New to forum and question on B2650

[Hillhigh Guy]

Hi all, I'm new here and am trying to narrow down my search for a CUT for the 3 acres I'm building a house on. I'm about 60 days out from completion and the yard is coming together so I'm looking for the "right size" tractor.

Here's the question: my lot is almost entirely on a hill. Does the B2650 have enough grunt to pull a 5' finish mower up a hill without bogging? I don't need speed, but want stability. It will take me awhile to establish a real lawn and until then, it's field grass that I will be maintaining. Also moving rocks, filling holes from said rocks, maintaining 250' of driveway etc...

Whatever I buy, I plan on spacing wheels and filling tires for added stability. I like the B series size for storage and premium features plus no emissions. My local dealer thinks I need an L3901 but it just "feels" too big. I don't think I've heard anything bad about the B2650 but I would hate to buy it and find out it can't pull a mower up a hill.

Anyone mowing up and down hills pulling a mower with this machine that can add some insight?

Thanks!

 

[dirtydeed]

I can't imagine you ever run out of grunt pulling a 5 ft finish mower behind the B2650. Depending on the severity of the hill, the only limitation would be traction.

Have you looked at the smaller B series? They have a bit smaller foot print and lower center of gravity?

 

[Hillhigh Guy]

Yes, I feel like the B2601 is a tad too small. I will be moving some good size rocks. I'm a big guy and felt a little more comfortable on the b2650.

 

[ItBmine]

My B2620 had no problem pulling a 60 inch loaded box blade up this hill in medium range all day. Tires are not loaded either.

But like you say, if you are more comfortable sitting on the B2650 than the B2601, that's the way to go. But i wouldn't worry about power.

 

[Oliver]

I don't think it'd have a problem with a 5' mower up hill, I sometimes run mine with a 6' mid-mount mower and it does just fine in mid range.

 

[eng1886trk]

I have a B2650 which I love and hasn't let me down; however, if I had to do it again, I would get the L3901 and wouldn't look back. This is mostly for weight and stability. Bigger tires to fill, larger frame for more ground engaging weight for moving rock and dirt moving. More HP to better run a bigger snow blower and rotary cutter.

In my opinion the only reason to get a B is if you were using an attachment that requires a mid PTO. I find that the B gets tippy pretty quickly. My tires are loaded and I am planning on getting spacers. I have 4 acres and 350' of drive way, part of which is a 11 degree grade.

 

[Hillhigh Guy]

I have a B2650 which I love and hasn't let me down; however, if I had to do it again, I would get the L3901 and wouldn't look back. This is mostly for weight and stability. Bigger tires to fill, larger frame for more ground engaging weight for moving rock and dirt moving. More HP to better run a bigger snow blower and rotary cutter.

In my opinion the only reason to get a B is if you were using an attachment that requires a mid PTO. I find that the B gets tippy pretty quickly. My tires are loaded and I am planning on getting spacers. I have 4 acres and 350' of drive way, part of which is a 11 degree grade.

Thanks Eng... Tipping is my biggest fear and sitting on the B, I feel just as tall in the seat as sitting on the L. My buddy just rolled his MX against a tree and pinned him to the tractor. He had to get airlifted out. Stability is of the upmost importance to me with my hill.

 

[John Lash]

I got the B2650. Added the Kubota spacers. That makes it 57 inches wide outside to outside on the rear tires. Just a little wider than the 60 inch mmm. It's a little wider than the old B2100, but a couple inches taller.

I haven't had it long enough to tell yet but it seems ok.

I've plowed snow on a long driveway. Uphill and down.
I have a lot of hills...

 

[barmstro]

I have a B2650 with cab and 72" mmm along with other goodies. I traded my bx1860 mostly to get the comfort of ac and heat. I added 2" spacers for each side, have fluid filled tires. I can say the BX1860 was more stable on hills. I only have 80hrs on the B2650 almost all snow blowing with front mount snowblower. I added the spacers this winter, I am anxious to see how much they might help side hilling/mowing. My dealer says I will be surprised on the change in stability. I own 4 acres mow about 3 and the bx did just fine mowing and light loader dirt work. As you may have already summarized, it is a very personal preference type choice. If it fits you by it. P.S. A loader and box blade are a must at least for me. I luv my B2650 and has plenty of power to run what you are thinking about.
enjoy

 

[gk527]

I have a B2650 ROPS with the 60 inch MMM on it and LA534 loader. My tires are loaded too with no spacers. I'll be honest, I didn't feel too safe when I was on a hillside once. Going up and down, no problem.

I went with the B2650 because of no DPF and I could get a MMM on it. I like being able to look down to see the edge of the mower when I'm close to something. We have a Ford 3000 here on the farm that we use for bush hogging in tight areas and it's no fun constantly looking backwards to see how close you are to something. If Kubota still offered a MMM on the L series I would've gone with that. Specifically an L2501 because it also does not have a DPF.

Don't get me wrong, the B2650 is a great tractor!! I love mine. It's done everything I've needed it to do. But if you're not getting a MMM on yours, I'd definitely go with a L series tractor with R4 loaded tires. Going from the L3901 to the L4701 is a jump in physical size too.

Also keep in mind that if you're going to be using this to mow a lawn, weight is not your friend as it will cause ruts if it's wet. I'd compare weight between the B series and L series.

 

[gk527]

I got the B2650. Added the Kubota spacers. That makes it 57 inches wide outside to outside on the rear tires. Just a little wider than the 60 inch mmm. It's a little wider than the old B2100, but a couple inches taller.

I haven't had it long enough to tell yet but it seems ok.

I've plowed snow on a long driveway. Uphill and down.
I have a lot of hills...

What spacers did you get? I also have a B2650 with the 60 inch MMM and was told I couldn't get spacers. Just making sure, you do have 60 MMM and spacers, right?

