Down to two and need advice

[Rob327]

I've got the search for my first tractor narrowed down to two candidates with farily different specs that fit into my price range.

I've got quotes on a Kubota BX2360 and a Bobcat C225. I'm not partial to either brand but I am really happy with both dealers.

The BX23360 includes:
60" MMM, FEL, Industrial Tires and Balast box for what works out to about $13200 USD.

The CT225 includes:
60" MMM, FEL, 48" Tiller and Industrial Tires for what works out to about $14500 USD.


At this point I feel like the CT225 is a much better value and is substantially more tractor dollar for dollar, expecially since it includes a tiller in the price where the Kubota does not. I'm comfortable with the Bobcat dealer and confident that I will get good service from him but my dilema is that this might be too much tractor for my application and I will regret my purchase.

I have about 4 acres of grass to cut, about 70% of which is open and obstacle free. There's not much in the way of slopes but it is very uneven and I'd like to eventually level it and smooth the bumps and dips. I have about 650' of driveway to scrape and level in the summer and clear snow in the winter. I have about 3/4 acre vegitable garden, and about an acre of bush that I haven't decided what to do with yet. And probably the biggest variable of all, a wife who can come up with endless landscaping projects and jobs.

As far as the numbers game goes the CT225 is the clear winner. More hp, more than double the rated lift capacities on the FEL and 3pth, higher top speed. Those are all good but what I'm concerned about is the turning raidus, weight and fuel economy. Without really having used anything in that size range it's hard to judge how it will affect me.

The Bobcat has a turning raidus of 114" compared to roughly 86" on the Kubota and is almost 1600lbs heavier. What I'd give up in manuverability along with the damage I might do to my grass with the added weight might be enough to swing me back to the Kubota.

Any opinions on the subject would really be appreciated.
Thanks

Rob A.

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

The Bob Cat isn't to much tractor, believe me.

 

[MDM]

Did you look at the Kubota B2320? It compares better to the Bobcat and has the 3 range transmission and not alot of extra weight. The mower deck might be a bear to remove on the Bobcat, I'm not sure though. The B series decks are very easy to remove. That said, the Kioti equivilent will likely be cheaper, but I'm not sure they offer a MMM.

 

[BarryinMN]

First it sounds like more attachments should be put on the intial pile.

Second how much time & temperament do you have to spend on tasks? ie clearing snow before work or retired & can push it off tomorrow?

Third a good dealer will bring out a machine to run on your terrain. Put a load on it & run. A little experience will answer your questions first hand. Landscaping is a red herring - you may not like the look of branches trimmed 7-8' up everywhere to clear the ROPS. Landscaping gets heavy fast & a runty little tractor = more manual labor & time to accomplish tasks, ie splitting up a pallet of sod to move it.

I mow with a JD diesel L&G tractor 60" about the same area as yours in approx 1.5h. No rops so no trimming issues. I have a CAT 0 6' landscape rake and a 48" box blade for road repair.

For landscaping & misc lifting I have a 33hp JD skid steer. 2400lb tipping load. Handy as a shirt pocket & lots of attachments. Plowed snow once last year with it's 60" bucket & seemed to take forever. Parked it out of the way in the shed & went back to snow clearing with cabbed ag tractor 8' bucket and blower on the rear.

Be sure to post pictures whichever way you go.

 

[IslandTractor]

Both tractors will do the job but they are very different machines. The Kubota is light, small and excels at mowing while the Bobcat/Daedong/Kioti will offer more in ground engaging and FEL applications. As others have noted, the BX series is really not a direct comparison to the CT225. I don't know how much more the Kubota B series would cost but the B2320 or B2620 would be a closer match.

I know that Bobcat does offer a MMM and that many Kubota owners like the MMM for mowing machines but if you intend to use the tractor as a utility tractor rather than as a dedicated mower, then why not consider a much less expensive rear mount finish mower or light/medium duty flail mower? The MMM will get in the way and is more difficult to remove/replace than a 3PT implement.

Based on what you have outlined, I'd say you need to decide whether you will be doing 90% or more mowing or not. If you are really primarily mowing then the Kubota BX with MMM is hard to beat. The CT225 is a lot more tractor and more versatile but if it were me I'd get it outfitted with something other than a MMM. The CK225 could run a six foot flail or six foot RFM both of which would cost less than the MMM.

Finally, the price you have for the Bobcat looks good but you might want to check with a local Kioti dealer for a quote on the identical CK27.

 

[BigD23]

Fuel economy? Haven't had that thought yet...More seat/field time, more fun.

Don

 

[dodge man]

I have a BX2350 with a 60" mmm and FEL. I haven't quit figured out why people keep pushing the rear finish mowers. I can't imagine mowing my yard with a rear finish mower, I just have to much stuff to mow around. The big plus on the rear finish mower is it's less akward to take off and on. Alot of times I just leaver the MMM on when I'm using the FEL. The MMM is fairly easy take off and on, but it can be a little akward because you have to reach under the machine. I'm guessing I can take if off in 5 minutes and put it on in 10 minutes. Sometimes every thing just lines up great and its really easy, and sometimes you have to fight it a little.

