AZBen
New member
Have done lots of reading and research in my quest for my first S/CUT. I had narrowed it down to the Massey GC1715 or Kubota BX2380, but I can't get over the reduced lift capacity of the BX2380 vs GC1715, especially with the QA on the 2380. Because of that I was leaning towards the GC1715 but the closest dealer to me (65 miles) doesn't seem that interested in earning my business. On the other hand, the Kubota dealer is less than 5 minutes from where I work, and about 15 miles from my house. He's very eager to do business with me and has been very competitive with pricing. I'd like to keep my cost below $20K, preferably closer to $18K, with loaded R4 tires, 54 FEL, pallet forks, and rear blade.
My needs are fairly simple: Maintain 2 acres, mostly the existing horse arena and barn area. No mowing. Mostly moving and smoothing quarter minus rock using the FEL, so the bigger bucket will be handy for both scooping/moving and backfilling, and better lift capacity for large scoops of gravel/fewer trips to the gravel pile. Occasionally will pick out and move very large rocks. And occasionally will use to move bales of hay using QA fork. The biggest use though will be weekly hauling of heavy bags of manure (stacked on a pallet) to my dumpster. My back and shoulders can't take much more slinging those bags into the back of my Polaris Ranger! 10-14 bags weekly, bags are typically 30 pounds each but if it's been raining can get close to 50 pounds.
The B2301 seems to compare nicely and even exceed to the GC1715 in terms of lift capacity. I don't have a final quote yet but it's probably going to come in 1000-1500 more than the GC1715, but within my budget. Given all the above I'm now leaning towards the B2301.
It seems most of the forum action here and other places on the 2301 was in the 2015-2016 timeframe. I don't see much about them now in terms of volume, and has me wondering if something is wrong with that particular model, or perhaps is there an update planned from Kubota and everyone is biding their time before jumping in on a new one? It has the Kubota name and support behind it so I'm not worried about it becoming obsolete, but just wondering if the lack of more recent volume on the 2301 (or 2601) is indicative of anything I should be aware of. Or maybe it's just my perception, or a good sign because everyone loves theirs!
Given all the above, does the 2301 seem like a good fit for my needs? Or should I be looking at a B2650 or L2501, which I know would exceed my softish 20K budget?
Thoughts/comments appreciated.
My needs are fairly simple: Maintain 2 acres, mostly the existing horse arena and barn area. No mowing. Mostly moving and smoothing quarter minus rock using the FEL, so the bigger bucket will be handy for both scooping/moving and backfilling, and better lift capacity for large scoops of gravel/fewer trips to the gravel pile. Occasionally will pick out and move very large rocks. And occasionally will use to move bales of hay using QA fork. The biggest use though will be weekly hauling of heavy bags of manure (stacked on a pallet) to my dumpster. My back and shoulders can't take much more slinging those bags into the back of my Polaris Ranger! 10-14 bags weekly, bags are typically 30 pounds each but if it's been raining can get close to 50 pounds.
The B2301 seems to compare nicely and even exceed to the GC1715 in terms of lift capacity. I don't have a final quote yet but it's probably going to come in 1000-1500 more than the GC1715, but within my budget. Given all the above I'm now leaning towards the B2301.
It seems most of the forum action here and other places on the 2301 was in the 2015-2016 timeframe. I don't see much about them now in terms of volume, and has me wondering if something is wrong with that particular model, or perhaps is there an update planned from Kubota and everyone is biding their time before jumping in on a new one? It has the Kubota name and support behind it so I'm not worried about it becoming obsolete, but just wondering if the lack of more recent volume on the 2301 (or 2601) is indicative of anything I should be aware of. Or maybe it's just my perception, or a good sign because everyone loves theirs!
Given all the above, does the 2301 seem like a good fit for my needs? Or should I be looking at a B2650 or L2501, which I know would exceed my softish 20K budget?
Thoughts/comments appreciated.