Buying Advice Decisions, Decisions....Loooong Post

[TripleR]

Thanks for the rapid responce. The BX 25 is really attractive. Some advisers have mentioned that the smaller compact tractors still get the job done but just take a little longer.

I truly love my BX2660 which is basically the BX25 sans BH and it will truly do just about everything a little larger B will, but as much as I love them, I could not recommend one for the jobs you will be doing on that much acreage.

I will always have a BX w/FEL for my properties, but when real work needs to be done, I pull out a bigger unit. I am retired and tried the approach, "it will do anything, it will just take longer" for quite some time. There is however a fine line between "enough and too much" seat time. A long day spent on a BX is a LONG day when bouncing around in rough fields/woods while a long day on a larger unit is just another day, much less worn out at the end with a lot more accomplished.

I recently tired of beating my tired old bones to death or taking the time to drive another unit from another location and bought an L5030 HSTC to leave here. There are still times when I am in no hurry, it's a beautiful day and I will leave the bigger tractors parked while I haul crushed rock with my BX, push stuff around and do a little bush hogging, but it sure is nice to know if I need to I have something bigger, more comfortable and much faster available.

Bottom line; love the BX, but...

YMMV

 

[ChuckinNH]

I am not with the camp that says that small can do the same job, it just takes longer. Sorry guys, but that isn't usually true. The best solution is always the best tool for the job. I've dug my share of boulders, and stumps with a BX, and it works if a lot of common sense is used, but is hard on the tractor! Personally, I wouldn't want to mow with anything much larger though. Again, it works, but last week at my Kubota dealer's open house I saw over a half dozen used mmm's for the larger B series tractors..... and they have been there for a while. The pile just keeps getting larger. For my steep areas, and hilly yard, I've found that 1000-1200 lbs is about perfect for stability, ride, and good results. One usually needs more manuverability rather than less for those chores, and it's always best to not have to remove the mower deck all the time........ those well built mowers are heavy suckers! In my eyes, backhoes start at about the BH75 size with 180 degrees of swing. Much work can be done with smaller ones, and I have done piles of work to prove that, but efficiency is another matter. With backhoes, reach, size, and weight rule in the end.
Having said all that, the tractor that is best for you is the one you like the best, and everyone is different. Some guys need 35-40 hp to mow the lawn, and some folks have done marvelous landscaping in difficult areas with a BX. Your attitude about how you approach jobs makes all the difference.

 

[Earl Ohl]

Just closed on a small farm in hilly Lehigh County of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Is is a horse farm with 23 acres, half in steeply sloped woods with hilly pastures and lawn. We leased it for a year prior to purchase.

I need to decide on a tractor or a combination of mower and tractor to perhaps do the following: Lawn mowing of about six acres, pasture mowing of about seven acres, dragging indoor and outdoor arenas, removing pesky bushes, snow removal from a long and hilly paved lane, installing fence posts,
trenching for French drains and water lines, laying out additional driveway to establish a circular pattern, carve out additional parking areas, restore pastures. Soil is heavy shale and well drained in most places.

It will be our summer retreat, but our adult children life on the property and maintain it year round. We retreat to Mesa, AZ, before the snow flies.

Decisions: MMM or rear finish mower? Snow thrower or use FEL? Type of tires, 4X4 or 2WD? Size of tractor? New or used? Kubota, John Deere or New Holland? Size of brush hog for field mowing? Buy or rent box blade? Size of post hole digger?

High John, We could be neighbors! I live at the foot of the beautiful Blue Mountain. Honestly for your stated uses I wouldn't go smaller than the B series Kubota. That's just my opinion. You might even consider an L series & then getting a lawn tractor for mowing around the house. I have done some of the same jobs you have listed with my B3030 HSDCC. I have the MMM & I like it. Some guys don't. I also have a King Kutter 5ft. pull-type rotary cutter for the fields & it works well for me. I bought that about 22 years ago when all I had was an Oliver 77 to pull it. It has no 3-point hitch. I still have & use the 77 too. For moving snow I have the 72" power angle front blade with the quick hitch. I also use the FEL to stack the snow when the banks get too high. I now kinda wish I would have gotten the snow blower & I may still do so. I have R-4 tires. They're OK most of the time. 4x4 definitely. New or used depends on your budget. For Kubota dealers you should try Canns-Bilco in Alburtis. Phone# 610-820-0222. Or Reading Kubota 610-926-2441. For John Deere there's Kermit Kistler 610-298-2011. Those are 3 great dealers IMHO. I don't know much about box blades & post hole diggers so I can't comment on them.

