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I'm a Texas boy and I really admire you northern types who are willing to get on a tractor in below 25 deg weather but sitting on one in 105 degrees is no fun either. Any low viscosity natural oil should help as would a $10 engine block heater. You know, the type that magnetically attaches to the pan and plugs in to the mains. I've been told that one of the problems with switching to low viscosity synthetics in older machinery is that it can lead to oil burning and leaks. Don't know how true that is as I've used synthetics in mine since it was new.

Quick Synthetic oil question
Kubota Tractors
Replies 3 Post by Frank R Taylor

I think 8k to 10k hours woiuld be a fair guess. We have an old JD 820 at the farm (38 hp?) which is about 30 years old and has 8000+ hours on it. It still works almost every week bush hogging and of all the things that have worn and broken over the years, the engine hasn't been one of them. Now if my little, 1-1/2 year old Kubota lasts that long and I keep putting 200 to 250 hours a year on it, I figure I should be needing an engine rebuild somewhere around my 105th birthday. I hope both me and the tractor are around to see it.

how many hours should these diesel engines last
Parts and Repair
Replies 9 Post by Frank R Taylor

I don't know if it will help but years ago I saw a home made contraption called a "pecan picker". It was built a little like a childs push toy with a metal handle and at the end was a wire drum about the size of a coffee can that looked a lot like a slinky toy with the wires spaced further apart. The weight and downward pressure forced the pecans to pass through the wires and retained them in the inside of the wire drum for emptying when the drum was full. The guy said it worked pretty well and was a lot easier on his back than hand picking. I hope I have explained it well enough to make sense but at least I may have given you an idea to develop.

Something to pick up walnuts
Kubota Tractors
Replies 34 Post by Frank R Taylor

A friend once told me that, "It's not so much what you drive, it's how well you drive it that counts". You seem to be doing great and and the main thing is that you are enjoying it. I know I was amazed at what I could get done with one of these little machines, in my case a Kubota. Projects that once seemed too large for me to tackle on my own are now managable, to the extent that I spend almost as much time helping friends and family with their little around the house jobs. Ah, compact tractors are FUN to work (play) with, aren't they?

790 20 Hour Impressions
John Deere Tractors
Replies 2 Post by Frank R Taylor

I have the LA351 loader on my B2400 and haven't had any real problem with it. There are a couple of nicks and scrapes on it from pushing rocks and fallen trees around but I haven't used it to actually push trees over. I know it's tempting when you see what it can do but it's not really designed to be a dozer. I think the best answer is to break out the chain saw or to start welding reinforcing plates on the bucket recognising that you may start tearing up the arms and the tractor.

Loader on B7500
Kubota Tractors
Replies 10 Post by Frank R Taylor

Congratulations and I'm sure this is unneccessary but ... ENJOY. You'll be surprised at just what you can do with the little beauty. You'll be looking for projects so you can sit on it and play.

Just picked up my Kubota 7500 Awesome
Kubota Tractors
Replies 5 Post by Frank R Taylor

Like Bird, I don't want to become involved in a "Which tractor is best debate" but I will admit to owning a Kubota B2400. When I was in the market 1-1/2 years ago, the JD 4100 was my first choice because I always always driven green. The dealer quoted a 3 months delivery and from posts on this board and others at the time, that was a conservative estimate. He didn't seem too worried about it and had a "take it or leave it attitude" so I left it. The Kubota dealer had my tractor delivered, prep'd and ready to work in 5 days. I got the B2400 (instead of the B2100) because, as you say, the size was the same and the few extra horsepower wouldn't hurt. I couldn't be happier with my machine. You fill it up, turn the key and go to work. The only problem I have had was a leaking hydraulic hose. It took one call and the dealer came over and replaced the hose in 10 minutes. I couldn't have asked for better service. I think what I'm trying to say is that you will have a good machine that will give you excellent service for years which will only add to your enjoyment.

JD4100 vs Kubota B7500 HST Dealer Impressions
John Deere Tractors
Replies 7 Post by Frank R Taylor

Ok, Ok, Ok. I can tell I gotta get me one. Never realized they were so useful.

Lubrication
Parts and Repair
Replies 4 Post by Frank R Taylor

I too have a steep and hilly 10 acre pasture. As has been stated on this board before the standard for the maximum angle is 20 degrees across the slope and I think I read somewhere that it was 30 degrees for straight up and down a slope. Liability and lawyers being what they are there is probably some "safety margin" built in to these numbers. Having said that, if you feel safe and comfortable running a tractor across a 20 degree slope you made of sterner stuff than I am. As a result of advice from this board I installed a tiltmeter on my tractor and discovered that my pucker factor increases exponentially above about 15 degrees.

tractor tipping
Parts and Repair
Replies 15 Post by Frank R Taylor

Walt, I look after a 10 acre steep, hilly pasture and approx 3 acres of lawn at the house. I was in this market about 1-1/2 years ago and basically looked at the two models you are considering, JD 4100 and Kubota B2100. I moved up to the B2400 for the few extra hp and a few hundred dollars more and haven't regretted it. For me the B2400 is almost ideal. It has just enough hp to handle a 4' bush hog on the pasture slopes and is not too big and heavy to run over the yard/lawn. I have a 3-pt, rear discharge finishing mower which works very well and the FEL is simplicity itself. If you dont mind a little extra weight compacting the lawn (about 500 pounds, I think), I would probably step up to the B2710. For a comparable Deere you are looking at the 4200 or larger with all their associated problems. They may have them fixed by now but somehow I doubt it. I have no personal experience with the NH Boomers but from what I have read and been told, they are worth a serious look too. In short, I think both the machines you are looking at will do the job but you might be a little happier if you went a little larger, especially with a lot of loader work to do.

