Kubota F series

[arto98607]

The F-series is the best mower I have ever had. It can be improved upon though with one thing. Four-wheel steer with the addition of a switch so that the wheels can turn in tandem or opposite of each other. That way going around trees would be closer and if you want to pull away from a building or a pond and not have the rear end swing around, they turn in tandem. It would be a killer machine if it had that feature.

Sure no argument, it would be handy to have four-wheel steering but I have big reservations about complexity and longevity of such design (in a relatively low cost equipment).
I know there are mid mower lawn tractors with that feature but have some doubts whether commercial / professional users or landscapers are using those.

Maybe OK for someone who drives it 40 - 50 hours per year and trades in after 10 - 15 years or sooner?

 

[arto98607]

Here is what the F3060 front axle looks like under the fender and I am glad mine does not have all-wheel steering!

Cheers

 

[Brown Dog]

I found a new F3990 72” SD BUT I’m afraid the deck running on the ground would take too much abuse here on my rough farm ground.

the frt deck tires are too small imo

the ZD deck hangs from the frame letting the mower itself take the abuse from rough ground.

 

[Brown Dog]

This 4wd would be Awesome on my hills & banks.
I’m not sure on these tiny frt deck tires hitting stump holes & rough ground here on my farm.

 

[arto98607]

This 4wd would be Awesome on my hills & banks.
I’m not sure on these tiny frt deck tires hitting stump holes & rough ground here on my farm.

Mine uses these 9 inch outside diameter front gauge wheels & 3/4 inch smooth axle shown below and they are perfectly good for my yard.

At least in a front deck model mowers these are carrying only about half of the deck weight, unlike in Z mowers where they carry lot more than that since that's all they have in the front.
Yes I agree they are often bigger in diameter but I'm not sure how big.

If you are mowing areas with stump holes, maybe a tractor & flail mower would be more suitable for that area (that's what I do)?

 

[Hay Dude]

View attachment 700367

This 4wd would be Awesome on my hills & banks.
I’m not sure on these tiny frt deck tires hitting stump holes & rough ground here on my farm.

After carefully considering a new F3990, the DPF and the $28,000 price tag reassured me I made the right decision buying a clean used non-DPF F3680.
For less than 1/2 the price, I got essentially the same machine, with a brand new 72" deck and no DPF headaches.
Parked regens trying to make every minute count? $28,000 for a commercial lawn mower?
No way.

 

[Brown Dog]

Hay Dude was your F3680 purchased from Atlanta Kubota ?

 

[Hay Dude]

Hay Dude was your F3680 purchased from Atlanta Kubota ?

No. Hoobers in Lancaster County PA

 

[Brown Dog]

Oh sorry. Some Member on here bought one here in Ga
I forgot who
Lotta grass to mow in Lancaster PA when I was thru there years ago

 

[Brown Dog]

Does the new F3990 4cyl motor have the exact same fuel system as the ZD1511 ?

I am told common rail fuel systems on bigger 4cyl Kubota’s are way more reliable & not requiring parked regens.

 

[Hay Dude]

Well, I got my F-3680 on Friday and let’s just say it has gotten off to a really bad start.
First off, the machine itself looks excellent. The new mower on it makes the whole machine look brand new. I picked it up at the dealer and brought it home about 3pm. Unloaded from trailer and began mowing. It takes a little getting used to.
Felt fine at first, but after about 2 minutes of mowing, the hydro pedal became difficult to operate and the hydrostatic transmission got VERY loud and whiny. I disengaged the PTO and all functions returned to normal. No issues, drives fine. The PTO is causing the machine to weaken to the point where it’s not drivable.
Drove it back to dealer and they are assessing. I will get more info on Monday.
So I didn’t even get 10 minutes of use and it’s back to the dealer. The BIG question is, if it’s a big repair, who is going to pay for it. They have already cashed my check-little recourse for me, but I have purchased 2 larger farm tractors from them and they have completed more than a few large repairs, so I don’t know if they will make it right or tell me I’m screwed....

