Buying Advice First Tractor Purchase. JD 1025r filb vs Kubota b2920....Help!!

[jgss2]

I am in the immediate market for my first tractor. I recently bought a new house with 2.5 acres with about 1.75 acres to mow, a 1000ft paved driveway to maintain, and a lot of landscaping to do and maintain. I also have a small stump or 2 to remove. I will be building a garage in the next year or so and will need to dig a footer and 100ft or so of water and electric trenches. I also hunt deer and want something capable of planting and maintaining food plots of about an acre of so in size on my hunting land.

Here are the 2 tractors I've narrowed my search down to.

#1 John deere 1025r filb. My price with 60" mmm, loader with 53" bucket, I-match, 260 hoe, 647 tiller, and rim guard in tires is $24,500 pre tax.

#2 Kubota b2920 with Kubota loader and backhoe, 60" mmm, land pride tiller, and loaded tires. Price is $27,400 pre tax

I worry about the 1025r not handling my food plot work as well and the hoe not being as solid as the 2920. With the 2920 I worry about the mowing quality and it tearing up my yard while mowing. I will be mowing with this machine for 85% of its use. I also worry about the rim guard in tires tearing my yard up with both machines.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated for a first time buyer. Thanks in advance!!!!!

 

[YesDeere]

Don't know much about the kubota. But it sounds like you should go bigger if you can afford it. I mow with a 4310 JD which is the equivalent of the 3320 now and it does great. Have a 7 backhoe as well. Mowing with a 72 inch finish mower I sometimes still wish I had a few more hp's when the grass is thick in the spring.

 

[jgss2]

Don't know much about the kubota. But it sounds like you should go bigger if you can afford it. I mow with a 4310 JD which is the equivalent of the 3320 now and it does great. Have a 7 backhoe as well. Mowing with a 72 inch finish mower I sometimes still wish I had a few more hp's when the grass is thick in the spring.

I looked at and loved the 2032r but thought it may tear up lawn while mowing around my pool and landscaping. This a such a tough decision for me. I wish I had more experience on these tractors so I would have more of an idea of how manueverable they would be to mow without tearing anything up too bad.

 

[Tompet]

I had a B2920 TLB and prior to that a Massey Ferguson 2310 TLB which is equivalent subcompact to the JD 1023 you speced. The MF was a little bulldog with about the same power of the FEL and BH as the 2920. However, a few reasons I traded for the B2920 were: no hydro cooling fan ( I believe the 1024r has one as do most sub compacts), better ground clearance, 3 speed transmission, heavier duty construction and integrated loader valve.

One notable difference with the 2310 was if you were running it hard nonstop for several hours, using the BH for example, it just seemed to me I was pushing its limits. With the 2920 I could run it just as hard for a longer period and it just purred along, and to me that is where the heavier construction was apparent.

I did have a MMM with the 2310 and immediately returned it and put that money towards a zero turn mower for mowing. I know others will disagree, but it was best decision for me. I like being able to jump on the tractor and use it without dealing with a deck and the reduction of mowing time with a zero turn is awesome.

Anyway, the B2920 has a suspended deck and I am sure either will cut very well. What type of tires were you purchasing? You could get turfs if the lawn is your biggest concern, but as long as you don't mow in FWD and take your time in turns even the R4's should be ok. I know others have commented on various tires and mowing or you can search that topic and find many posts on that topic. Btw, my neighbor has a pto MMM on his MF 2300 and the cut is flawless.

From what you outlined your first decision is do you want a subcompact or compact regardless of the brand.

Also, from the points/uses you made in your post I would step back and read and go back to dealers and look over the machines some more. Not to deal, but sometimes after being away and coming back you start to notice details and comparisons that will make a difference to you. It is less expensive to get what you want the first time!

One final suggestion would be to contact Barlow equipment and spec out your package (you can even do it online) to them for a price comparison on the kubota. I did two deals with them (including current B3300) and they were great to deal with and I live in Ohio and I know they deliver many times to PA. The preceding just my two cents.....enjoy your eventual purchase.

 

[jgss2]

I had a B2920 TLB and prior to that a Massey Ferguson 2310 TLB which is equivalent subcompact to the JD 1023 you speced. The MF was a little bulldog with about the same power of the FEL and BH as the 2920. However, a few reasons I traded for the B2920 were: no hydro cooling fan ( I believe the 1024r has one as do most sub compacts), better ground clearance, 3 speed transmission, heavier duty construction and integrated loader valve.

