There are times when I look at my email box in the morning and feel mild despair. So many emails to answer, even more to delete, and then there are electronic newsletters, marketing blasts, and the dreaded spam.

There is one piece of email that I look forward to each morning ... sometimes I even think about what it might contain as I make the drive in to work. That special daily delivery comes in the form of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's OPEI SmartBrief. No matter how stressed or busy I feel, I always take time to open the OPEI SmartBrief and peruse the headlines and lead blurbs. More often than not, there is something in the OPEI SmartBrief that entices me to click on in for the whole story.

The OPEI SmartBrief is a comprehensive electronic newsletter that covers the entire outdoor power equipment industry. Although the piece is definitely geared toward outdoor power equipment professionals, dealers, manufacturers, and others with a stake in the business side of outdoor power, the OPEI SmartBrief is the place to see how the economy affects tractor manufacturing, what companies are selling or buying other companies, who has the latest and greatest equipment, what to expect from your equipment dealer in the spring and so much more. If you are like me, and you care about who made the diesel engine that's installed in the latest and greatest utility vehicle, then you should definitely give the OPEI SmartBrief a test drive.

While you are at it, take a look at the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's website. This site contains a wealth of information for consumers and professionals alike. Whether it's industry news, safety, emissions, fuel handling or mulching that occupies your mind, the OPEI website is well worth exploring.

Without the OPEI SmartBrief in my bag of tricks, I don't know how I would keep on top of this rapidly-changing market. Sure, I am a certifiable outdoor power equipment junky, so I would find the information somehow, but the OPEI SmartBrief makes it ever so much easier ... and enjoyable.

We have had a Kubota tractor on our various farms for the past 16 or 17 years. Our 36 horsepower Grand L model (based on a larger chassis than the B-Series) got hauled from the New Hampshire farm to Kansas (along with an antique road grader, some Cub Cadet garden tractors and a bunch of implements) shortly after we moved. The Kubotas have served us well as general utility tractors … and in a pinch they even managed to move 1800-pound round bales (not a recommended practice) in the winter when the big old IH 656 or 574 wouldn’t start. Kubota offers an incredible array of compact, sub-compact and full-sized tractors … some of their newest offerings are in the smaller chassis B-Series compact line.

Late this year, Kubota introduced four new models to its popular B Series compact utility tractor line. The new Kubota B2320, B2620, B2920 and B3200 tractors are versatile, powerful and productive, featuring more horsepower and triple-range hydrostatic transmission (HST), which offers the operator enhanced power and control.  The B3200 leads the pack with a 4-cylinder, 23 PTO horsepower, high performance E-TVCS (three-vortex combustion system) Kubota diesel engine, power steering and standard mid-PTO.

“The B-Series tractors have always been one of our most popular lines because they are small enough to be extremely versatile, yet powerful enough to conquer larger landscaping and even light construction jobs,” says Jeremy Coltin, Kubota product manager.  “This year we have really taken the legacy of our B-Series tractors to a new height, giving customers even more value, with increased power, control and comfort.”

The B2320, B2620 and B2920 come equipped with three-cylinder Kubota liquid-cooled diesel engines and the entire series offers the E-TVCS combustion system for increased power, excellent torque characteristics, cleaner emissions and low noise and vibration. The three-range shift (high/medium/low) featured on the new B Series HST models lets operators find the right speed to suit their task. The HST provides smooth shifting and powerful performance for heavy-duty loader applications. Maximum traveling speed ranges from 11.2 to 12.3 mph, depending on model; the B3200 boasts an 8.1-gallon fuel tank.

I haven’t had a chance to put these new B-Series machines through their paces, but I don’t expect any major surprises when I do. I can’t wait to see just how that new engine performs in the 3200 while digging with the backhoe attachment. Look for these, and a whole lot of other tractors at a Kubota dealer near you.

Earlier this year, Kubota released the RTV500 utility vehicle as the company’s first gasoline-engine powered UTV. Kubota is known in North America for its fine line of diesel power plants, but the company has built similarly rugged liquid-cooled gasoline engines for many years.

