

[Grandad4]

Hi all,

i currently own a Deere X495 with the 62C deck and would like to upgrade to something bigger, although 70% of the time will be mowing about 1.5 acres of lawn. I have my eyes set on two offers in my region (both used tractor dealers). One is a Deere 2520 with the 62D deck and 1750 hours and the other is a Kubota B2630 with a RCK60-30B deck and only 480 hours. Both are sitting on Turfs.

I like the twin pedal Setup and the drive over deck of the Deere, but the kubota is in way better shape and looks almost new. I tend towards the Kubota but have one main concern regarding Quality of the cut when mowing (the old Floating vs. suspended deck stuff):

The Deere has the suspended deck whereas the Kubota has the foating (ground contact) deck. My lawn is rough and like some rolling hills with a slope. I hav ethe Feeling that a Floating deck will cope better with the tarrain and give a more evenly cut look. But as i live in western Germany, we have much rain and I fear that i can mow with the Deere better when it is wet as the kuboty will probably leave marks because of all the weight on the deck weels.

-does anybody have experience regarding a Hands-on comparison of these two decks?
-can the RCK60 deck be modded with bigger weels or a rear roller for example?
-how easy is it to dettach/attach the Kubota deck? I find the 62C deck managable but quite a hassle.

besides mowing i plan to Keep my gravel driveway in shape with the tractor with either a box blade or a landplane. I know that both maschines are probably a little too large f? my lot.......but hey....it is after all a fun tractor

With used equipment I've always believed buying something in good condition meant more than what brand it might be because all the major manufacturers offer decent products. Both of these machines are good little tractors that would serve you well, but I'd lean to the Kub based on your comments about condition and hours.

As for the mower decks, yes the Kubota has a ground contact deck but since the tractor has position control, there is nothing that precludes using it to suspend the deck at the mowing height you want. There's no need to drop it all the way to the ground if your terrain demands a suspended setting. That said, I'd suspect neither tractor will give the same quality of cut that your x machine delivers.

Another significant advantage the Kubota has is the 3 range gearbox setup vs. the 2 ranges of the JD. The mid range is very useful.

The foot pedal setup is so much an individual preference. I would advise to use the Kubota treadle just like the accelerator pedal in your car and don't try to put your whole foot on the treadle. That quickly becomes second nature and easy to operate.

 

[Neandertaler]

thanks for the Input. I was not aware that it is possible to just lower the deck a little bit and not all the way down to the wheels. But it makes sense as the deck itself is lifted by the 3point. So i could use a semi-suspended mode in case it is nessessary to mow when it is somewhat wet or the soil is soft. Regarding the quality of the cut compared to the X: Although the x maschines are considered to be one of the best grasscutters around, the old 62C deck is not that good. My lawn is far away from a golf course and my definition of a quality cut is just an "even"" cut . I have many different kind of grass and weeds in my yard. I have the hope that a ground contacting mower follows the contours better (when dry). I just want an even green surface, no matter what it is made of ;-) With the suspended 62C i often have some kind of stairstep lines in the grass, especially when mowing a slope crossways as one side of the deck seems to hang down although the deck is correctly leveled and mows just fine on flat areas.

 

[Neandertaler]

Well I cancled the deal for now. I found out that the B2630 was never sold in Europe and the european equivalent is a B2530, which means the B2630 is a greyimport to Germany (from the US by the way). I fear that the reseller value (just in case I want to sell the kubota in the future) will be very low. There are many differences regarding lighting and electrics which prevent it from beeing registered or insured for street use in the EU! Also we have a RCK60-25B-EU deck and not a RCK60-30B deck.

On the other hand I tested a floating deck by extending the gauge wheels on my 62C and lowering the deck completely onto the gauge wheels. A rough ride but the cut is much more even on my Terrain. I really like it. But i can imagine that mowing in wet soil can be problematic. Well thanks anyway for the Input and I will start looking around for a Deere 2520 or a european B2530 (or for an imported B2630 for 1/2 the Price ;-) I will take a look at the 2520 with the high hours this Weekend but doubt i will go for that as it is not in good shape. The 62D deck is already broken and welded!

 

[Neandertaler]

I took a look at the 2520 with the high hours at the Weekend. The deck was garbage, welded several times, one broken spindle and so forth. just a Piece of junk. The grass catcher was also in a bad shape, bent, dented and rusty. The tractor itself looked clean and dry.....but was completely repainted!! (and not very well). So although thinking about offering something reeaaalllly low, I just ran and said to myself: listen to your gut Feeling that this is a risky deal. Anybody abusing a mower deck like that has probably not taken care of the tractor like it should be. So off to a new search.....

 

[Grandad4]

Good decision! There is a time and a place for a "fixer-upper" (I've got my share of those!), but relying on them for absolutely, positively dependable everyday use usually doesn't work out very well.

 

[Neandertaler]

yup...i guess it was the right decision. But i am still lurking around and thinkting about the B2630 and the possible drawbacks of it beeing a gray Import to europe. If I am happy with it, i would probably never sell it and it does not matter at all and i got a good deal and more tractor as i will ever Need. But in case i want to sell someday or trade in or whatever, i fear thet People will tell me that it is not worth much because it cannot ever be street legal......I will probably think so Long about this that the Maschine will be sold after I have made up my mind ;-) Buying a used tractor is really time consuming and difficult ;-)