Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Any 1st-hand use/knowledge or 3rd party comments about the Kubota lawn tractors...?  Have not seen one in operation...

Models:                    T1570A     T1670A     T1770A     T1870A                           www.kubota.com

Kohler engines:     15hp-1     15hp-1          17hp-2     19hp-2  

Deck:                         40"          40/44"               44"          48"

$$$                         2,400          ???               3,300          3,700

Build/quality seems good... single pedal hydro-drive is nice... (cruise control optional)...  pretty tight turning radius... mecanical steering is easy... mechanical PTO engagement... seems as good or better than equivalent Deere models... the 15hp 1-cylinder I tried was pretty quiet...quieter and less (no) rattles than the Deere...

All but the base model have the whole seat pan supported by 2 shock absorbers...

No need to go into intended use...

Thanks...

Dave...

Looked at Husqvarna lawn tractors today... The YT1848XP has an 18hp-twin Kawasaki engine... 48" cut... hydro lever-controlled drive... for $2,300... beats the equivalent Kubota by ~~$1,400 on price... but not quality...  

Also looked at the Ariens zero-turn riders... look like pretty good values !...

Toooooo many makes & models to consider & choose from... price... build quality... overall value... performance... etc... 

Cutting grass should not be so complicated !

Dave...

Including My Kawi powered Scag.......MM

You genius... you !

I never considered a large-cut commercial walk behind for the VT lot... That may fit the bill quite well !   ...a 48" deck gives a good amount of side trimming space... (better than a tractor)...

Now... that I only have "trimming" to do there... (now cutting with a 3-point-hitch 72" finish mower... 2 1/2 hours...)  (30 minutes trimming with the vintage 5-foot deck Gravely garden tractor...) ...a 40"+ cut walk behind would do the job... and I have my small yard here in CT... and one elderly couple's yard I do here with their 21" mower...  so a commercial walk behind can easily be transported in my pickup bed to/from VT...

Ahhhh... another good option to ponder ! ...perhaps the best solution to more than one mowing job... !

There's been a local ad for a little-used 48" Gravely commercial walk-behind... I'll see if I can find the ad...

Thanks for the idea Rob...

MM... yeah... the Kawi seems to be "the choice" for commercial mowers... !

Dave...

Not to get off the subject but I read your great review on the bcs tractor.I just purchased a used 830 with a tiller but was wondering how rugged the snow blower is as I live in Maine and get lots of snow here.I read one post somewhere a guy said the auger was very cheaply made and was destroyed just by hitting a small rock in his driveway.I have a long gravel driveway and would like to use the bcs to take of it  this winter .Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated before I go out and buy one as I have yet to see one.

Thanks ,

Herb

See my reply to your seperate BCS post...

Have not seen the 2-stage blower... so no comment on it...

My 1-stage has beefy augers... thicker that many / most /all dedicated walk-behinds... (no impeler on a 1-stage)... and a very very substantial gearbox the commercial dedicated walk-behind blower match... no problems with obstacles / damage... have only picked up and thrown chunks of ice... and some smaller stones... it's a "animal" of a snow blower!

Dave...

Mowers... still researching...

Sadly... ruled out a commercial walkbehind...  $$$... and the walking...  checked out the Exmark / Toro's... excellent machines!

Checked out Cub Cadets this weekend...  The 1000 series... forget it for me !  Looked good... Operated "cheap"... Too noisy... blade engagement is very "rough"... deck / machine is noisy...

The consumer Zero-turn mower is nice to operate ( on concrete anyway)... is much more solid feeling and sounding than the 1000 series... $1,000 more at $3,000... for the models I tried... definately not a commercial build/quality...

The 2000 series Cub lawn tractors with shaft drive from engine to rear-end are smooth... quiet... better features... cast iron fron axle... cast iron transmission... EZ cruise control... a far cry ahead of the 1000 series...   but at a cost... $500 -  1,500 more... worth it in my opinion... doing more researxh on the 2000 series... based on a a short... sweet... test ride of all three...

Dave...

The 2500 series hits the mark for me... better then the 20xx... the 2544 (20 HP 44" cut) at $3000 - $3,100... a seemingly better value than the equivalent spec top-end Kubota lawn tractor at $3,750... and all the others I checked out...

Dealer I visited today had one standing on-end so the entire underside was visable/touchable... he knows his stuff... went thru all the construction details... seems a pretty well built tractor for this price range...

I know it will not perform in tall-wet grass like the Gravely does... so... this is a definate consideration in getting a New Cub 2544... dealers say about 6" tall grass is the max to cut with the Cub tractor... taller if you go slow... but I dunno about deck clogging... the Gravely does not clog... and does not labor much either...

So... more thinking to do... shiny and new... or old and rugged...  if I do buy new... i will not sell the Gravely until the new machine proves it handles the higher grass...

Dave...