Buying Advice B20, 21 or ????

[TonyF]

Hi, Somewhat new here, been lurking for a while. I'm in need of a new "used" tractor, but have a limited budget ~ $15K.

Looking at Kubota B20s, B21s, B7800 or similar with loader and backhoe. The machine will be used for digging stumps, trenching, and general landscaping on 6 acres of medium dense woods both before and after home building.

I have a BX2200, but it seems too small for the task and too pricey to adapt. But the Kubota has been a good machine. Of course, I would like to stick with machines that are proven reliable and that I can get parts for.

Any suggestions, warnings, advice etc would be appreciated!

Thanks

Tony

 

[LBrown59]

1*Looking at Kubota B20s, B21s, B7800 or similar with loader and backhoe.
2*Any suggestions, warnings, advice etc would be appreciated!

1*Problem with the B20 & 21 is The FEL is not removable,and i don't think they offer a rear 3 point or PTO.
2*I suggest looking at a BX 25 and all the B series except the B20 21 and 26.

 

[RobertN]

B20/21/26 have removable backhoes. The "subframe" is built in to the tractor. Loaders are not quick-attach though.

There have been some B20 and B21 on the market locally as of recently. None have had backhoes on them; all 3pt scraper or 3pt mowers. There's a B20 on Ebay right now. No backhoe. It has the 3pt hooked up. Pictures of the 3pt clearly show the beefy subframe attach for the backhoe though.

I would look at the B26 or B7800 just for more HP. The B20/21 is very similar to my previous B8200. It was a great tractor, but 19HP(15 PTO HP) was not enough to really spin a rotary mower.

1*Problem with the B20 & 21 is The FEL is not removable,and i don't think they offer a rear 3 point or PTO.
2*I suggest looking at a BX 25 and all the B series except the B20 21 and 26.

 

[BruceWard]

I bought a B21 for the same purpose on a 4 acre building lot. I have put about 200 hours on it and the only unexpected costs have been a couple of tire patches, one hydraullic hose ($30) and a close to $200 shut off solenoid. I have dug over 600' of 3' deep trench through rocky soil, cleaned up about 2 acres of limbs, stumps and logs, pushed around rocks bigger than the FEL bucket and bush hogged about 10 acres with a 5' bush hog from our farm tractors. It has worked well for all of that.

But I am not sure I would want to be digging up many large stumps with it. In my case I had a dozer push over the trees including the stumps and only cleaned up the mess left behind. I have dug out a few stumps, the B21 will do the job but is slow.

My Uncle has a B6200 which has less power but I believe is similar in size to your BX. With twice the weight and better ground clearance my B21 makes jobs so much quicker and easier.

You might consider buying a used mini excavator to go along with your BX. You could use your BX for FEL work and accomplish more digging with a mini x.

I do not have experience with other B series tractors but my quick comparison is that the B21 has a heavier frame and is better built than the non commercial models. The additional weight likely makes up for the lower horsepower for ground engaging applications. The B21 PTO is only 13 HP which is limiting in choice of cutters.

Looking at the prices online you can get a nice B21 for less than $12K http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...ntains&Manu=KUBOTA&FullText=kubota+b21&ETID=1

 

[TonyF]

Thanks guys, that's the sort of info I was looking for. Never thought much about a mini excavator, but its worth considering.

Because there is no one place to get that sort of info - (except maybe here!) tractor X you can not remove the loader, or this one is not quick attach, its harder to narrow it down to a few models.

Tony

 

[Ken45101]

I have a B21 TLB. It's a nice little unit but not a whole lot of power.

The BH can be removed (as stated), mine has 3pt arms, but I've never used them.

I agree that trying to get anything other than very small stumps out (4-5") would be a slow, slow process. OTOH, my mini ex does it a million times better but it too has it's limitations, LOL.

For limited use, you might consider renting equipment. Or do most of it with the B21 and rent a mini ex (or a dozer) for the bigger stumps.

BTW, it's best to not cut the trees before you try to get the stumps out. Let the weight of the tree work for you, assuming that you have room for the tree to fall without getting hung up.

Ken

 

[TonyF]

To bring closure to this thread, I bought a 2007 B21 TLB with 125 hours. I believe that was the last year for this model. Despite the shortcomings a tractor is just more versatile than specialized equipment. Anything the B21 can't handle I'll hire out. Thanks for the input everyone. I'll try to post some pictures in the next few days to clarify a few things mentioned in this thread.

 

[TonyF]

This is a 2007 B21, not positive if other years have the same features. To clarify a few things it has a 3 point hitch that stores in various places, the arms and top link are stored on the inside of the loader frame, while the side links are stored under the "cab" on the frame. The backhoe is quick attach the loader is not. There is a lever in the "cab" to switch between backhoe operation and 3 point. If anyone needs more pcis, I can post them, let me know.

 

[Grandad4]

Looks like it's in "as new" condition. Do your site prep work with it, maintain it carefully and you should get near 100% return if you should decide to sell it later for a different model. Good choice.

 

[BruceWard]

Looks shiney and new!

The 3 point hitch storage is normal. My 2005 does not have a the quick attach backhoe bucket. That may be an option.