B2650HSD w/ mid mount mower

[Tadams72]

So with the even better deals in price and financing I am seriously considering getting rid of my Husqvarna riding mower and Kubota B7200 tractor. I am thinking about the leap to the B2650HSD with loader and backhoe. I’ve got five acres of mixed wooded hilly terrain, ¼ mile of gravel private road and driveway, ¼ mile of side road brush to maintain, and a large clearing and shop build. Pretty sure I am set in the tractor with those options but not sure about replacing the riding mower with a MMM on the 2650. I like the all in one aspect but wonder if it will be too cumbersome for mowing my 1 acre yard.

So those of you that have or had a MMM on a B series I am interested in your thoughts. Go with it or cave and spend the extra money on a low end Kubota 100 series zero turn for the yard mowing.


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[bird dogger]

You’ll love your new setup! I have the same. But for mowing I use a 5 foot rear discharge finish mower. My yard is divided up into blocks of ½ acre sections and some larger. The smaller sections have trees, flower beds, a few damn lawn ornaments, etc. The larger area is pretty much open. I used to mow with a JD 750 compact tractor with a belly mower. (same physical size as the B2650 but gear xmission). But always having to remove the mid mount mower to do most everything else became a chore that I fought for far too many years. I would delay doing things cuz of the set up at the moment no matter what was mounted on the tractor. More maddening was having to mount the mower to mow because of weather between other tractor duties.

The B2650 has a very small turning radius. With the rear finish mower on, I find it almost as easy and quick to mow with. With the live pto you can turn sharp, back up and go again around trees, etc. and when too many lawn ornaments start encroaching into the lawn just hit one or two and the area clears up again. I’m always thinking and planning as I mow with different patterns and it doesn’t take too long to come up with a plan where you can catch a patch of grass in a tight area or on the other side of a tree when you make the next round or two and you have to switch directions anyway. Or even take a second to back up to knock it down. For me the minimal time difference lost in mowing with the rear mower is more than gained in ease of swapping attachments no matter the weather or how small/big the job is.

Your tractor uses seem similar to mine. Mine is used equally as much for other uses as is for mowing. You might consider where your tractor’s most uses are and whether the time saved with a mid mount mower is worth the extra hassle of its installation and removal for other duties. The SSQA on the loader makes it even easier to mow. Just drop the bucket off without having to dismount the whole loader. There's 18+ acres here including woods/brush, 3 acres field, 1/2 mile of ditch to mow, and +/- 4 acres of yard total to mow.

Whichever way you choose….you’re gonna love that outfit!!

Regards,
David

 

[SDT]

So with the even better deals in price and financing I am seriously considering getting rid of my Husqvarna riding mower and Kubota B7200 tractor. I am thinking about the leap to the B2650HSD with loader and backhoe. I***8217;ve got five acres of mixed wooded hilly terrain, ¼ mile of gravel private road and driveway, ¼ mile of side road brush to maintain, and a large clearing and shop build. Pretty sure I am set in the tractor with those options but not sure about replacing the riding mower with a MMM on the 2650. I like the all in one aspect but wonder if it will be too cumbersome for mowing my 1 acre yard.

So those of you that have or had a MMM on a B series I am interested in your thoughts. Go with it or cave and spend the extra money on a low end Kubota 100 series zero turn for the yard mowing.


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I mow my some places steep and all places irregular lawn with a B1750HSDT with Bi-Speed Turn and 60" MMM bought new in 1993.

Best setup I can imagine for my conditions.

Also have 72" MMM for my B3350 but have not used it yet. Probably too wide for my irregular lawn surface but found a great deal on a nearly new 72" so bought it.

I leave the MMM on the B1750 all season because I use the tractor for nothing else in the summer. If you plan to use your 2650 for other tasks, plan to take the MMM off when doing so. On a concrete floor, mounting/dismounting is a 15 minute job.

Do not get the optional, oversized R-4 tires for your 2650 if you plan to use a MMM and/or tire chains.

SDT

 

[nbryan]

The riding mower will probably be the best choice for your lawn. The 2650 is a bit of a beast for weight and turning radius if you're just mowing an acre.

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[Tadams72]

Appreciate the inputs thus far. Some for and some against going the MMM route. Still on the fence. It’s an awful lot of money if it turns out not to be the way to go. I’m going to discuss with the dealer a bit as well. Not worried about the attach/detach as should be relatively easy in the driveway with the loader to pick the front. The quest goes on.