The BX2350 is a great mower, the cut is great. I do consider the weight of it to be a disadvantage. It is just going to rut a little more, smash down the grass a little more and cut up the yard a little more. The 4x4 and the ROPS and seatbelt make me feel alot safer as I have a hilly yard. I don't know if the Bobcat would be worse or not. If it has bigger tires, that might help with the weight.

I bought mine as a mower and added the FEL a few weeks later. Don't under estimate how much FEL work you will do. I figured 75% of mine would be mowing, but it is working out to 50% mowing and 50% FEL work.

I don't know much about Bobcat. It's made by Montana? If it is, I had my rear tires filled at a Montana dealer, and I liked the machines, although I didn't drive any. Kubota and the BX series of tractors have a proven record in my book.

Ignore my comment on Montana, they are apparently made by Kiota.

 

[Rob327]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys.
Initially I started by narrowing my search down to dealers within 100 miles which left me with Deere, Kubota, New Holland, Montana and Bobcat. Deere and New Holland were both way overpriced. Montana was being sold out of what used to be a Sterling truck dealership before Sterling folded. They didn't seem to know much about their product and I didn't feel too comfortable with them. I hadn't even considered Bobcat and had pretty much settled on the Kubota. I found out about Bobcat as an option while doing a little more product research on the Kubota on the boards here.

I wasn't even considering anything as big as the CT225. I contacted the Bobcat dealer for a quote on the considerably smaller CT122. He priced out the CT122 but also included a quote for a CT225 and claimed he could actually do the package cheaper on the larger machine because it's on the lot and he wants to move it whereas the CT122 would have to be special ordered.

So that's how I came to be stuck between such different machines. My main goal is to get something that fits into my budget that will reduce the time and energy I currently spend doing yard work. I live in an area that gets a lot of rain. The grass grows fast and is usually damp. With my 18hp Husqvarna lawn tractor I spent on average 6 hours, twice a week, just cutting grass. I would let it go longer but with the under powered mower the longer it gets the slower I have to go so it's not much of a time saver. Last summer I did 20yards of gravel and 14 yards of soil by hand and plan to do more so the FEL and a more capable mower are both must haves.

I think the mobility of the bigger machine would probably be ok for grass cutting because my grass is mostly obstacle free. I'd like to stick with the MMM though. I have no experience with rear mount mowers but they seem like they'd be a lot more cumbersome. The ROPS shouldn't pose much of a problem either and I can always get the tough spots with the lawn tractor.

The weight on the CT225 is probably my biggest concern for cutting grass. How likely is a 3000lb tractor to rut my grass? It does have bigger tires than the Kubota. I checked the tire specs on both and it looks like the Bobcat's tires have almost 3x as much contact area with the ground. Anyone else use a machine with that kind of weight on turf?

As for the attachments the price as quoted on the Bobcat already includes a tiller and I plan to get a box scraper to smooth out the lumps in the grass and go over the driveway but I probably won't get it until next year. I already picked up a nice 3pth snowblower because the price was right and I think either machine should do fine with it.

With the price being so similar I'm definitely leaning towards the Bobcat unless someone can convince me I'd be doing more harm than good trying to cut the grass with it.

Thanks again to everyone who replied.

 

[IslandTractor]

I mow with a 4000lb plus Kioti DK40se. I wouldn't want to drive across a golf green with it but it does fine in lawn grass so long as it hasn't just rained. You are correct that the width of the tires on the bigger tractors mitigates the negative weight factor.

I understand that coming from a lawn tractor with MMM that your natural inclination is to just get a bigger version. Do consider however that many many people with CUTs use rear mounted mowers in preference to MMM for a number of reasons. The MMM is the most expensive way to go typically and having it mounted does limit some of the other CUT activities unless you remove it (which negates a good part of it's value). The RFM does have disadvantages in areas with lots of buildings or trees but otherwise is just as good. Some of us have switched to light/medium duty flail mowers as alternatives to RFM or MMM as they are reasonably priced in comparison, are short (3ft extension vs 6ft with RFM) and give a good cut (depends somewhat on the blade style). Caroni has several models under $2K and a CT225 could run either the 5ft or 6ft model. There is also a eBay flail (?Bestco or something like that) for less than $1K which a few guys have reported on with good initial results.

 

[Gittyup]

I have the Kioti equivalent to the CT225. But, If I were you I'd reconsider the rear mount mower and then go to a Kioti dealer and check out the CK20 (Kioti no longer offers a MMM). It sounds like it might be more right-sized for your needs. In open spaces, a rear mount mower would be just as affective as a MMM. It is easier on/off and quite a bit cheaper cost.

Also, have you considered TYM? The T273 sounds like it would be perfect for you.

Be careful with some of the SubCUTS as they can have problems with range of lift on full size CAT1 attachments.

Now if your original question still holds, Island gave you sound advice. The BX will be a better mower, and the CT would be better as just about everything else. With your open land, though, the BX might not really offer any huge mowing advantage.