One notable difference with the 2310 was if you were running it hard nonstop for several hours, using the BH for example, it just seemed to me I was pushing its limits. With the 2920 I could run it just as hard for a longer period and it just purred along, and to me that is where the heavier construction was apparent.

I did have a MMM with the 2310 and immediately returned it and put that money towards a zero turn mower for mowing. I know others will disagree, but it was best decision for me. I like being able to jump on the tractor and use it without dealing with a deck and the reduction of mowing time with a zero turn is awesome.

Anyway, the B2920 has a suspended deck and I am sure either will cut very well. What type of tires were you purchasing? You could get turfs if the lawn is your biggest concern, but as long as you don't mow in FWD and take your time in turns even the R4's should be ok. I know others have commented on various tires and mowing or you can search that topic and find many posts on that topic. Btw, my neighbor has a pto MMM on his MF 2300 and the cut is flawless.

From what you outlined your first decision is do you want a subcompact or compact regardless of the brand.

Also, from the points/uses you made in your post I would step back and read and go back to dealers and look over the machines some more. Not to deal, but sometimes after being away and coming back you start to notice details and comparisons that will make a difference to you. It is less expensive to get what you want the first time!

One final suggestion would be to contact Barlow equipment and spec out your package (you can even do it online) to them for a price comparison on the kubota. I did two deals with them (including current B3300) and they were great to deal with and I live in Ohio and I know they deliver many times to PA. The preceding just my two cents.....enjoy your eventual purchase.

Thanks alot. Very helpful. I will call Barlows. FYI...I am wanting R4s on the tractor

 

[YesDeere]

I have R4's as well. They are not the best at anything but do everything. I wish I had turfs to swap out during mowing season. Turfs are not load rated and aren't suitable for heavy front end loads.

I did forget to mention. I have a scag zero turn I fixed up for the tight spots around the house. Too much of a pain trying to weasel a 72 rear finish mower around. Better for open spaces. I mow around 4 acres.

 

[Tompet]

Btw, Barlow's has a used 2920TLB listed with a little over 100 hrs. on their website. Depending on financing it may be worth an inquire.

 

[DeereMann]

I have a JD 1026R with almost identical lot size & mowage use. I have the 60D autoconnect deck which I like very much. I also have turf tires, and glad I got them - not only are they easiest on the grass, they have great snow & ice traction and don't need chains, even with moderate slope drives.

I think the only reason one needs more aggressive tires is for thick, loose material (dirt, mud, sand, etc.) and heavy FEL loads, and that would be for most of the tractor usage hours. I wouldn't get them otherwise.

The 1026R has plenty of power for the 60 inch mower, and I have the mulcher kit too. I know the enthusiasts say "go bigger than you think you need", but I also know the next size tractor would be too big for my lot and would have torn up my yard more.

 

[jgss2]

I have a JD 1026R with almost identical lot size & mowage use. I have the 60D autoconnect deck which I like very much. I also have turf tires, and glad I got them - not only are they easiest on the grass, they have great snow & ice traction and don't need chains, even with moderate slope drives.

I think the only reason one needs more aggressive tires is for thick, loose material (dirt, mud, sand, etc.) and heavy FEL loads, and that would be for most of the tractor usage hours. I wouldn't get them otherwise.

The 1026R has plenty of power for the 60 inch mower, and I have the mulcher kit too. I know the enthusiasts say "go bigger than you think you need", but I also know the next size tractor would be too big for my lot and would have torn up my yard more.

Thanks for the reply. Very Helpful!!

 

[s219]

I shopped these two tractors several years ago, and decided on a B2920. It ended up costing only a few hundred dollars more than the Deere, but was a much more substantial tractor with more ground clearance and bigger tires. For rough terrain, those things matter a lot.

Your prices seem a little high, so I suspect you haven't gotten an actual price quote from a dealer yet. Normally, you can get Kubotas and Deeres for 10-15% off MSRP depending on the market and the dealer.

The R4 tires are OK on the grass as long as it's not soft/wet and you're in 2WD (and I should note that even turf tires on my smaller mower would tear up the grass under those conditions). Overall, for loader and backhoe work, I think the R4s are a good choice as a compromise for mowing.

I didn't mow with my 2920 (have a small Deere riding mower for that) but many people mow with them and I have yet to hear a complaint posted here. We would certainly hear about it if there were problems.

The only other knocks against the Deere to me was the extensive use of plastic, and the cheap fuel gauge on the fender. Neither of those probably matter in the long run, but when I sat on the Kubota and felt the metal fenders and hood, and saw the proper fuel gauge in the instrument cluster, it just felt a lot nicer to me. Personal thing I suppose.