L33240/3540 too big?

[toddler]

Hi,

Back when I lived in VT, I used a B2710 to mow around 2 1/2 acres, brush hog 5, clear snow, till a garden, and do landscaping. It was capable of doing 98% of what I wanted, and if I needed the pond or creek dug out, we hired someone.

Now we're going to build a house on an 11acre pasture in NC. We'll make 3 acres or so a finished lawn, and rough cut the rest or possibly let the horse farm next door hay some of it. Other than mowing, we'll only be doing very light landscaping, ie, moving plants small trees and mulch.

Both the B3030 and the L's can fit a 72" MMM, so my only reason for looking at the Grand L's is that you seem to get so much more tractor for a few grand more. Would it be foolish to go with the L with the larger turf tires? I haven't priced out a B3030 with turf tires, a 72" MMM and the FEL, but didn't think it'd be that much less than the 3240 given how much the 2710/2910 cost relative to the old L3010.

Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Todd
(oh, and yeah, I did search for some prices on the B3030, but there were surprisingly few threads listing quotes.)

 

[Lindy]

In case you didn't see this one in your search, here's a link to the pricing I got for my B3030 just a few weeks ago (this is with FEL, 60" MMM, and R4's).

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-buying-pricing/114495-b3030-vs-jd-2520-one.html?highlight=B3030+2520#post1316060

 

[Bob_Young]

For the work you've outlined, a Grand L does seem like a lot. How well drained is this pasture you plan to build on? If the ground is soft much of the year, a 3000 lb. lawn mower isn't going to work well. Plus there's the issue of working close to lawn obstructions and the house with something that big....or do you still have the B2710 for mowing?

In your shoes, I'd be tempted to get a BX or smaller B for mowing and something like an L3400 for the heavier work. But if you're wedded to deluxe tractors, this won't be cheap. With the phaseout of the B7510/7610, there's an opportunity to save, if you can find one.

You gain a lot of flexibility by having more than one tractor on hand and there's less need to compromise on tires, ballast and such. I'd rather have two ideal Plain Janes than one compromised Prom Queen
Bob

 

[toddler]

Thanks Lindy, Don't know why I missed that one. I think maybe I had too specific a search "B3030 FEL MMM . . . " but that does help. The cost difference is greater than I expected. Guessing Turf tires wouldn't change the price much.

Can I ask why you went with the 60" mower and not the 72". I had a 60" on my 2710 because I was worried about scalping, but will go 72" on my next one because the property is pretty level.

Hi Bob,
Guess I'm a one tractor guy. The ground is very well drained because the entire property is very gently sloped. The portion that will be a finished lawn is the highest 3 acres or so, and while it seems perfectly level when you are walking it, it actually slopes a couple of feet.

As to "wedded to deluxe", the tractor is at least as much a toy to me as a necessity. My wife likes to get a new car every few years, I'll drive my trailblazer into the ground and buy a tractor. So I'm willing to splurge. I just don't want to over shoot too much. If I only cut the rough areas Q3+ weeks, I'm not sure I can use the finish mower, so how big a rough cut or rotary cutter I can use might factor in. Then again, I might just use the MMM and pay a lot for blades over the years if it won't harm the deck or clog up. In VT, my wife never put on the rotary cutter or tiller. She'd just mow down the weeds, or even corn rows, with the MMM lifted almost all the way up. Here in NC, it'll just be foot high grass.

Todd

PS) Been reading up on Flail Mowers. Would a B3030 manage a 5' Caroni flail mower?

 

[Lindy]

Thanks Lindy, Don't know why I missed that one. I think maybe I had too specific a search "B3030 FEL MMM . . . " but that does help. The cost difference is greater than I expected. Guessing Turf tires wouldn't change the price much.

Can I ask why you went with the 60" mower and not the 72". I had a 60" on my 2710 because I was worried about scalping, but will go 72" on my next one because the property is pretty level.

