The 01 was very stable and secure on the sloped areas of my property. The 2650 sits higher so I added wheel spacers to increase the stability and balance of the tractor. Wheel Spacers make a big difference, highly recommended for the tractor you choose especially if operating on hills or slopes.
B2601 vs B2650
- Thread starter PA452
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Stability is a big concern of mine. I'd like wheel spacers, though I know Kubota says you can't use them with a MMM. But I've also seen quite a few people here say they're running a MMM with spacers just fine.
1.5" Wheel Spacers may work with the MMM, hopefully someone here is running them to let you know for sure.
Taking the mower off should be pretty quick. And putting it somewhere (back of your truck, onto the trailer) should be something you'd do with FEL and pallet forks. Loading up the tractor and chaining it on properly I would have thought was a half hour job, taking the deck of and loading it maybe another 5 minutes.
Is the 77 inches between the sides, or is it a flat deck with no sides? How wide is the 72 inch deck externally? I have a chain on my discharge chute with a dog clip on the end, so I can pin my discharge chute up (my tractor won't go in the shed with it down). If you did that, would it then fit on the trailer with the mower on?
What? That’s crazy. I’ve hauled for a large rental company all across the US. And also a small outfit. If it took you 30 min to load and chain something, you’d be done within the day. Hopefully, you’ve factored in beer drinking while chaining.
I could usually hunt and load a piece within 30 min, on a large job site. Most times it was 10ish and I was pulling off.
It’s all in how your trailer is setup.
I chain my BX23 down to the trailer in 5 minutes or so, it doesn't really take that long. But loading the mower on the with the pallet forks and then securing it by the tractor would be a major pain in the butt; definitely not worth it. I'll just stick with the 5' mower deck, I can accept that and in some cases it may even work out better than the 6'; ups and downs to each.
Fair enough, I don't transport my tractor, and it looked complex to me, and the kind of thing you'd do carefully if you didn't do it regularly. But if you do do it regularly, then agree it'd be quicker.
I've considered it, but I just can't see it being as convenient when having to go around a lot of trees.
Thanks guys. I think I'm back to being settled on the B2650. I just don't want to give up the extra FEL capacity for what I have in mind for the forks and grapple.
Here's a question for anyone who has a B2650 with a backhoe and mower. One salesman made me aware that the B2650 isn't quite so convenient in terms of switching between the backhoe and mower, since you need the 3ph arms on to lift the mower, and off for the backhoe. I saw there are brackets mounted to the lower 3ph arm mounting pins that just kind of hook the 3ph arms for the purpose of lifting the mower. I saw there's a way to pin up those lift arms so when you have the mower off and you're using the 3ph, you don't have to remove those brackets. But when I switch to a backhoe and need to remove the 3ph arms, do those brackets come off as well or do they stay on those pins and just get pinned up in the front? Basically what all is involved in switching between the backhoe and mower on a B2650?
Thanks again
Here's a question for anyone who has a B2650 with a backhoe and mower. One salesman made me aware that the B2650 isn't quite so convenient in terms of switching between the backhoe and mower, since you need the 3ph arms on to lift the mower, and off for the backhoe. I saw there are brackets mounted to the lower 3ph arm mounting pins that just kind of hook the 3ph arms for the purpose of lifting the mower. I saw there's a way to pin up those lift arms so when you have the mower off and you're using the 3ph, you don't have to remove those brackets. But when I switch to a backhoe and need to remove the 3ph arms, do those brackets come off as well or do they stay on those pins and just get pinned up in the front? Basically what all is involved in switching between the backhoe and mower on a B2650?
Thanks again
I will play the devils advocate for a bit. If 60-70% of your usage is mowing wouldn't you be better off buying a zero-turn instead of a MMM for your tractor?
Unless you plan to use all the implements it seems to me that a mower would be a much easier haul than the B series tractor. And then you wouldn't have to remove the backhoe when you wanted to mow. The $2500 not spent on a MMM would go a long way towards a zero-turn. Why haul a tractor when all you need is a mower?
I myself bought a RFM for my B2320 but I find myself using my lawn tractor for all of the trimming around the property, trees, outbuildings and under the trees with low hanging limbs. The RFM does cut very well and unless I let the lawn get out of control the rear discharge leaves little grass. I did buy the tractor to mow because my Ozark "rock" yard is very rough and the small tractor bounced me around quite a bit. But I will replace it with a zero-turn and a suspension seat and it may become my primary mower.
Just tossing my two cents in the mix.
Unless you plan to use all the implements it seems to me that a mower would be a much easier haul than the B series tractor. And then you wouldn't have to remove the backhoe when you wanted to mow. The $2500 not spent on a MMM would go a long way towards a zero-turn. Why haul a tractor when all you need is a mower?
