BX23s - steep hills to mow, dirt work to do

[paw-soo]

Hi all,

I currently have a Kubota BX23s (loader,backhoe,mid mount mower, and some 3 point attachments - box blade, brush hog, york rake). We just moved, and our new property is 6 acres of ~15% hill. We're on the side of a valley, so it's pretty much all slope. Half is forested, and half needs to be mowed. I like my little Kubota for maintenance type stuff, random digging, little trenches, hauling debris/mulch etc. Been mowing with the mid mount 54" deck.

I plan to do a fair amount of moving dirt around to level out a lot of area, and that'll take forever (plus all the digging might not be great for this little loader?). I'm not sure which machine, or combination of them is the right idea. Swapping the loader on and off and the mid mount on and off weekly is pretty annoying. Plus the ballasted tires seem hard on the terrain. I don't have a ton of free time, so even 30 min of messing around is noticeable. The other consideration is I'm in MA, so leaf season is no joke, and I'd like to be able to collect/mulch/blow several acres worth of leaves off into the woods.

Bigger tractor?
a zero turn? Cub cadet ZTS1 is rated for a 20% hill
3 point mower? (easier on and off, but doesn't help with leaf collection)
skid steer? Use the BX for mowing, and skid for dirt?
some combination of those things?

Thanks for all the help and advice!

 

[jeff9366]

Our new property is 6 acres of ~15% hill. We're on the side of a valley, so it's pretty much all slope. Three acres is forested, and three acres need to be mowed.

I plan to do a fair amount of moving dirt to level out a lot of area. I don't have a ton of free time, so even 30 min of messing around is noticeable. The other consideration is leaf season. I'd like to be able to collect/mulch/blow several acres worth of leaves off into the woods.

Ventrac by Toro, or a Steiner by Steiner.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ventrac

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=steiner+tractor

Prospective purchase for the mountains.

Hey all, Last year, we purchased 105 acres in the mountains of Western North Carolina that are mostly wooded with about 6 acres of meadows in hollows and plenty of overgrown old logging roads that we'd like to reclaim. The prior owners quit maintaining everything a few years ago except for the...

www.tractorbynet.com

My one qualification: Bucket capacity is good, lift height is moderate only.

 

[Carl_NH]

You have a swiss army knife in the BX as you know, but changing out implements is a pain and takes time. First though I would get to know the propoerty, low spots, and wet areas, which this years rain should be easy to spot.

Then figure out what you want dirt work and slope you want to mitigate trees to take out, then get a guy with a dozer to grade, and fill and spread loam to get the yard ready for grass.
In other words, spend the $ to get the big work out of the way and then decide on what tool(s) you need to maintain it.

Little things like Gator blades on your mower will mulch leaves pretty fine, until the frost hits then they all fall in 2-3 weeks then you need to suck them up or blow them away. A leaf vac is one option and to make compost, or a 3 PT blower is another one if you want to blow them into the woods.

Give it a year then decide on a zero turn etc. ZT make quick work of leaves and mowing but a decent one is $6K A leaf vac is $2K - i like my trac vac as it dumps quickly and doesn't clog unless i run over a lot of sticks.

 

[Rdrcr]

I might suggest keeping the tractor and buying a ZT as you mentioned. My property has steeps hills and slopes that I mow. I use a Cub Cadet Pro Z 560 S KW. I cannot recommend it enough. It has performed flawlessly on my property. It easily and safely handles side-to-side mowing hills that exceed its recommended rating. The 4 wheel steering is amazing!

Mike

 

[2manyrocks]

ZTS1 is more budget friendly but the Pro Z 560 has a ROPs, a 60 inch deck instead of a 42, and a Kawasaki engine.

A zero turn will be faster than a mid mount mower at residential mowing. My dealer said it would cut my mowing time in half. It did.

The Pro z will cut about 2.1 acres per hour at 4 mph where a 42" deck would cut about 1.5. Lawn Mowing Calculator

Another option would be a Power Trac that allows the use of a mower and other power trac implements like a grapple, etc. You'd be spending more money, but you'd be gaining the option to use other implements if that is important to you.

