Looking for new tractor for 80th

ZTMAN

Active member

Equipment
BX2380
Aug 26, 2018
156
80
28
South Central Pa
Thanks. Relayed this to the sales guy. Asked him whether he wants to just provide the two valves that are in his book and let me do the fitright or they do it and add it in. Prolly will depend on how busy they are. Really big operation in Winchester. Almost was ready to stop in Harrisonburg this morning to call off the trip to Winchester and instead just to go to their Harrisonburg place when an 18 wheeler got plopped onto its side a couple miles north of us. They had righted the 18 wheeler on our way south but no tow truck yet. Had traffic backed up 5 miles.
Wife went by that same accident on the way to Charlotte Said they brought in a crane to recover the truck. Luckily she was headed south bound
 

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
You have to be flexible. Wanted by April but reading about delays on these forums made me start looking earlier. Rear hydraulic remote kits are 4 months out. The cylinders for TnT from FitRight are 34 weeks, pay first and wait. Think similar story on added hydraulic to FEL. So, those are squashed.

Going for B2601 because the Winchester dealer didn't have B2301.

R14s instead of R4s because that is how they're equipped as shipped. R4 timing? Don't know.

60 inch FEL instead of 54 inch because 60 inch is what he has. The 3 dealers closer to me had no FELs at all, only tractors. Went 2 + hours away to Winchester for a loader. Could have used 60 inch FEL (if it will lift it) on JD for hauling tree parts and dirt fill but will remove to avoid a lot of side dodging in mowing some trails. Bucket is easy to remove.

With B2601, it's wider at back than my JD 2025R and thus does not need wheel spacers like the B2301 does. So, no wait for those.

Expecting final tally on Monday. Told the CFO that it would be about $12k more before I even started. Right now it would be $11k but without the extra R14 and 60 inch FEL costs added on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

B737

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
LX3310
Jun 9, 2019
2,024
2,194
113
New Jersey
Did you contact Hoober? 3 Kubota locations in VA, 6 Kubota locations to pull from.

every dealer was telling 4-16 months. Hoober delivered my machine in under 2 weeks at their DE location with all the valves and add ons. 1 phone call, no deposit.
 
Last edited:

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Did you contact Hoober? 3 Kubota locations in VA, 6 Kubota locations to pull from.

every dealer was telling 4-16 months. Hoober delivered my machine in under 2 weeks at their DE location with all the valves and add ons. 1 phone call, no deposit.
No Hoober is about same distance away from me as Winchester, and I have a friend who has been buying his Kubotas from them since about 1980. He showed up at the dealership when we did. He lost his wife a couple years ago. We used to run around with them back in the 70s. Turns out, I bought our present 2005 Tacoma in Winchester as well. Ray showed up there, too.
 

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Signed the papers today: $11.44k difference. Told the CFO it would be about 12. Even got added hydraulic on the FEL and 5 ft Woods box blade. Waiting word on when they're bringing down from Winchester.

May have a bidding war for my JD 2025R. I got $13k for it (and H130 bulletproof loader). The sales guy has a buyer for it up there at $14k. Local JD guy here is interested. He was willing to give me $13k plus the 5.3% sale tax.

This is for the B2601 and 60 inch loader.

JD has fresh HST oil/filter and MFWD oil. Didn't change the engine oil: only 70 hours on it. Almost full of fuel.

Being delivered tomorrow.

Took all the extra stuff off the 2025R this afternoon. May have to park box blade in back of tractor bay and park tractor with loader on top the box after I get the QH and back blade on. In future, will make a spot for the box in the basement of the carriage house. Too much ice in front of those doors right now.

Even took down a JD sign in the tractor bay to include with my extra JD goodies to its next owner.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Tractor with loader arrived 10:15 this morning.

Sales guy forgot to have them hitch the Woods box blade. Someone coming to Trump winery next week. Will bring.

Pics to follow.

Reversing will take some getting used to. May get some work with back blade on Saturday with predicted snow.