Regardless of which brand you buy, you should seriously consider getting rear hydraulic remotes. I would recommend getting 2 sets minimum. That way if you want to add a Top and Tilt or a power angle cylinder on an implement later, you'll be all set. I believe it's cheaper to get rear remotes right away if you're buying a new tractor as opposed to adding them later.

 

[crazyal]

I guess it all depends on how much you love your kids and how much of their inheritance, lol. The best answer I can give you on the snow is the best option is a front mount blower with a cab is the best but also most expensive. The rear mounted blower would be my second option if your driveway is straight since you will be going in reverse looking over your shoulder. But like you said you'll be in sunny snow free weather (this is the part your kids will thank you for). The FEL really is only useful for snow removal if you only get small amounts or to push back piles of snow. I think you would want a back blade over the FEL.

I own 40 acres in rugged Vermont. I started off wanting a front mount blower then decided what tractor to get for it. I started off looking at the b7800 and then realized that while it would do what I wanted it just wasn't going to be heavy enough for doing some of the other things like dragging logs so I jumped up to the 3240. Now I have settled on the 4240 because of it's larger FEL. If you want a front mount blower there are companies that make front blowers that don't require a mid PTO.

 

[Chugbug]

The BX25 is an amazing machine but I think you would be happier with a larger machine. I have had my BX25 for a year and it is a workhorse, I have 7 acers and the larger Kubotas were too much for my needs. It is smaller and its load capacities are smaller, its PTO is 17 hp., and that equates to smaller toys....oooopss sorry tools / attachments which means it will take longer to do those chores / projects, I don't know if I had a lot of big, heavy projects to do if I would have went with the BX but for those occassional trenching, FEL its great. Go bigger, you'll be alot happier.

 

[Tractor Factor]

Gotta underscore what several of the guys above have said. I've got a BX25 and love it, but the whole "it'll do what a larger machine can do, only takes longer" thing, while completely true sometimes, is only partially true other times and not true at all the rest of the time. And even when it's true it tends to get bit old after a while.

For myself, I couldn't justify spending any more, so it's a moot concern. And, as it turns out, a larger machine would be ill-suited to my particular 12 acres (well, maybe a B series...). I absolutely need the maneuverability the BX gives me. But sounds like you have the space as well as the need for a bigger tractor.

Also, I'm now getting a second machine, a BX1860 for mowing, towing and light ground work because I use the FEL and BH a lot on the BX25, and there's just no way I'm going to take those things on and off three times a week, no matter how easy it is.

It's like my father-in-law who bought one of those Shopsmith 5-in-1 tools, which made sense when he bought it, but later he ended up just buying all the individual tools, like a drill press, because it was just too big a pain to interrupt his work flow and change the Shopsmith's setup all the time.

So bottom line: a bigger machine and maybe more than one. An L might indeed be your best choice. Better to have a little more than you need than not enough. More guys have traded in to trade up than trade down.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I've traded up and I've traded down. I'm not in theory the "more power guy" but in actual buying experience I am. I don't believe in buying bigger because you may need it 3 times out of 7 years and will wish you had it. I've had tractors that were so big I wouldn't go to the trouble of getting them out for small jobs which 85% of my jobs are now. I've conquered my land over the last six years so my needs have changed and I'm now back size wise to 2 BX's and an F. That's to get to the point that as much of a supporter of BX's that I am and I'm not a more power guy in theory a BX is probably to small for your needs. More acres is not a reason to get a bigger machine except for a bigger machine can pull bigger implements if your going to buy the bigger implements. Match your machine to the JOBS your going to do 90% of the time. Financial wisdom is some times hiring someone to come and do those one time big jobs with a piece of construction equipment.

 

[bp fick]

So true, hire out those couple of big projects every newly purchased property seem to need. Purchasing equipment to do those occasional big projects jobs is not a smart move. Purchasing equipment to do ordinary repetitive tasks is very, very smart.

 

[Boondox]

I recommend Ag's also. We have 11 very hilly acres and maintain 1/2 mile gravel road with our Kubota L3400 or Ford 8N. In my opinion, R1's are the best for snow removal and have never been a problem with mowing in the summer. Good Luck, alot of choices out there. Jim

I'm torn on this one. I've always had loaded Ags on my tractors because I spent a lot of time in the woods on often muddy logging roads. That is the one condition in which Aggies are superior to R4s IMO. With chains -- we use Norse style ice spikes here because of the sloppy late winter conditions -- I'd have to give the nod to my neighbor's rig. It's identical to my L4630 except he runs R4 and I run R1s. On ice, the larger contact patch lets him move snow more efficiently than me, especially uphill. YMMV

pete

 

[lawn_king]

A sub compact is too small for your needs. I would start looking in the 30 hp and up range.