New buyer, looking for advice

[Botabill]

Gronk, Now the Bx is certainly a step up from my 14 HP riding lawn mower but it's just that. A larger heavier riding lawn mower. Look at the size of the wheels. What do you think is going to happen when you try to clear a foot of snow. You can try to clear it in front of you but as soon as you have to back-up & those tiny wheels start going into the deeper snow because you did not back-up perfectly over the cleared path you just made.....your toast. Believe me, I did it for 5 years & it was frustrating. Vic

A BX isn't a step up form a 14 HP riding lawn mower. It's in a totally different class. It's a real work horse of a tractor in a compact size. I've done an amazing amount of work with mine on my 30+ acres. But as has been said in other posts you just take smaller bites. There are times I could have used a bigger tractor but they were few and far between. I do logging in my woods to feed my wood stove and to be honest the extra 4 inch clearance of a 2620 wouldn't make a bit of difference. The small size and 48 inch width of the BX allows me to get between trees that I couldn't with a bigger tractor. As far as snow goes, even with turf tires (which work fine for me under all situations) in 4 wheel drive I cruise thorugh 1 foot of snow without a hicup. Mind you in Ontario mid winter I'm not going to cuise around my trail on it through the 4 and 5 foot snow drifts. I'd be interested to know what size of tractor can do that. I think I'll start a thread and ask that question. I will say I do regret not getting a backhoe with my BX.

 

[LBrown59]

*"Very tough getting a tractor that's small enough to cut your yard & do major work. "

** The consensus where I work is that you don't want all the weight of a loader and a backhoe on your lawn. It's a waste of fuel, it compacts the ground too much, takes too long, and the attachments get in the way. Of course you can remove them, but most people don't bother (my guess).

1*My BXs do very well at this .
**After 4 years of using the BX23 with AGs none of these issues have surfaced for me.

 

[LBrown59]

So the R4 tires are a good choice for a do-all type machine? I am more than likely buying a used tractor so that is probably going to be an added cost if I can't find a machine with them already. How much would four new R4 tires for a BX23-24 size tractor run me?
Sean

I find the R1s work just fine on both my BX23 and BX1500.
I see absolutely no advantage in going with R4s especially at greater expense to virtually accomplish little or nothing more.
Just go with R1s and you will have the extra traction when the situation arises and you won't have the extra expense and headaches of chains.
My opinion is all the fuss about R1s damaging the yard don't even apply until you get into the bigger heavier tractors.

A word or two about buying bigger than a BX in your situation.
4 years ago I was faced with deciding between the BX23 and the larger B2410.
Hashed it all around for about 2 months and finally decided on the BX23 and Have never Regretted that decision and never looked back.
Today I'm glad I went with the BX23 as it's always done more than I've asked and expected of it.
Today at this point I've finished nearly all the tasks / goals I had for my place.
The other day as I was thinking about that it dawned on me that had I chosen the B2410 I would now be stuck with a machine that is way over kill for any task I have from here on out.
As it all turned out the BX23 is perfect for that also.

I did hire a guy With a Bigger Kubota L series to clean out a couple of ditches do some brush hogging and knock over a few small trees right after I got the BX23.
Didn't want to get my shinny new tractor all muddy and scratched up.
About a year after that I had another fellow come in with a dozer and push over several larger taller trees and do some grading behind my 2 pole buildings,
Even If I had purchased a bigger tractor I would still had these 2 guys come in and do those 2 projects.
Sometimes it pays to let the other fellow put the wear and tear on his equipment while you save it on yours.

 

[LBrown59]

1*Any tires with chains will have better traction than ag style R1s without.
2*And of course they can be taken off for lawn work.

1*But the r1s can prevent having to fool fiddle and fuddle with chains in most cases.
2*Especially nice if you love installing and removing them.

 

[LBrown59]

1*You may still be fine with a SCUT.
2*I Have cleared over half an acre of brush
3*moved 60 ton of fill.
4**It Is slow..

1* I think he will be.
2*I cleared .6 acres of dense heavy growth consisting of many many 4 to 6 and several 8 to 10 in diameter trees with my bx23.
3*I've moved way over that much dirt and slag .
4*No it's not it just may seem like it.
Someday like me you will look back 4 years ago and say to yourself I can't believe I have all those projects and all that work done already.
As I keep saying over and over the BX23 constantly amazes me.
I get the BX out and before I know it I'm putting it away and wondering how I got that task/job done so quick.

