New "B" series catalog..

[IslandTractor]

I upgraded to the new seat on the B7800 but I really do not understand what the big dead was? The old seat was OK. Heck, the Grand "L" came with a seat having staples in the back that were "pre-rusted". I was not happy about that and told the factory that if it was the computer industry it would be a design "QAN". But I never had an issue with the "old B-series" seat. I must be missing something?
I am 5'11" 200 so maybe they designed the old seat for some one of average height and overweight?

Check out the Kioti suspension seat that comes standard on the CK line. I'm not sure what it cost Kioti but it is a serious upgrade over the old CK seats (pre 2005) which were virtually identical to the B series seats.

 

[Roadkill95]

I wasn't trying to start a color war. Besides, the comment that I repeated came from a Kubota dealer when explaining why position control was not necessary on the B class machines. Apparently most B class owners don't use the 3PT hitch anyway but simply have a MMM.

The B's are excellent reliable tractors I was just surprised that when Kubota did a revamp of the whole line that they changed so very little. As noted in my earlier post they did at least one thing that is really good which is to go from two speed to three speed HST. However they didn't up the loader capacity by more than a few pounds, did not fix the dumb quarter inching valve thing, and did not add a suspension seat. They seem to have focused on cosmetics. Maybe that is a smart move in the vein of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I was just surprised that after five or so years since the last update that this was all they did.

Regarding JD, Kubota and Kioti....people have their favorite colors. Kioti is the newer kid on the block and many folks prefer the established brands just like they favored Ford and Chevy over Toyota and Honda thirty years ago. I think anyone looking at the 20-23hp range CUT will find that JD and Kubota offerings are excellent and are focused or opitimzed for mowing with MMM. The Kioti CK20 is heavier, with stronger FEL and has some very nice features missing on the other entry level tractors...try a suspension seat sometime and you'll see what I mean. All these Asian made tractors are good reliable machines but they are aimed at different niches. Performance wise Kioti gets more competition from Mahindra on "utility" tractor grounds than from green or the other orange. I stand behind the notion that the CK20 stands out as a utility tractor in this group while the JD and B series stand out as mowing machines. The Kioti can mow and the JDs and B series can clearly accomplish utility tractor tasks, my point is just that each excels on different sides of that dicotomy.

Most that I know with these cuts use it for mowing and kioti has no MMM, a deal breaker for me for sure.
Biggest problem I see with the brand is dealer network, If I need parts for a deere or kubota I can get them from several dealers within 30 min drive. If they don't start grabbing big market share soon the dealers that are left will be gone, in my opinion kind of like buying a daewoo car. JMO

 

[IslandTractor]

Most that I know with these cuts use it for mowing and kioti has no MMM, a deal breaker for me for sure.
Biggest problem I see with the brand is dealer network, If I need parts for a deere or kubota I can get them from several dealers within 30 min drive. If they don't start grabbing big market share soon the dealers that are left will be gone, in my opinion kind of like buying a daewoo car. JMO

I agree completely on the mower issue. The B's and BX's are the way to go both for weight and implements like MMM if you are primarily mowing. The CK has other strengths and advantages but you'd never get it up to B standard as a finish/lawn mower. I think that was one of my points earlier in this thread.

Parts are really not much of an issue at all for the Kiotis these days. For starters I use a dealer 300 miles away for parts even though there are several within 30 miles simply because in this era of UPS/FedEx I can get the parts from my favorite dealer without leaving the house or wasting gas. Additionally, Bobcat now carries the Kioti CK line (painted white but otherwise the tractors are identical and built on the same line in Korea). That gives you another pretty well established parts counter to deal with.

 

[bandit67]

Saw a couple of dealers today at the National Western Stock Show. They said new B series brochures are printed and ready to go out to dealers in the next week or so. One dealer said when he ordered his B's, delivery date was scheduled for January, but he said he'd expect sometime in February. Another dealer told me he expected his in by March or April, so we will see.

I knew a lot more about the new B's than the 2 guys at one of the booths did, and one of them had even been to the dealer show. Neither knew that Kubota developed a new backhoe for them, that the tractor seat was also used for backhoe operation, or that the loader joystick was integrated into the tractor near the seat. Needless to say, none of the first batch was ordered with the backhoe.

Think I may purchase out of state this time around. Tired of the dealers out here not knowing what's going on until the machines hit their lot. With the prices they charge out here, I'd expect to get a bit more knowledge out of them. Many of them also seem to confuse the features from one machine to the next. I don't get it - if I was a tractor salesman, I'd know my product lines inside & out - what could be more fun than getting paid to reasearch and test tractors all the time?

