Help me understand the Bs (educate a city boy: what's the diff between 23/26/29 hp)

[Baby Grand]

Tractors are rated by HP, a practice that probably came from an earlier era when America was rural and most everyone already understood that the capacity of a machine to get a job done isn't HP, it is just as likely to be a function of another 3 things: weight, traction, and ability to use attachments.

Very well said, rScotty!

 

[radioman]

I think john thomas said it the best. You dont need to have every implement NOW , most of us didnt, but its more wise to get one or two that you KNOW you need right now as part of tractor price package. Its so much easier to swallow the pricing. dealers sometimes lower the profit cost since they are moving inventory to make a sale.

My advice, dont get hung upon whats scut/cut/deluxe/luxury/etc. You just need to be at a dealer who willing to walk with you around his lot and let you bombard him with questions. The dealer that is willing to do this is the dealer to buy from. Thats what i did at first. Since you are pretty new to tractors- my advice - since you asked about 2 hp for 2k more .. you will never miss it since you never used it. But the caveat is - if you go too small - you might end up abusing the tractor without realizing it trying to get something done. Tractor owning and operating are two different things. operating is more of an art, understanding what it can do as time goes on.

 

[rScotty]

Here's something to think about....
People rarely buy one tractor and stay with it. At first they need to gain familiarity and in doing so they often find out what an advantage a tractor can be doing things they never thought of before. FELs make excellent wheel barrows, tool caddys, and even workbenches. FELs not only move dirt, they can carry horse chow, seedlings to the garden, and grocery bags from the car. the tractor's PTO will drive an inexpensive water pump that will move water like a firetruck. Three point implements are as endless as they are innovative. And backhoes are as useful for gently lifting and placing heavy loads as they are for digging holes.

That's when the tractor owner starts looking to buy the next larger model. At first he didn't want larger - but with experience he realizes that a heavier machine also has larger tires and more choice of thread type so that the psi pressure on the ground is not that different. Might even be less. Larger machines take up more space, but they may also turn much sharper....that kind of thing. Sometimes stepping up in size increment will do it; it took me more tries than that.
People hardly ever go from larger to smaller.
rScotty

 

[dochockin]

Ok, so I have a bit of a follow up to my question. I stopped by the Kubota dealer last week and talked prices with him. He's selling a new, 2011 B2920 that's been sitting on the lot for the past 1.5 years or so. He's offering a 'keep it fresh' discount of about $1200, which puts the price of this 2920 just under a brand new, 2013, 2620.

Keep in mind I live in the PNW area, so lots of rain, rarely snow or freezing temps. How much effect will sitting out on the lot have had on a tractor?

 

[tractchores]

Ok, so I have a bit of a follow up to my question. I stopped by the Kubota dealer last week and talked prices with him. He's selling a new, 2011 B2920 that's been sitting on the lot for the past 1.5 years or so. He's offering a 'keep it fresh' discount of about $1200, which puts the price of this 2920 just under a brand new, 2013, 2620.

Keep in mind I live in the PNW area, so lots of rain, rarely snow or freezing temps. How much effect will sitting out on the lot have had on a tractor?

I'd say very little difference. I'd recommend having him maybe change the fluids. I bought my tractor about a year old and it had sat outside for that time and was on the dealer lot for a while too. They changed all fluids and grease and it has been great for the last couple of years and is now kept inside. They're generally made to sit outside. The one exception is if it was on a major road with lots of salt spray, which would show up as corrosion likely on the hydraulic fittings and other unpainted metal.

I don't know if they model years get into it, but there were new emissions requirements recently, which changed prices etc. That may factor in on the new tractor (someone wiser than me can comment there)

 

[dochockin]

The dealer told me that the tier IV diesels are coming in soon and the 2920s will be discontinued. I guess this my chance to pick up a simpler, less electronic version.

 

[taborekle]

I have a B2920 and 3.5 acres in southern Maryland. First off, I think that's a good deal and discount on the B2920. When I bought my 2920, I origionally thought I would go with a B2320 and then after reading this forum for awhile I ran across a post that suggested that you always wanted more HP then you think you can use. So I then decided to go to a B2620. When I called the dealer, they did not have a B2620 but did have a B2920, so he offered to split the cost difference between a B2620 and a B2920. I got the B2920 and did not look back. Your being offered a better deal then that (money wise) because the tractor has been outside for more then a year. But that's fair I think.

I'm glad that I got the B2920. There have been times when I've been lifting all the loader could carry. Or tillering or bush hogging and can do it just a little faster with those extra HP. If I had a 2620 I'm sure that there would have been times over the years when I would have been saying to myself, "If only I had the 2920".

I don't think 5 acres is enough acerage to justify going to a L series.

The loader on my B2920 can lift a surprisingly large diameter+length of tree. Wood is quite a bit lighter then earth.

One thing that you don't talk about is how hilly the land is. The BX series are about the same HP, but their center of gravity is much lower as they don't have the ground clearance as a B.

 

[George the Beagle]

Getting a discount on a new Kubota is difficult, so I agree that the 2920 is a good deal. I also believe that if you're going to become a serious country-dweller, you need to give up using words like "silvopasture."

 

[My Hoe]

Subscribed.

 

[My Hoe]

*snip* I also had them replace the dynamo with the 40A alternator.
I went with the fel, 60" mm drive over mower, *snipView attachment 349260

WHOA! Hold the Fort! (Whatever that means--LOL).

I thought a "drive-over mower" was a J.D. thing only, or at least not a Kubota thing.

Can it be?

If so, I guess we still have to wrestle with the aditional, MM-PTO shaft, after the driver-over operation?

Please elaborate.

Thanks in advance.

My Hoe