New "B" series catalog..

[Bota2620]

Bandit,

Yes and yes. They told me that I would not get good traction with the 5' bush hog (R4 tires and tractor weighs 1550 lbs). That is fine by me, because the amount of bush hogging I will be doing each year is minimal. Also they need the MMMs serial number for the loan. I talked with the dealer today and he is looking into it for me. Hopefully cash out of pocket will not be necessary. The other two implements are not Land Pride and they could not be financed either.

Will post Pics ASAP

 

[Northland]

I purchased a 2008 B series 2620 a couple of weeks ago.
Any recommendations on grapples for the FEL? I don't want to modify my new tractor to much to accommodate the grapple, but this looks like a useful tool.

Congratulations on getting a brand new model tractor- I am sure you will love it!

I have a Tatro bucket grapple ($400) with a WR Long valve kit ($600) which I use a lot and reccomend without hesitation.

http://www.tatrosite.com/index.html

 

[bxowner]

The pricing on your tractor certainly is encouraging - and goes directly against what I was told in November. I was quoted $14,212 for a B7610 with the larger capacity loader (can't remember the model) and loaded R4 tires. Sounds like you paid about $300 less for the new model (deducting about $200 for Rimguard).

In November, the dealer indicated that the new 'B' series would be "substantially more expensive." In hindsight, the English translation to his words are: "I'm going to tell this guy whatever it takes to move the inventory before I'm stuck with a tractor noone's going to buy come springtime."

Problem for him was, my gut feeling told me that he wasn't being straight with me, so I went to the JD dealer to compare models. The thought of a JD never crossed my mind, as I was so happy with my B6100 and BX1500 tractors. I paid $14,400 for a 2320 with loaded R4 tires and a 200cx loader. So, in my mind, the $188 price difference got me a (1) brand new design, (2) position control, (3) easier to disconnect loader, (4) drive-over deck compatible model, (5) split-brake on the opposite side of hydro pedals, (6) folding ROPS equipped tractor.

Even though I now know that the pricing is more aggressive, I can't say that I'm disappointed with my decision. It's sort of a toss-up whether I'd take a B2620 with 3-speed transmission over my JD2320 with position control. I can certainly appreciate times where I'd like an intermediate gearing. But, since I have about 2 acres of undeveloped land to grade with expensive top soil, I think I'll be happier with position control, since I can return the rear blade to the same height each weekend (clearly going to take me a long time to grade out that much dirt - and isn't going to happen in just one or two days).

Have a blast with your new tractor!

 

[IslandTractor]

I purchased a 2008 B series 2620 a couple of weeks ago. The dealership just received the tractor, but is still waiting on the LA364 FEL and 60" belly mower. .....

Is the quarter inching over position control a big deal? I guess for me, I probably won't know the difference as this will be the only tractor I will use.

Any recommendations on grapples for the FEL? I don't want to modify my new tractor to much to accommodate the grapple, but this looks like a useful tool.

Quarter inching is probably not important for you if you are using a MMM and your use is limited to residential mowing and utility tasks. It would be of more use if you were using 3pt implements. (Edit: after reading your subsequent posts I see you will use a box blade and bush hog. Position control makes managing those devices faster and easier to set a given cut height to return to but you can do everything with the quarter inching valve).

You have a few choices for adding a grapple function. The simplest is just to add a grapple arm to your standard bucket. If you are a do it yourselfer you can get a grapple arm off ebay (Andy Tatro sells one that lots of TBNer's have liked). You can also buy a more expensive complete kit that requires only some drilling and bolting from either ATI or Add A Grapple. Both of those seem to work well and cost in the range of $600 or so. A third option is to get a light weight "real" grapple. Millonzi, WRLong and ATI and a few others sell these. Be careful not to get a grapple that weighs much more than 300lbs as the LA362 has less than 1000lbs lift capacity at the pivot pins so any grapple weight is deducted from that to get your net lift capacity. I don't recall the cost of the ATI or WR Long grapples but both are considerably more money than the Millonzi LD48 which costs about $850 if you say you are a TBN member.