Also saw the new Bobcat/Kioti cuts. That dealer quoted me $19k for the 30 hp machine with loader - seemed pretty steep. Pretty much looked like a Kioti CK30 (from what I've seen in pictures) with different paint. The Bobcats had the suspension seat too.

 

[IslandTractor]

Also saw the new Bobcat/Kioti cuts. That dealer quoted me $19k for the 30 hp machine with loader - seemed pretty steep. Pretty much looked like a Kioti CK30 (from what I've seen in pictures) with different paint. The Bobcats had the suspension seat too.

That is steep. I paid less for a DK40se (41hp) with loader.

 

[ovrszd]

I guess I understand how deleting a true suspension seat would save a ton of $$ for the mfr. I've never had one, so I don't know what I'm missing.

I don't know how the clutch would be necessary on the B3030, since it is hydro and has an independent pto.

Telescoping steering wheel - I can do without that as long as I get a tilt wheel.

What do you mean by true power steering - isn't the B3030's steering wheel a no-effort fingertip turn lock-to-lock, even when not moving? - the BX's do that, and so do many other subcompacts and compacts.

The seat issue is a big deal to me. Call me shallow. After sitting on my tractor all day, I never end the day with a nagging negative thought about the seat. My seat takes shock load off my back and never tries to throw me off or slide me forward. Ask 3030 owners about that.

The clutch although not necessary, certainly is important to me. It removes all shock load on PTO equipment because of being able to engage gently. It also allows you to clean a post hole with a PHD much better than without. Not a necessity, but again, much more user friendly and adaptable.

Telescoping steering wheel is extremely handy if there are multiple operators. I'm 5'10" and my wife is 5'1". Ours gets used often.

True power steering means the 2910 has steering just like your truck. The steering wheel directs a gear box that is directly connected to the front wheels. That gear box uses hydraulic assist. It's precise and powerful and fast. The 3030 and BX models use a simple hydraulic actuator located under the steering wheel and a hydraulic cylinder guiding the front wheels. With that system the steering wheel is constantly moving when going straight, a real PITA if you use a spinner knob. It also steers heavier and with limited at best precision. For example, try driving in a straight line in high range, fast HST. You just can't do it with the 3030 steering, constantly wandering. Again, not a necessity, but why go backwards in design?

So my bottom line here is those changes were not necessary on Kubota's part. None of them made the 3030 a better tractor. None of them made the 3030 easier or more comfortable to operate. They were all about profit. Subtle losses to the consumer that hopefully weren't noticed. Insults my intelligence to realize Kubota in an attempt to compete is forgetting what got them where they are today. I know it sounds unimportant, but to me it's not.

 

[Buster57]

Interesting Ovrszd.

I came a hair away from buying a B2910 in 2001 but went with the Grand L instead. In hindsight I should have gone with the "B" series. The dealer/owner gave me such a deal I am still amazed at the figures, so I did not get hurt. I just bought the wrong tractor for my property. Too big and under powered for the steep hill I live on.

What I am still waiting to see is a Kubota version of the John Deere 955, but more modern with Kubota reliability and service support. If Kubota offered a "B3420" with 34 H-P and say 27 at the PTO, with GVW around 2000 pounds, I would buy it today.

I guess I will have to wait. Mean time the B7800 is extremely nice.

 

[bandit67]

I was very impressed with the power and abilities of the B7800 rental on my mountain property. And that was immediately after running an L35 and a full size New Holland TLB on my property over the previous 3 weeks, so I think that speaks volumes about the B7800.

 

[ovrszd]

A friend of my Son's has a JD4310. He swears my 2910 has more HP than his tractor. Of course that's not true. But it sure seems that way. I agree with you guys, a slightly heavier, little more HP 2910/3030 would be nice. My 2910 rarely comes up short on HP, but sometimes is a little light in the pants for the task I'm trying to do with it. Otherwise the 2910/3030/7800 is a great match of HP/Weight and an awesome tractor. Just gotta decide how important bells and whistles are to ya.

 

[ChuckinNH]

It would seem that the new 2920 on the way is going to be a slightly smaller version of that hp/weight ratio. It should have good power for a small chipper, and should run any implement suited to it's size quite well. I do agree with ovrszd that it's a shame that we have to lose good, solid features to gain some of the things we are looking for. Perhaps there isn't enough competition in this class tractor?