Nice to have one that idles. Last 2 were 1300 and 1650. First 4010 idled at 1000.
 
  • Love
Reactions: 1 user

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Here's a pic with the kids trying out the tractor. DO NOT fold your ROPS as shown. I now have them folded straight back and will check the 45 position to see if it will clear the garage door. With ROPS folded like this, you can bend your top link if it is extended much at all. Luckily, mine was not, and QH just bumped the ROPS.

Yeah, my back blade is the wrong color. So's the HF QH.

They forgot the box blade. It's the sales guy's fault. He didn't get there quick enough this morning.

Someone is coming down to the Trump winery south of here next week. Will bring it then. Told them not to get too drunk to drive back. Driver this morning said he drove by a plopped over 18 wheeler this morning like we did when we went to Winchester. Very bad around Harrisonburg.
 

Attachments

  • Like
Reactions: 3 users

Oliver

Active member

Equipment
L2501, JD 3520
Feb 2, 2011
526
120
43
Preston County, WV
Here's a pic with the kids trying out the tractor. DO NOT fold your ROPS as shown. I now have them folded straight back and will check the 45 position to see if it will clear the garage door. With ROPS folded like this, you can bend your top link if it is extended much at all. Luckily, mine was not, and QH just bumped the ROPS.

Yeah, my back blade is the wrong color. So's the HF QH.

They forgot the box blade. It's the sales guy's fault. He didn't get there quick enough this morning.

Someone is coming down to the Trump winery south of here next week. Will bring it then. Told them not to get too drunk to drive back. Driver this morning said he drove by a plopped over 18 wheeler this morning like we did when we went to Winchester. Very bad around Harrisonburg.
Nice Ralph! You're too late to warn me I already bent the top link a few years back on my newish B2650 when I had the rops folded all the way down like that.
And my Deere now has an orange QH15 and ballast box on the back and little 4' orange bucket on the loader. I'll paint the QH and ballast box when it warms up and by then the 6' black bucket I've had on order from EA should be here.
 

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Well, I'm slowly getting used to the dreaded treadle pedal. Moving seat back to get a direct down stab at the reverse end helps a lot. Some pluses and minuses:

o Seems to start cold better than the JDs, which shuddered and issued slightly blue smoke. All diesels I've ever owned start with about 1/2 turn of the crankshaft, dating back to an old 1973 220D Benz. Nice thing about diesels. The JDs, 220D and 240D all started cold with a shudder. The VW TDI and Isuzu started/start like a gasoline engine, e.g. no shudder, shake or rattle.
o FEL seems more jerky, but the H130 on the 2025R was sooo smoooth and absolutely bulletproof.
o Float on FEL is very easily engaged, almost too easy.
o 2wd/4wd is so easy. Almost all JDs make this tough.
o Hydraulics are MUCH stronger. Flow is near 3 times.
o Idles nicely at 1,000. The 1025R was abnoxious at 1,650.
o Not many spots to put my tension cords that were held so easily on the H130's FEL.
o Tool box is way too small. Have another on order from Harbor Freight that I think will work, only $7.
o Drink holder is bigger than the joke one on the 2025R. Not sure it'll hold my little thermos. Not sure where to put my old Frontier doc holder cap that was a great cup holder on the JD. Kinda out of the way, behind and to the left.
o Parking brake is easier to disengage but seems a tad harder to engage.

Haven't connected nor used the rear PTO yet. Nice that it's covered like the mid one was on the JD. I presume the mid one on the B is covered as well. Not likely I'll use it unless I splurge and get a snow blower. Think it'd be a pain to connect the mid PTO on one.

Haven't tried that 45 degree position yet on the ROPS to see if it'll clear the garage door. JDs don't have this position: either up, down or 90 degree head bumper.

The HF QH went on with hardly a whimper, and those sliding gizmos to keep each lift arm in place are so easy to use. If I didn't have the QH, I'd replace those pins with self latching ones. With QH, I'll never touch them again unless some brush knocks one of them loose.

