Goodbye, depression. Hello, mania.
The Kubota is dead. Long live the Kubota.
After listening to and weighing all your comments, after a second round of mind-bending tractor shopping, after more paralysis of analysis, after endlessly recirculating in an eddy of indecision--after all, I took delivery Saturday of a new tractor to replace my returned
BX2200. It is:
--
B2910, FEL, 72" mid mount mower, non-folding ROPS
-- R4 industrial tires, 75% hydroinflated with CaCl in tubes
-- Woods MD 160 medium duty 60" rotary cutter with slip clutch and stump jumper
-- Walco 10 cu. ft. 3ph dump box, which can be used for variable rear ballast with 70lb. sand tubes
-- Freedom hitches
Until the day of delivery, I kept worrying that I had bought too much size, notwithstanding much counsel to the contrary.
Then I spent two full days on the tractor . . . and . . .
I LOVE IT!
It is almost as maneuverable as the BX for mowing. Actually, even more so when I mow with the FEL off, because I alway mowed with the FEL and a weight box on the BX. I can cut just as close circles around my trees with the 72" deck on the 2910 as with the 60" deck on the BX. It leaves no more scuffs on my lawn with the R4's than the BX did with its bar turfs; and with the FEL off it even scuffs less.
My total mowing time for 3 acres was cut by at least 15%. The ride is MUCH more comfortable than the BX, due to the longer wheelbase and the springloaded seat. I would buy the 2910 over the 2710 just for that seat. I do not notice the liquid fill at all in terms of ride.
It floats better on the soft wet soil of my creek area even though it is 800 lbs. heavier with the filled tires than the BX, probably because the footprint/weight ratio is actually greater than the BX. Wen suggested this. Moreover, there is significantly more traction and less spinning in the soft soil.
The loader is no comparison. I smashed into my big brushpile just for fun and moved it significantly backwards. Along with Max, my stickaholic German Shepard, the 2910 dug and ripped out the evil willow stumps with a vengeance. Of course, the soft soil looked like Dresden afterwards, but I've become pretty good at backdragging my bucket to fill in the ruts. I smashed again into my brushpile just for fun. I haven't yet used the brush hog. But did I tell you that I smashed into my brushpile just for fun.
One thing. I did not fall victim to the specious bigger-is-better philosophy. Nor did I succumb to the siren song of buy-as-big-as-you-can-afford. I maturely resisted these puerile urges. Rather, I scientifically re-specified my tractor requirements and simply bought the machine that met those requirements.
Yessirree. Now I want to go and and play with ... er, I mean, properly operate my carefully specified cruise control, so I can engage in some carefully required--yes, dear, absolutely required--brake steering in my wetlands.
Nosirree. I am not a tractor junkie, toy freak, yiownekneb ... uh, excuse that typo. My Kubota nose ring fell onto the keyboard and bounced onto my Bush Hog pajamas. No, you guys are the tractor and Tractorbybet addicts.
And you know what I think of that? ........
DEAL ME IN!
Because of all your valuable advice on this board, I want to share with you a Newtonian, Einsteinian brilliant insight I have developed about tractors. I and Al Gore are probably the only people who know this, but here it is free of charge: Traction and power are good things. Did any of you know that?
I'm sitting in a hotel in West Palm Beach, wishing I could ... smash, in a carefully specified manner, into my brushpile.
Sincerely, thanks all for your unselfish time and sharing on this board.
I'm grinning. Bigtime.
Glenn