Taller tires on a BX?

David_Kb7uns · Apr 17, 2011

I view the BX series as an "Estate Tractor" something you use around an established property mainly for mantaining it and a few projects here and there. If you really need to get in to brush work or dirt projects then you need to step up to B series. It does irk me sometimes when people get upset with Kubota because the BX is not rugged enough when it comes to the underside when they get into brush work.
I do think people need to be taught the difference between the B and BX when sellecting them. Are you going to mow and want to do other things or do you want a tractor that can also handle the deck. People wonder why I have the number of Kubotas that I have and they are for different tasks and some will do other jobs but each has its place and specialized uses.

David Kb7uns

bikerdib · Apr 17, 2011

Maybe some people just have an out of control male ego thing, you know; "mine is bigger than yours". :laughing:

Most people are capable of judging the size machine they should have with a little forethought. I can say personally though that out of the 3 Kubotas I've owned I messed up slightly on the second one I bought.

I started with a B7100 years ago and had a 48" box blade, a 48" rough cut shredder and a 3pt scoop. That combo served me well on my old weekend place (mostly wooded) to do trail maintenance, mow and general work that I'd otherwise would have had to do via physical labor. I sold the 7100 right after I sold that weekend place because of a divorce.

A few years later I found another weekend place (again, mostly wooded) and after a couple of years doing the back breaking thing, I found a B7300 and had a Bush Hog FEL put on it. I also had a 48" rough cut shredder, a subsoiler/middle buster and a 60" 3pt blade. This machine was fine for mowing and general work on the place but where I found it lacking was when I decided to clear an old creekbed to build a pond. Yes I could pull down some of the trees and I could move some of the dirt but it was really pushing the 7300 to the max. I could have gotten it done over time but it just didn't seem like the "right" way to go about it.

My third Kubota is a B3300 with FEL. I had the dealership put R1s on for me because I wanted maximum traction and it also makes the machine a little narrower; I think somewhere around 49" wide. That was important for me because of some of the tight areas I need to get through. Yes I could have gone up to an "L" series and that would have been better for the pond work but after I got that done, the "L" would have REALLY been overkill for everything else I'd ever use it for. Plus it would have been pretty much impossible to get into those tight areas I mentioned. I'll still use the 48" Bush Hog shredder, subsoiler, 60" 3pt blade and I still have the 3pt scoop from my first tractor so by going with a 3300 I didn't have to replace lots of attachments. Oh ya', I also built a carrier for the quick detach FEL and have some pallet forks for "MANY USES". Man, pallet forks are a back saver.

My main point is, bigger isn't always better and likewise smaller isn't always better. Each has a place and everyone has their own requirements.

Haywire · Apr 17, 2011

I think that once you have a tractor, regardless of the size, projects that hadn't even occurred to you before are suddenly on the table. Then comes the "Man, ifs".

"Man, if I only had --insert variable-- I could --insert project--."

I have buyer's remorse on a regular basis. If I had the money, I'd be like David and have a stable full of equipment, each with specific tasks.

Ian

rdsaustintx · Apr 17, 2011

I aspire to "estate" status some day. I really do.

But I have flogged the crap out of my BX doing dirt work. Cut a hillside (1000+ yards), graded driveways, dug drain field, house foundation, stumps, rocks, post footings and bar ditches. I have flogged the **** out of this thing 800 hours in Texas heat. This year has mostly been planting trees, but really looking forward to the day it just becomes a lawn mower.

Yeah, bigger digs faster. My tractor will fit in the neighbor's Ford 555 bucket, but that sucker won't fit in my barn (his either).

Do not be hating on BX's.

Tom_H · Apr 17, 2011

David_Kb7uns said:
I view the BX series as an "Estate Tractor" something you use around an established property mainly for mantaining it and a few projects here and there. If you really need to get in to brush work or dirt projects then you need to step up to B series. It does irk me sometimes when people get upset with Kubota because the BX is not rugged enough when it comes to the underside when they get into brush work.
I do think people need to be taught the difference between the B and BX when sellecting them. Are you going to mow and want to do other things or do you want a tractor that can also handle the deck. People wonder why I have the number of Kubotas that I have and they are for different tasks and some will do other jobs but each has its place and specialized uses.

David Kb7uns

Well said. I would only add that a BX can do a certain amount of brush and dirt work. I have a Gearmore 42" heavy duty brush cutter that is a perfect match for my BX. It cuts clusters of 2" dia. poplar saplings without lugging down. I have never had any underside damage, even without skid plates, though I admit that I don't have any downed logs to crawl over. I also can do dirt work, just not as fast as a bigger tractor. My biggest limitation is when I hit the Duripan that's below my clay topsoil. Ripping it with the subsoiler and digging it with the BH requires that it has had water sitting on it for several months from winter rains, and even then I can dig no more than an inch or two at a pass. A full sized utility tractor can dig in it with only limited resistance. If I had the money (and I don't) I would own Kubota's biggest F series to cut the grass and have an L for doing the other work.

ruren · Apr 17, 2011

Thats how the addiction starts, you're already talking yourself into needing two tractors. I started with a B21 that was good for a couple of years, but the more I used it the more I thought about it being a compromise between a backhoe and a tractor. Today I have a B3030 and an old full size backhoe. I still look at the dealer lot every time I stop there and think about reasons I 'need' a bigger tractor. I don't think it's a coincidence that the guys that sell drugs and the guys that sell tractors are both 'dealers'.

Rich

Haywire said:
However, when I got wanting to use it more in the garden with things like plows and cultivators that need ground clearance, I discovered it lacking.

I need a mower more than anything else, so it really fits most of what I need. If I did have a B2620 that would be more at home in the garden with a plow hanging off the back, it would not work as well as the mower and low hanging branches would be more of a nuisance so I would complain about that. LOL Everything is a compromise.

Ian

wrooster · Apr 18, 2011

TractorTidy said:
This is one of the problems w/ subcompacts that people don't learn until they get. I many times try to discourage people from buying a subcompact because it is just too small and they don't realize it's downfalls and limitations until it's too late.

0) You don't know the needs of every tractor owner.
1) It if fits the owner's needs, how is it "too small"?
2) You are a Kioti dealer -- let me guess, Kioti doesn't have a subcompact lineup that is in any way competitive with Kubota's?
3) Never poke a bobcat with a stick.

Wrooster
^^^ has BX1860 which meets my needs perfectly!

cdaigle430 · Apr 18, 2011

TractorTidy said:
This is one of the problems w/ subcompacts that people don't learn until they get. I many times try to discourage people from buying a subcompact because it is just too small and they don't realize it's downfalls and limitations until it's too late.

It's not the tractor-its the operator. I good operator knows the tractors limits. Sub compacts are better tractors than compact or larger in many ways. One-mid mount PTO, two, size allows you to easily park in a residential garage, two-many attachments, three-wont tear up your lawn, four-easily transportable and so on.

It's not a problem with it being a sub compact-it is a problem with the operator and no I am not singling out the origional thread poster.

Every tractor has it's limitiations-period.

missourithunder · Apr 18, 2011

newdeal wrote - "The bx is a great mower and tractor but a better combo would be a B series for real work and a dedicated 5 foot front cut mower. Depends on if you have the money for both or not"

Hey smart guy, define "real work". My BX pushes, pulls, cuts, grades, lifts, curls, and tugs just as fast as any other tractor in the world, just on a smaller scale. What kind of idiotic messege are you trying to send ???

MT