If you opt for new and have a large area to clear snow, you will not be happy with the FEL. You'll need a front blade or blower for CT snow. If just a driveway that is not 100's of feet in length you'll be fine with the FEL.
New or new to me SCUT
- Thread starter dfortier
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Johndeere3720
Padawan Tractor Learner, Advertiser
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Yes, a SCUT sounds perfect for you. As far as snow plowing goes, it can be slow using the FEL if the snow is pretty deep, it is a lot of pushing the snow into piles vs directly diverting it to one side or using the blower to quickly remove it. I would at least look at a used rear angle blade on your local craigslist, I bet you could find a 5/6ft blade in the $250-$350 range. As far as the MMM goes, the Deere system is nice but in their demo video they did not adjust the 4 gauge wheels on the 4 corners of the deck, that also must be done after the mower is connected. I cant say much for the Kubota as i have never removed a MMM from a BX before although i cant see it being that hard to do. One thing i would take into consideration is the Kubota has a cooling fan in front of the transmission that is not well enough protected from sticks and debris if you plan to work in more woodsy terrain. I have seen a fan with every fin busted off of it, that BX leaks hydraulic fluid whenever it is parked and needs to be refilled on occasion. The solution to keeping that fan safe would be a belly mount skid plate but now you are talking more $$$. Now on the other hand you have the Deere, it is a very good little tractor, the seat on the 1023E is more like a riding mower seat than a tractor seat, that is one reason why most people buy the 1026R/1025R. The Deere can take a Deere backhoe later on down the road, i have seen very few BX's with aftermarket backhoes, I am not sure if the backhoe off the new BX25D would fit a BX2360 tractor. The ROPS on the Deere is a bit taller than the BX2360, yet they also are fold-able, when folded they are still about as tall as the rigid BX2360 ROPS but the advantage to the taller ROPS is you are less likely to hit your head on then when getting on and off the seat when using the backhoe. Needless to say they both have their up's and downs, both will last a very long time is maintained well and both will hold their resale value well since they both are common names in the tractor industry. I would go to both dealers and test drive both units, I also would encourage trying out a BX25/D and 1026R.
TripleR
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Maybe not that big of a deal, but the new BXxx70 Series has a foldable ROPS significantly different than the BX60 Series. We actually preferred the shorter ROPS on ours as it fits in places a taller one wouldn't.
Thanks for all the great info. i did go over to a local dealer today (the carry both kubota and deere) to take a look and get quotes. Since i already had a bx quote i just got quotes on the deer. Unfortunetly i wasnt tinking and now realize that the BX is the 1870 so not a fair comparision on prices (or options bx1870 cant have a backhoe according to the quote).
TripleR
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Agreed, a better comparison would be the BX2370, but the only BX with an OEM is a BX25 which is essentially a BX2370 with a backhoe.
That must be a very interesting dealership! I wonder if they only hire salespeople with multiple personalities. Also wonder if they tilt in favor of one brand or the other on price. It's probably a great place to get a good side-by-side comparison, though.
Just so you know, you can put a backhoe on the BX1870, just not the OEM Kubota one, as TripleR said. Woods makes a popular aftermarket backhoe for the BX and other subcompacts. The advantage of the Kubota OEM setup is the tractor chassis gets additional reinforcement for the backhoe and you probably save some bucks with the package vs. buying a backhoe separately.
Im trying to find some info on the woods now, and im really considering the bx1870. given the price differance it may be the smartest option for me. So many toys with so many options hard to choose. so most likely the wallet will end up deciding. At this point unless we find a "once in a life time deal" on a used one we will get new. it just make more sense sice you have a warranty and can finance at 0%
drifter2518
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Since upgrading my Cub Cadet 2528 to a Massey Ferguson GC2400 two years ago, I only use a FEL for my snow removal. I have a 500 ft driveway with a 3 bay garage and area 100ft x 150 ft for other parking at the rental house. No problems plowing those areas.
Lots of happy BX18-something owners. With these small diesels, they seem to have ample power for almost any normal work. Maybe if you had to run a large tiller or snow blower in extreme you would want more ponies under the hood, but I don't recall any BX18xx owners complaining about lack of power.
Thanks for the additional info. Im still thinking the BX1870 may be the answer. Unless we win the lotto that is lol. It would be a huge upgrade from the bolens power wise(bolens is a 14hp techumseh, that needs a refresh) and we would be able to actually get attachments that arent 30 years old and impossible to find (ive been looking for a tiller for the bolens going on 4years now). i think my biggest concern is once agin limiting myself, but from the sounds of it, the BX1870 should be just fine.