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[Oliver]

My previous tractor was a B2650 with a 72" mmm, one machine to do everything. The reason I replaced my smaller tractor (with 54" deck) with the B2650 was I acquired more property which unfortunately involved a lot more mowing.

The deck with its 4 swivel casters was easy enough to put on and off and it mowed well other than scalping number of places the previous tractor with 54" deck did not. After a year mowing with the B2650 I went a different direction because mowing was taking me too long, for two reasons. One, the acquired "lawn" was rougher than I realized forcing me to mow slow, even so I got bounced about quite a bit. The other, was all the trees and things to have to mow around required a lot of back and forth maneuvering.

If your lawn is reasonably smooth and w/o too many obstacles a B2650 with a mmm would work well and you have one less machine to deal with. OTH you could save around $3,000 by not buying a mmm deck and put that money (along with another $1,500 or so) toward a nice quality riding mower with a 48" deck such as a John Deere X300 series (any of them above the ones with a K46 transmission). With this setup you never have to worry about taking the deck off and back on again, the smaller rider will be easier on your turf and more maneuverable as well.

(One word of caution, a B2650 can be a little tippy on hills due to it being narrow for its height, but it is surprisingly maneuverable for its size)

 

[Tadams72]

My previous tractor was a B2650 with a 72" mmm, one machine to do everything. The reason I replaced my smaller tractor (with 54" deck) with the B2650 was I acquired more property which unfortunately involved a lot more mowing.

The deck with its 4 swivel casters was easy enough to put on and off and it mowed well other than scalping number of places the previous tractor with 54" deck did not. After a year mowing with the B2650 I went a different direction because mowing was taking me too long, for two reasons. One, the acquired "lawn" was rougher than I realized forcing me to mow slow, even so I got bounced about quite a bit. The other, was all the trees and things to have to mow around required a lot of back and forth maneuvering.

If your lawn is reasonably smooth and w/o too many obstacles a B2650 with a mmm would work well and you have one less machine to deal with. OTH you could save around $3,000 by not buying a mmm deck and put that money (along with another $1,500 or so) toward a nice quality riding mower with a 48" deck such as a John Deere X300 series (any of them above the ones with a K46 transmission). With this setup you never have to worry about taking the deck off and back on again, the smaller rider will be easier on your turf and more maneuverable as well.

(One word of caution, a B2650 can be a little tippy on hills due to it being narrow for its height, but it is surprisingly maneuverable for its size)

Good feedback. Not a lot to maneuver around but the yard is irregular shaped and has some side hill. I’m thinking I’ll see if I can swing a better deal if I add a zero turn to the buy. I’ll probably look at the KUBOTA 100 series as I prefer orange. If I can’t swing a better buy I might just keep the Husqvarna another year and reassess next spring. I don’t have to change but wanted something that would deal with the rapid growing and often wet mowing here in the PNW.


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[Oliver]

\... Not a lot to maneuver around but the yard is irregular shaped and has some side hill. I’m thinking I’ll see if I can swing a better deal if I add a zero turn to the buy. I’ll probably look at the KUBOTA 100 series as I prefer orange. If I can’t swing a better buy I might just keep the Husqvarna another year and reassess next spring. I don’t have to change but wanted something that would deal with the rapid growing and often wet mowing here in the PNW.

With not a lot to maneuver around and not really steep, a B2650 with deck may work really well for you. Naturally if you anticipate using the hoe in tight areas or rough ground often, during mowing season, having to swap both back and forth could be a hassle.
Makes sense Zero Turns are the way to go for mowing, and a hoot to drive, but of course that's about all they do so you'll need a tractor.

 

[RobStaples]

I have the B3350xxxx , with cab ,with mmm , FEL. The mmm is raised and lowered with TPH brackets that have to be removed to use the tph. I have grass catcher as well. All had to come off the use tph. Been a while since I did it to mount hydraulic pump for snow blower. Was not worth the trouble since we get lite snowfall. Check dealer or manuals.

 

[dirtydeed]

as others have posted, I'd forgo the deck and simply have another, dedicated mower.

swapping a deck on and off to cut an acre, not a chance for me. A small ZTR could have that mowing job done in 20 mins.