The RTV500 is designed around a compact chassis that makes the nimble new machine able to fit into a full-sized pickup truck’s 8-foot long bed. It weighs in at nearly 1,300 pounds and can tow 1,100 pounds safely and with ease, thanks to its new variable speed hydrostatic transmission (VHT). This new UTV offers no big surprises when it comes to the innovation and quality we have come to expect from Kubota, but the engine opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

The Kubota RTV500 is powered with the company’s GZ460FE3UV two-cylinder liquid-cooled, electronically fuel-injected engine, which makes cold weather starting a no-brainer, creates enhanced power and eliminates the need for a carburetor … and all the associated maintenance issues. The VHT drive eliminates any need to adjust belts and offers engine braking sufficient to make any descent smooth and safe.

I haven’t had a chance to test drive the RTV500, and I look forward to spending some quality time with the machine soon.

We’ve done virtually all the rough country mowing at the farm the past two seasons with DR’s 44-inch cut, 17-horsepower, electric start, tow-behind Field and Brush Mower. DR Power recommends pulling the mower with an ATV or garden tractor. We have used both of those motivators and a couple of different UTVs with good success. The danger with using the UTV is that the mower controls aren’t as close at hand as is optimal. The DR tow-behind Field and Brush Mower has performed exceptionally well, considering the abuse it’s experienced.

I will admit to being a mite skeptical to the concept of such a scaled-down mower for rough-country cutting. Until we got this mower, we handled all the rotary cutting with a Bush Hog Squeeler mounted on the 36-hp Kubota’s 3-point hitch. Some of our country is really rough … strewn with chunks of limestone no less … so operating the tractor in our roughest pastures isn’t very comfortable. With their long suspension travel and cushy seats, the ATVs and UTVs eat those bumps for breakfast and come back looking for more.

Behind the Polaris Ranger Sportsman 500 ATV, the DR tow-behind Field and Brush Mower was a dream to operate. I first used the mower to cut some hiking trails around the farm. I was able to make the paths at about 11 miles per hour. The ATV was surefooted and comfortable at that speed, and the Kohler twin-cylinder engine had no trouble spinning the Field and Brush Mower’s blade … except in the thickest and tallest grass in moist lows. In those areas, I had to slow the mowing to about 5 miles per hour. The Polaris/DR Field and Brush Mower combination was also invaluable for cutting the acres of fire break around the CRP, in preparation for the controlled burn we accomplished last spring.

Since I don’t have much luck controlling musk thistles with herbicides, and I don’t really like spraying the stuff, this year I went after the herbaceous pests with the tow-behind Field and Brush Mower. This time, I used the Cub Cadet Volunteer UTV to pull the mower. The mowing was pretty light-duty for the Cub Cadet, but it was surely comfortable mowing. I got so carried away with shredding thistles that I eventually mowed about 20 acres with that combination. Again, the Field and Brush Mower performed flawlessly. Somewhere along the line, the entire front projectile guard on the mower got torn off. It is made of a flexible rubber-like material, and I suspect that some thorny Osage Orange seedlings just grabbed hold of it as I was mowing them down. I think this piece should be replaced with something like chain mail … or it should be available as an option. I didn’t feel worried that the piece was missing when using the UTV, but with the ATV or garden tractor, it would have been potentially dangerous.

This fall, Kate and I cleaned up the fire breaks and paths and mowed a bunch of cedar saplings with the DR Field and Brush Mower behind the Polaris Ranger 700 EFI XP. The Polaris is a dream machine when it comes to mowing … and since it has a speedometer, I was able to document that mowing at 10 miles per hour was easy to do. The Field and Brush Mower is a monster when it comes to chewing up small trees and brush. The 17-horsepower version is rated to shred saplings up to 2 inches in diameter. I know ours has tasted a few trees that were larger. On our last outing, I noticed a couple of bolts that attach the motor housing to the deck had worked loose and fallen out. The machine’s manual indicates that you should check and tighten all nuts and bolts periodically. Considering that the mower has around 60 acres of bouncing around and almost 40 engine hours on it, I am not surprised that some things came loose. I have done no checking or maintenance on the machine other than changing the engine oil.

