Price Check Newbie About to buy...

[Cobra75007]

Hello everyone, I have been looking to buy for a little while now and am planning to pull a trigger soon. I have a little over one acre of land on a lake and have all sorts of dreamy plans that involve a lot of digging and moving of dirt, rock, brick, etc. this includes digging quite a bit of dirt from part of the lake bed that has become very shallow and dries up once a year (I will dig when it is dry). I also have to mow the place.

I'm in love with the BX25 and am looking for something similar with a front loader, back hoe and mower (preferably underbelly) but a new BX25, or new anything for that matter is out of my price range.

I am trying to stay under $10k, so i am looking at used tractors. I have been tossing the idea of just financing with Kubota's 0 down, 0% for 60 Mos, but trying to save the $$ if i can. I've been searching all over the internet and many classifieds, including the dozens of seemingly scammish ads on Craigslist. I have put together a short list that I am hoping to get some feedback on from you experts.

B8200
I've found a B8200 with all the attachments and low hours. It seems a little bigger than I want, especially in tire size - does anyone think this would be problem? Can I put Turf tires on a B8200? will it tear up my yard? Can I change to lower profile or smaller tires / rims? .. would that even make sense? My acre of land is all grass, would this tractor tear it up? what about if the ground was damp? Or.. would the bigger wheels / tires be helpful for digging out the lake bed area (I rented something a while back and it sank and got stuck.)
...Although this has low hours, less than 1000, it is very old.. say 86, 87 or 88? Is it a bad idea to buy a mower that is so old?

B7300
This one doesnt include a Front Loader or Backhoe... would those be expensive additions for this?

B6100E
THis is a 1982 for $2700 with FL and Backhoe.

BX24
THis is for $10k, which i am hoping is my max spend. Looks like it comes with a lot of attachments.

Other random questions...
1.) What is your preference.. underbelly mower or the drag behind kind?

2.) Would I be better off financing a new mower for $20k +/- vs buying a used one for $10k?

3.) is there anything else i should be considering?

4.) Any tips on where to look for good deals on Used tractors? I'm in North Texas.

Thank you all for your assistance!!!

 

[LD1]

What you are looking for is going to make your decisions tough.

First, the kubotas are known for being light. That is good if you are in muck and dont want to sink, or treading across and mowing lawn.

It's not so great for groing work, like digging out your lake bed. Expecially with turfs. R1's are the way to go for dirt work. R4's are a comprimise you may want to consider. It just depends on how much time you plan to dedicate to mowing and dirt work.

I personally have the R1 ags on my tractor which is a good bit bigger than the B's. I dont have a problem on the yard, but it is not a nice groomed and manacured lawn either. It is a country yard. And I only go on it when it"s hard.

And to the tire questions. Since you are looking at 4wd tractors, it is hard to change sizes and keep the rolling radius ratio the same as to not create a bind in the driveline. All the tractors you mentioned were offered with turfs, r1's and r4's. So its just a matter of deciding what tire you want and looking at what sizes the tractor was origionally designed for. But if you are buying used, I'd wait for the right machine to come along with the right tires. Buying used and then having to drop $1k+ just to change the tires doesn't make much sense unless you are getting one heck of a deal.

You may also want to check out tractorhouse.com. It is a good place to shop for used tractors and get an idea of what they are worth.

Good luck.

 

[TripleR]

If you are not familiar with tractors and don't possess decent mechanical skills, I would buy something new unless you know the history and it has low hours.

I own both MMM and RFM and for mowing yards I much prefer a MMM.

 

[fdmars]

Perhaps you could hire out the lake bed digging, seems like a very big job for a small tractor? then you could get a small one w/ turf tires to do all the things you need on a acre plot? I would think a backhoe adds alot to the price. I have the same sized lot and mow with a MMM and have turfs, which are kinder to the lawn.
Good luck, Fred

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

If you are not familiar with tractors and don't possess decent mechanical skills, I would buy something new unless you know the history and it has low hours.

I own both MMM and RFM and for mowing yards I much prefer a MMM.

Perhaps you could hire out the lake bed digging, seems like a very big job for a small tractor? then you could get a small one w/ turf tires to do all the things you need on a acre plot? I would think a backhoe adds alot to the price. I have the same sized lot and mow with a MMM and have turfs, which are kinder to the lawn.
Good luck, Fred

I'm agreeing with these. I've had RFM and MMM. For big yard, bigger tractor (B or up) then the RFM but for BX size then a MMM. I've bought 12 Kubotas and all of them new so I guess you can figure out where I stand on the new/used issue. Big jobs should be hired out to equipment made for the more specific job. They can do in 3 hours what will take 3 weeks for an all purpose SCUT or CUT. One acre is pretty small and can only have so much landscaping done to it so...........my recommendation is contact Barlows about bringing you a new BX2360 FEL MMM or BX1860 FEL MMM and for them to give you a free Kubota hat along with the no money down 60 months of 0% financing.

 

[Cobra75007]

Thanks LD1. Good Thoughts. I've hit up Tractorhouse.com.it seems like the best place to look.

I didn't think about the 4x4 ratio, but that makes perfect sense. I'll have to think about the tires it has. I am going to look at the B8200 today.

 

[Cobra75007]

Thanks RRR, this is really for my father, who has great Mech skillz and grew up on a farm ( many moons ago.) So we should be good on that.

Just so i'm clear.. MMM is the underbelly Mount and the other is a pull behind?

 

[Cobra75007]

Perhaps you could hire out the lake bed digging, seems like a very big job for a small tractor? then you could get a small one w/ turf tires to do all the things you need on a acre plot? I would think a backhoe adds alot to the price. I have the same sized lot and mow with a MMM and have turfs, which are kinder to the lawn.
Good luck, Fred

Thanks Fred. I don't have that much to Dig and my father is pretty bored these days, so i'm hoping this will do the job.

 

[Cobra75007]

I'm agreeing with these. I've had RFM and MMM. For big yard, bigger tractor (B or up) then the RFM but for BX size then a MMM. I've bought 12 Kubotas and all of them new so I guess you can figure out where I stand on the new/used issue. Big jobs should be hired out to equipment made for the more specific job. They can do in 3 hours what will take 3 weeks for an all purpose SCUT or CUT. One acre is pretty small and can only have so much landscaping done to it so...........my recommendation is contact Barlows about bringing you a new BX2360 FEL MMM or BX1860 FEL MMM and for them to give you a free Kubota hat along with the no money down 60 months of 0% financing.

THanks John. Where is Barlows?

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

THanks John. Where is Barlows?

Somerset, Ky. They deliver all over the US due to their low prices. Many on this forum from many states have bought from them. Ive bought 12 from them.
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