Tractor Sizing Almost Daily Thread: SUBCOMPACT or COMPACT TRACTOR?

[jeff9366]

Repetitively typing almost the same advice on the Topic: SUBCOMPACT or COMPACT TRACTOR? is not that interesting.

I am going to accumulate some well considered, well punctuated standard replies, then refine the advice.

Everyone is welcome to contribute.

 

[jeff9366]

I have a 5 acre property that's divided into "upper" and "lower" by a reasonable slope. Approximately 2 acres is house/driveway/yard, the remaining 3 acres is wooded. I have a shared 1/4 mile gravel driveway.

Immediate need is maintaining the driveway, mowing, moving materials like mulch, and removing light snow. I see myself cutting paths through the property, clearing some undergrowth, moving some dirt, etc.

So I'm looking to replace my little JD garden tractor with a tractor with a loader and a MM mower deck. I'm stuck at my first decision on whether or not it's overkill to step up to a compact like a 2025r, B2301 or any number of other models.

For five acres either a subcompact or compact tractor will serve. 4-WD should provide traction on your sloped land with R4/industrial tires.

Have you performed your own service on your L&G Tractor? If so, you can perform routine service on either a subcompact or compact tractor.

Subcompact tractors with a Mid Mount Mower have about 3" or ground clearance with mower attached, 9" ground clearance with mower removed. Removing and replacing MMM is easier than in the past but still not fun. Minimal 9" ground clearance can make working in woodland difficult. Subcompacts have two-range (2) HST transmissions. Subcompacts generally draw 48" wide implements.

Compact tractors of 1,600 - 1,800 pounds bare tractor weight have larger wheels and tires. Larger wheels yield greater ground clearance, usually at least 12", and a much smoother ride over rough ground. Compact tractors have greater FEL lift capacity than Subcompacts and usually have three-range (3) HST transmissions. Compact tractors generally draw 54" or 60" implements. Allowing for a 5" overlap in use, a considerable improvement over 48" implements.

Either a subcompact or compact tractor will operate a MMM equally well. The compact will be a TINY amount less maneuverable.

If you can afford a 1,600 - 1,800 pound Compact, go for it. If you consider Kubota, focus on the B2650.

The MMM is a inferior mowing option IMO. MMMs cost close to a used ZTR and get in the way of doing anything else. The loader also gets in the way of mowing.

I too recommend a Zero Turn Mower for lawn mowing. Or keep your L&G tractor and skip new tractor MMM. Instead, acquire a Bush Hog with your new tractor for trails and your meadow.


VIDEO: Kubota BX Series VS. B Series - YouTube



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I'm looking at a 2012 Kubota BX2660 with a loader and 60 inch belly mower with 50 hours for $11,000. From what I've found that is a very good price around me. Who has this tractor, and how did you like it? I've already read a bunch about being careful with the transmission cooler being exposed. More importantly how does this machine perform dragging/loading decent size logs, nothing crazy. Moving snow, finish mowing without turf tires, moving dirt and gravel, maintaining driveway with box blade. Does anyone have real world experience with the loader capacity?

I have 7 acres, I do all my work by hand right now so anything will be better than that. Where do you think the Subcompact would come up short?

BX series tractor are best regarded as wonderful lawn mowers with the ability to do light landscaping tasks. Kubota sells bazillions of BX tractors yearly and many owners are completely happy with them.

With only 9" ground clearance with mower removed, it is difficult to take a BX into woodlands. Because of low ground clearance, HST cooling fan under the tractor is vulnerable to ground damage. Those who take BX tractors into woodlands often armor underneath. Several venders sell armor kits.

Removing/replacing a Mid Mount Mower, with its front PTO shaft, is a tedious, sweaty task.

VENDER: BXpanded Under Armor


FEL bucket lift capacity is around 500 pounds. Not much by tractor standards BUT SURE BEATS TRUNDLING A WHEELBARROW OF 80 POUNDS CAPACITY. Tractor is 1,389 pounds bare tractor. With a full bucket, the tractor can be a bit unstable.....but so are other tractors. Front axle is thin. Plan to keep 350 to 450 pounds counterbalance mounted on the Three Point Hitch when doing Loader work. Weight behind the robust rear axle unloads weight from the relatively weak front axle.

Four reasons owner/operators trade up from a BX:
More tractor weight.
More FEL lift capacity.
Greater ground clearance
Three-range (3) HST rather than two-range (2) HST on BX. (Lower LOW, Higher, HIGH)

The BX tractors are solid for what they are. Excellent first tractors. Easy to service yourself.

