Ok, so how much work can a BX24 Do?

[bkheur]

I was just wondering how much machine the BX24 is? Really! Are they really as tuff as everyone seems to say or not? And what jobs have you done with yours? I am thinking of buying one mainly because of the BH

 

[Ken_CT]

Here is a small sample of what a BX23 can do.

 

[bkheur]

Ken, Thanks for the pics. Was you able to lift these rocks after you dug them out?

 

[Dusty]

Ken, Thanks for the pics. Was you able to lift these rocks after you dug them out?

I can say first hand, you can dig them out, and you can push them around, but you can't pick them up very easily, and if you do, you won't get them very high. The loader has a capacity of about 400 pounds, and the rocks that are in those pictures are probably closer to 1000 pounds or more. The BX22/23/24 is a very capable machine, but don't expect it to be equivalent to some of the larger machines out there. If you have patience, it will do most of the work that you throw at it, but it might also take you 10 times as long. I have seen and heard of people digging out stumps that size, but it seems that no one ever mentions how long it took. I can see them working on a stump like the one pictures, 10.. 20.... or even 30 hours, where a larger machine might only take an hour at best. I consider myself a experienced backhoe operator, and I know that the one that I dug out, took me way too long to do, so I never tried another. Now, I just have them ground in place.
Dusty
Dusty

 

[KeithInSpace]

I agree with the lifting capacity...I can exceed it quite easily when pulling stumps and lifting rocks...meaning you can't just chain to them and jerk them right out of the ground. But normal workabout stuff, you don't even know there is a limit. I've spread about 40 yards of mulch in the yard so far and transported an easy 20 yards of clay-soil and I have to say that it handles these duties EXCEPTIONALLY. I can do in two hours now without even getting out of my tie what took two backbreaking 12-hour days to do with a wheelbarrow.

But back to the stumps: I pull them rather than grinding them. I hit a real hum-dinger in April...a double trunk deal that had a huge root ball. I removed this stump by myself in 3 hours...and I don't have a BH. I had to knock the dirt off before I could really manage what was left, and even then I could only raise it some 3 feet. It's still on the back part of the property until I hack it apart. If you're looking to remove 150 year old trees all the time, you'd have a problem with a BX. I can do 12" to 15" caliper trees in a couple/few hours and anything smaller than 8 inches takes well under an hour each. And that's without a backhoe.

And I can honestly say that I beat the heck out of my machine. Not that I abuse it, but when I'm in the middle of a job, I do whatever it takes to finish that job. If it means backing my tractor up 3 feet to get a running start on a stump, that's what I do. I'm talking about jerking the stump so hard that the tops of legs from the seatbelt holding me down. If you're into 4 foot tall thicket all day-every day and digging 6 foot deep trenches for weeks on end, you'll eventually find some of the weak spots. But for a SMALL TRACTOR (which is what it actually is) it is EXTREMELY tough and capable.

 

[Ken_CT]

Bkheur,
The smaller I could lift, a little, the others you can dig a hole to below the frost line and bury them. It was the backhoe that got me interested in the machine in the first place. I would not have even considered buying one without it. Where I live is where all the rocks go to die. BTW it took less that 3 hrs to get that stump out.
Ken

 

[bkheur]

The backhoe is also what makes this machine appealing to me. My main duties will be maintaining/reworking my existing landscaping, mowing both finish and some/very little rough cutting (1 maybe 2 acres), hauling firewood, and building/maintaining some trails around the house. I like the size and have test drove one and was very impressed with the handling the the BX24.

My yard is well established (30 years old) and any stumps I will be digging out will be from some dead trees and some general clean-up work.

My dad has a Farmall 300 tractor if I run into anything bigger the a BX would handle and also a 50hp Ford tractor (needs a few repairs) that would also assume some of the larger duties I would run into.

Thanks for the pics.

Oh and btw Keith it looks like future tractor operations are in very good hands.

I have been quoted prices from $15,000 to $16,500 for a BX24 TLB
Anyone else with some input, Please

Brett

 

[bkheur]

I know this has been a topic of hot debate, but does the BX24 have true Cat1 3PH. I know the 3Ph lift capacity is around 600-700 lbs but will the arms spread enough to accept true Cat1 implements? 26 inches I think!

 

[KeithInSpace]

I think it's in between. It's like you can fit it on there, but you end up with ground clearance problems (on my machine...that's fixed with the 1850/2350/24). And you can't get the heaviest items, either...looked at a tiller and to go the next step up in "heavy-duty-ness", it would (according to my dealer) make the front end too light.

So I think most CAT1 things physically fit without a problem, but other limitations force you to be a little more selective about exactly what version/model/brand you purchase.

Small tractor. A 50hp Ford, it is not.

 

[Iron]

Nice pics Ken!
Keep in mind that the BX24 has a greater lift capacity than the 23/22 by about 100 lbs, whatever that is worth. Really, that is about a 20% improvement.

Keep an eye out for the B26 that will be showing up at your dealer soon. It is the B2630 tractor in a TLB package.