You'll need to figure out hydraulic controls to run a grapple too. There are two basic choices 1) diverter valve or 2) use rear remotes. I'm guessing that you have not opted to have any rear remotes installed but the dealer could do that. Not sure what Kubota charges but $500 would be about par. To use a rear remote you'd basically just order a couple lengths of hydraulic hose and fittings to run from the rear remote outlets to the grapple. It just requires some zip ties to secure the hoses as you lead them over the rear axle, under the operator station, up the FEL mount post and down the FEL arm. Sounds more complicated than it is and it takes about 15 minutes to do. I used 1/2 inch hose but 3/8 or even 1/4 would be fine for a grapple. Just make sure you get the right fittings to match the rear remote and grapple fittings. The other option is more costly but popular: the diverter valve. Basically you'd get your dealer to order one from WRLong as a kit and either have them install it or do it yourself. (A few people build their own diverter valves but that requires quite a lot of effort for parts sourcing). I think these diverter valve kits go for about $600 or so now. The advantage of the diverter valve is that you don't need to take your hand off the FEL joystick to operate the grapple. With the rear remote set up you move your hand from the FEL joystick to the rear remote controller which is not a big deal...something like reaching for the 4speed shifter in a car rather than operating the gears with a wheel mounted paddle shifter. I've used both systems, liked both, and don't have a strong preference. If you have any need for a rear remote (log splitter, top and tilt etc) then go that route. The diverter valve route is easier if you just want a turn key solution installed by the dealer.

Good luck with your new tractor. Post pictures!

 

[AKKubota]

Bota 2620 - what kind of tires did you get and is there good clearance in the rear for chains and the 3pt? Also, what is the overall width?thx

 

[elalexander]

Does anyone know what JD tractors these compare to? The B2630HSD compares itself to the JD2520. ANyone heard anything?

 

[IslandTractor]

Does anyone know what JD tractors these compare to? The B2630HSD compares itself to the JD2520. ANyone heard anything?

I'd say that is exactly correct and that the JD2320 and 2520 were the targets in Kubota's sights as they planned the refreshing of the standard B line up. Relatively light weight small CUTs with a clear focus on finish mowing.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Now if we could just take the best features from all the machines this size, and put them in one tractor, we would have something! One of the things that makes choosing a small tractor so difficult is that it seems if you want one feature, you have to give up another. Naturally, all the companies seem to be trying to push us to the next model up the price scale..... I wonder if they ever think about how many customers they just push horizontally to another brand? You want faster hydraulics than a JD2320, buy a 2520, or a Kubota, or Kioti, or Mahindra, or NH. I wonder how many position control valves that would buy Kubota in a year?

 

[Roadkill95]

I purchased a 2008 B series 2620 a couple of weeks ago. The dealership just received the tractor, but is still waiting on the LA364 FEL and 60" belly mower. Hopefully these won't be delayed for long. I'm a new-b when it comes to tractors (this is my first), but I took a couple of months doing a little research before my purchase. The 2620 seems like a really good tractor, it is a slight step up from the 7610 with some additional aesthetic features (the cup holder sold me). It痴 also a little taller, wider, longer and faster, it has a new instrument panel, the three speed trans , and a different hydraulic set up for the FEL. It only cost me $300 more than a 2007 7610 (I was told that the new tractor is more expensive but the new FEL is a bit cheaper). I only have 4 acres residential to use it on and I think I'll be happy with it.

Is the quarter inching over position control a big deal? I guess for me, I probably won't know the difference as this will be the only tractor I will use.

Any recommendations on grapples for the FEL? I don't want to modify my new tractor to much to accommodate the grapple, but this looks like a useful tool.

Was there any talk of price if you added the BH?

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I wonder how many position control valves that would buy Kubota in a year?

Just a quick point to make. There is a lot of talk of position control valves here, however 95% of the tractor buying market could care less. I point out position control vs quater inching on almost every sale -- as I sell two brands of tractors and thats probably the biggest single difference between the models. I can't recall the last time someone picked the position control model for that specific reason. While the position control seems to have its advantages I've never found myself cursing at the quater inch control.