Odd that Kubota doesn't recommend some slippy stuff applied to 3ph moving parts. I always just squired with silicone.

Kubota definitely needs a warning on the front part of the ROPS top to not leave it dropped completely down.

Nice to have a temperature gauge. Wish we still had oil pressure and amp meters.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Started up the B2601 and moved it outside to piddle around and let it sit idling while I piddled around and got 3 things done:

1. Cup holder attached to the hole in outer left of loader tower. It's the top to a Frontier (bush hog) doc holder. Little bit bigger and deeper than the one provided on the B behind the seat and handier out front.

2. Mounted the bottom part of the doc holder onto the inside of the left ROPS just in front of the triangle safety sign. The fire extinguisher slides right into it. Had to secure with 2 zip ties because there's no room even for a bolt head, as the fire extinguisher is an exact fit. The original lips that secured this doc holder broke off. Nowhere to bolt it.

3. Moved the roll over protection folding top to the 45 degree position. Clears the garage door by about 2 inches. Will provide more safety margin that at 90 degree position. May go back to wearing my seat belt.
 

Attachments

  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Mossy dell

Active member

Equipment
B2601 (2021) JD970 (1998) B2100 (1991) B6100E (1988)
Jul 20, 2020
274
125
43
sw VA
I have this tractor and didn't know angling the ROPS is an option! And I read the manual. Maybe I skipped over the safety boilerplate . . .
 

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Box blade is supposed to be dropped off tomorrow about noon by a sales guy on his way down to Trump Winery south of here. Won't be able to use it for quite some time though.
 

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Got the box blade. They just plopped it into the bed of the guy's F-150 with a fork lift. He had to remove his tail gate to get close enough and then put a strap around the middle of it to lift with the FEL of the B.

My pics are a tad blurry. The old cell phone isn't heavy enough to steady it well.

Also shown is my tool box from HF. It has almost exactly the same foot print as the small one provided but is almost 3 times deeper. Also has a tray for smaller stuff like pins and little containers in the lid for even smaller stuff. Only $7.
 

Attachments

  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

top gnome

Active member

Equipment
b2301 w bh fel grapple back blade snow plow forks
Dec 12, 2021
458
212
43
Fundy shore nova scotia
Hi Ralph I just got my 2301 about the same time you got the 2601. I also need to keep my ROPs down and have it locked in the 90 degree position. While checking the hst fluid I bonked my head hard enough to rattle my teeth. I find the tractor runs very well I have not had it over 1800 rpm but it seems to run out of traction even with ice chains and ag tires with a heavy duty back blade on before it runs out of power. The other thing I noticed is backing up I learned to look over my left shoulder because looking over my right shoulder I hit the loader arm and end up with the load on the ground. I am getting used to the treadle pedal. I am still having a little trouble getting used to the loader bucket raising the front wheels off of the ground while plowing snow. There is a sweet spot where the loader curl is just right and I can scrape snow and still steer but I am having trouble hitting it consistently.
 

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
Hi Ralph I just got my 2301 about the same time you got the 2601. I also need to keep my ROPs down and have it locked in the 90 degree position. While checking the hst fluid I bonked my head hard enough to rattle my teeth. I find the tractor runs very well I have not had it over 1800 rpm but it seems to run out of traction even with ice chains and ag tires with a heavy duty back blade on before it runs out of power. The other thing I noticed is backing up I learned to look over my left shoulder because looking over my right shoulder I hit the loader arm and end up with the load on the ground. I am getting used to the treadle pedal. I am still having a little trouble getting used to the loader bucket raising the front wheels off of the ground while plowing snow. There is a sweet spot where the loader curl is just right and I can scrape snow and still steer but I am having trouble hitting it consistently.
You'll see my ROPS is at the 45 degree position now in a picture a ways up this page. It fits under my garage door, doesn't hit my head and will still function pretty much as ROPS.

