LX2610 for grass and snow primarily?

[youne]

Hi all,

We are closing on an acreage (5.13ac) and planning to get my hands on a little machinery to help manage the yard. My primary applications will be lawn mowing and snow blowing. I'm in the Canadian prairies, so want a blower that is effective, though most of the time I am thinking I could get away with just a blade. I'm also considering the 72" belly mower to help shave some time off taking care of the yard. I will also have a user for loader applications, but they will be much less frequent.

I have also been considering a 2025R from JD. I thought for sure I was leaning Kubota, but seem to have gotten a good offer on the dealer from the 2025R so hoping for some insight from Kubota fans!

Has anyone driven both machines and have a comparison? Any "gotchyas" I should be considering for my applications? The LX2610 is a bit of a bigger unit I know, and understand I might have to pay a bit more to get into it. Also...that Swift Tach loader is sweet.

Thank you so much in advance!

D

 

[Bmyers]

GP Outddors is from Canada and has LX2610

He seems to really enjoy the cab, especially in the winter months. I believe he has 4-5 acres that he uses his tractor on plus helping the neighbors.

 

[youne]

I have watched some of his videos! I would be going cabless, our driveway is nowhere near as long as his and I can be cold for 30 minutes or so while I clear stuff, it's worth saving the cash to me! Someone else had suggested a B2601 to me...I think I lose the 6' belly mower in that case but maybe that's more in line with what I might need.

 

[greg86z28]

I went through this same process last summer. I really wanted a John Deere. But after looking, Kubota's stuff is far cheaper (but still just as good of quality IMO).

Also - the JD 2025R is cheaper than the LX2610 because it's far less of a machine than the LX2610. The better comparison for the 2025R is the B2601. I found that the 2025R cost about the same as the B2601 but was less capable (loader, 3 point and backhoe). I went with the B2601.

If you think the 2025R might be a good fit for your property, check out the B2601. The B2601 and 2025R are very similar but the B2601 is better in just about every category except for weight. The B2601 should be cheaper than the 2025R too.

 

[youne]

Thanks, I just called the dealer to get me a quote on the B2601! After chatting with him he was leaning towards recommending it over the LX unit anyhow.

 

[je1279]

I have an LX2610 that I use for snow removal and I plan on mowing with as well. It has worked great for snow removal and should work fine for my mowing application. I sacrificed some mobility for greater capabilities going with the LX2610 over the B2601. The B2601 is lower and has a better turning radius if those are concerns for you. I also have some land that I need to clear so the greater lifting capacity won out for me.

 

[PaulL]

The 72" mower I believe could scalp a bit if your ground isn't pretty level. That's a wide mower. My 60" on the B2601 sometimes gives me steps across the lawn if I'm not slow enough in the turns. 5 acres is in between a B2601 and LX to me, but if you're mostly mowing and blowing, then I think the B2601 does it all. Blowing is really a HP question, and they have the same HP. Mowing as you say comes down to deck size, so you give up 12 inches.

 

[michigander]

Watch GP outdoors with the new Lx and the snowblower. IMO the blower is too big for his snow but hard to tell from video sound. He isnt using the same size he had on the B2601.

I bought my B2601 for mowing I love it 60"MMM with turf tires. Take the loader off and can zip around

 

[dirtydeed]

two things come to mind for me between green and orange:

Orange has 3 speed transmission. lots of work gets done in midrange
Orange loader has better multi function control (like lift and curl at the same time)
Many orange B series tractors come with telescoping 3 pt hitch arms. You'll appreciate that if you are swapping 3 pt implements without a quick hitch.

Don't get too excited about the swift tach loader...there have been many issues with them leaking. Not sure about the frequency of issues with the B series but it seems to be quite common on BX series. Maybe Kubota has updated the connections. Be sure to get an SSQA loader if you go with orange

Both green and orange are good machines. You can't go wrong with either of them. Best of luck to you.

 

[Deuce]

Here's my .02

Back in 2016 I purchased my B2650 ( "updated" and renamed as the lx2610) for my 5.5 acres and couldn't be happier.

I wanted a do it all machine, as tractors are intended. Setup is a front end loader with quick attach for either the 60" bucket or 72" power angle snow plow. Mower is a woods 72" prd7200 rear finish mower.

While a snowblower does leave a nicer finish than plow piles, there is something to be said about easily attaching/detaching the loader and bucket / plow.

For a mower you may want to consider a rear finish mower. Once again easy on / easy off and gives an excellent cut. Also it allows you to leave your tractor as a tractor and not a glorified lawn mower with reduced ground clearance from carrying a belly mower.

 

[je1279]

Here's a video comparing the differences between a mid mount mower and a rear finish mower from Messick's. Depending on your property layout, one may be better than the other.

 

[Deuce]

Now for Kubota vs the rest...

I also have a b7100 but I didn't want to be brand loyal, I wanted the best machine available in the compact class.

I checked out John deere, massey, and new Holland since all offer a quality machine and I have dealers within reasonable distance. (I won't even give kioti my time).

