Just When I Thought My BX25 Was Enough...

[savaytse66]

Well, my BX25 is four years old and almost paid off. The bucket with the Piranha bar and backhoe have been worth their weight in gold, and the 48" box blade I got earlier this year has been wonderful. I use the MMM to cut my lawn which is just under an acre. It is the perfect tractor for what I use it for and for my little 1-acre lot. But times change...

I am now looking to build a new house on am 8-1/2" acre lot that we own. There is currently about 7 acres of pasture that supports a small handful of horses (not ours), and it is all overgrown. Our plan is to keep the lower half of the property (maybe 3 - 4 acres) as pasture, 1 acre dedicated to the house and a nicer, more groomed lawn, a driveway that will be a couple hundred feet, and a few acres of mixed use orchard, large garden, etc. The lot is not level, but there are not many steep grades either, although there are some.

I think that my BX25 may not be adequate if we do this. So my question to you more seasoned guys and girls is this: Do I upgrade my BX25 to a B or L series, or do I ADD a B or L series to the mix. OR, will the BX25 do more than I give it credit for? I don't exactly have a bunch of spare change sitting around, so budget is clearly a consideration. My concern with a pure upgrade is that the B or L might be TOO large to maintain the more manicured areas. But I definitely want something that can handle a wide rotary cutter (48" on the BX25 seems too small to be productive on the acreage) and a tiller or harrow. Adding a 2nd tractor would be wonderful, but I don't think my wallet could handle it.

The BX25 has about 1,350 hours on it. I'm not sure what this would mean in terms of resale, but I feel like the tractor is in good shape, and I've maintained it pretty well.

Any thoughts?

 

[k0ua]

Well, my BX25 is four years old and almost paid off. The bucket with the Piranha bar and backhoe have been worth their weight in gold, and the 48" box blade I got earlier this year has been wonderful. I use the MMM to cut my lawn which is just under an acre. It is the perfect tractor for what I use it for and for my little 1-acre lot. But times change...

I am now looking to build a new house on am 8-1/2" acre lot that we own. There is currently about 7 acres of pasture that supports a small handful of horses (not ours), and it is all overgrown. Our plan is to keep the lower half of the property (maybe 3 - 4 acres) as pasture, 1 acre dedicated to the house and a nicer, more groomed lawn, a driveway that will be a couple hundred feet, and a few acres of mixed use orchard, large garden, etc. The lot is not level, but there are not many steep grades either, although there are some.

I think that my BX25 may not be adequate if we do this. So my question to you more seasoned guys and girls is this: Do I upgrade my BX25 to a B or L series, or do I ADD a B or L series to the mix. OR, will the BX25 do more than I give it credit for? I don't exactly have a bunch of spare change sitting around, so budget is clearly a consideration. My concern with a pure upgrade is that the B or L might be TOO large to maintain the more manicured areas. But I definitely want something that can handle a wide rotary cutter (48" on the BX25 seems too small to be productive on the acreage) and a tiller or harrow. Adding a 2nd tractor would be wonderful, but I don't think my wallet could handle it.

The BX25 has about 1,350 hours on it. I'm not sure what this would mean in terms of resale, but I feel like the tractor is in good shape, and I've maintained it pretty well.

Any thoughts?

Why not give the BX a try? It won't cost a dime to do that, and if it is not doing all that you want to do, then you can always trade it it or sell it outright and get a larger tractor. The good news is the BX is nearly paid off. I like a bigger tractor, but I am always some huge rocks, or clearing trees and that sort of thing, but for just the mowing and the driveway clearing, I imagine the BX will probably do just fine.

 

[radioman]

well a BX would do just fine - if you can put up with the slow rabbit speed on a 8 acre lot if you plan to go from one end to other alot. other wise it will be fine just for mowing couple acres or so. A B has a better range of speeds and easier on bumps, more pto HP so you can use wider implements like 5 ft bush hog or 6-7 ft rfm instead of a 48" bush hog and 5ft mmm. I suspect that you most likely will be fine with the BX even with snow clearing as long the driveway is is normal length, not a mile long dirt driveway - again pointing to travel speed. perhaps a used b or l to add to your tractor collection would be ideal? for some poeple - its easier to have a variety of tools to choose from to do a particular tasks - for others they just want ONE do it all equipment. whats your preferred status? Are you planning to use the BX to do all the land prep and future maintenance or what?