 

[Oliver]

I have a B2650 with cab and 72" mmm along with other goodies..... I added 2" spacers for each side.... I only have 80hrs on the B2650 almost all snow blowing with front mount snowblower. I added the spacers this winter, I am anxious to see how much they might help side hilling/mowing.

I dunno, I may be wrong but if I remember correctly when I had the 72" mmm on the rear tires were pretty tight to the deck without spacers.

 

[Podflyguy]

I dunno, I may be wrong but if I remember correctly when I had the 72" mmm on the rear tires were pretty tight to the deck without spacers.

I have the B2650 with 60”MMM. My main use is mowing 4 acres of fairly hilly lawn, but the total property is 15 acres. I went with the B2650 instead of a BX series due to the need to maintain the entire property. However, if it was just the 4 acres of grass I would have likely gone with the BX series due to the lower center of gravity and availability of the 60” MMM. I wanted the 72” MMM, but my dealer talked me out of it due to concerns about PTO HP. I have since seen plenty of people on the forum using the 72” MMM with the B2650 and reporting no issues. So, I’m now kicking myself a bit for not insisting on it. I love time on the tractor, but mowing 4 acres twice a week during peak season does take up some time.

There are areas where I need 4 wheel drive to mow. I did order the tractor with turf tires despite my dealer strongly encouraging R4s. I think this made sense for me since it is constantly run across the lawn. I considered moving to the L series, but there are spots I rut up now with the B series. So the extra weight of the L series would likely be worse on the lawn. I was also concerned about pulling a finish mower in tight spaces around the house and felt more comfortable with the MMM.

I am currently looking into having the rear tires filled with rim guard now. I had no issues feeling too light or tippy while the mower deck was on, but with the mower deck off over the winter months I learned that rear ballast was an absolute must for any loader work. I’ve been running either a 6’ rear blade or ballast box filled with sand, but would still like the added comfort of having the tires filled. My dealer told me that wheel spacers were not compatible with the MMM, otherwise I would try them first.

Overall, the tractor is more than I need for 90% of the work I do. But, it’s nice to know that I can tackle bigger jobs around the property when needed. It sure came in handy this week with all the snow we got.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Missouribound]

You mentioned a B series tractor for 3 acres.
I have a B2320 which pulls a 5' finish as if it wasn't there.
But what else are you doing with the 3 acres? That tractor is overkill if you just plan to mow.
I get the driveway maintenance is also an issue. Many use a BX and are happy with it's versatility.
It could save you a few bucks as well.

 

[Hillhigh Guy]

You mentioned a B series tractor for 3 acres.
I have a B2320 which pulls a 5' finish as if it wasn't there.
But what else are you doing with the 3 acres? That tractor is overkill if you just plan to mow.
I get the driveway maintenance is also an issue. Many use a BX and are happy with it's versatility.
It could save you a few bucks as well.

Well, right now, my local jurisdiction would only let me clear 1 or so acres of the 3 to build my house. Once in, I can do whatever I want on the whole property. There are a ton of rocks on the property and for me to create a decent "yard", I'll be spending the first year or so, plucking them up and moving them around as well as clearing brush and old apple trees.

I'm not sure the bx will have enough weight to handle that. Not sure a B will either LOL. I hear you on the low center of gravity on the bx. That is appealing. A friend of mine just tipped his MX and it pinned him against a tree. He could have died and it scared the c@@# out of me. He was doing similar work to what I will be doing. Hit a rock which blew out a front tire with a load on his loader and flipped him over in an instant.

 

[Dae06]

I'm a little late to the show here, but I have a 2650 with factory cab, loaded tires, 1.5" wheel spacers and 60" MMM. I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever been close to tipping this tractor, but I get real nervous at around a 15 degree side slop (I have a tilt meter adhered to my front window). I'm pretty hypersensitive to the possibility of tipping over, but I guess- Better safe than sorry-. No one will give you a definitive answer on what degree side slope this tractor can handle, because everyone drives differently and on different types of terrain, but I would love to actually see a test of a tractor like mine (ours), showing the angle it would start tipping over while static.This of course would be the best case scenario, but as of right now, I don't have any idea. I've read where someone said they can drive theirs on a 25 degree slope, but I guess I would have to see it to believe it. I know I'm not going to be the one to do it. Oh, by the way, I love this tractor. I don't know what I would have done without it this last Winter in Minnesota.

 

[skeets]

Im on a hill top, from my place it is down to my place up, all hills, I have a tad over 5 1/2 acres and a 300 foot long driveway, and my BX2360 has never let me down I run a box blade on the gravel, drag the grand kids around in the wagon, push snow ,pull trees, and mow with a 60 inch mmm.

I can see no reason why they say you need an L unless you were going into some light hobby farming, a 2650 is a real nice tractor no doubt and they aint chap!,
Take a look at the 2601 a tad smaller size wise and it will do everything you want or need to do, but it doesnt have a cab, remember your sales man isnt really interested in you its just for the sale, very rarely do you find one that really knows about tractors other than what's in the book.

No matter which one you decide on, remember when mowing go UP and DOWN you aint gona flip it, go side to side and I will tell you that no matter which one you get the pucker factor goes up 10 fold.
Just MHO you understand, your mileage will vary

I wish you well in your search, when you figure it out come on back with pictures

 

[Muzzy]

My B2601 pulled a 60" RFM all day long, no issues or tissues.
B2650 will do the same, just to darn wet yet..

 

[Muzzy]

What spacers did you get? I also have a B2650 with the 60 inch MMM and was told I couldn't get spacers. Just making sure, you do have 60 MMM and spacers, right?

I have 1 1/2" Spacers on the rear, dealer installed on purchase.
Not sure about spacing on a MMM as I pull a RFM.