B7500 vs JD4100
Kubota Tractors
Replies 8 Post by Frank R Taylor

I run a 4' bush hog on my Kubota B2400. That is the size the manual recommends. It has no problems with a 5' finishing mower or the 4' rotary mower on level ground but once I start on the steep slopes in the pasture it takes all the horsepower to climb and mow at the same time. I know it wouldn't handle a 5' bush hog under those circumstances. It appears as if the bush hog takes a lot more hp than a finishing mower.

Brush Hog
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 6 Post by Frank R Taylor

Thanks guys. I'm not proud, I'll steal anybody's good ideas. I have picked up so much good advice and helpful techniques from this board over the past year or so.

Diesel Additives
Parts and Repair
Replies 10 Post by Frank R Taylor

kubota has the telescoping 3-pt links on their bigger ag tractors but not on their compacts for some reason. That is something we may have to try to get them to fix. I have a B2400 and I think one reasons that their are relatively few posts about Kubotas is that they don't go wrong very often. They are well built, sturdy and reliable. You fill them with fuel, turn the key and go to work. When I first got my tractor, I thought that having the HST pedals and the brake pedals on the same side (I used to be a Deere man) would be a problem but it hasn't turned out to be. The turning radius is quite good and with the hydro, it is so easy to back up and turn that I've never had to use the brakes to assist. I've got nothing negative to say about my little machine, I love it. It's a little workhorse. I'm sure you will enjoy yours, have fun.

Kubota 3010
Kubota Tractors
Replies 9 Post by Frank R Taylor

Jim, got my B2400 over a year ago and now have right at 200 hours on it. It's a great little machine. I wanted to get the bi-speed turn on it because it came with everything else. The dealer talked me out of it because he said it was no real advantage and it was just something else to potentially go wrong, although he did say that he hadn't had too much trouble with them. To be honest, I haven't missed it. With the hydro transmission it is so easy to back up a little bit and then go forward again that you don't lose much time making tight turns. IMHO, I think it may fall into the "nice to have" rather than the "need to have" category. Good luck and enjoy your new machine.

any problems with bi-speed turn option
Kubota Tractors
Replies 5 Post by Frank R Taylor

Thanks guys, I'm a little smarter now than I was about using ether. I can see where blowing a hole in a piston might take the edge off your day. I just wondered because the old JD 820 I have at the farm has a fitting below and to the right of the steering wheel supposedly to be used for injecting ether. I assume therefore that it's OK to use it on the JD 820 but not the little Kubota B2400 that I use at the house.

cold weather starting
Parts and Repair
Replies 13 Post by Frank R Taylor

Thank you Stan, that's good advice. I'll have to try to remember and use it. I'm one of those who has ripped more than one pair of shorts and/or taken a tumble getting on and off the tractor because they get hung up on the levers. It makes you feel such a fool to get caught AGAIN and AGAIN but it is nice to know that I'm not alone.

Expensive Day on the 790
Parts and Repair
Replies 12 Post by Frank R Taylor

I have B2400 with 200 hours on it. I was in your position a year ago before deciding on the Kubota. Both are excellent machines. At the time I was looking there was a 3 month delivery on the 4100. I couldn't wait that long and I preferred the Kubota dealer anyway. Both machines are very similar but the B2410 has a couple of extra HP for approximately the same weight. The extra HP is always useful. Also JD didn't make a backhoe for the 4100 but I believe aftermarket manufactures do. The 4100 seems to be free from some of the woes that plague the other 4000 series machines. The Kubota is a great little machine and I have had no problems with it other than a leaking hydraulic hose. You just crank it up and go to work. The FEL comes on and off in under 2 minutes - very easy, no tools - just like the Deere. The ergonomics are different on the 2 machines. The Kubota has the brake and hydro pedals on the same side which I thought might be a problem but it hasn't proved to be. All in all, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Pick the one that fits you best and you feel the most comfortable on. Don't forget the dealer though, he'll be an important person in your life. There is nothing that can sour you on a machine faster than a dealer who is totally unhelpful and some of them can be. All things being equal, I'd chose the Kubota again mainly for the extra HP and the dealer but if I had one close to me I'd look at the new boomers as well.

JD4100 Vs B2410
John Deere Tractors
Replies 4 Post by Frank R Taylor

Bill is right. This isn't the place to come to be talked out of a tractor. I think we have all been in this position at some time or other, whether to get a big lawn tractor or a small compact? If you only have a couple of acres to mow it's tough to justify the cost of a small compact so it comes down to what you "want" and not what you "need". If you get a large garden tractor and start adding on options and impliments the cost builds up pretty fast to be pretty close to a compact and the compact is a far better machine and because of the size of implements that it can handle, it will cut your mowing time. It's just a lot more versatile and robust although a friend just got a subcompact, a Kubota BX series, and loves it. I'm not sure what the JD or NH equivalents are but it looks like a pretty neat little machine and it seems to fit between the L&G tractors and the compacts. Check them out.

TC25D TC33D
New Holland Tractors
Replies 4 Post by Frank R Taylor

An air conditioned cab for a Kubota B2400. Man, it's hot in Texas already. August should be fun.

Wish List For Your Tractor
Articulated Tractors
Replies 12 Post by Frank R Taylor

Bird, that inclinometer sounds like one of your better ideas. I'm getting ready to order one (same model as yours). As I've said before on this board, I find my slopes a little scary and always mow straight up and down, never across. The guy I used to hire to cut the pasture always mowed round and round but that's too hard on my nerves. Where on your B2710 do you have the tiltmeter mounted?

Tractor use
Parts and Repair
Replies 10 Post by Frank R Taylor