 

[savaytse66]

Why not give the BX a try? It won't cost a dime to do that, and if it is not doing all that you want to do, then you can always trade it it or sell it outright and get a larger tractor.

My biggest hang-up in the short term is the rotary cutter. I need to get one, and I'm not sure the BX can handle anything larger than a 48", can it? 48" seems awfully slow, and time is money these days. If it can handle a 60" or 72", then maybe I'd give it a shot since I will at least be future-proofed on the implement. I wouldn't want to limit myself on the size of the mower, and then have to sell that as well if I need the bigger tractor.

 

[LiveRoll]

Don't underestimate your BX. if you were to "upgrade" it would be the first thing you miss, especially with the backhoe attachment, having that, it really does become a Swiss Army knife. Perhaps once you have moved, you can evaluate your needs, and rent the bigger equipment /attachments for a few days get all of your major things done and go from there, using the BX for maintenance after the major projects are done ( if they ever are.....) Sure it takes a little longer I have an 8 foot rototiller, which to me is much too big, with your 48" sure it may take a few more passes but again isn't that what seat time is all about??
Just yesterday, I had 300 yards of black dirt hauled it and I have a M108 and an M 7060 both loader equipped and I am using the BX for the job, it certainly isn't as fast, and it takes a few more trips, but it can get into tight spots and it is a joy to run.

Cheers

Roger

 

[savaytse66]

...for some poeple - its easier to have a variety of tools to choose from to do a particular tasks - for others they just want ONE do it all equipment. whats your preferred status? Are you planning to use the BX to do all the land prep and future maintenance or what?

One tool is preferred, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting into a realm where one tool is not the most efficient way to go. Most of the heavy-duty prep work for the new house (foundation, grading, etc.) would be outsourced, but prepping the fields for the orchard, garden, pastures, etc. and also the long-term maintenance would be my me.

I guess time is my biggest consideration. I get antsy just cutting my 1-acre lawn in rabbit speed sometimes. Then again, if I plan correctly, I don't need to cram everything into 1 day, and I can budget time accordingly.

 

[savaytse66]

Don't underestimate your BX. if you were to "upgrade" it would be the first thing you miss, especially with the backhoe attachment, having that, it really does become a Swiss Army knife. Perhaps once you have moved, you can evaluate your needs, and rent the bigger equipment /attachments for a few days get all of your major things done and go from there, using the BX for maintenance after the major projects are done ( if they ever are.....) Sure it takes a little longer I have an 8 foot rototiller, which to me is much too big, with your 48" sure it may take a few more passes but again isn't that what seat time is all about??
Just yesterday, I had 300 yards of black dirt hauled it and I have a M108 and an M 7060 both loader equipped and I am using the BX for the job, it certainly isn't as fast, and it takes a few more trips, but it can get into tight spots and it is a joy to run.

Cheers

Roger

"Rent"? What's that mean?

You guys have given me something to think about. I do feel like the power is underutilized currently on my small property, so maybe it's time to see what this thing can do.

Any idea how large of a rotary mower this thing can handle? Is 48" my max?

 

[k0ua]

Yes, a 48 inch is the most of either type of mower, finish mower or rotary cutter you will be able to safely handle.

 

[fordmantpw]

Yes, a 48 inch is the most of either type of mower, finish mower or rotary cutter you will be able to safely handle.

Yep, what k0ua said. The BX has plenty of power, it's just not heavy enough to handle a larger rotary cutter. I had a 42" on mine, and that was all I wanted without adding weights to the front.

With that said, I would probably give the BX a shot and see how it works out. Try to find a used rotary cutter to buy, and give that a shot for a while. That way, if you decide you need to upgrade to a B, you won't lose much by upgrading to a 5' rotary mower.

 

[ShowroomShine]

I take care of my 5 ac lot with my CS2410 (BX25 sized) just fine. Its mostly pasture but it has some steep hills, a pond, some fencing etc. The 48" rotary cutter for the back handles the fields just fine, my loader works well.

I've never found an area where I have needed more power or size yet. I'm sure there will be, but for now I havent found it.

FWIW, upgrading to a 5' cutter instead of a 4' cutter wont really save you *that* terribly much in time. For every 4 or 5 passes you make with a 5' cutter, its just one extra pass over a 4' cutter. Over the length of one my my acre fields, thats only about 10 passes more total, which takes about 10 minutes.