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[BRM]

Originally Posted by SunDeck

I didn't say anything about big tractors, something I don't know much about. I spent years sitting on top of Kubotas though- they're unbeatable for landscaping work IMO.

Ah, you were only referring to the oversized garden tractors. Gotcha. In that case, I agree completely. The smaller Kubota's are great for landscaping and general yard work.

[SunDeck]

Originally Posted by BRM

Ah, you were only referring to the oversized garden tractors.

I never thought of them as garden tractors, but okay. The problem with other so called compact tractors is that they just aren't very, well, compact. And once you get down to one that's the same size as, say, a Kubota L series, you don't get the same power. I don't know how they do it, I was always amazed at how hard a Kubota could work.

Besides, WilyMo can rest easy- even the M series are still relatively small. Kubota's niche is specialty ag operations, like nurseries, orchards- not the vast fields of American mega farms.

[BRM]

Oversized garden tractors is just a name I give them for fun. A friend of mine calls them garden tractors on steroids.

You are referring to like the B or BX-series types? 20-30 hp or so?

[SunDeck]

Originally Posted by BRM

Oversized garden tractors is just a name I give them for fun. A friend of mine calls them garden tractors on steroids.

You are referring to like the B or BX-series types? 20-30 hp or so?

We had a 1984 L series, 35 hp IIRC. And I'm pretty sure the company still has it for lawn and commercial installations.

On the smaller end, the one I really am thinking of, was indeed a B20, FWD, 20 hp. It was such a great tractor; I know of three friends still in the business with old B series. What I liked about them was the FWD. When you are working on the uneven surfaces often encountered in landscaping, the FWD saves a lot of hand loading and grading.

[westofyou]

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[BRM]

Originally Posted by SunDeck

We had a 1984 L series, 35 hp IIRC. And I'm pretty sure the company still has it for lawn and commercial installations.

On the smaller end, the one I really am thinking of, was indeed a B20, FWD, 20 hp. It was such a great tractor; I know of three friends still in the business with old B series. What I liked about them was the FWD. When you are working on the uneven surfaces often encountered in landscaping, the FWD saves a lot of hand loading and grading.

I looked at the L series a couple of years ago. The one I nearly bought was 35 hp. Very good tractor but I couldn't afford it at the time. Those are considered Utility, aren't they? I think Compact more refers to the B series.

[minus5]

This one's cool

[SunDeck]

Originally Posted by BRM

I looked at the L series a couple of years ago. The one I nearly bought was 35 hp. Very good tractor but I couldn't afford it at the time. Those are considered Utility, aren't they? I think Compact more refers to the B series.

Yeah, I think L series are utility. And ironically, I remember seeing them used by a lot of utility companies for roadside work. Landscapers who do a lot of larger scale stuff use L series, but by far I think it's likely that if a landscaper owns a Kubota it's a B series.
My favorite tractor ever (here you go, Wilymo) was an old Deere 420 utility. I think it was about a 1954 or so. It's actually what I learned to drive on when I was about 15 and working at a large church on the west side. It would probably have been a good tractor for truck farming, but we used it for just about everything you could think of, grave digging, mowing, loading. I think they got it from one of the local nursery/greenhouses in Delhi.

[BRM]

Originally Posted by SunDeck

Yeah, I think L series are utility. And ironically, I remember seeing them used by a lot of utility companies for roadside work. Landscapers who do a lot of larger scale stuff use L series, but by far I think it's likely that if a landscaper owns a Kubota it's a B series.
My favorite tractor ever (here you go, Wilymo) was an old Deere 420 utility. I think it was about a 1954 or so. It's actually what I learned to drive on when I was about 15 and working at a large church on the west side. It would probably have been a good tractor for truck farming, but we used it for just about everything you could think of, grave digging, mowing, loading. I think they got it from one of the local nursery/greenhouses in Delhi.

I love those older tractors. They were definitely built to last. I have a 1952 Farmall Super M. It still runs strong and I use it quite a bit.

Lots of folks out here in the rural areas have B series Kubota's. They use them for driveway maintenance, snow removal, and general landscaping. It's probably the most popular for the smaller rural lots, less than 10 acres or so.

[SunDeck]

Here's my kid on an old Massey Ferguson at the county fair. The old guy let him ride it in the opening day parade after he overheard him telling some lady about the three point hitch and the PTO.

He still talks himself to sleep over that experience.

[BRM]

That's pretty cool Sundeck! My daughters are always bugging me to teach them how to drive the old Farmall. The problem is, it doesn't have power steering so I really don't think they can handle it. It just gives me an excuse to find another old tractor that does have power steering.