New "B" series catalog..

[Northland]

I hope the Kubota forum is also resilient enough to have critical posts rather than just fan mail.

It's all good with me Island It's always a civil dialogue with you so know one's feelings get hurt

 

[Bota2620]

I thought it was good info helping me see both sides of the issue. The issue being not only quarter inching vs positon control, but comparisons between Kubota and other comparable brand models.

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"-Voltaire. I don't know about the whole death part!

 

[SnowRidgeME]

Volfandt or whomever,
New to the post, considering either a B2620 or 2920, will try one soon. To help me clarify something from your recent list of comments, you prefer a MMM suspended as oppose to floating? Is that correct? Doesn't a floating deck contour the land better and give a better cut? Do the new B20s have a suspended or floating deck?

Correction to someone on the hydraulics in comparison to the 7610, the 7610's capicity is 7gpm, and the 2620/90 is 8.3gpm.

 

[bandit67]

The suspended mower deck gives a more even looking cut because it doesn't follow every dip the way a floating deck does. The larger tractor wheelbase follows the contours, rather than the smaller mower deck following the contours. That way, you get more of an even 'carpet' appearance to the lawn if the ground itself isn't quite perfect.

Essentially, some of the grass may be longer and some shorter based on the lay of the soil below, but the top of the grass where it's cut, appears more uniform. A floating deck follows the exact contours of the soil, and cuts almost all of the grass at the same height. It's basically an improvement to give a better looking cut. The "turf special" B7510 had the suspended mower deck, whereas the other B7x10's all had floating decks.

Hopefully I explained that well enough.

 

[Elsie71]

I think the floating mower on my B7100 does a nicer job than the suspended deck on my John Deere, both 60/62" decks. More wear on the floating deck, however as wheels turn all the time.

 

[Bota2620]

SnowRidge-good catch, my mistake on the 7.0 gpm for the 7610. I was looking at the next spec over which was the 7800 with 9.5 gpm. Another plus for the new B's.

Bandit- You have been an extremely excellent source of info. Thanks much for all the info on the grapple. I will refer to it when I'm ready or when ATI is ready for me.

I'm going to the dealer tomarrow-it has been assembled with FEL. He is now waiting on the MMM, which should be early next week. Best case next Wednesday delivery - Worst case next Friday (Feb 15th). I'll snap some pics and post them ASAP.

A quick question-how hard can a Bush Hog be on the 3ph?. I will have the Bush Hog Brand SQ148 (4') with shear pin not clutch. I assume clutch is much better, but does not come in that size hog. If I keep to the recomended brush cutting diameter does anyone think there could be long term damage?

 

[bandit67]

I've read all sorts of things about the clutch setups needing more maintenance, and/or seizing up especially if the decks sit around a lot. Seems to me like the shear bolt ones are easier to deal with for sporadic use. Can't imagine a shear bolt unit designed for a specific hp range will cause any problems with the PTO.

My neighbor broke a sheer bolt on my Landpride 1550 tiller with his BX22 when he hit something that didn't move, so they seem to serve their purpose. No issues with his PTO a year+ later. Just buy a bag of them so you can replace it in a pinch.

I was planning on getting the shear bolt brush hog with whatever new machine I end up with, even if the clutch version is available.

 

[Volfandt]

SnowRidgeME,
Bandit67 covered it pretty good and I agree w/Elsie71's comment about the wear being worse on a ground contact mower also.
I've have both types and in my case the suspended mower gives a better finish cut over the ground contact.
My property varies from a nice even lawn in the front to a rough former pasture in the back and I finish mow both at the same height. The suspended mower doesn't leave marks in the turf, it doesn't get jarred and banged around by the many hills and swails and it doesn't scalp.

I've had to reweld leveling brackets, wheel axles and replace the outboard wheels on my Wheel Horse's ground contact mower and my old bush hog. I'm going on my 3rd season w/the BX and so far so good

 

[IslandTractor]

A quick question-how hard can a Bush Hog be on the 3ph?. I will have the Bush Hog Brand SQ148 (4') with shear pin not clutch. I assume clutch is much better, but does not come in that size hog. If I keep to the recomended brush cutting diameter does anyone think there could be long term damage?

You should not have any trouble at all with an SQ148. I ran the SQ480 (slightly lighter version) on my 21 hp tractor with no problem at all. These mowers weigh about 500lbs but a lot of that weight rests on the rear mower wheel when in operation so the tractor barely knows it is back there.

Shear bolts and clutchs are both effective. If you really want the "convenience" of a clutch then you can add an aftermarket clutch to the SQ148 without any difficulty. Agri Supply sells them for about $70 plus shipping. You just need to be careful to get the correct style to fit/match up with your PTO shaft implement end and the cutter. You might need to cut a few inches off your PTO shaft but that only takes 10 minutes with a sawzall or hacksaw.

It is not really difficult to replace a shear pin once you've done it but it is a bother to have to do it in the field. On the other hand, clutches do require some maintenance to make sure they do not freeze/rust together. The maintenance on a clutch can be done at your leisure while the shear bolt replacement always seems to happen on a very hot sunny day far from your workshop.

 

[Northland]

I thought it was good info helping me see both sides of the issue. The issue being not only quarter inching vs positon control, but comparisons between Kubota and other comparable brand models.

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"-Voltaire. I don't know about the whole death part!

Good one Bota-Voltaire also said-"the terrible thing about life is that everyone has their reasons".