Congrats on your machine choice. Very capable for its size.

 

[Tadams72]

Yeah I think skipping the mower deck is a better way to go. Thanks for the replies everyone.

Now to narrow down options. Definitely thinking 3rd function valve up front for the future versatility. Maybe a grapple if I can swing it. Oh the decisions...


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[dirtydeed]

It would appear that grapples are all the rage these days. I don't doubt their capability. However, I just couldn't justify the cost unless you have lots of that type of work to do. You'd be surprised at how much brush you can move with a simple set of forks.

 

[Oliver]

I don't have pallet forks but I find my grapple to be pretty useful. I worked with it for a few hours yesterday rooting up some thorny little trees that were about 8' tall along the edge of the yard and had also a couple dozen that had started in the area that was logged last year. There were also barberry shrubs and small pines I wanted out because I want that area to grow back in deciduous trees.
While I had it on I went to the other end of the property where I had cut down a dead, 80' pine last month. It was in about 10' sections with all the limbs in three heaps. Moved the whole mess out of the field in about 15 minutes.

 

[Tadams72]

I’ve got a ton of blackberry brambles, trees that go down or get dropped and an invasive scotch broom we have to deal with every year. I feel like the grapple we be real good for that. I could probably uproot a lot with the bucket with teeth but moving and piling would still be a chore. More research required on brand, model, and cost. Also will watch the used market. Seeing some cool stuff from BXpanded that might be nice as well. I think my head is going to explode.... [emoji15]


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[bird dogger]

I’ve got a ton of blackberry brambles, trees that go down or get dropped and an invasive scotch broom we have to deal with every year. I feel like the grapple we be real good for that. I could probably uproot a lot with the bucket with teeth but moving and piling would still be a chore. More research required on brand, model, and cost. Also will watch the used market. Seeing some cool stuff from BXpanded that might be nice as well. I think my head is going to explode.... [emoji15]


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No need to let that happen!! My woods are full of buckthorn brush and downed trees in this original 10 acre tree claim that had been neglected. I decided on the EA Wicked Root Grapple for my B2650 to help clean everything up. Trying to do it all by hand is a losing battle. To help ease the cost I decided to install the 3rd function myself.
https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45607&highlight=summit+function

If you're looking to add a grapple down the road you could save a nice little bundle of money and install the 3rd function yourself. It's an easy afternoon project and if set up ready to go it could be done in just a couple of hours.

Just another thought for you to ponder.

David

 

[SDT]

It would appear that grapples are all the rage these days. I don't doubt their capability. However, I just couldn't justify the cost unless you have lots of that type of work to do. You'd be surprised at how much brush you can move with a simple set of forks.

Agreed.

I bought a grapple in 2014 or 15 in order to move and stack large cedar trees that I removed to build a new 900' driveway. Used it off and on that summer but haven't attached it since.

SDT

 

[KTuk4J]

I bought a B2650 w/534 loader. Was going to go BX23S but with 30 acres of property and 6 acres that I mow with diversified terrain and some tighter areas I elected the RCK60-30BA MMM, in the process of installing it as we speak.
I will eventually get the BH and tiller as well. Glad I went with the this over the BX.

I also have pallet forks, box blade, post hole digger, spring harrow.
Uses the pallet forks to unload the deck on a pallet out of the back of my truck!

 

[Zakatak]

Dont want to hijack the thread but feel this is a relevant question here:

Does anyone with the B2650 and 72" MMM wish they had more power for mowing? Especially with cab and AC. I am in South Louisiana (hot and humid) and want this setup but am nervous about needing a little more power and having to slow down too much while mowing.

 

[Oliver]

I can't offer experience with a cab and AC, but my B2650 had no problem at all cutting pretty tall grass with a 72" deck. But what I cut was fairly level and with my rough ground had to go pretty slow. Cutting tall, thick, grass, on a smooth lawn where you can go fast, and up hill, with the weight of a cab, might push it. Or maybe just slow down in that scenario.

 

[Velosprints]

I am in a similar position. I need to either purchase a ZT or some sort of mower for my B2920 to mow 3.3 acres. What is the reason for having to remove the MMM in order to utilize the tractor for other tasks? Is it because the three point hitch can't be used with the MMM installed? Does a TPH finish mower have any advantages over a MMM in terms of cut quality?