CNH T1030 v. BX2350 v. JD2305

[jcaledon]

Hi there,

I've been following the forum for some time, and have found the advice and commentary to be excellent, this is my first post however. I will be in the market for a subcompact in the next few months, and thought that I had made my mind up on my choice of tractor (2305) - that is until I passed by the local New Holland dealership on the weekend, and found that they have just introduced an update to the TZ series, the T1000 series. I haven't seen any commentary on the new models, and how they stack up against Kubota and JD, so as a result I'm hoping to get some advice and info from all of you.

I'm in southern Ontario, Canada. I have 2 and 1/2 acres of landscaped property (mostly turf, with a lot of trees, including many fruit trees). A third of the property consists of a fairly large and moderately steep hill. I have some fairly ambitious plans for the hill - including terracing it to some degree. I need a machine that will do a good job of cutting the grass, and will be stable on the hill and drainage swales which boarder the property. I will need a loader, and will eventually be purchasing a broadcast spreader to operate off of the 3pt hitch. A back hoe is not in the budget. Additionally, I'd like to be able to store it in my shed - the door height is just over 6' in height. This will be my first tractor - I'm currently using a lawn tractor for all my mowing & landscaping needs.

I looked at the 2305. It drives great, I like the pedal configuration, good turning radius, dealer is great, and the fit and finish is top notch. However, the ROPS are too high to fit through my shed doors, so I would have to buy the aftermarket foldable ROPS. Additionally, the 2305 felt like it had a fairly high centre of gravity (as compared to the BX) which concerns me with the hill, the fuel filler is in a crazy location, and the controls seemed almost disorganized.

The BX that I test drove seemed like it had a lower centre of gravity (which I like), and had a lot of features that the 2305 lacked, ie. DC outlet, better gauges, controls, and ROPS that would fit through my shed. However, I felt like I was going to fall off the seat, and the paint and plastic trim was so faded that the tractor looked like it was several years old, and not new. In this regard the BX did not stack up in comparison to the 2305. Additionally, I almost suffered whiplash when I reversed the BX using the single peddle. I prefer the two pedal design of the 2305. Did I mention that the BX is $1,000.00 less than the 2305?

I never really considered the TZ25. I read reviews on TBN indicating that they had issues with the seat mounting brackets causing cracks in the fender. I don't plan on buying another machine for a long time, so this put me right off. The BX and 2305 appear to be bullet proof. However the sensitrack 4WD seemed like a fantastic option, especially for my turf and hill - my SUV has a similar system which I use all the time instead of 4HI. New Holland has just introduced the T1030. I haven't seen it in person (just saw the TZ at the dealership, which I really liked) but it looks to have incorporated the best of the BX design with the pedal design and finish of the 2305, plus foldable ROPS (standard equip) and it looks like they redesigned the seat.

I'd be interested in anyone's comments as it relates to the TZ v. the BX vs. the 2305. I doubt that anyone has test driven a T1030, but if you have, I'd like to hear your comments - that's the machine I'm most interested in. Additionally, if anyone has any info in terms of the updates, including the seat configuration on the T1030 v. the TZ, I'd like to hear about them as well.

I'd welcome any general advice that would help me in my research. Thanks in advance for your comments/advice.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I haven't driven the NH tractors at all, but have driven the 2305, and have owned an older BX. The seat problem on the BX has been corrected in the new production tractors, and is quite a bit more comfortable. I would also consider a Mahindra 1815 for your uses. It is a bit higher (larger tires) but is also wider. I plan on driving one soon just for comparison. It's strange that the 2305 doesn't seem as stable since it is wider than the BX, but others have mentioned that too.... even dealers that sell both. Good luck with your choices, and keep us posted.

 

[john_bud]

If you have slopes, you need to really get what is stable. Sounds like that is a priority.

On the BX, it might be an old stock machine. Unlike cars, tractors are often dated by when sold, not when built. Could be? Check with the dealer on the manufacture date of that tractor - it sounds suspicious to me.

While they are not as popular, have you looked into the Power Trac machines?

jb

 

[hydrovane218]

JCaledon
I'm not too familiar with these small machines as a whole but have heard that as far as the JD line goes, many have gone to the 2320 I believe?.?. I have heard of some clearance issues with the tranny cooler fan (on the 2305)as well as the increase in hydraulic capacities with the 2320 and 2520(correct models I hope) being worth the jump in models.
As everyone says, the dealer, on alot of these units, especially the big three, can make the difference. Are you dealing with Clark Moore Motors on the JD?? I have only bought a few things there and they seem good so far.(I bought my 3203 recently in Shelburne from Elmira Farm Service and I like them) I may be moving to Horshoe Hill Rd(Caledon) this summer and may end up dealing with CMM.
Hope you end up with a machine that pleases you in the long term... Curious to hear how your search ends up..