 

[mwb]

I don't know what the true value difference is between the BX and the L series but if you are looking at 18K, maybe you should look at an L2800 or L3400. My dad purchased his L3400 last Dec for 19K with FEL.

You might also consider other brands. I got my Montana last Dec for 19.5K, 39HP, FEL. For the price the Montana had a lot more value (bigger, more FEL, remotes). If you look at their web site (montanatractors) they also have many smaller machines. What dealers are around you? I think MF has good value also.

If you go a little bigger you will get better height with the FEL. It is probably easier, and less expensive, if you get a CAT 1 hitch; lots of implements will be available to you. You still have your mower to pull a trailer though the bush - after you clear a trail with you bigger machine.

 

[dmccarty]

My neighbor is on 5 acres and has a BX. He mostly uses it to mow with a mid mount mower and he does have an FEL.

Rough guess is that behind the house he has 1-2 acres in thick woods. 1-2 acres that are cleared including his house. And another acre or so that is wooded by cleaned up and park like. He could drive the BX in this front woods to mow if he wants. He just had it cleaned up.

To take care of the drive way you will need a box blade and or a blade. I maintain our 700ish foot of drive and 2000ish feet of gravel road with the box blade. A blade would be nice to pull some gravel back into the road but the box has worked just fine. The box blade is far more usable for me than just the blade.

One attachment I wish I had bought sooner was pallet forks for the FEL. So danged useful. Not can I move pallets of the truck. I can load brush/limbs. The forks carry far more than my 4n1 bucket. Also carrying lumber for projects is nice. The pallet forks are on the FEL as much as the bucket.

Chippers are expensive. And they require a tractor with the HP to use them. I thought we would need a chipper but in the end if its 4 inches are larger its firewood. Even little limbs I pile up as fire starter which we need since we heat with wood. Chippers are also alot of work. This is something with one acre of woods you might not need.

We bought a DR Mower brush cutter. It can cut a 2 .5 inch sapling just like the MX 6 rotary cutter. I can't get the mower and tractor in most of our woods but I can get the DR in to clean things up. The tractor cannot go into the septic field so the DR does the mowing. The DR does have a 42 inch finish mower, snow blower and generator attachments. It is a walk behind and the brush cutter will give you a workout. I think with the finish mower it would be easier to use. The DR ain't cheap though.

Later,
Dan

 

[smfcpacfp]

Since you said that you had a lot of snow I will chime in here. I have a bit more than 10 acres, almost all wooded. I mow my small yard with a push mower so that is a non issue.

I bought my tractor with its main intended use - snow blowing. I have 400' by 25' of snow blowing to do and we get about 200 to 300' of snow in an average year. If you get a lot of snow then a heated cab is nice, so nice. I usually snow blow in a T-shirt. If I were doing a fair amount of mowing the air conditioned cab would be nice and even if it isn't hot outside, the cab keeps the bugs and pollen out. I also use it to haul cut up trees around and chip up the remains with a Wallenstein wood chipper. I have probably used the FEL 40 hours this year in building a retaining wall and to do other hauling.

My Kubota B3030 HSDC is perfect for these jobs and others. I agree with the implication of everyone else which is to not get a bigger tractor than you need, but I don't think that you should get less than what you might anticipate needing. When I bought it I didn't anticipate how useful it would be in doing tree removal work. A bigger tractor is less maneuverable. I guess money is another issue.

 

[LBrown59]

Gronk,

Welcome to the site!

I recently ma inkled in the pasture.
and a 60 inch rotary cutter.
* So whatever you get, I recommend also keeping your lawn tractor.
your decision. The fun is just beginning...

* good advice ! ! ! ! ! ! ////////---------===========

 

[LBrown59]

BTW, our offer was accepted yesterday so pending the sale of my current house, it looks like I'm getting a bigger tractor.


Sean

Congrats
What tractor?

 

[Gronk]

Congrats
What tractor?

I'm still debating between a CUT and a SCUT.

I keep asking myself what job(s) would require something more than a SCUT and the only thing that I can come up with is snow removal. While the loader on a BX can certainly do it, a snowblower would be much more effective but also more costly. A plow blade for my yard truck would be half the cost of a snowblower and even more effective.

The other thing that I have in the back of my mind is that there may be some money to be made with a tractor. The added expense of a bigger tractor would be justified in this case. Jobs like fencing, tilling, snow removal, brushogging, etc... can generate some extra money and could possibly be profitable.


Sean

 

[Gronk]

My neighbor is on 5 acres and has a BX. He mostly uses it to mow with a mid mount mower and he does have an FEL.