John deere did not offer the same capabilities due to its lower capacities with the hydraulics and loader. Also I am not a fan of a single brake pedal. All real tractors should have split brake pedals, because sometimes you need your brakes for steering. Finally, just a lot of plastic for the price... spending that green to say you own green.

Massey had a very nice machine in the same class as the grand l60 series. But not as competitive with the B series.

New Holland did not seem to offer much in what I was looking for when compared to the b2650.

So in the end the kubota won because it offered more capabilities than the rest in the size I wanted. As a bonus it was cheaper too, but in this case cheaper did not equal less quality. I feel there will be great return on my investment by having years of reliable and capable service.

Now b2650 (lx2610) vs b2601... the 50/lx is a "premium" tractor in the 26hp class. It has a larger engine, stronger transmission, and better hydraulics compared to the b-01 series... kinda over built while staying in the same class. Or like having a 2500 vs 1500 pickup in the capabilities areas

Hope this helps

 

[JimmyJazz]

There have been folks on here talking about the lack of consistency in many of the JD offerings. For example different engines from different manufacturers on the same JD model. This makes ordering parts and maintaining the tractor long term more difficult. Also, consider the availability of free quality (mostly) advice here on this forum , its worth a lot in my opinion. Good luck.

 

[greg86z28]

I had 5 acres when we bought our machine. It was perfect as a primary mower/snow (had we stayed there that long) machine. I used the 60" MMM.

I usually would remove the loader every time I would mow and put it back on when done (so if my wife wanted to use it she could). It's really easy to use the loader kickstand feature and mount/dismount (no pins/reason to get off the tractor to mess around).

The mower deck is not that easy to remove (don't be mislead by any Kubota ads making it seem like a breeze). You won't be mounting/dismounting to mow. But, if you did need to yank it off to do X, Y, or Z, it's not an issue.

My big gripes about the B2601:
-The single lever coupler for the loader leaks (someone above mentioned this). I'd rather just have the manual couplers at this point. It's been replaced once already. I always wipe the faces of the couplers to make sure there is a clean connections.
-The seat suspension sucks. It's brutally bad with the backhoe reversible seat.
-The treadle pedal is stiff by design. Try a LX or L01 series and you'll see the stiffness difference.

Other than that, for the price and capability, I think it's one of the best out there. That being said, JD makes a great machine too - so if you end up liking the 2025R more, don't hesitate. For me I really went for the B2601 over the 2025R because of the capacity with the loader, 3 point and backhoe.

 

[youne]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the agnostic reviews which is what I saw when I was creeping these forums. I want the LX2610 but really there's no need. I'm thinking the B2601 is the way to go. No backhoe needs for me, and it will function as a mower the majority of the time. The only really thought I have then is does it make sense to get a specialized mower unit in that case instead of the B2601...but there's a lot of value in just the one machine.

Kubota came in less money, seems to have a bit more heft, the standardized skid steer mounts, and the 3pt setup is really nice too. So I am heavily leaning orange. Thx again all!

 

[dirtydeed]

Also I am not a fan of a single brake pedal. All real tractors should have split brake pedals, because sometimes you need your brakes for steering.

Don't overlook this fact if you intend on snow removal. I use this feature all the time to steer when pushing snow. It's incredibly useful. If I had to edit the above statement, many have split brakes, but they aren't usable (they are on the wrong side, located above the GO pedal) like they are on the B.

youne- describe your mowing tasks...all 5 acres are "lawn"?

I have 9 acres, 5 in "lawn". although I have a large B series, I mow with zero turns. They get the job done in about half the time.

 

[youne]

youne- describe your mowing tasks...all 5 acres are "lawn"?

Aside from the house, driveway, and a garden area it is mostly all grass, yep. Do you have a mower for the B at all? I'm not wondering if I should get a zero turn and do rotary on the back for the areas I care less about.

 

[dirtydeed]

Well, I have a flail mower for the tractor. It will cut grass and weeds/junk up to 2" in diameter. But, I use the zero turns for grass as I have soft ground and MANY trees.

If your place is wide open with little in terms of "obstacles", you may be better served by getting a rear finish mower. Probably half the cost of a belly mower and should last a very long time.

 

[youne]

Tough to decide - although I'm sure in the end I'd be happy regardless of what I get...all toys are fun!

Thanks.

 

[ZTMAN]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the agnostic reviews which is what I saw when I was creeping these forums. I want the LX2610 but really there's no need. I'm thinking the B2601 is the way to go. No backhoe needs for me, and it will function as a mower the majority of the time. The only really thought I have then is does it make sense to get a specialized mower unit in that case instead of the B2601...but there's a lot of value in just the one machine.

Kubota came in less money, seems to have a bit more heft, the standardized skid steer mounts, and the 3pt setup is really nice too. So I am heavily leaning orange. Thx again all!

I like tractors just as much of anyone, but I don't think I would be wanting to cut a 5 acre lawn with a tractor on a regular basis. If you need a tractor, go ahead and get one, but a ZT is the way to go for me when mowing lawn acreage.