I myself bought a RFM for my B2320 but I find myself using my lawn tractor for all of the trimming around the property, trees, outbuildings and under the trees with low hanging limbs. The RFM does cut very well and unless I let the lawn get out of control the rear discharge leaves little grass. I did buy the tractor to mow because my Ozark "rock" yard is very rough and the small tractor bounced me around quite a bit. But I will replace it with a zero-turn and a suspension seat and it may become my primary mower.
Just tossing my two cents in the mix.
Won't work for me. I mow some steep hills and some areas get pretty wet too. Guaranteed I'd have a zero-turn stuck in some of the places I mow.
Got it. The MMM maybe your best choice. I do like my 3 point rear discharge for a few reasons. The first is not having grass thrown back in your face on breezy days. The other is the noise not being right under you. It has its limits on maneuverability though as you already know. But the rear discharge not leaving wind rows is probably my biggest like....unless I let the grass get too long.
Are the zero-turns really that bad on hills? I've seen the pro landscapers in my area mow some pretty wild areas with no noticeable issues. Of course that IS all they do.
Going along with missouribound on the zero turn, this is my experience, granted the only hill I mow is the ditches along the road and my driveway. I don’t know the grade but along the road it’s steep.
I’ve mowed the ditch one time with my L and never again. I only use the zero turn now. COG is much lower and it never feels tippy. Getting it to track straight takes a few times to figure out but now I got it. I measured the track of the zero turn from out side tread on both rear wheels at 55”, the L with R4’s is 58” (no spacers). I had the tractor on two wheels the only time I ever mowed that ditch with it and was able to get it back down before going over (turn down hill when it gets tippy). With the zero turn it’s no issue at all (just make sure your beer is less then half full or it will spill out).
Cons to the zero turn are when it’s wet. I spend a lot of time getting stuck in the spring, getting better at avoiding those areas or carrying enough speed to get through. Zero turn weighs in about 900 pounds. I would think a B series would sink the same or faster and would the mmm limit ground clearance and hang it up?
Just my thought fwiw.
I’ve mowed the ditch one time with my L and never again. I only use the zero turn now. COG is much lower and it never feels tippy. Getting it to track straight takes a few times to figure out but now I got it. I measured the track of the zero turn from out side tread on both rear wheels at 55”, the L with R4’s is 58” (no spacers). I had the tractor on two wheels the only time I ever mowed that ditch with it and was able to get it back down before going over (turn down hill when it gets tippy). With the zero turn it’s no issue at all (just make sure your beer is less then half full or it will spill out).
Cons to the zero turn are when it’s wet. I spend a lot of time getting stuck in the spring, getting better at avoiding those areas or carrying enough speed to get through. Zero turn weighs in about 900 pounds. I would think a B series would sink the same or faster and would the mmm limit ground clearance and hang it up?
Just my thought fwiw.
Within the first two months of owning my tractor I was using the loader.
I had some experience with equipment so in no time I was zipping around moving dirt. I had the bucket up to dump and backed into a small hole.
In 2 seconds the tractor was on its side and I was on the ground swearing.
Scared the crap out of me. I now have a ballast box when using the loader or a box blade to keep gravity on my side. The only plus side to this story is that I have turf tires. Nothing but the bucket touched the ground....and the top of the ROPS. All the scratches were on me, not the tractor. No damage to the engine since I was able to kill it quickly. A few fluid leaks and that was the extent.
Amazing how much more careful and mindful of hills, holes and obstacles after that experience.
And as far as the zero turn goes....I am thinking of the Cub Cadet Ultima series.
I have a spartan zero turn and love it. 61” deck, it can cut as fast as I can hold on to it on my rough yard. Deck is heavy duty, I have hit many trees with it and it will move whole machine and the deck doesn’t even have a dent (it has a bumper on the non chute side that’s scratched up but the deck is straight). They also have a lifetime warranty on the leading edge of the deck. I tend to use mine as a bush hog and in some rough areas with stumps. It’s got about 150 hrs on it and I have no complaints.
Which model do you have? I am looking at the website and there are a few to choose from. I was looking at the Cub because I am about 10 miles from the dealer and we have a great rapport. Plus I have had a Cub law tractor for 13 years now and can 't complain about it whatsoever.
Price is a consideration for me....wasn't expecting to go over $3500 - $4000 for the machine. And larger steer wheels was also important because of my Ozark BAJA land I lovingly call my yard.
The models have changed a little since I bought mine, the RZ HD would be equivalent to mine.