Rough guess is that behind the house he has 1-2 acres in thick woods. 1-2 acres that are cleared including his house. And another acre or so that is wooded by cleaned up and park like. He could drive the BX in this front woods to mow if he wants. He just had it cleaned up.

To take care of the drive way you will need a box blade and or a blade. I maintain our 700ish foot of drive and 2000ish feet of gravel road with the box blade. A blade would be nice to pull some gravel back into the road but the box has worked just fine. The box blade is far more usable for me than just the blade.

One attachment I wish I had bought sooner was pallet forks for the FEL. So danged useful. Not can I move pallets of the truck. I can load brush/limbs. The forks carry far more than my 4n1 bucket. Also carrying lumber for projects is nice. The pallet forks are on the FEL as much as the bucket.

Chippers are expensive. And they require a tractor with the HP to use them. I thought we would need a chipper but in the end if its 4 inches are larger its firewood. Even little limbs I pile up as fire starter which we need since we heat with wood. Chippers are also alot of work. This is something with one acre of woods you might not need.

We bought a DR Mower brush cutter. It can cut a 2 .5 inch sapling just like the MX 6 rotary cutter. I can't get the mower and tractor in most of our woods but I can get the DR in to clean things up. The tractor cannot go into the septic field so the DR does the mowing. The DR does have a 42 inch finish mower, snow blower and generator attachments. It is a walk behind and the brush cutter will give you a workout. I think with the finish mower it would be easier to use. The DR ain't cheap though.

Later,
Dan

Thanks Dan,

My friend has pallet forks for his Ford 1210 and I know how useful they can be. For sure I will be making myself a set.

I think you're right about the chipper too. I was hoping to find a use for one by making wood chips to go around the base of all my trees but that may be more expensive than just buying wood chips instead.

As for brush cutting, I can't see myself buying another separate piece of equipment to do that. The purpose of buying a tractor is that it is designed to power the different attachements for various tasks. The last thing I want is a colletion of self-powered implements that require routine maintenance and room in the shed. Correct me if I'm wrong but a PTO brush cutter would be less expensive than the DR no?


Sean

 

[Gronk]

I would like to thank everyone for the valuable information being presented here. It's a great asset for the new tractorites to have your experiences/opinions to base our purchases on.


Sean

 

[Gronk]

OK I have a few questions.

What's a remote and is that important for my needs?

What's better, a belly mower or a rear mower? (price is always a factor but I want a nice cut)

What does the quarter inching valve replace? I assume it is to set the rear attachment height right? Many reviews about the quarter inching valve are negative. Is that because it has detents for the positions and sometimes you would like one in between?


Sean

 

[LBrown59]

Gronk,
1* I got tired of always getting stuck in 4 inches of snow. I did have extra weight & chains which helped a lot but the tractor just did not have the ground clearance.
2* I got tired of always getting stuck in 4 inches of snow. I did have extra weight & chains which helped a lot but the tractor just did not have the ground clearance. Look at the size of the wheels. What do you think is going to happen when you try to clear a foot of snow.
3*You can try to clear it in front of you but as soon as you have to back-up & those tiny wheels start going into the deeper snow because you did not back-up perfectly over the cleared path you just made.....your toast.
Believe me.
4*I did it for 5 years & it was frustrating.
# #
Congratulations on getting the new property. Must be on cloud 9.

# # #
# # #
1*I don't know what you had for a tractor But my old 1966 Bolens 850 garden tractor with weight and chains handled it well for years.
2*Plowed several 14 inch snows and many a 4 6 8 and a couple of 10 and 12 inch snows with the ole Bolens// no problem.
3*Never ran into this with the Bolens.
4*I plowed a lot of snow with the Bolens in the 42 years I have owned it without problem.
Looks to me like if plowing snow with a garden tractor is as problematic as you paint it to be I would have come across it somewhere along that 42 year journey don't you think!

 

[LBrown59]

1*Now the Bx is certainly a step up from my 14 HP riding lawn mower but it's just that.
2*A larger heavier riding lawn mower.
3* What I have seen on this forum over & over again is original tractor owners trading up especially if they originally had a SCUT.
4*IMHO, if you do buy that BX tractor you will be trading up within 5 years.

1*What an understatement.
The BX compared to a riding mower is more like stepping into a whole other world.
2*A BX is anything but a heavy riding mower.
3*
4*This don't make sense to me in my case.
I have owned my BX 23 for 4 years and have completed 85% of the worked I had for it to do.
I just have to ask why at this point in time would I need a bigger tractor to finish the 15% that's left than I used to do the first 85% with ? ? ?

