Bx1500 or hold out for a bigger unit?

[Sparkynutz]

I have been looking for a tractor for a while but started seriously looking daily and calling around.
I found a bx1500 with 48" belly mower and la181 loader I assume is stock. The owner said he'd accept $6k cash since I'm from out of state and serious about buying.
I'm tight on cash and really need a loader for a project this spring. The less I can spend for now until next year the better.
I would like to eventually like to get a front mount snowblower and possibly a small rear rototiller.
Blower wouldn't be a necessity if the bucket works well. I've never plowed snow with a tractor but have 400 feet of sidewalk and 2 very long driveways. When we get a lot of snow my small snowblower is almost worked to its breaking point.
Is this tractor capable of running a front mount blower or a tiller of any kind?
Do I buy it with possibility of selling to buy a bigger unit if I can't get atachments later or do I hold out and hope I can find a slightly bigger unit. I'm unsure if I'll find one in my max price range of $7k and like I said the less I can spend this year the better. Would I recoup my money on this bx1500 or are they not as sought after as the bx23xx etc?
I do like the idea of the smaller garage space it takes up.

My uncle has a skid loader that I'll be using for any of the larger work but want a small tractor for the finish grading work and hauling dirt and gravel without compacting the yard and leaving ruts.

Any input would be helpful.
Thanks,
Ryan

 

[deathtoblackberries]

Specs on that loader say 398lbs at the pin, that would be only about 275 lbs 500mm out from the pin. The current BX2380 for example is 739lbs at the pin and 509 lbs 500mm out from the pin. What kind of loader project do you have in mind, will this loader be up to the task?

 

[Sparkynutz]

Basically hauling a couple hundred yards of dirt and gravel from where it's dumped in my driveway about 250ft to backyard.
Would take a lot more trips with the tractor than skid loader but I didn't feel safe driving between the house and garage on a 15* slope downhill between my garage and house the couple loads I took last fall. I only have a few inches clearance on each side with the skid loader and assume the tractor is most likely narrower.
The other reason I'm leaning towards smaller unit is I have a 2klb max capacity 2 place snowmobile trailer I was hoping to use for hauling it when needed instead of having to ask to use my grandpa's bigger trailer when needed.

 

[bspeedy]

If the tractor has decent hours and is in good shape, you won't have a problem selling it to recoup your money if it isn't a good fit for you in the long run. I'd say check it out and pull the trigger if you like it. I doubt it would power a blower or tiller very well. Probably could go super slow with them...

 

[bp fick]

The BX1500 is an small framed, 2 cylinder orphan child when it comes to most things. If your budget is $7, perhaps I would recommend a 3 cylinder, full frame BX such as a BX2230 or BX2360. I see them here, low hours, with loader for that price point and less. The front Quick Attach for snowblowers, blades, etc has wide application and you'll stand a reasonable chance of buying things for it, bits and pieces, as you go forward.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I would say no to your buying it. The BX25 with almost double the loader hydraulics has to struggle with a heaped full loader bucket of dirt, often time I would have to dump some dirt back out to be able to get up over the side of a dump trailer. This will be much more restricted than what the BX25 is.

The PTO HP is rated at 10.5 at the shaft, so running a snow blower is going to be tough....

I would say to keep waiting and watching for a newer generation with the stronger loader and a 23HP 3 cylinder engine that will do both of your requested tasks much better, and it will only weigh about 200 lbs more.

Your 15° side slope that you want to travers across with the loader bucket full of dirt is going to be nerve wracking. I really think you will need to have 1-1/2" or 2" rear wheel spacers (used Jeep Wrangler TJ spacers from Craigslist will fit the BX), and I would absolutely recommend that you buy 10 gallons of windshield washer fluid and fill the rear tires up to the valve stem. The spacers and fluid fill will greatly help you not flip your tractor on that 15 degree side slope. You will also want to keep that loader bucket nearly skimming the ground while your traveling on that side slope... and keep a hand on the loader lever so that you can stab it forward to drop the loader to the ground in case you start to lift over.

The tasks that you have in front of you would be much better fitted to the newer BX25/BX25D/BX23S family, of course you would be looking for the loader only versions, not the full tractor/loader/backhoe. I sold my 2014 BX25D T/L/B with 160 hours on it a few months ago for $14,500. Without a backhoe I see them in similar vintages and hours for around $10,000. Still above your desired price range, but you can look for something with more like 1,000 hours on it and likely get it into your price range. You would expect a maintained BX to go at least a few thousand hours, so a 1,000 hour machine should not be considered "old" or "worn out". Think of it as a car with 60,000 miles on it.

That would be my opinion. You can take it as you wish :2cents:

 

[robertm]

Sparky, I think as long as you know what to expect, you'll be fine. However, the BX1500 is really a glorified lawn tractor in my opinion. I think the discontinued status speaks volumes. I have a BX2670 that I'm likely going to sell shortly, but not in your price range you mentioned, and sometimes I get upset it won't handle what my B2620 could. The worst part of the BX is the single hydro pump that runs everything, and requires the RPM to be at full throttle to create enough pressure to run the loader. With my 25.5hp tractor, it's irritating. I can't imagine a 15hp unit with the single pump being anything but a space taker with an FEL or rear implement.

