jlangton
07-15-2006, 03:33 PM
Picked up this Kubota G2160 last Tuesday, and have spent a few evenings familiarizing myself with it and getting some seat time in.
This machine has Kubota's 782cc D782 inline 3-cylinder liquid cooled diesel that makes 21 hp,and a heavy duty cast iron rear axle/hydrostat that can handle a rear rotary tiller that's available as an option. It has options of a rear PTO kit and Cat 0 3-point hitch if you want it. I chose not to get those options,I'll purchase a larger machine later for things like that,and leave this one as a dedicated mowing machine.
The electrical servo-actuated power steering is a nice addtion for a lawn/garden tractor,and makes steering this machine around obstacles very easy with little effort on the part of the operator. Steering is fluid and linear from the mini rack and pinon type steering system with none of the typical "sloppiness" of most lawn/garden tractors.
The hydrostat is driven via a shaft that is live and attached directly to the rear of the engine(actually the front). Since the engine sits in the chassis reverse of what most manufacturers use-this has the fan blowing the hot air away from the operator's are, so you stay cooler on those long, hot days.
The mowing deck/mid-PTO are driven from the front of the tractor off of the rear of the engine from a set of parallel belts that use a dual spring tensioner system and is activated by a cable tied to the PTO engagement lever. I was a bit apprehensive about this sytem, but it's simplicity makes for easy maintenance when it's needed,and appears to be more than beefy enough for this application.
The hydraulic lift system on the deck is nice,and makes use even more operator friendly-no tugging on a lever to raise/lower the deck. This is a nice option considering the heavy 10 gauge 54" deck weighs 209 lbs.
The 54" mowing deck is a 10 gauge steel deck with 3-blades and a RH discharge. A 60" deck is an option. It has heavy-duty geaseable spindles with an oil-filled gearbox and shaft drive system that has greaseable U-joints for smooth operation and should last a lifetime or close to it with proper care. The belt-drive system for the blades consists of a dual-joined V-Belt that's approx 1.25" wide for resistance to slippage under the heaviest loads. Adjustment of the deck cutting height is easy with a rotating knob that has adjustment clearly marked. Height is adjustable from 1" to 4". Removal of the deck is simple with a set of pins in the rear and a lever/lock setup and a pair of pins on the front, plus the anti-scalp wheels spin sideways to simply roll it out from under the machine when detached. The driveshaft has a quick-coupler for simple removal of the shaft. That makes access for servicing simple because at 209 lbs....it's heavy when it's not on wheels.
The hydrostat is capable of 9.3mph top speed in forward, and 3.7mph in reverse. It is actuated via the typical pivoting lever that's found on most hydrostats,and it's positioned for less fatigue during use.
The main deck is a full flat style step-through with ample room for most any operator,and the seat is a high-back spring suspension style with adjustable tension for a comfortable ride,and has a simple sliding adjustment that's actuated by a single lever on the front of the seat mount.
It has a 5.8 gallon fuel tank for longer times between filling the machine with fuel, and has a low-fuel light on the indicator panel so you'll know before you run it out of fuel.
The electrical and charging system consists of a 40 amp belt driven alternator,and a 450cca battery with an ATC type fuseblock for the circuits. It also has an electrical solenoid type key-stop on the diesel,so no levers to pull to shut down the machine.
I've got right at 5 hours on the machine so far,and after 2 hours of continuos seattime today,I'll say it's a very powerful machine that cuts grass well and is easily manuevered through the yard and around obstacles with little effort.
The engine has enough power to cut through the thickest grass with no bogging like machines with gasoline powerplants-it just keeps on chugging when the grass gets thick.
I'm amazed at the fuel that this machine uses...or rather the lack of fuel useage. I'm getting right at 2 hours useage under load per gallon of diesel-half of what I was getting from a similarly powered gasoline rider that my dad has.
I'll report more back as I get more seat time in,and also update with a few ideas I've got for improvements/additions.
JL
This machine has Kubota's 782cc D782 inline 3-cylinder liquid cooled diesel that makes 21 hp,and a heavy duty cast iron rear axle/hydrostat that can handle a rear rotary tiller that's available as an option. It has options of a rear PTO kit and Cat 0 3-point hitch if you want it. I chose not to get those options,I'll purchase a larger machine later for things like that,and leave this one as a dedicated mowing machine.
The electrical servo-actuated power steering is a nice addtion for a lawn/garden tractor,and makes steering this machine around obstacles very easy with little effort on the part of the operator. Steering is fluid and linear from the mini rack and pinon type steering system with none of the typical "sloppiness" of most lawn/garden tractors.
The hydrostat is driven via a shaft that is live and attached directly to the rear of the engine(actually the front). Since the engine sits in the chassis reverse of what most manufacturers use-this has the fan blowing the hot air away from the operator's are, so you stay cooler on those long, hot days.
The mowing deck/mid-PTO are driven from the front of the tractor off of the rear of the engine from a set of parallel belts that use a dual spring tensioner system and is activated by a cable tied to the PTO engagement lever. I was a bit apprehensive about this sytem, but it's simplicity makes for easy maintenance when it's needed,and appears to be more than beefy enough for this application.
The hydraulic lift system on the deck is nice,and makes use even more operator friendly-no tugging on a lever to raise/lower the deck. This is a nice option considering the heavy 10 gauge 54" deck weighs 209 lbs.
The 54" mowing deck is a 10 gauge steel deck with 3-blades and a RH discharge. A 60" deck is an option. It has heavy-duty geaseable spindles with an oil-filled gearbox and shaft drive system that has greaseable U-joints for smooth operation and should last a lifetime or close to it with proper care. The belt-drive system for the blades consists of a dual-joined V-Belt that's approx 1.25" wide for resistance to slippage under the heaviest loads. Adjustment of the deck cutting height is easy with a rotating knob that has adjustment clearly marked. Height is adjustable from 1" to 4". Removal of the deck is simple with a set of pins in the rear and a lever/lock setup and a pair of pins on the front, plus the anti-scalp wheels spin sideways to simply roll it out from under the machine when detached. The driveshaft has a quick-coupler for simple removal of the shaft. That makes access for servicing simple because at 209 lbs....it's heavy when it's not on wheels.
The hydrostat is capable of 9.3mph top speed in forward, and 3.7mph in reverse. It is actuated via the typical pivoting lever that's found on most hydrostats,and it's positioned for less fatigue during use.
The main deck is a full flat style step-through with ample room for most any operator,and the seat is a high-back spring suspension style with adjustable tension for a comfortable ride,and has a simple sliding adjustment that's actuated by a single lever on the front of the seat mount.
It has a 5.8 gallon fuel tank for longer times between filling the machine with fuel, and has a low-fuel light on the indicator panel so you'll know before you run it out of fuel.
The electrical and charging system consists of a 40 amp belt driven alternator,and a 450cca battery with an ATC type fuseblock for the circuits. It also has an electrical solenoid type key-stop on the diesel,so no levers to pull to shut down the machine.
I've got right at 5 hours on the machine so far,and after 2 hours of continuos seattime today,I'll say it's a very powerful machine that cuts grass well and is easily manuevered through the yard and around obstacles with little effort.
The engine has enough power to cut through the thickest grass with no bogging like machines with gasoline powerplants-it just keeps on chugging when the grass gets thick.
I'm amazed at the fuel that this machine uses...or rather the lack of fuel useage. I'm getting right at 2 hours useage under load per gallon of diesel-half of what I was getting from a similarly powered gasoline rider that my dad has.
I'll report more back as I get more seat time in,and also update with a few ideas I've got for improvements/additions.
JL