 

[LBrown59]

1*A BX isn't a step up form a 14 HP riding lawn mower. It's in a totally different class.
It's a real work horse of a tractor in a compact size.
2* I've done an amazing amount of work with mine on my 30+ acres.
3*There are times I could have used a bigger tractor but they were few and far between.
4*I do logging in my woods to feed my wood stove and to be honest the extra 4 inch clearance of a 2620 wouldn't make a bit of difference.
5*The small size and 48 inch width of the BX allows me to get between trees that I couldn't with a bigger tractor.
6* As far as snow goes, even with turf tires (which work fine for me under all situations) in 4 wheel drive I cruise thorugh 1 foot of snow without a hicup.
7* Mind you in Ontario mid winter I'm not going to cuise around my trail on it through the 4 and 5 foot snow drifts. I'd be interested to know what size of tractor can do that.
8*I think I'll start a thread and ask that question.
9*I will say I do regret not getting a backhoe with my BX.

1*It sure is.
2*Me to so much it's almost unbelievable out of the little ole BX23. That Thing just amazes the heck out of me all the time even 4 years after getting it.
3*Same here but not enough to make it worth owning a bigger tractor. One thing that can sneak up on you is finding yourself with to big a tractor after getting the work cough up if you go with a bigger tractor than a Sub cut. I'm almost done with all the work on my place and have been concerned with am I going to run out of things to do with the tractor shortly. The other day that caused me to realize and be thankful I won't have a Big B or L or M Sized Tractor setting around here doing little or nothing.
4*I think the extra ground clearance is overplayed by many posters. A tractor with a 10" ground clearance can't clear 14 inches either.
5*A bigger tractor means it can't get to places a S-Cuit can. It is more expensive to operate and maintain. Tires oil and fluid changes cost more. Hauling a larger tractor is more expensive an it requites a larger more expensive trailer. This will require feeding the tow vehicle more of toadies expensive fuel to tow the heavier tractor and trailer. On top of that you will be feeding the large thirster tractor more of that expensive fuel also.
6*I can do that with the Bolens garden tractor with chains and weight on the back.
7*So would I be interested ..
8*If you don't / I might.
9*I knew I would so I got the BX23. Instead of the BX2230 It was well worth the 3800 dollars more.

 

[LBrown59]

Not to knock the BX (or any sub-compact equivalent) for that matter cause they are great machines but personally
1*I think when you get in the woods you are going to want more ground clearance and maybe more power. .

1*How much do you think A Be series will help in getting over places that are 6 to 8 inches to high for a BX to clear?

 

[LBrown59]

!~~~~ Not too sure what you are planning with that 1 acre of woods. Do you want to clear cut it ? (That would be a shame.)
1*The BX does not have the ground clearance for that kind of task.
2*Very tough getting a tractor that's small enough to cut your yard & do major work.

1*How many feet more of ground clearance does a B have than A BX?
2*Huh!
I musta lucked out Finding 3> .

 

[kozak]

What's a remote and is that important for my needs?

A remote is a set of hydraulic valves that allow you to operate / power rear implements such as Post Hole Diggers, Box Blades, Snow Blowers, etc. You should at least get one set. If you get two sets, this will allow you to use the Top & Tilt action for a Box Blade in which you would be able to tilt the blade on an angle from side to side as well as tilt from back to front. Not sure if you can get a grapple for the BX (maybe 3rd party). If so, you can also add a set of remotes for the front.

The remotes are expensive, so if you can determine what implements you will be purchasing in the future & then strike a deal with the Dealer whan buying the tractor.

What's better, a belly mower or a rear mower? (price is always a factor but I want a nice cut)

I believe a Belly Mower will give you a better cut. However, a brush hog can cut down heavier, higher grass. Does not look like Kubota offers a Brush Hog for the BX so again would need to get 3rd party. Hopefully somebody on this forum with more experience with the two types will chime in. I would think the Brush Hog would be easier to connect / disconnect.

What does the quarter inching valve replace? I assume it is to set the rear attachment height right? Many reviews about the quarter inching valve are negative. Is that because it has detents for the positions and sometimes you would like one in between?

Yes, quarter inching valve is to set rear implement height. Don't know much about how well it works on BX but 1/4" adjustment would normally be more than fine enough. I guess the only trouble you may get into is lining up a rear implement for connection if it was between the 1/4" point.

Good Luck,

Vic