I continue to be impressed with the quality and utility of the DR tow-behind Field and Brush Mower. Truth be told, the Kubota-mounted rotary cutter never got used this year. I am not ready to sell the Bush Hog Squealer just yet, but it certainly isn’t going to get the hours going forward as it used to in the past.

Find the latest photos here.

Check the updated information here.  Photos are posted here.

I am sitting at the gate in LaGuardia waiting for my flight home to Kansas. I have just finished taking a look at and operating New Holland’s newest Boomer concept (in New York City’s Central Park), the Boomer 8N, which is due in dealer showrooms early next year … look for them in March. The Boomer 8N takes its styling cues from, and traces its roots to, the venerable Ford 8N. This new 8N compact tractor boasts 50 horsepower at the engine, distinctive, timeless styling, an innovative continuously variable transmission, and capabilities one would expect from a 50-horsepower tractor. Look for more information at New Holland’s Boomer 8N website in January or February.

My first impression of the tractor was all wow. The styling, while modern, takes attractive cues from the 8N of old. Rather than just adding a slightly modified hood sheet to an existing Boomer tractor, the design team at New Holland, in collaboration with their colleagues at Fiat, created a flat-topped hood with retro-style grill that screams Ford 8N. The tractor’s LED teardrop-shaped headlights have been sculpted into channels carved into the grill and hood sides. The padded seat … fully adjustable and ergonomic … is reminiscent of the original pan-style seat. The Boomer 8N’s gauge cluster is analog with just the right touch of vintage. There is also an electronic information screen that will eventually provide all kinds of speed and system information. The tractor’s color scheme included a red frame and belly with light gray grill, hood and fenders. It looks just right, even with its heavy-duty front drive axle, which is standard. The machine features New Holland’s robust hydraulic system, an electric PTO engagement switch and plenty of chassis to mount loaders, backhoes and lots of three-point attachments.

The New Holland 8N features a naturally aspirated, indirect-injected four-cylinder diesel engine, 2,800-pound-capacity three-point hitch, and electronically modulated CVT transmission that’s controlled by a single pedal. Push on the pedal and various sensors detect torque and load characteristics, which in turn adjust the transmission’s “gear” ratio and engine rpm. Forward and reverse are controlled with a shuttle lever that controls a pair of clutch packs and allow seamless, clutchless shifting from forward to reverse and back again.

I found the New Holland Boomer 8N to be easy to drive, functionally well thought out, and incredibly well styled. The machine is a breeze to start, and operating it is as easy as selecting a range (limits the drive pedal’s speed range electronically) with a switch, and pressing the go pedal. If there ever was a tractor as easy to drive as a car, this is it. Onboard diagnostics make troubleshooting a breeze, although trouble is not anticipated in this well-designed package.

“We’re excited to introduce landowners to the New Holland Boomer 8N, a modern compact tractor that acknowledges its heritage,” says Doran Herritt, compact marketing manager at New Holland. “Since 1917, New Holland has provided its customers with machines that are dependable, versatile and easy to operate. With superior quality and distinctive style, the redesigned 8N is the perfect addition to the Boomer line.”

The company has not yet set the Boomer 8N’s MSRP, but its goal is to make it competitive. New Holland Senior Director of Brand Marketing David Greenberg made it clear that the company plans to build as many of these tractors as the market wants. It is surely not a limited-edition collector machine. It is true to its roots as a workhorse, a real modern-day classic.

Pictures to come!

We’ve been fortunate to have a 2009 Polaris Ranger XP at the farm for the past few months. The machine has come in handy pulling the DR Field and Brush Mower and Polar and Agri-Fab trailers on various pasture maintenance and wood harvesting adventures. As a motivator, the Polaris Ranger XP is powerful, comfortable and more than able. But it is so much more than that.

The Polaris Ranger XP has become my favorite tool for fencing. The ample cargo bed handles 6-foot T-posts and all manner of step-in poly posts with ease. There’s plenty of room for buckets of tools, spools of wire and post drivers, and the machine makes an excellent anchor platform for pulling wire tight. What strikes me most about the 2009 Polaris Ranger XP is that it starts right up, every time, and is ready to go more or less instantly. No more manual choking and coaxing a cool engine to life, only to move 100 yards down the line. I credit the machine’s fuel-injected 700 cc engine and electronic management system for that.

