I have been checking out the kubota line for my mowing needs. While drawn to the bx 2230 for its many uses beside mowing, I believe the g 2160 would be easier to use around trees, etc. because of the turning radius and absence of the rops. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with the 2160? Thanks
kubota g 2160
- Thread starter hillman
- Start date
- Views: 1312
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2003
- Messages
- 7,615
I can't speak to this model but I figured I would throw in my 2 cents based on my new mowing tractor.
I have lots of landscaping and trees to mow around near our house and we had been using a Cub Cadet (similar size to the G2160). Over the past 10 years I have really grown dissatisfied with the mowing ability, not because of any problem with the Cub -it is a great lawn tractor- but because we keep adding more landscaping to mow around and because we have some unusual terrain problems to deal with.
What I found after a fairly extensive search, is that mowing speed has a lot more to do with how tight a tractor turns, than the size of the mower deck or the HP of the engine. I bought a Ventrac 3000 with a 52" deck and figure that eventhough the deck is 2" smaller than the deck on my Cub Cadet, we will cut our mowing time down by 90 minutes a week because the Ventrac turns in half the space as a typical lawn tractor.
If I did not have hills or rough ground, then I would have looked at something like a Zero Turn Radius (ZTR) mower. But those things don't like lawns that are not as smooth as a golf course and they won't do the steep grades I have.
My advice to you is to forget about any particular brand. First you need to decide what you are going to do with the piece of equipment you are considering. Is it just mowing & pulling a cart? Is it mowing, snow blowing, and pulling a cart? Is it all that and using a front end loader, a back hoe, a tiller, etc, etc, etc?
Once you know what you REALLY plan on using the equipment for, then look for the best one of those things that you can afford (not the most expensive, but the best at doing the jobs you need done).
My new Ventrac is a killer machine, I'd recommend it to anyone, but it was expensive and is overkill for people with generally flat or rolling land. But I wanted the best mowing machine I could find, and I ended up looking at brands I never knew existed and bought a brand that I never heard of. . . and am thrilled with it.
If you want a small tractor to mow the lawn and if mowing is what you are going to do with it, then I suggest you look at a front mounted deck mowing machine not a tractor. Kubota and Deere both have a couple different lines of those units and they will accomplish the mowing in a much shorter amount of time than a small tractor because the front deck will go under the shrubs, they will turn in 1/2 the space, and you will get the job done quicker. ZTRs mow fastest of all, but only if you have a smooth lawn.
If you plan to till the garden, then going to something a bit more versitile would be good. Ventrac, Steiner, JD X series, JD 2xxx tractors, Power Trac 180 or PT 422, Kubota BX units, NH "TZ" series and Massey GC tractors all come to mind . . . of all of this class of tractor, Ventrac, Steiner and Power Trac will mow MUCH faster than any of the other units and all will run implements as well. The Ventrac, Steiner & Power Trac units will probably mow as fast as dedicated mowers. Power Trac would be the most cost effective of the group but does not have local dealerships so you buy direct from the factory.
I have lots of landscaping and trees to mow around near our house and we had been using a Cub Cadet (similar size to the G2160). Over the past 10 years I have really grown dissatisfied with the mowing ability, not because of any problem with the Cub -it is a great lawn tractor- but because we keep adding more landscaping to mow around and because we have some unusual terrain problems to deal with.
What I found after a fairly extensive search, is that mowing speed has a lot more to do with how tight a tractor turns, than the size of the mower deck or the HP of the engine. I bought a Ventrac 3000 with a 52" deck and figure that eventhough the deck is 2" smaller than the deck on my Cub Cadet, we will cut our mowing time down by 90 minutes a week because the Ventrac turns in half the space as a typical lawn tractor.
If I did not have hills or rough ground, then I would have looked at something like a Zero Turn Radius (ZTR) mower. But those things don't like lawns that are not as smooth as a golf course and they won't do the steep grades I have.
My advice to you is to forget about any particular brand. First you need to decide what you are going to do with the piece of equipment you are considering. Is it just mowing & pulling a cart? Is it mowing, snow blowing, and pulling a cart? Is it all that and using a front end loader, a back hoe, a tiller, etc, etc, etc?