 

[jeff9366]

BX1800 with a belly mower is an excellent machine for mowing turf. The FEL bucket should be considered a substitute for your garden wheelbarrow.

As a TRACTOR they are LIMITED. BX1800 is the smallest of the small Kubotas.

With a two-range HST in HST/LOW, a 275 pound load in the bucket, 230 to 275 pounds counterbalance mounted on the Three Point Hitch, <7" ground clearance and <14 horsepower (usable) your 250' transport trips will be very slow.

A BX1800 will operate a forward rotating, 42" or 48" PTO powered roto-tiller fine.

I cannot speak to snow well. Wet snow requires a lot of effort to move. Seven inches of ground clearance is a handicap.

Skid Steers, with four equal size wheels, are more stable than tractors with two small front wheels and two oversize rear wheels, which are inherently unstable.


Kubota BX1800

2001 - 2003 BX Series
Sub-Compact Utility tractor
Next model: Kubota BX1830
Series next: Kubota BX2200

Production:
Manufacturer: Kubota

Kubota BX1800 Engine:
Kubota 0.7L 3-cyl diesel

Capacity:
Fuel: 5.5 gal [20.8 L]

3-Point Hitch:
Rear Type: 1
Rear lift: 652 lbs [295 kg]

Power Take-off (PTO):
Rear PTO: independent
Clutch: hydraulic
Rear RPM: 540
Mid PTO: independent
Mid RPM: 2500

Dimensions & Tires:
Wheelbase: 55.1 inches [139 cm]
Front tire: 18x8.5
Rear tire: 26x12.0

Kubota BX1800 Power:
Engine (gross): 18 hp [13.4 kW]
PTO (claimed): 13.7 hp [10.2 kW]

Mechanical:
Chassis: 4x4 MFWD 4WD

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 55.1 inches [139 cm]
Length: 92.1 inches [233 cm]
Width: 45.1 inches [114 cm]
Ground clearance: 6.7 inches [17 cm]

Steering: hydrostatic power

 

[jeff9366]

GUIDE: Shopping/Sizing A Tractor​

The best way to shop for tractors is to list your tasks first, then determine how much bare tractor weight you need to SAFELY accomplish your tasks. Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites.

For most tasks greater tractor chassis weight is more important than tractor horsepower. This tractor fundamental is difficult for people new to tractors to comprehend.

Heavier tractors have more tractive power pulling ground contact implements. Greater mass of heavy-chassis tractors increases tractor stability when transporting loads in the FEL bucket, the most rollover prone of routine tractor tasks.

Hillside work demands more tractor weight than flat land work. Heavier tractors have wider wheel spreads making them less laterally unstable. Rear wheel spreads are variable for width. Heavier tractors have larger wheels and tires better able to bridge holes, ruts and downed tree limbs, yielding a smoother, less disturbing, passage over rough ground.

Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range. I spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise. I have a column for cost per pound.

Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight are operated in residential applications on one to five fairly flat acres. These "residential tractors" fit in a typical garage.

Tractors over 3,000 pounds bare weight are generally offered in a utilitarian configuration and a deluxe configuration, on a common chassis. Deluxe kit enhances productivity and operating comfort ~~~ but you have to pay. Many are too tall to fit in a typical garage, even with ROPS folded.

Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range.

I like to spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise. I have a column for cost per pound.

It takes a 50% increase in tractor weight before you notice a significant tractor capability increase. It takes a 100% increase in tractor weight to elicit MY-OH-MY!

Selling a used tractor is easy. Selling multiple light implements in order to buy heavier, wider, implements for a heavier tractor is a pain and often a big hit in depreciation. ((Ask me how I know.)) Some who buy too light tractors buy too light implements.

A quality dealer, reasonably close, is a priority for me; less so for others, well experienced with tractors, who do their own maintenance. For most new to tractors a quality dealer, reasonably close, available for coaching, is important. My kubota dealer is six miles away. I feel my local dealer continues to add value to my equipment.

Horsepower is a primary consideration only operating PTO powered implements.

BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR.​

 

[Sparkynutz]

The BX1500 is an small framed, 2 cylinder orphan child when it comes to most things. If your budget is $7, perhaps I would recommend a 3 cylinder, full frame BX such as a BX2230 or BX2360. I see them here, low hours, with loader for that price point and less. The front Quick Attach for snowblowers, blades, etc has wide application and you'll stand a reasonable chance of buying things for it, bits and pieces, as you go forward.

You are kinda in my neck of the woods. I have yet to find a bx2200 -bx2230+ for under $7k. If you see one let me know. There's almost as many kubota wanted ads as there is bx's for sale. The ones that are for sale are $9k+ and a lot of times don't have mower deck or fel which I really want.

Thanks for all the replies all of a sudden everyone! Great input.

A little clerification on the slope I'll be traveling is up and down in between my house corner and garage corner, not a side slope.

I mainly just want to shovel as little as possible any more and evending a crazy amount of tris with a tiny bucket should be better for my back if I can recoup 90% of my funds if I upgrade someday.