New B2150HSD questions

[buzst]

Well I finally did it. Yesterday I took delivery of my first toy after 2 years of lurking within this group. It’s a 1998 b2150HSD with a LA350 loader, 6’ landpride blade, and 10 hours on the clock (yes 10 hours, the dimples are still on the tires and the loader is hardly scratched) that I bought for $9500. The data archived with-in this group proved invaluable in making this purchase - thank you all.

I have two questions: Is there any maintenance I should be doing immediately given the machine has sat for the better part of four years? I need to purchase a mower for the machine; can the Kubota mid-mount be attached at the same time as the loader?

 

[looch]

What immediately comes to mind is to drain the fuel and change the oil. In fact, I don't think it would hurt to just replace all of the fluids - with the price you paid you should be able to afford it /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

Great deal.

 

[Turfman]

Nice purchase. That seems to be a great price on that model with attachments. A complete fluid and filter change would be in order, if she were mine.

K

 

[Muhammad]

You got what we call a steeeeaaallll. Congrats!

Yes you can get a mid-mounted mower, but I'm not positive if Kubota manufacturers the models for the B2150 anymore...

60" - RC60-B Mid Mower $ 2,319.00
72" - RC72-B Mid Mower $ 3,228.00

 

[bsauter]

That's a great deal!!! My dealer gave me $8700 trade for my B2150HSD and 351 loader and it had 775 hours and a steering problem. I thought I was getting the shaft a little on that but I guess not. You got yourself a great machine at a great price.

Yes the MMM can stay on with the loader attached. It works fine but you will obviously have less ground clearance with the mower on so you need to think about the job your doing and whether that might be a factor. It is real easy to pop the mower off when you have the loader as you can raise the front of the tractor with the loader and slide the deck out. I had the Kubota MMM for several years but switched to a 3 pt later and liked it better. Just personal preference.

I would change the oil and fuel also unless you know it was done recently.

Happy tractoring!

 

[Kelvin]

You got a really good deal on that tractor. Wow.

Here are a few things that you need to know about the B2150, FELs, and mid-mowers. Note that I have never had a mid-mower on my B2150 with LA350 FEL, but wanted one a lot until I did some research.

(1) The LA350 and LA350A FELs are both compatible with the mid-mowers.
(2) The way I understand it, the difference between the LA350 and the LA350A is that when the loader is disconneted from the tractor the FEL's joystick control stays with the loader on the LA350A and stays with the tractor on the LA350.
(3) As Mohammad mentioned, there were (are?) 60" and 72" mid-mowers available for the B2150.
(4) I think that there are used ones out there for sale.
(5) In my opinion, the ground clearance on the mid-mower with it in the full-up position really stinks on the B2150. I guess it was that way on all B-series Kubotas prior to the flat-deck design.
(6) The mid-mower can be locked in the UP position allowing the use of the rear 3-point lift.
(7) The mid-PTO and rear-PTO operate on the same "OFF-ON" PTO lever making it difficult to operate any rear PTO equipment with the mid-mower attached.
(8) Make sure that the cover over the mid-PTO is installed when operating in tall grass. I got grass wrapped around the spinning PTO shaft; it got so bad that it basically started a small fire and also damaged the PTO shaft seal allowing HSD fluid to leak pretty badly.
(9) The mid-mower is fairly easy to take on and off with the help of the loader.
(10) I use a 3-point hitch 60" side discharge LandPride mower and a 72" BEFCO rear-discharge mower on my B2150 with on problem.

Well that's enough for now.
Kelvin

 

[MReeter]

buzst,I would do a complete service from top to bottom,hopfully you came up with an owners manual also.The manual will have all the service info.

The 72" MMM that is now sold for the B2710/2910 is IDENTICAL to the 72" MMM for your tractor.The linkage hook-up locations on the deck are the very same.

The only difference is in the linkage itself,which I'm sure can still be had from Kubota.

The best of luck with your NEW Tractor,the 2150 is a great unit...Very good buy indeed.

 

[buzst]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Any idea how much ground clearance there is? My uninformed thinking is that as long as I am working on the landscaped areas of the property clearance matters little, and when I am working in the wooded areas clearance under the mid PTO is already minimal, so the deck will have to come off anyway. Hopefully the deck is easily removed. I have considered a 3pt mower but the lot is hilly with many trees. I thought the mid mount would increase stability on the hills and maneuverability around the trees.

 

[buzst]

The manuals are not due to arrive for two to three weeks. Other than fluids, grease, and filters, which many have suggested, is there anything else that should be taken care of? What are the standard manuals that should come with the machine? Are there others I should purchase anyway?
The 72” mower will be to wide to fit between some of my trees, do you know of a current production 60” deck?

 

[Kelvin]

buzst,
I'll try to give you a few answers:
(1) My B2150 sales brochure doesn't list the ground clearance. Based upon what I remember, I'd guess that when the 60" mid-mower is in the full UP position there is about 1" of clearance between the mower's wheels and the ground.
(2) As mentioned before, I do not have the mid-mower nor do I have any personal experience with mid-mowers on B2150s. However, from what I've been told the B2150 mid-mower is pretty easy to get on and off. Without the FEL I think that you are supposed to disconnect the mower and back the tractor over it. With the FEL you simply lift the front end of the tractor and roll the mower out. I believe that it is supposed to be about a 5 minute job for most people (which means about 10 minutes for me...).

Stability and Maneuverability Issues:

As mentioned in other posts, I have an older B7100 with mid-mower and a B2150 with FEL/rear-mower. The B2150 also has a canopy which hurts the tractor's stability (makes it more top-heavy). I have one hill that I strongly prefer to mow using the B7100 with mid-mower since I can turn around at the bottom of the hill (the turn-around area is still on an incline). When I have to mow the same hill using the B2150, I keep the tractor pointed uphill and mow the hill going back and forwards; it works, but is a pain. In general, the mid-mower is more maneuverable than the rear mower, but when it comes to trees the rear-mower can be backed under limbs that the mid-mower can't reach. I don't know what your tree situation is.

Mower Availability:

I know where there is at least one brand new 60" mid-mower. There is a Kubota dealer in North East Tennessee that sells over the internet and has a brand new 1998? B2150 with 60" mid-mower. Back on 4/18/2002 they were asking $12,500 for the package after all rebate credits were given (not discounted much from the original asking price so it is still too high priced in my opinion). In any case, I have seen good testimonials on this site about people who have bought from this dealer over the internet, and if you are willing to pay close to the retail price, the dealer might be willing to sell the mower by itself. If that interests you, then here is the info: Modern Equipment Co (www.tractorsmart.com); phone (423) 928-0261. Every now and then I see used B2150 mid-mowers come up for sale (usually advertised on www.equipmentrader.com).

Kelvin