Once you know what you REALLY plan on using the equipment for, then look for the best one of those things that you can afford (not the most expensive, but the best at doing the jobs you need done).
My new Ventrac is a killer machine, I'd recommend it to anyone, but it was expensive and is overkill for people with generally flat or rolling land. But I wanted the best mowing machine I could find, and I ended up looking at brands I never knew existed and bought a brand that I never heard of. . . and am thrilled with it.
If you want a small tractor to mow the lawn and if mowing is what you are going to do with it, then I suggest you look at a front mounted deck mowing machine not a tractor. Kubota and Deere both have a couple different lines of those units and they will accomplish the mowing in a much shorter amount of time than a small tractor because the front deck will go under the shrubs, they will turn in 1/2 the space, and you will get the job done quicker. ZTRs mow fastest of all, but only if you have a smooth lawn.
If you plan to till the garden, then going to something a bit more versitile would be good. Ventrac, Steiner, JD X series, JD 2xxx tractors, Power Trac 180 or PT 422, Kubota BX units, NH "TZ" series and Massey GC tractors all come to mind . . . of all of this class of tractor, Ventrac, Steiner and Power Trac will mow MUCH faster than any of the other units and all will run implements as well. The Ventrac, Steiner & Power Trac units will probably mow as fast as dedicated mowers. Power Trac would be the most cost effective of the group but does not have local dealerships so you buy direct from the factory.
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2003
- Messages
- 7,615
Please understand that Ventrac and Steiners are designed as commercial units and a Ventrac 3000 with a mower deck will cost about $9000. These have a 3 year warrenty. Power Trac 180 units are about 1/3 less. A ZTR will run from $4000 to $10,000.
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2003
- Messages
- 7,615
I think you should also check out the Power Trac line. PT tractors are more versitile overall than the Ventracs and Steiners, they offer many more implements for future use and the seem to be pretty good as mowing tractors as well.
Just so you understand why I went with the Ventrac 3000, it was becuase of a very long thread that you may have overlooked called WHO MAKES THE BEST GARDEN TRACTOR, you will find it in this forum. I have some particular issues with steep grades that you may or may not have, but those steep grades are easily handled by the articulated tractors. The articulated tractors also benefit from some additional things like the fact that they are very turf friendly, they come standard with 4 wheel drive, and they have front mounted decks which look funny, but which are amazing to use.
That front mounted deck, initially made me shy away from them, but after using one I am sold on them as the BEST way to mow. You can get the front mounted deck on some Kubota and JD units in addition to a few others I have not listed and if you don't need the low center of gravity that I required, they may have a dealer local to you where I had my tractor brought from a dealer in Wisconsin down to Indiana <<he gladly brought me a demo at no cost, and there was no delivery fee>>.
You might want to read the tread about my search for the BEST garden tractor and see the twists and turns I took and how my buying decisions changed over time. My search may or may not apply to your conditions, but I learned a lot.
Thread to the search for the BEST garden tractor.
Just so you understand why I went with the Ventrac 3000, it was becuase of a very long thread that you may have overlooked called WHO MAKES THE BEST GARDEN TRACTOR, you will find it in this forum. I have some particular issues with steep grades that you may or may not have, but those steep grades are easily handled by the articulated tractors. The articulated tractors also benefit from some additional things like the fact that they are very turf friendly, they come standard with 4 wheel drive, and they have front mounted decks which look funny, but which are amazing to use.
That front mounted deck, initially made me shy away from them, but after using one I am sold on them as the BEST way to mow. You can get the front mounted deck on some Kubota and JD units in addition to a few others I have not listed and if you don't need the low center of gravity that I required, they may have a dealer local to you where I had my tractor brought from a dealer in Wisconsin down to Indiana <<he gladly brought me a demo at no cost, and there was no delivery fee>>.
You might want to read the tread about my search for the BEST garden tractor and see the twists and turns I took and how my buying decisions changed over time. My search may or may not apply to your conditions, but I learned a lot.
Thread to the search for the BEST garden tractor.