My price included the 60" loader bucket, BTW. The one the dealer had on the lot already had the R4's, and that's what I wanted, so I didn't even ask about the price for the turf tires. I'm guessing it would've been close.

I went with the 60" deck for obvious reasons -- more seat time! Actually, I wanted to go for maneuverability around my trees. And my storage space is quite limited. Plus, the 60" was cheaper than the 72". That being said, I'm still second guessing myself on whether I should've gone with the 72".

 

[toddler]

Lindy,

I questioned my decision to get the 60" after I bought it too. There were places the 60" let me go, such as between a few trees that were spaced at just over 5' apart, and it did scalp very little. I am sure the 72" would have scalped more.

I didn't realize until after buying it, however, that as far as mowing around trees and the house, the larger deck would have actually let me get closer to them. The uncut area inside the tractors tightest turn would have been a foot less in diameter, and I could have stayed 6" further from the house for the same cut.

Given we get to plan this property from ground zero, there won't be any 5' spaces between landscaping items. I'll make sure to space any raised beds are 6+ feet apart if I plan to drive between them. I will also make the mulch bed under any trees or shrubs big enough that the tractor will let me circle close to them easily.

Having a blank slate to work with helps in that regard, as does having made a bunch of mistakes last time I layed out the landscaping. I wouldn't worry much about the 60" deck vs 72" thought. You get used to what you have, and the 60" on my old tractor cut great.

Todd

 

[canoetrpr]

I've got about 1.5 acres in finished lawn and about 15 or so in pasture. I have a Husquvarna riding mower for the lawn and a L3400 for the rest of the farm.

I'd probably find ways to not have so much (3 acres) grass I don't particularly enjoy finish mowing myself - maybe I would if I was finish mowing from the seat of a B3030

I've found my setup of having a separate riding mower for the lawn and a tractor for the pastures and farms to be ideal. I'd hate to be having to take the MMM off. Two dedicated machines IMHO is the way to to.

If you want a single tractor then I think you are best off staying with a B series - the B3030 is a nice nice machine and will probably do you well as an all around machine for your jobs. I'd hate to be finish mowing with my L3400 whiich is about 500 lb lighter than the grand Ls. Its too darn big and weighs too much.

 

[toddler]

Canoetrpr,

I'm also wondering if a 3240/3540 is just too big to mow with. One of the neighbors is using an L3410 to mow with. Other than feeling wasteful, it doesn't seem like it'd be less comfortable, it actually seems like those big wheels would be more comfortable to drive around on. I also figure with the larger turf tires, the L won't be putting much more pressure on the lawn than the B would. The bigger rear tires are 44 x 18-20 and the fronts would be 29 x 12.5-15.

More importantly, though, why would I take off the MMM? If I put a flail mower on the back, can't I pin the MMM up. I could on the B2710?

Maybe I should start a thread so see if the B3030 will comfortably handle a 63" Caroni Flail mower on two or three foot high grass. If it would, then it's almost a no brainer that I don't need more than a B3030. And the cost savings of the B over the L would more than cover the Flail.

Todd

 

[plastikosmd]

when i was shopping there was 1 dealer who told me i couldnt use a MMM on grand L (he was wrong) another told me that if you have a rear powered pto item on and the mmm that you will spin both with the mmm pto on which may be an issue with flail on rear using mmm..i dont know if this is true...guys here can help with that..but if true..something to consider

 

[toddler]

Plastikosmd,

I don't believe that's true. At least on my B2710, I could run the mid or the rear PTO as I chose. Don't know if I could have run both at once, because I never tried, but not being able to run only one would make no sense.

Some of these dealers make mistakes a lot. Last week I asked one if the third function valve on the 3240's loader would run a hydraulic post hole digger or if it would have lower flow than a rear remote. He said the FEL hydraulic flow was equal to the steering flow and the implement flow, so the third fxn valve would have more flow than a rear remote. Kubota's printed literature would disagree with that. One of the reasons this site is so great. We can check a lot of the bad info against actual owner experience.