I'd have real trouble looking over my left shoulder and using the treadle pedal in reverse. Normally, I'd lock the FEL control for backing, but you cannot do it when doing snow work. Think I remember somewhere someone put mirrors up on the FEL towers to avoid having to look back. I may go looking for that video. May be for my Ryobi ZT; don't recall.

Use the float position for running the FEL to pick up snow. it goes into float (straight ahead and push down slightly) very easily.

Wish I could have gotten the 2301, but I'd need spacers for the rear wheels then. Might be a supply issue in getting them now like everything else.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

top gnome

Active member

Equipment
b2301 w bh fel grapple back blade snow plow forks
Dec 12, 2021
458
212
43
Fundy shore nova scotia
thanks Ralph

I will have to see if I can get in the garage with the rops at 45 degrees,

Mirrors are a good idea I am not good at backing up. I had my garage remote in my pocket so I can close the garage door when I plow because we have chickens and they love to poop in the garage. So I opened the garage door to back the back blade into the garage to scrape the snow the first pass was fine. On the second pass I crashed in to the garage door panel with the back blade I must have hit the garage door remote in my pocket. without realizing it. Mirrors may have saved me a lot of money. I was shocked by the price as garage doors cost about 3 times what they did in 2014. that single panel cost 1/2 of what I paid for the door.


I would have probably gotten the 2601 but they could not get one until May or June and I could not be without a tractor for snow season. can not get an L until august. I like the 2301 well enough we will see how it moves brush and saw logs soon. I think it is enough tractor for what I need.

I was able to get heavy duty studded chains on with the ag tires and without spacers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
thanks Ralph

I will have to see if I can get in the garage with the rops at 45 degrees,

Mirrors are a good idea I am not good at backing up. I had my garage remote in my pocket so I can close the garage door when I plow because we have chickens and they love to poop in the garage. So I opened the garage door to back the back blade into the garage to scrape the snow the first pass was fine. On the second pass I crashed in to the garage door panel with the back blade I must have hit the garage door remote in my pocket. without realizing it. Mirrors may have saved me a lot of money. I was shocked by the price as garage doors cost about 3 times what they did in 2014. that single panel cost 1/2 of what I paid for the door.


I would have probably gotten the 2601 but they could not get one until May or June and I could not be without a tractor for snow season. can not get an L until august. I like the 2301 well enough we will see how it moves brush and saw logs soon. I think it is enough tractor for what I need.

I was able to get heavy duty studded chains on with the ag tires and without spacers.
Congrats on the 2301. It would suit me fine. Would want it with the wheel spacers though on our very hilly back yard. My first tractor was 18.5 hp. It was enough. The next 2 had too much hp, as does the 2601. I'll just run it no more than 2300 rpm (450 rpm on the PTO where I ran with the other 2 tractors) unless digging dirt where I need the hp.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

top gnome

Active member

Equipment
b2301 w bh fel grapple back blade snow plow forks
Dec 12, 2021
458
212
43
Fundy shore nova scotia
Thanks Ralph

My neighbor has a ford 1215 which is a 16 hp tractor and he has done a ton of work with that tractor. He is in his mid 90s and still drives it around some. My other neighbor has a Bolens 19 hp and has hauled 800 bd ft of logs out at a time over pretty hilly ground He logged and sawed up lumber from 100 acre parcel over the years. I think the tractor is an appropriate size for forest work. I have owned several older tractors from the 40s and 50s they were bigger but without the attachments that should make this tractor more useful and the smaller size should make it easier to get around in the woods. The way the price of diesel is going smaller hp may pay off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

RalphVa

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2020
738
319
63
Charlottesville
A friend of mine had an 18 hp JD M. He gave me the old soil ripper from it. He still worked part time in a machine shop. Between the two of us, we converted it to 3ph. I used it to break up the garden plot I had then down below and then bought some big discs from Agri Supply to make raised rows. That's my 18.5 hp JD 4010 in the picture.

You can get basically the same stuff by buying the Keulavator tool bar from Agri Supply.
 

Attachments

  • Like
Reactions: 1 user