If mowing is your primary task you may be happy for years. BX will do your other tasks but will be somewhat slow. (Allowing for 5" overlap, a 48" Box Blade only works 43" per pull.)

You can tow log sections with a BX and 1/4" Grade 70 chain. Saw trunks into reasonable weight sections. Tractors are designed to PULL.
Cross-drawbar PHOTO.
MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...h-cross-2.html ((Cursor down to Post #14.))
PHOTOS: KUBOTA B3300SU


Selling a used tractor is easy. Selling multiple light implements in order to buy heavier, wider implements for a new, heavier tractor requires a lot of time. Depreciation on implements is generally greater than depreciation on a tractor.

 

[dodge man]

Its just me, but I don't like cut and paste responses to peoples questions. If I get tired of responding to the same old questions, I just ignore them. The best way to handle repeated questions is a sticky at the top of the page.

 

[atsah]

Its just me, but I don't like cut and paste responses to peoples questions. If I get tired of responding to the same old questions, I just ignore them. The best way to handle repeated questions is a sticky at the top of the page.

I agree, I ignore most of them myself, a quick search will bring up everything one needs..

 

[nards444]

I agree, I ignore most of them myself, a quick search will bring up everything one needs..

search function kind of sucks sometimes on these forums. Second I think a lot of people just want reaffirmation. Some stickys at the top would be helpful, I would stay away from brand in stickys, brand often times isnt answering what people want or need.

 

[atsah]

I find the search to be useful. Everyone has a different situation, (lawn size, etc) so I understand why people open there own threads..

 

[dodge man]

The other problem is stickies need to be fact based, when what people should buy, brand, size etc is opinion based.

 

[nards444]

The other problem is stickies need to be fact based, when what people should buy, brand, size etc is opinion based.

agreed, a lot of great information above but there is a lot of opinion and bias toward branding, which a lot of it is true, but defeats the sticky I think.

 

[Diggin It]

Its just me, but I don't like cut and paste responses to peoples questions. If I get tired of responding to the same old questions, I just ignore them. The best way to handle repeated questions is a sticky at the top of the page.

I agree, I ignore most of them myself, a quick search will bring up everything one needs..

Repetitive threads on this topic is part of the nature of sites like this. Posters want to focus on their own needs and property and would like replies tailored to their questions.

If it's too much trouble to keep typing the same information in replies, don't do it. No one needs to reply to every thread all day long, every day.

 

[atsah]

Repetitive threads on this topic is part of the nature of sites like this. Posters want to focus on their own needs and property and would like replies tailored to their questions.

If it's too much trouble to keep typing the same information in replies, don't do it. No one needs to reply to every thread all day long, every day.

Says the guy with 2,622 posts in 8 months.. If you read post 6 you would read that I understand why there are many of the same threads.. It would nice if you limited you'r looking for negative trouble posts, they happen often..

 

[Oldoak]

"Stickies" and doing a search of threads on past topics is fine.

However new member to TBN come along quite frequently. New members sometimes bring along new ideas on old subjects. By starting a new thread on an old subject brings it to the fore front quicker and gets more attention.

Those who don't like reading about old subjects or posting duplicate replies to the same subject can very easily ignore the topic. Don't feel you personally have to reply to every topic under discussion. :confused3:

 

[jeff9366]

I agree, I ignore most of them myself, a quick search will bring up everything one needs..

For the topic: SUBCOMPACT or COMPACT TRACTOR? most OPs have never owned a tractor or are moving up from a Lawn & Garden tractor without FEL, without PTO and without 4-WD. Few of these OPs have made more than five prior posts. For many SUBCOMPACT or COMPACT TRACTOR? is their first (1st) post. Few will be capable of searching the T-B-N ARCHIVE productively so early.

 

[nards444]

For the topic: SUBCOMPACT or COMPACT TRACTOR? most OPs have never owned a tractor or are moving up from a Lawn & Garden tractor without FEL, without PTO and without 4-WD. Few of these OPs have made more than five prior posts. For many SUBCOMPACT or COMPACT TRACTOR? is their first (1st) post. Few will be capable of searching the T-B-N ARCHIVE so early.

Thats the problem when first starting you dont know the lingo or simply dont know what you dont know. I belong to tractor, sports, cars, trucks, boats, the threads all read about the same. ironically I get some of the best info from the same old threads as people replying always have new ideas.

 

[MossRoad]

In a few weeks, this thread will be down off the currently active threads, and new folks will just have to search again. There's almost no point in doing it. Good intentions, but no point. Especially if it's just laced with opinion.