 

[hydrovane218]

Also forgot to ask if you were dealing with Ed Stewarts' Equipment for the NH and the Kubota? I went there before buying and wasn't impressed with the young buck who wasn't too slow at filling me with false info on the JD and being extremely confident about the Kubota's.(The one he showed me didn't even start, and of course he said the burglary/theft problem (? in ERIN)prompts them to disable each unit in a different way and he wasn't sure what they had done to this one in order to start it.!#@#)
Just curious..HYDROVANE218

 

[bandit67]

I owned a 2003 Case DX24E subcompact, and logged 225 hours in 2 years. My neighbor has a BX22 TLB that he let me use extensively over that time period, so I had the opportunity to get a lot of comparison seat time in those 2 years. I was more impressed with the overall quality and performance of the Kubota.

My tractor looked nicer being shiny and new, but I had a lot of little things break on it that were nuisance items - some I was able to take care of myself, some I needed to get warranty work done on. I even had to have the bucket dump cylinder braket re-welded as it began to separate from the rectangular cross support at around 100 hours. The rectangular cross support also bowed slightly over time - something that was not going to happen on the BX's larger, round cross support. In general, Kubota's welds were more substantial and thus held up better than those on the Case - it looked like CNH was trying to save a few bucks on welding rods. I also had the seat pan crack on me. The PTO stopped functioning one day, and the dealer thought they were going to have to crack the case, but it turned out that some small bolt in the linkage got out of adjustment. Had quite a few things go out of adjustment on that machine.

Meanwhile, the BX logged 300 hours over that same time period to stay about 250 total hours ahead of mine, with no trips to the dealer.

Then CNH discontinued the Case versions of machines up to 31hp, and they have since dropped one or two of the New Holland TC compact models. The DXE and TZ subcompacts were brand new in 2003 after a number of years with no subcompacts from CNH. They just don't seem to have a foothold on the subcompact market, and I wonder if the new model numbers are a last ditch attempt to see if the subs are going to remain in the lineup. In the last 18 months with as many machines as CNH has dropped from the lineup after such a short run, I'd be concerned with buying one of their machines, which is why I've taken CNH off my shortlist for a new compact.

Their larger compacts seem to be better built and hold up better, but I wasn't impressed with the overall quality of the smaller machine. A couple of the local dealers also told me that although Kubota far outsells the CNH machines, they see significantly more CNH products in the service dept.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Don't beat around the bush like that Bandit, tell us what you really think!
Having owned a BX, and knowing someone with a blue one, I would have to agree. I blew one fuse in 250+ hours.

 

[jcaledon]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful comments received to date.

My number one priority is safety, followed by quality, followed by utility, followed by price. I don't want to go with anything bigger than a subcompact because stability on slopes is my top priority. I used to cut the lawn on my Dad's Massey Ferguson when I was 6. For some reason, I can't see myself allowing my son to cut my lawn, especially because of the slopes, until he is much older than I was when my Dad set me to work. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

I would prefer to stick to products from either JD, Kutoba, or NH. The Kubota appears to built like a Russian tank - its not as refined as the JD or the NH, but is extremely rugged. I've seen a lot of comments about the JD's cooling fan being susceptible to damage, however, the Kubota and NH appear to have a very similar set up. I'm not sure that this is a problem which is exclusive to JD, although that's the impression one gets by reading the various posts. This would not be problem for me in any event since I would not be driving over brush or other material which could cause such damage.

The price of these subcompacts approach that of a small car. I can't imagine buying a car whose paint would fade as badly as Kubota's seems to. It may be that the dealer had their BXs on the lot for some time, but all that does is tell me what the BX will look like 6 months after I bring it home. Perhaps a good waxing and armourall will help preserve the bright orange - I can't believe I'm even proposing this for a tractor.

I did go to Stewart's Equipment, and probably spoke to the same "young buck". He tried starting the first BX and couldn't seem to get it going, he then went back into the office, got a fuse, installed it in the next BX on the lot and got it going! Erin is a safe little town so I was surprised to see them do this. The salesman was a little rough around the edges, but you could tell that he meant well. He has been fairly diligent in getting any information that I have asked for (with the occasional reminder). But I think that he has been fair in terms of the price which he quoted me. To some degree I have chosen to look past the Kubota dealer experience in this case because I know that the dealer has been around for a long time and the product is excellent. The JD dealership, Green Tractors, is nothing short of excellent to deal with - this is a professional outfit and it shows. If I were to ignore the NH, I would say that the Kubota and JD are fairly evenly matched - the dealer experience would push me towards the green product however.

I like the looks and features of the NH T1030. It appears to be the second generation NH subcompact, and would appear to be ahead of both Kubota and JD in almost every category for me except one. From what I have read on TBN, I'm just not sold on the quality of the machine. If I can't count on the quality of the machine, then regardless of how well I like it, I won't buy it. I know that there are dealers out there that sell both Kubota and NH. If anyone has any information on the T1030 and how it stacks up, I would appreciate hearing your honest opinion. I'm hoping that this second generation machine has eliminated whatever quality issues existed with the TZ series.

 

[David Cockey]

Sounds to me like the BX2350 you looked at has been sitting around a while. We recently purchased one from a dealer who seems to do a reasonable amount of business. He assembled one which had been in the crate and delivered it. Said it was one they had recently gotten in and was 2008 model. No idea how to verify that but it does have a steel deck separate from the rear fenders. Serial number is 665##.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I have no experience at all with the newer NH products other than a brief test drive on a 26hp cut. The one I am familiar with was one of NH's first sub compacts sold in this area.