T8 Class

Compact Tractors, Slope Mowers, Articulated Tractors, Tractor Attachments, Trailer Packages

www.power-trac.com

 

[Rdrcr]

The ZTR is definitely faster. It took me 3 hours on average to mow my property with the Kubota B2601 w/ 60” MMM and with the Pro Z 560 S KW, I’m averaging 1 hour 45 minutes. Way faster!

Mike

 

[Tomtint]

Im in MA as well. Had a BX about 10 years ago and wish I never sold it. If you can mow up and down hills, with the BX.. Keep it and get the rear bagger setup. That vac system is great for leaves and grass. The loader is not great for digging..it's meant for moving piles of stuff. I now mow with a Walker GHS zero turn. It's defiantly faster/easier than a tractor. But that's all it does.

 

[Jrasband]

Dig with the backhoe and than move the material with your loader, and forget about the leaves they will break down by spring and they are fertilizer for your grass.

 

[GeneV]

Hi all,

I currently have a Kubota BX23s (loader,backhoe,mid mount mower, and some 3 point attachments - box blade, brush hog, york rake). We just moved, and our new property is 6 acres of ~15% hill. We're on the side of a valley, so it's pretty much all slope. Half is forested, and half needs to be mowed. I like my little Kubota for maintenance type stuff, random digging, little trenches, hauling debris/mulch etc. Been mowing with the mid mount 54" deck.

I plan to do a fair amount of moving dirt around to level out a lot of area, and that'll take forever (plus all the digging might not be great for this little loader?). I'm not sure which machine, or combination of them is the right idea. Swapping the loader on and off and the mid mount on and off weekly is pretty annoying. Plus the ballasted tires seem hard on the terrain. I don't have a ton of free time, so even 30 min of messing around is noticeable. The other consideration is I'm in MA, so leaf season is no joke, and I'd like to be able to collect/mulch/blow several acres worth of leaves off into the woods.

Bigger tractor?
a zero turn? Cub cadet ZTS1 is rated for a 20% hill
3 point mower? (easier on and off, but doesn't help with leaf collection)
skid steer? Use the BX for mowing, and skid for dirt?
some combination of those things?

Thanks for all the help and advice!

A BX will get you there, but obviously at a slower pace than a bigger machine, and sounds like you're not made out of time. So dunno, I guess it depends on your funds/desire to shell out for new equipment.

Unlike my Massey's mmm, your mower deck accepts a mulching kit. That is a huge win come fall leaf season. Another plus for a mmm is that it makes for great ballast which also lowers your center of gravity. Especially noticeable is when digging with the backhoe, your tractor will get spanked around a whole lot less with that mmm attached.

Generally, when I mowed with mine, I never took the deck off until mowing/mulching season was over...it was actually the hoe and loader which came off until needed. I now have a z-turn stander, so no longer mow with the tractor. BUT, I'm about to clear a spot for a shed, and will probably mount the mower deck on just for the added ballast.

 

[paw-soo]

Thanks everyone for the great replies! This really helped me think through what I'm trying to do, and how best to do it. I think this summarizes everyone's suggestions so far:

Mowing Solutions:
Free - Keep BX if it works
$$ - Zero Turn - $6k for homeowner, ~$15K for pro level (new)
$$$ - Ventrac or Steiner - $25k+ in my area (used)

Leaf Solutions:
Free - leave them (in MA will totally kill lawn! too dang many leaves)
$ - Gator blades to current mid mount ~$130
$ - Add mulch kit ~$500
$$ - Add a trac vac ~$1.5k (used)
$$ - Add bagger to BX $2k+ (used)
?? - PTO Blower (hard to find - no idea on price)

Dirt work Solutions:
Free - Use BX, Dig with backhoe, move with loader
$-$$ - Hire a guy with dozer to do the heavy work
$$$ - Skid or dozer of my own! $15k++


I really appreciate your time and advice. Going to try to make my decisions before the leaves fly in a month or so.