 

[arto98607]

Well, I got my F-3680 on Friday and let’s just say it has gotten off to a really bad start.
First off, the machine itself looks excellent. The new mower on it makes the whole machine look brand new. I picked it up at the dealer and brought it home about 3pm. Unloaded from trailer and began mowing. It takes a little getting used to.
Felt fine at first, but after about 2 minutes of mowing, the hydro pedal became difficult to operate and the hydrostatic transmission got VERY loud and whiny. I disengaged the PTO and all functions returned to normal. No issues, drives fine. The PTO is causing the machine to weaken to the point where it’s not drivable.
Drove it back to dealer and they are assessing. I will get more info on Monday.
So I didn’t even get 10 minutes of use and it’s back to the dealer. The BIG question is, if it’s a big repair, who is going to pay for it. They have already cashed my check-little recourse for me, but I have purchased 2 larger farm tractors from them and they have completed more than a few large repairs, so I don’t know if they will make it right or tell me I’m screwed....

Sorry to hear about the trouble - very nice looking mower, I suppose by now you have double checked the fine print of your purchase receipt?
In any case, I sure hope they will step up and make good on any needed repairs.


Having just completed reassembling my F3060 I can assure you that it would be a major job if the mower had to be split, in order to access PTO clutch / HST to be able to correct the problem.

 

[RickB]

Hoping for a satisfactory resolution.

 

[Hay Dude]

Got a call today on the status of the F3680.
The tractor must be split and the PTO repaired.
Big job. Probably won’t see it again for 2 weeks.

 

[cold1313]

My F3990 doesn't require parked regens. The regen on the F3990 runs off of a timer and not how plugged the DPF is (Like on my MX5800).

250 hours on my machine as of the weekend.

Hope the dealer takes care of the issue with you new machine!

 

[arto98607]

Got a call today on the status of the F3680.
The tractor must be split and the PTO repaired.
Big job. Probably won’t see it again for 2 weeks.

Yes it's a big job indeed to split it due to all the linkages, hydraulic hoses, whole bunch of side frame & main frame bolts etc.

I would estimate someone who has done it before and has all the tools available, working on almost new clean machine and focusing on just repairing one issue (PTO), will need 8 hours to separate it, another 8 hours to find & correct the problem & reassemble transmission/PTO, and 8 more hours to put the tractor back together.

Your mileage may differ.

It would be interesting to hear how many hours they used to complete the job once done?

 

[Hay Dude]

Funny thing is, the PTO ran perfectly. Cut grass perfectly. Then after about 3-5 minutes of cutting, the hydrostatic pedal F/R would just lock up. Like it would move. Turn off mower deck and hydrostatic ran like a champ

 

[arto98607]

I hope they have mechanics who are familiar with the PTO / HST on these mowers and will correct the problem to your satisfaction.


Here is a photo couple of days ago of me test driving my 3600 hour F3060, after having taken the HST / 2-speed transmission & front axle completely apart during this past winter.
Before taking it apart the mower sort of worked OK but had sticky HST pedal and few transmission / HST oil leaks, as well as a steering hydraulic controller leak that all had to be corrected, however after I got started on it last fall I decided to do a complete refurbishing project.

So far so good, but I have yet another issue with worn mower deck drive shaft to deal with before doing serious test mowing and will write more about this project after that here:

F3060 HST Speed Control Pedal Sticking

 

[Hay Dude]

They are a very large, multi location Kubota dealership (and other brands Case-IH, JCB...)
I dont know how thoroughly and carefully it will be repaired and honestly, have little control over that.
I know hope is not a plan, but I dont have too much more than hope right now.
They did offer the option to buy it back. I said Id like to keep it as I think itll be a great mower.
Unsure now....

 

[Brown Dog]

I’ll only buy a used mower or Bush hog with under 25-50hrs on it & that’s IF I know it’s history.

ive bought 4 JD tractors with 100-250hrs on them, saved a lot of $$ & gotten fine units.

I just can’t make myself but higher hour units