Let new people ask questions and stop telling them to use the search function. It's what makes a discussion board a discussion board and not a library where you have to be quiet. And stop asking them for their ID when they come in, too. :laughing:

 

[/pine]

...Few will be capable of searching the T-B-N ARCHIVE so early...

Searching is how most prospective tractor owners find TBN to begin with...anyone that has been around knows that using google's search app within TBN is the way to go...
Once a new member gets the message to use the google search and NOT the forum search app they can easily find all the subject related threads and posts they want...

...typically the reason old posts get resurrected is because a new member finds an old post searching the www that is directly related to their problem and covers an issue much better than more contemporary posts on the topic...

 

[Diggin It]

Let new people ask questions and stop telling them to use the search function. It's what makes a discussion board a discussion board and not a library where you have to be quiet. And stop asking them for their ID when they come in, too. :laughing:

I've been to a few boards where that was the standard reply no matter how the question was posted. "Search, it's been talked about so many times ..." Well, that's fine, except that not everyone knows how to best utilize the search on every forum format and they don't all work well. Then you have to know specific search terms which may not be words you're used to.

It works better if seasoned members do the Search and post links to the previous threads.

 

[/pine]

...It works better if seasoned members do the Search and post links to the previous threads.

it works best if you post a link with the search string...that not only leads the noob to the post/thread link it shows them them how you found it...i.e., the search string...(teach a man to fish...so to speak...)

 

[jeff9366]

I am looking at a bx1880 with a MMM and a FEL to replace my x35. I would get SSQA forks for sure. Are there better options than this model?

You lose 121 pounds of FEL lifts capacity with SSQA on a BX Loader, due to the weight of the couplers and forward load extension. (820 pounds --> 699 pounds net lift. Huge payload penalty.)
((Real life lift capacity on a BX is actually about 15% less than spec numbers shown above, due to real life position of FEL load.))

If you go with a BX consider aftermarket Dunn Quick Tach. Much lighter.

DUNN LINK: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/315005-jery-dunn-tach-n-go.html

TACH-N-GO (U.S. PATENT # 8,393,059) STARTED ON THE KUBOTA BX SERIES TRACTOR WITH IT'S ONE CENTER CURL CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT. FROM THERE IT BRANCHED OUT TO INCLUDE THE CUB CADET AND IT'S SIMILAR CENTER CURL CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT TO SMALL (NORMAL) STYLE LOADERS, MASSEY FERGUSON, KUBOTA AND SOON KIOTI. ALL THESE TRACTORS HAVE LOADER CAPACITIES THAT MAKE USING SKID STEER QUICK ATTACH COUPLERS QUESTIONABLE BECAUSE OF SSQA COUPLER WEIGHT.

My wife and I have 2.6 acres with about 1/2 acre cleared.

We would like to clean and maintain our woodland which is cluttered with downed trees, old growth and vines. We have an easement that runs to the lake for a path that we have not maintained due to a large downed Oak. We have 1,000' of trail that needs to be cleared.
I may buy a Box Blade.

You need R4/industrial tires. You will have minimal traction with small diameter BX wheels, turf tires and light BX weight for the ground contact applications you have indicated.

A HEAVY Box Blade makes excellent Three Point Hitch counterbalance for heavy FEL lifts.

You will find a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment very helpful for clearing brush and vines and path creation.

 

[zachofalltrades]

Ill clear some things up from the perspective of a new person, since my thread was apparently one of the straws that broke Jeffs back

I知 using a phone for most of my reading, and there is but one search button on here and it痴 not very helpful. The main problem is the absence of useful search terms. A search for subcompact vs compact is either exact and excludes similar threads that don稚 say that exactly or it brings up every thread that includes either word.... which is all of them basically. On the phone interface I didn稚 see a sticky that addressed common questions, so I just went for it. All being said, I think everybody has given great info, but if someone wants to write up a nice concise guide (I don稚 think anybody would read a thread like this after a page or so) then a lot of us would jump into it and maybe ask some less common questions.

What I do think us new folks could work on more is going to the dealer and test driving more to get a feel for these machines. My excuse is that I知 too darn busy and I work when the dealer is open, but I知 working on it

 

[jeff9366]

What I do think new folks could work on more is going to the dealer and test driving various tractor models to get a feel for these machines. My excuse is that I'm too darn busy and I work when the dealer is open, but I'mworking on it

Especially important if your are six feet tall or taller, wear a size 10 shoe or larger, trending portly, or are considering an optional Backhoe, which often have snug operator stations.