Help me pick a tractor to pursue

[Jay4200]

I'm considering buying a used BX mow the grass at my camp. It would also serve as an emergency backup for my big tractor, a 2600-hour L4200GST that has a bucket, backhoe, snowblower, rake and blade. Emergency backup would mostly be for the winter when blowing snow. I have a 1000' feet of driveway, so if my blower goes down after a snowstorm, I'm completely screwed.

So the two machines that I am considering are both BX1800s, both have roughly 1000 hours, both have 54" belly decks, and both are in decent shape with good tires and no dents. One is at a dealer, one at a wholesaler - both traded for bigger machines. I have only seen pictures of both. The first tractor seems in fairly nice shape - seat and pedals look pristine but the deck is a little scuffed up - it has had a gauge wheel mount welded and could use a new spindle belt (~85) and maybe new gauge wheels (~$80). I'm sitting on an c-offer for $5000. The second appears to possibly be a tad rougher - the seat has some patches (probably duct tape), I can see some painting evidence around the loader mounts, and there is visible wear on the pedals and floormat. Paint may be a little more faded - probably stored outside, BUT the deck looks nice w/o many scuffs - condition of belt is unknown, but everything works. It also has a loader that looks good and a power bagger that is in fair shape, and work lights on the ROPS. That is priced at $8500, but I'm thinking I can likely get it for closer to $7500. Same configuration brand new is ~$14.5k.

I really don't need a loader, and would definitely be removing it for mowing anyway, although it wouldn't be a BAD thing to have kicking around. I really like the idea of the power bagger - you really do need a bagger to grow a magnificent lawn, and I might just want to do that someday...but wondering if I want to spend $2500-3000 on two attachments that I really don't NEED, just to have them.

Opinions on decisions, pricing, next move, etc.?

Thanks

 

[rbarker]

I'm considering buying a used BX mow the grass at my camp. It would also serve as an emergency backup for my big tractor, a 2600-hour L4200GST that has a bucket, backhoe, snowblower, rake and blade. Emergency backup would mostly be for the winter when blowing snow. I have a 1000' feet of driveway, so if my blower goes down after a snowstorm, I'm completely screwed. So the two machines that I am considering are both BX1800s, both have roughly 1000 hours, both have 54" belly decks, and both are in decent shape with good tires and no dents. One is at a dealer, one at a wholesaler - both traded for bigger machines. I have only seen pictures of both. The first tractor seems in fairly nice shape - seat and pedals look pristine but the deck is a little scuffed up - it has had a gauge wheel mount welded and could use a new spindle belt (~85) and maybe new gauge wheels (~$80). I'm sitting on an c-offer for $5000. The second appears to possibly be a tad rougher - the seat has some patches (probably duct tape), I can see some painting evidence around the loader mounts, and there is visible wear on the pedals and floormat. Paint may be a little more faded - probably stored outside, BUT the deck looks nice w/o many scuffs - condition of belt is unknown, but everything works. It also has a loader that looks good and a power bagger that is in fair shape, and work lights on the ROPS. That is priced at $8500, but I'm thinking I can likely get it for closer to $7500. Same configuration brand new is ~$14.5k. I really don't need a loader, and would definitely be removing it for mowing anyway, although it wouldn't be a BAD thing to have kicking around. I really like the idea of the power bagger - you really do need a bagger to grow a magnificent lawn, and I might just want to do that someday...but wondering if I want to spend $2500-3000 on two attachments that I really don't NEED, just to have them. Opinions on decisions, pricing, next move, etc.? Thanks

Of the two the only one that provides you any emergency snow removal relief is the one with the loader but 1000 feet with a BX 1800 loader is painful to think about. It will do it but it's going to take a long time. Either one will mow the same but I don't have any experience with the bagger so I can't help you there.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[Jay4200]

Of the two the only one that provides you any emergency snow removal relief is the one with the loader but 1000 feet with a BX 1800 loader is painful to think about. It will do it but it's going to take a long time. Either one will mow the same but I don't have any experience with the bagger so I can't help you there.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

No loader for snow removal - I'd rather shovel by hand. I'll get a small (50") blower for whatever I buy.

 

[jeff9366]

You gave your primary mission as "mowing grass at camp".

A BX has only 9" ground clearance, before the MMM is attached. Is 9" enough?

I would not use a MMM to cut around any camp in my area.

