jd 2320/2520 vs kubota B2320/2620

[eyedoc]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and tractors as well. I have a big dilemma. I have a 125 acre hobby farm in north central missouri made up of about 50% woods/ 50% open fields. 25 acres are in row crops that I do with a farmer on shares. The remaining 25 or so acres are divided between about six small pastures of 4 or five acres. They are rolling hills with gentle slopes and are in pretty good condition because I have paid the neighbor to brush hog them annually. I have worked with the conservation department to improve deer and quail habitat by killing off the fescue and replanting with ladino clover and letting the wild grasses and weeds grow. I have a 17 hp DR brush mower to manage my woodland trails etc.

I want a compact tractor that will allow me to mow and maintain the areas around a woodland pond, and on 3 acre groomed woodlot, Mow down the weeds in the pasture once per season before they go to seed so they don't take over the clover too much, and use the FEL for various fun/work around the place. The catch is, I also plan to use it in town to mow my 1 acre lawn at my office and my 1/2 acre yard at home. This will be 1-2 times per week. It needs to be small and maneuverable for the yard work, but have the ability to haul #ss when I want to mow the large areas. In reality, I will probably use it for 90% mowing, 10% tractor work.

I love to play with tractors and have borrowed a 40 hp mahindra from a friend, but it was much more tractor than I want.

I considered the jd 2305 because everone says it is a mowing monster since it can mow in high gear at around 9 mph. I am concerned that the low ground clearance will be a problem so I went to a jd dealer yesterday to try out the 2520. I loved everything about it but the low gear was agonizingly slow. I cannot see myself mowing that slow, and obviously, high speed is too high. The dealer also carries the kubota line and he suggested the B3030. I liked its 3 speed hydro alot, but it is more tractor ( and money) than I want right now. Right next to it was a B2320. I fell in love with it immediately. It is everything the jd 2320 is and more because of the 3 speed hydro. It also has a drive over 60 in. mmm. I am now leaning toward the b2320 or even b2620, but I am leary about brand new models and their common bugs.

My main complaint with JD is why only a 2 speed. I like everything else about it better, pedal layout, GREEN and YELLOW, etc. I think they blew it with the two speed for those of us who want to stretch the limits mowing with these little guys.

Any imput on the Kubotas vs the JD's would be appreciated. I would probably mow one small pasture at a time over the course of the summer, and groom around the pond and woodlot 2 or 3 times per summer.

 

[Runner]

I guess I'd have to first determine whether the Kubota could realistically mow at the speed you want in medium range, i.e., does is actually have the power to do it, given the grass/weeds, hills, and size of mower you need to use? If the answer is yes, and it is small enough to use on the lot in town, that would probably be my choice.

However, if there was a question about it, the JD is still a good tractor. I will relate my own experience. My property is very hilly and rough. Therefore, high range on my 2520 (and mid range on anything else, I think) would be too fast for my comfort anyway. Also, I'm using a 5 foot rotary cutter and 72 inch RFM with this machine and I don't really want to be going too fast with units that size on the back either.

So, the more "relaxed" pace of the 2520 works for me.

Another option you might consider is getting a tractor for the heavy type stuff and a ZTR or even a lawn tractor for the mowing in town. I know you said you wanted one machine to do it all, but it's awful handy to have two, with each one more suited to the job at hand. I still use my JD lawn tractor alot to trim around the trees and ditches on my property as well as pull a garden cart, sprayer, fertilizer spreader, etc.

Just some things to consider. Best of luck in your search.

 

[ChuckinNH]

For mowing, I think either tractor would be fine. One thing you have to consider besides the really rough ride you will get is the blade tip speed of the mower deck. ZTR's can mow well at high speed because the decks are designed for that, and have the high blade speeds that are necessary for giving a good cut at rapid ground speeds. The blades on a tractor mounted mower turn at a much lower rpm usually, and will not give that good a cut at high ground speeds. If you do go with the Kubota ( and I do like that tractor) I would go with the most hp you can afford in the B2x20 series. Horsepower will help keep those blades spinning in heavy grass.
Have fun with your shopping!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

You'll buy the B2920 for only marginly more. That will give you power for mowing about as fast as you can and still keep your butt on the seat.

 

[n8586m]

I was ready to buy a JD2320 until I stumbled onto the Kubota B2x20's. I bought a Kubota B2620 with FEL and MMM for $500 less than the JD 2320 and $3500 less than than the JD 2520. The JD2520 was $3000 more than the JD2320 because the base tractor was $2200 more plus the MMM was another $700 since the 2520 only takes the 60" mower and I only wanted the 54".

I have 20 hours on the B2620 and it has been outstanding. There is no doubt in my mind that it will mow in 2nd range. For me the 26 hp has been plenty. 42 months @ 0% isn't too hard to take either.

 

[stimpee]

I know this info probably doesnt help directly, but I went through a similar decision process recently. I ultimately ended up with the Kubota B3030 and the 72" MMM. With the 30 horses, I can run the 72" mower (which has just shy of 15000 fpm blade tip speed at rated PTO speed) easily with the foot on the floor in the mid range. I have even cut a bit in high range when not paying attention. I can cut into grass that is thick and nearly a foot tall without really slowing down.

I think you would be fine with the 2320, 2620, or 2920 with the 60" MMM that is the max for those tractors. You would probably be fine with the hp of the 23 or 26, but the price differences are pretty small to upgrade!

 

[Nuru]

I orginally thought when i went from the 4100 (ancestor of the 2320), to the 4310, that the 4310 (ancestor of the 3120/3320), was a bit too big for my area (slopes, flats, etc 1.25 acre lawn). However, after getting used to it, I find it actually is more nimble than i imagined and is more stable than the 4100 was on the same sloped areas. I only added in a set of Turf specials to widen the stance and well that worked out fine for me. i can tackle some areas tthat the 4100 would have me sweatin', Now i know how to use the tractor and have gotten used to it, I know i can cut my lawn pretty fast and I can lift quite a bit with my loader (300CX), and my 3PT. I am trading this unit in on a 3520 Cab, adn I am gonna aggressively remove some thick underbrush loaded with non-native flora and replace with "native flora" to gain more space that can be utilized for nature exploration as per my county's regulations

I wil also be lifting out downed trees, pulling down dead trees and giving the wood to firend who can use it for firewood.

So basically, i am saying you might want to look at a larger unit just incase you feel you may want to do more heavy weight stuff on your property (a 125 acre hobby farm) in the future.