Selecting a sub-compact for cheap (Kubota BX1500?)

[bigpete]

Short term solution for that amount of money and that size of property:

A solid ford 8N with a good 5' rear finish mower, large dirt scoop, and a rear blade. At least until you can buy a new 4WD with 20+ HP at the PTO. That's a pretty big property for a BX1500 /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Will_C]

Pete makes a good point about an older ag tractor. 20 acres is a fair sized piece of land. I do like your thinking about buying a cheaper LGT ($3-4000) if you decide not to buy a Sub-CUT. I personally think once you decide to spend $6000 or so, it really makes sense to step up to some sort of sub or compact.
Will

 

[Slamfire]

If you wrap teflon tape around the bolt threads the nuts will probably stop loosening up. It works for me on my old Wheel Horse mower.

 

[hazmat]

A sub-compact has it's place, but it's not on 20 acres. Find a dealer (Kubota or otherwise) to bring a couple tractors out to your property for you to try out.

At a minimum I'd think you'd want a "class 1" (small) compact - Kubota B7500, B2410 Deere 4110, 4115 or NH TC18-TC24. I think you'd be better off with a 30HP "class 2" (midsize) - Deere 4310, NH TC33D etc.

As other's have mentioned the off brands (jinma, kioti, century etc) offer alot of value, but no hydrostatic trans.

<font color="red">EDIT HERE </font> Kioti Does offer a Hydro in their CK20 21 HP unit.


Bottom line, what is your time worth. If the montgomery ward machine is too slow, figure out how much faster you want to be & buy that machine. Do you want 20% faster or 200%? The BX1500 will be a major improvement, but I think for regular mowing of 6 acres a 30HP midsize is much better suited.

I mowed my parent's fields this summer with my TC18. It can run a 4' rotary cutter. It took 6 hours to cut 8 acres. It takes me 1 hour to mow my 1 acre lawn with 60" mmm.

Happy shopping.

 

[Marv]

I have a very nice Yanmar YM1802D, 22hp 4 wheel drive & a new 110 Koyker loader that I just put on, but the pictures are just of the tractor. This tractor has been all sandblasted, etched & painted, with all new filters & fluids. This tractor has about 595 original hours on it & runs & looks like new. The price for the tractor & loader is $6600.00 . If interested please e-mail at yanmarmarv@yahoo.com and let me know. Oh I am also working on a woods 3 point finish mower for another $350.00 if intrested

The link to look at the pictures is:

http://pages.sssnet.com/rjsmag/Tractor/

The pictures all start with 1802D I have sold the other 2
Just copy and paste the link into your browser.
Let me know if you need any more info. Or you can call me at 1-989-269-8849 or cell 1-989-553-3238
Marv

 

[pruntyc]

I like the way all the guys like to go away from what you asked about and go to the high priced tractors. Of course its not their money they are trying to spend, its yours, so what do they care. If you had set a lot higher price then they would be right, but you didn't. And for the Ford 8N there you are going back about 50 years, too old for one unless you want to do a lot of work on it. I would like to see people stay with what someone asks about, instead of trying to push their will on them of what they have or want to have. My 2 cents worth.

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> A sub-compact has it's place, but it's not on 20 acres. </font>

It all depends on what work you are going to do, not how many acres you are doing it on. We have 20 acres and our PT425 is just fine for our needs. Mowing trails, clearing driveway and maintaining lawn with FEL work for landscaping projects. I consider it a sub compact tractor, as it is only 43" wide and has a 48" wheelbase and weighs about 1300 lbs.

<font color="blue"> I mowed my parent's fields this summer with my TC18. It can run a 4' rotary cutter. It took 6 hours to cut 8 acres. It takes me 1 hour to mow my 1 acre lawn with 60" mmm. </font>

We have a 48" brush hog and I can do pretty good with it. 1 acre field of 5' tall weeds takes less than an hour and our 60" finish mower takes about 30 minutes to do an acre.

I'm not recommending it for JeffreyG because he doesn't want to do maintenance work. But I am recommending that he not write off sub compact tractors without giveng them a test drive.

Again, it all depends on what work you are going to do, not how many acres you are doing it on. Just my opinion. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[glennd]

For the tasks you mention AND your price range, I like the TC18. It's 7K and change without a FEL. Leaves enough for a mower. For the tasks you mention, a FEL would be nice but doesn't seem needed and could obviously be purchased in 3 yrs when ya pay off the machine at 0%, If ya do look at the greys and you should, LOOK 'EM OVER CAREFULLY. Went and looked at a bunch myself. After seeing over 20, all had 600-700 hrs except 1 that had 1200 or so. Of these "low hour" tractors, some had worn out pivot bushings, tie rod ends, etc... These obviously had the meters replaced or rolled back. Don't get that kind of wear in 700 hrs. They sure had perty paint on 'em though. Loved the weld job on the block of 1 of them too. Just look at normal wear parts and obvious things like pedal wear. If you ain't much on that stuff, bring along someone that is or pay someone before ya close a deal. Good luck and whatever ya choose it'll beat the heck out of what you're do'n now! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Egon]

Re: Selecting a sub-compact for cheap (Kubota BX15

Consider how important the FEL is to you. This can decide between a garden tractor or more expensive tractor.

Garden tractor snow blade would probably be a waste of money. With a snowblower they will do well. Walk behind snowblowers may be more labor intensive but they get to places where the tractor doesn't work due to size.

Look at all the options others have mentioned and fit things to your economics.

Just for information:
A 16 HP. craftsman tractor with snowblower and 48 in. mower lasted me for 20 years. It moved snow better than my current B7100 with a FEL. but the 7100 is capable of much more actual work.

Egon

 

[hazmat]

<font color="blue">It all depends on what work you are going to do, not how many acres you are doing it on. </font>

Valid point Moss. From the poster's description, I got the impression that he was going to harvest firewood from the forest & regularly mow the 6 acres of lawn/field. Both lean towards a more capable tractor.

If he is going to let the woods grow, & only regularly mow a smaller area, a subcompact might be the right size.

I still think he needs to demo a couple different sizes on his property to really see the difference. There have got to be a few TBNers in the Albany area who could invite him over to check out their machines....