Todd

 

[canoetrpr]

toddler - you can definately keep the MMM on but I would find myself running out of ground clearance for other work around the farm pretty quickly. I don't think I'd want less ground clearance for much other than finish mowing.

That said, I'm sure many others keep their MMM on for everything. So YMMV.

I would find a Grand L large around my property for finish mowing. Only because of larger turn raidus' etc. If you had a straight field of 3 acres, no trees, shurbs etc, then size is no issue.

I have no clue how a B will do with a flail mower.

 

[Sniggle]

If everything is pretty flat and level, leaving the MMM on should not be a problem.

I took mine off as I need every bit of the 14.7 inch clearance to complete the finish clearing/pasture prep work I am doing right now (and there is no grass to cut this time of the year so nothing lost except the 15 minutes to remove it and store it).

 

[plastikosmd]

i dont know for sure, i also ran across it here..there was a mention with the grand L and the mid pto and rear pto, that once the mid is engaged the rear also spins? i only mention it..as a rear flail and mmm were mentioned, most dont drive around with a mmm and a rear pto powered item.


edit..the posting i read on this site was here...in discussion of the new B's
page 9 top of the page, regarding the L's
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-buying-pricing/114670-b2320-b2620-b2920-9.html

 

[bill333]

Todd, I don't know if you made your tractor decision yet, but here are a few thoughts. I also went back and forth on the B series vs the Grand L. I have a bit more yard to mow than you but am also faced with ~6 acres of 'rough cut' to do now and then.

I went with the Grand L, BUT I did it because I already have a ZTR for the yard. So I didn't get a MMM with the Grand L. Now that I have it here, I can tell you that I think the Grand L would be a big tractor for a lot of mowing -- it's just bigger than you think. And of course heavy.

Here's a thought - while you said you are a one tractor guy, I'd suggest you consider getting a ZTR mower. They have come way down in price. For what you would spend on a MMM, you'd be half way there to a ZTR. Then you could do the rough areas with either a used bushhog and the tractor, or the ZTR. The ZTR will mow 10 inch grass, no problem. What we do is swap out the ZTR blades with an older set when we are doing really rough cutting.

Plus the ZTR is much faster doing the mowing -- you can mow 1.5 acres an hour even if you have a lot of trees. we used to mow here (10 acres, lots of trees) in about 8 hours with a 72 inch finish mower on a tractor, and then it needed about 2 hours of string trimming and 2 hours of 'small mower' work. Now we do the entire 10 acres in 6 hours with the ZTR and only 1 hour of string trimming.

Just a thought!

 

[toddler]

Hey Bill,

Thanks for the input. My wife and I came to the same conclusion, although not that we'll mow that much with the z-turn. The ground is far to rough to mow fast with a z-turn. But we did agree that the mmm cost is the same as a used commercial z-turn. So we plan to rough cut about 8 with a flail mower and under two with a z-turn, or if it is really smaller than that, my little garden tractor with grass collector.

In Vermont, I cut well over 1.25 acres / hour too, but with my 60" MMM on a B2710. Thing is, I was cutting a soccer field NO trees. Where we're moving to . . . no trees, rough pasture. z-turn won't work that well. We'll turn the area around the house into finished lawn and use a finish mower on that.

Regards,

Todd

 

[bill333]

Todd:
I think you will be happy with your decision. FYI, you can probably cut rougher ground than you might think with your ZTR if you take it slowly. I've just purchased my tractor, so for the last 5 years or so we've had to mow the pasture (6 acres, very hilly, bumpy) with the ZTR. I do go through it in the winter and pick up most of the fallen limbs and as many rocks as I can, but other than that we just use the ZTR, taking it a little more slowly than normal. We even use it for leaf vacuuming. Never had a problem. (I do have a commercial unit). With the tractor now I plan on buying a used bushhog and switching over though.
Best of luck.

 

[toddler]

You might want to consider a flail mower too. I was going to get a rotary cutter until I did some more reading here on flail mowers.

Now I plan to get a Caroni 72".

Todd