A typical Rotary Cutter for a BX is 48", giving a 42" swath width if your are good. Is 42" enough?

I would use the L4400 with a 72" Rotary Cutter for "mowing grass at camp".

 

[stuckmotor]

Could I interest you in a Hoyte Clagwell, gently used by a former New York lawyer who drove it while wearing a coat and tie?

 

[rbargeron]

Could I interest you in a Hoyte Clagwell, gently used by a former New York lawyer who drove it while wearing a coat and tie?

I know a guy who had a B2400 (B2450?) that was a nice size 2nd tractor - smaller than their L4310. Had a mowing deck and would handle other attachments from the L.

Stuckmotor, is that Hoyte Clagwell Eddie Albert's stage prop?

 

[Jay4200]

Is that Hoyt Clagwell a thinly-veiled Green Acres reference???

Some history for your reading pleasure - my 'camp' is a house with a real lawn, but it has significant rut and settling issues. The house was basically sitting in a sand pit when I got it - I did the landscaping using my L4200 4 years ago - 200 hours on my tractor's clock later and after bringing in a total of 480 tons of nitpack gravel for the driveways and 310 tons of loam for the lawns. As Murphy's law demanded, a freak storm blew in and it poured buckets 10 minutes after I finished the final grade and seeding, causing a number of small rain ruts that are STILL rattling my teeth when hitting them on a lawn tractor. The underground electrical service was also replaced at the same time by the power company using 3-4' deep trenching, so that all settled after a while leaving low spots and lumps, mostly along the edge of the main driveway where I have about a 6' swath of grass. I plan to fix up and smooth the grounds, probably next summer - it'll need at least a half-dozen tri-axles of loam and a whole lot of bucketing to get there. I attached an aerial pic of the house and barn - you can see the long gravel drive and the lawns around the barn and house - 60x60 barn is at the top of the pic, house is near the bottom, and the whole thing is surrounded by 200 acres of woods that I own.

Anyway, I decided against a B frame tractor - while far better for the snowblowing part, I felt it would be too big for mowing, which is to be the primary function of the lil' machine. I had the BX1800s I mentioned earlier on the hook, but was waffling back n' forth - I was about to take a trip to look at the one with the bagger - the guy selling it was a jerk via e-mail when I brought in price negotiation - I figured waving a stack of 100s would garner a different response. If it was no go, I was going to revisit the cheaper one, but that one DID need some deck work - one of the gauge wheel mounts had broken off and was welded, but the mount angle was slightly off - I'd have to cut it off and re-weld it then paint it if I wanted it to be perfect, and I'm ****-retentive.

ALL BECAME MOOT YESTERDAY - I found an ad for an "obsessively maintained" (in the words of the owner) 600-hour BX2200D with 60" deck, loader, and 50" front mount snowblower for $9k. I contacted the guy, who by then had jacked up his price to $10k. I questioned the price and he agreed to honor the previous $9k, which works out to about $1k under my patented "used tractor value formula". I use 85% of the closest replacement machine MSRP (via Kubota web site) as a reasonable price for a new machine, then multiply that amount by an appropriate factor based on hours, age, and condition. A 1000 hour machine starts 0.5 of new, and I adjust from there. I felt a 0.6 multiplier would be fair for the BX2200. MSRP for a new BX2370 w/ loader and blower is $20k, so the 85% price is about $17k. $9k puts the machine at under 55% of that, so I think it's a fair deal and I'm pretty excited. I should be trading the cash for the machine this coming weekend. How'd I do?

Edit: I just received a quote that I requested a couple of days ago from a local dealer for a new BX2370 package w/ 60" deck, 243 loader and 50" front mount blower - $17,240 complete. Looks like my math is pretty much spot on.

 

[GPintheMitten]

That'll do ya. Price seems fair.

 

[aginn]

Nice place. Looks like a lot of work/fun maintaining it. That's why we got my L3200 and it was what made me love our homestead.
I had a 1967 Fiat Allis- no power steering. No step through to get on and off, no HST, and not enough power for what I put it through. The right tractor for the job makes the job enjoyable to say the least. It sounds like you have a lot of joy to be had in maintaining your grounds.

 

[wmonroe]

Sounds like you are getting a very fair price. Very nice piece of property, I can't remember if you mentioned it but is it fairly flat or do you have some hills to deal with?