With its bench seat, the Polaris Ranger XP has plenty of room for a helper and a couple of dogs. We have successfully un-spooled miles of wire with me tending the jenny and Kate at the wheel. The Polaris Ranger is much easier to fence with than a pickup truck or tractor. It is more nimble than either, has sufficient cargo capacity and is easier to get into and out of. When I was a youngster, ease of ingress and egress wasn’t much on my mind, but today, several decades later, it is a serious concern. The Polaris also offers a comfortable ride, and plenty of get up and go when you need to run a couple of miles back to the barn for another box of staples.

I am sure we have only begun to tap into the utility and fun that the Polaris XP utility vehicle can provide. Stay tuned for updates.

Building on the brand’s 47-year history of innovation and quality, Cub Cadet has taken the lawn tractor to the next level with its redesigned 1000 series. The Series 1000 lawn tractors include eight models with deck sizes ranging from 42 to 54 inches. These machines will be available at independent dealers, The Home Depot and Tractor Supply Co. in February 2009 with suggested retail prices ranging from $1,499 to $2,599 depending on engine and mowing deck width.

So what makes these new 1000 series tractors so special? According to the folks at Cub Cadet, all models in this lineup will be constructed around a 9-gauge steel frame, which is the thickest in the industry, and cast-iron front axles. The company feels so good about the quality of these machines that they are backed by a five-year limited warranty.

Cub Cadet engineers chose 19- to 25-horsepower Kohler power plants for their durability and exceptional performance. Kohler engines powered the very first Cub Cadets back in 1961 and have been available throughout the life of the brand. These new Series 1000 tractors also have a remarkably tight 12-inch turning radius, which makes them almost as versatile as a zero-turning-radius machine. I took out a piece of fence with a ZTR at a product demo day, so I really appreciate a tighter turning radius in a more conventional lawn tractor.

Cub Cadet’s innovative cutting system leaves no grass uncut, even in the tallest, thickest stand. All components in the cutting system – from deck to blades, from dome design to discharge chute – work together to ensure an unsurpassed quality of cut. Added strength and rigidity keep the high-lift blades from deflecting and flexing under heavy loads, severe conditions or high speeds. This deck creates a powerful vacuum and smooth, continuous airflow, the result of which is that every blade of grass is lifted and cut. Clippings are evenly propelled and distributed through an extra-wide discharge chute, disappearing into the lawn. No unsightly clumps, streaks or uncut grass are left behind.

I haven’t had my hands on one of these machines yet, but I can’t wait to demo one. I probably won’t trade any of my 20-something vintage Cub Cadets for a new one just yet, but it gets more tempting every year.

The folks at Cub Cadet have taken new advantage of the company’s relationship with diesel engine builder Yanmar. I am not referring to the highly fruitful Cub Cadet Yanmar joint venture that has already brought several new compact tractors to the market. I am instead referring to the company’s switch from Caterpillar/Perkins to Yanmar diesel engines to power its diesel Volunteer utility vehicle. While I am a big fan of both Cat and Perkins, I was not thrilled to learn that servicing the Cat-badged engine was the province of a certified Cat dealer and not your neighborhood Cub Cadet dealer.

The new 4x4D Volunteer has a wider stance, beefier structure and better ride quality when compared with much earlier iterations of the Volunteer. This UTV is capable of towing and carrying a full 1,400 pounds, has an adequate and safe top speed of 25 mph, and features cast-iron rear axle housing. The most exciting part of this new machine is its engine, however.

Yanmar’s 854 cubic-centimeter displacement, 3-cylinder diesel engine makes 21.9 horsepower at the flywheel and nearly 37 lb.-ft. of torque. This small, heavy-duty diesel has been well proven in all kinds of industrial and agricultural applications, and it is a member of one of the most reliable diesel engine families in the world.

I haven’t had the opportunity to operate this new Volunteer yet, but if it is even better than the gasoline-fueled Kohler-powered Cub Cadet UTV we use around the farm, I know it is a winner.