B....BX....or L Series?

[TripleR]

Thats the problem I am finding is that most machines only have the FEL.

I need a backhoe, no doubt. Its use will be somewhat few and far between, but there is a pond I definitely want to make bigger, there are holes to be dug and there is going to be the need to dig out dirt and transport it to build a berm of sorts.

Could I rent an excavator for a week and get that work done? Yeah, but then there will be that 1 time later on that I need it and I won't have it. I don't care if I have to remove it and it sits in the barn for 90% of the time, as long as I have one when needed. Kind of a Catch-22. The other thought was to get the tractor/FEL and then obtain a small excavator, but it will cost the same either way.

I certainly won't knock a backhoe, but you would be surprised at what you can do with a FEL, my sons are finishing up a firearms range with berms fifteen feet tall. All the work was done with a FEL.

If cost is not an issue or you will use it a lot a BH can be great, if not, it is just something else to keep up. We have one that we haven't used in years.

 

[firefighter jim]

How much is lawn and do you cut with the L and a pull behind finish?

About 1/2 of our 11 acres is open field and the other half is woods. We use a 60" finish mower (rear pull behind)(Bush Hog brand) for most of the grass cutting duties (5+ acres). Around the house we use a 33" cut walk behind mower and occasionally our B7800. Our property is very hilly and we maintain a gravel drive that is 1/2 mile long. Also: for fel and backhoe work, L over B for sure. (our L has ag tires which has presented no problems when mowing and is a superior choice for all other tasks ie: snow removal, road maintence, hillside traction, etc.).

 

[dodge man]

I understand the need, there are times I wish I had gotten my BX with the backhoe. You can add a backhoe at a latter date pretty easy. I priced a Woods and Koyker for mine, and they were both over $5000 with a subframe. You might look for a used Kubota construction type TLB, like a B21. They are suppose to be pretty heavy duty machines, the only problem is they are heavier and you can't remove the FEL.

 

[KU Gator]

With regard to mowing with the B, if I didn't have the garden tractor, I would have done that this year, but as we had a wet summer at least by KS terms, there would have been times when I would have probably had to hold off an extra day or two to avoid the ground being too wet. But with that said, I would not call myself **** about the 3 acre yard we have. I am more of the that's good enough, it'll just grow back anyway. The track the tractor leaves usually disappear within a day. At our other property that I mow everyother week with the B, I only notice tracks/ruts where it was very wet when we mowed last time as in put it in 4wd just to go through a little area. But you would have to judge where on the **** score you are.

As to size of tractor, there are times when I would like a BX on our home property. There are definitely times at the other property I would like to have the size and weight of an L. That is mostly when digging or trying to get rocks or brush out. I trailer mine to that property, so don't know that I would want to do that regularly with an L, but if I lived on it, might consider moving up.

As for the BH, when we decided on the B instead of BX24 we did not add the BH because I wanted to stay under $20K with FEL & MMM plus added the rough cut mower. I'm sure I would use it if I had it, but not ready to drop write the $7K check for it yet. We also have a pond on our property which I would like to expand. I don't think the size of BH I have seen on B's or L's would be the tool for that. Obviously you could do it, but you better pack a big lunch as you will be there for awhile it would seem to me. When our pond was low, I used the box blade and FEL to dig a bunch of sediment out of ours and while I made some progress before it filled back up, it wasn't fast going with that size of equipment. I'm not trying to talk you out of a BH, just saying that digging a pond bigger would seem to be beyond at least the reasonable scope of the BH.

 

[bp fick]

Since you described your passion about a golf green type lawn, I return to my earlier comments. You just cannot have it all. It isn't possible, really, to have a beefy L series for grunt work, field work, FEL and BH and all the rest and still make a lawn mower from the same machine. That just doesn't compute, especially given the different tires these diverse task demand.

You will have to compromise on the tractor and may end up not being pleased with it on ANY task. That is the risk here.

Sounds to me that you are in the market for a lawn mower AND a tractor. Just my take. Even the temptation to view a B3030 as an all around machine doesn't seem to work in my mind. I dunno. Re-think your tasks, and put them into a priority list, me thinks.

 

[robertwhite]

Since you described your passion about a golf green type lawn, I return to my earlier comments. You just cannot have it all. It isn't possible, really, to have a beefy L series for grunt work, field work, FEL and BH and all the rest and still make a lawn mower from the same machine. That just doesn't compute, especially given the different tires these diverse task demand.

You will have to compromise on the tractor and may end up not being pleased with it on ANY task. That is the risk here.

Sounds to me that you are in the market for a lawn mower AND a tractor. Just my take. Even the temptation to view a B3030 as an all around machine doesn't seem to work in my mind. I dunno. Re-think your tasks, and put them into a priority list, me thinks.

NO, No, No....... I was/am very **** about my current lawn. The new property I absolutely am not **** about except not wanting to see tracks for a week after I mow. Clay and grass seed don't make for a brilliant green lawn and I am OK with that.

 

[KU Gator]

There is some sound logic to BP Flick's suggestion. The MMM on a B2X20 new is about $2500. You could use that toward a ZTR and mow a lot of lawn in a short amount of time. I mow my 3 acres with the GT with 54" blade plus a little trimming with the walk behind in 2 hours. The neighbor with the ZTR is quicker on his 3 acres. Then look for a good used L.

 

[amigauser]

There is some sound logic to BP Flick's suggestion. The MMM on a B2X20 new is about $2500. You could use that toward a ZTR and mow a lot of lawn in a short amount of time. I mow my 3 acres with the GT with 54" blade plus a little trimming with the walk behind in 2 hours. The neighbor with the ZTR is quicker on his 3 acres. Then look for a good used L.

I agree with KU Gator, you really need two machines. A "L" for the "tractor" type work and a lawn tractor or ZTR to mow the finished lawn area. That is basically what I do and it works well. There are a lot of deals on lawn tractors on Craigslist, at least in my area, each spring.

 

[devildog1]

What you are hearing for the other TBN members are basically correct but there may be a trade off . I have about 10 acre's and mow about 2 1/2, I have had a BX23 TLB with a 60" mmm and it did the most perfect job of making my lawn/ex-cow field look good. I also have a Garden tractor with a 48" mmm deck that is also used on a regular basics to keep lawn trimmed. But I travel with my RV most every year from late June to around Labor day. So when we arrive home bad to say but my lawn is very high and needs to be cut so bad. This is the time I use My B3200 with a Woods 72" Finish Mower, as you can see by the photos the lawn looks very good to me. Yes I do leave tracks because The B3200 with FEL and loaded tires along with about 700 lbs. of the Woods Finishing mower is quite heavy.The tracks do go away after a few days and this is fine for me. I justified the need for the B3200 TLB for all my other chores around here. I live in up-state N.Y. and we receive much snow with lots of winds and drifting, the B handles it with ease. Hope this helps you in some way make your choice?
DevilDog

 

[radioman]

now we know you a bit more, are you in the market for 2 tractors ? Get a BX with turfs and 60 inch for mowing and L with cab/FEL for farm, land work ?