Soon 2 buy first tractor; likely the BX1860 or BX2360

[harpoonalt]

The right tractor first, the add ons later. Buy some insulated coveralls and the right hat along with some ski goggles for now. If I dress right I can spend hours out plowing and it's comfortable. You can add a mower to the "B" as well. For plowing that much road, the "B" will be much nicer and faster. A half mile gets longer after the thrill of the tractor wears off or you're in a hurry. I use the back blade on stuff up to 6" and go as fast as the tractor will go with good results. I used to plow backwards but found going forwards is faster and works great. The blade pulls up the snow packed down by the tires no problem. Get the tires loaded, add on a good light for backing up and you'll be happy. When you finally get the cab, it'll be like xmas all over agin

 

[dodge man]

As suggested, you will want some lights added. At least one facing forward and one backward, two front and 2 back would be better. If you get a Bx with the cab, put them on top of or on the top edge of the cab. The reason is that a snowblower will pretty much hide the factory head lights.

 

[LBrown59]

Both are good nice / tractors.
I have a BX1500 and a BX23 which compare to the cuerent BX1860 and {BX 2360 with a BH}

Excellent suggestions, thanks. I think I will forgo the electric chute deflector on the blower; that will save me $500. My first thought about upgrading to the B series, was that it would surely be nice, but way out of my budget. But, I might be able to pull it off, if I nix the hard cab. If I get the B2320 without the hard cab, it would be less than the BX2360 equipped with the hard cab. I would still eventually add the cab in a year or two. I'm seriously going to consider that.

 

[Mr. Ace]

I checked the specs on the B2320. In addition to the nice 3 speed hydro, with the B2320 I would get 12" of ground clearance vs. 8.7" on the BX2360, and a better top speed of 11.7 MPH vs. 8.4. I'll just have to decide if I want to pay an extra $2k (or $3K if I get the "high capacity" snow blower, which is offered on the B2320, and not on the BX2360.)

 

[radioman]

noting that you are from MI, state of snow, I am guessing a B is better for more power, etc. However blowing snow is no fun without a cab. A BX will do everything, but a bit longer. If I was in your shoes, and getting a front blower is a must, then get whatever you can afford with a cab. When winter comes, you will be thankful without wind blown snow in your face.

 

[LBrown59]

I checked the specs on the B2320. In addition to the nice 3 speed hydro, with the B2320
1*I would get 12" of ground clearance vs. 8.7" on the BX2360
2*top speed of 11.7 MPH vs. 8.4 .)

1* The higher the GC the the higher the CG which equals a higher risk of RO.
2*I never operate my BX 23 or Bx 1500s AT 8.7 so why would I need a 11.7 speed???

 

[Mr. Ace]

Yeah, I would love to have a cab right off the bat, but due to budget constraints, I may have to forgo it, at least for the first winter. Price I was quoted for the Curtis hard cab on the BX2360 was nearly $5k. I assume that it would be about the same for the B2320. Cut about $1k if you go with the soft doors.

 

[Mr. Ace]

1* The higher the GC the the higher the CG which equals a higher risk of RO.
2*I never operate my BX 23 or Bx 1500s AT 8.7 so why would I need a 11.7 speed???

Yes, the higher CG tradeoff is certainly a consideration with higher ground clearance. Not much need for a higher travel speed unless you take your tractor off your property, or you have a pretty big property. For me, I would probably want to pick up a couple of snow clearing jobs nearby, so I wouldn't mind a higher travel speed.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I have a B3200 and a BX2660. BX guys don't want to hear it but there's more than paper specs between the B and BX. Try both and you'll see. It's not just "more power" because some BX's have more HP than some B's. I know LB, you wouldn't have a tractor if you had to have a B. Tell us again how you have 3 BX's and how they'll do any and every thing.

 

[harpoonalt]

Ace, you're about to spend some serious money. Give us some more info on what you plan to do with this tractor. Is it a paved road? Is it 2 cars wide? Hills? How about other stuff you plan to do. I have a BX2350 with a loader,60" MMM, and back blade for snow. I live at the end of a 1/2 mile 2 lane dirt road so our snow removal is somewhat similar. The blade does well up to about 6" of snow but the angled 5' blade takes 3 passes up and back to do the job. The higher top speed of the "B" would make a big difference to me. With a half mile road, I'm always doing something like mowing the roadsides, hauling out trees or towing my trailer to pick up brush or do projects. Do you plan on a FEL? They are the thing on a tractor that, in my mind, makes the tractor so valuable. When you finally have one you won't ever want to be without one.
Many of us buy a tractor, use it for awhile and realize what we really need after using what we have. Some people get lucky, but a lot of us trade up, or wish we could. If I could go back, I'd have a ZTR for mowing and a "B" for everything else. If I was just doing snow on my road, and since I already have a truck, I'd put a plow on it for under 5 grand and have a radio, cupholders, a heated cab and the ability to do the job in 1/4 the time. That's what a cab costs. My road is easily plowed, yours may not be. Just something to think about. And do give us more info so we can help you spend your money