Buying Advice Advice wanted BX or ZD machine

[connor77]

Newbie here. Have read tons and learned plenty. Would like people's opinions on an upcoming purchase I need to make.

Here are the details:

* Small property (compared to many) - about an acre of mowing
* Some fairly large beds that need to be mulched yearly - estimate I put down 10yds per year
* Some areas of my lawn I'd like to redo - bumpy, poorly graded, look like crap so I'm thinking of renting sod cutter and re-grading and re-seeding approx 5k sq ft
* Parents are close by and have large property where my father and I will harvest some trees to cut/split for firewood. Maybe do this once every two years. Would be helpful to have a machine to potentially drag some small stuff down a hill to our splitter (or bring splitter to the wood). Parent's lot is hilly and trees are in the back of the property where it's hilly.

Issue: Do I buy a BX series tractor with FEL and MMM and use the FEL on a very limited basis or do I rent machines for some of these one or two time jobs and buy a zero turn mower which is what I'll do primarily (mow mostly).

I've recently sold a tractor that I could pull an aerator and dethatcher behind and I wonder if I'd miss the utility of the tractor if I bought a zero turn machine. Don't know what attachments are available for zero turns.

For what it's worth my lot is oddly shaped and I spend lots of time turning my tractor - not a huge deal but a zero turn would easily save me 20 minutes each time mowing.

Anybody bought a tractor and wish they bought a zero turn or vice versa?

Thoughts? Thanks in advance....

 

[Ken45101]

Anybody bought a tractor and wish they bought a zero turn or vice versa?

Well, we have used a 27 hp tractor (Kubota B2710) with mid mount mower for ten years. Originally it was bought when I had about 7 acres to mow. But in recent years, it's been about an acre to mow (and 35 acres of pasture for the bush hog on the big tractor).

We have odd areas in the yard with hills, gardens, patio, etc. We spent a lot of time turning the tractor around, not mowing, just getting it turned for the next pass.

We recently bought a zero turn (Kubota ZD323) and wow! What a difference! Mowing is fast and fun. My wife says the yard never looked so good. The only issue for us with the ZT is a couple of steep hills.

You'll have to decide if the multi function of a tractor is of primary importance or not.

For all the different tasks here (35 acres of pasture, 90 acres of woods), I have a multitude of machines.

Ken

 

[korydz]

I have a BX2660 and sixty (yes 60) acres. Don't get me wrong, most of its forest. I mow my lawn with a little Husqvarna mower (garden tractor style) since there are lots of tight spots between the trees. The entire lawn takes me about two hours. I have lots of other space that I maintain with a 4' rotary cutter, about 5 hours worth, but this only needs to be done a few times a year.

I plan to optimize my set up in the near future with a 60" MMM for the BX. This will let me cut the bigger wide open places quickly while sipping diesel (its amazing how much more a small lawnmower burns than a small diesel like the BX) and enjoying my very comfortable tractor. I'll use the little Husqvarna to get in to the tight spots for now, but eventually I think I'll buy a small zero turn. The big Kubota zero turns are great, but bigger and more expensive than this would call for. I'll likely end up with a Husqvarna zero turn. I love their products, the local dealer is superb, and the color fits in with the Kubota stuff nicely .

I would be lost without the utility of my BX. It can never hurt to have a FEL around and you can do almost anything with a PTO and a 3 point hitch. I have a rotary cutter, box scraper, blade, log splitter and a few "custom" pieces. The next on the list is a chipper/shredder.

I would strongly recommend the BX, and if you find it a little tough in the tight spots, you can either rethink your landscaping for easier access or suplement your mowing with a smaller mower for the tight stuff. I hear that there's people out there with these little mowers that you can walk behind...as crazy as it may seem.

 

[radioman]

I see you are from MA, Surely you get alot of snow. How do you currently clear it ? The Bx can help in this dept and the zero turn wouldn't. From the uses you explained, your folks and your porperty the BX makes sense.

 

[Will_C]

One thing I noticed in your post-you have an acre of lawn. It seems that a ZD would be overkill for that amount of mowing. I have a commercial zero turn (I mow a total of 9 acres on three properties), and I agree with Ken that a ZTR is the greatest way to mow.

With an acre of ground, have you considered a lighter duty ZTR? I would think that 3-4thousand dollars would purchase a new residential mower, leaving you a decent piece of change to buy a used tractor. Without the lawn mowing, you might consider a used B series, if you like Kubota. It would be better than a BX for the work at you Father's and the ground work you have planned.

Just my thoughts,

Will

 

[Will_C]

In addition, to respond to your question about regretting a purchase, I never have. I bought a BX in 2000, and did all my work for 7 years with that (for me, it was a great one piece of equipment solution). Last year, I added a ZTR for my mowing, and this year I swapped my BX for a B2620, which I use for FEL work and bush hogging. I am happy to have two machines now.

Will

 

[timswi]

In addition, to respond to your question about regretting a purchase, I never have. I bought a BX in 2000, and did all my work for 7 years with that (for me, it was a great one piece of equipment solution). Last year, I added a ZTR for my mowing, and this year I swapped my BX for a B2620, which I use for FEL work and bush hogging. I am happy to have two machines now.

Will

The zeros are great mowers, but that's all they do. When you spending that kind of money, it's nice to have one machine to do it all. The BX is perfect for cutting less than 4 acres of grass. I uses almost no fuel..The FEL will help you out more than you can imagine. I use mine for all kinds of stuff.

I vote BX.

 

[connor77]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. Ideally, I would buy just one machine. I couldn't fit two in my shed and the boss would likely have me staying in the shed if I were to buy two separate machines.

I don't have a huge driveway so I clear it with an Ariens snowblower that works just fine. Definitely couldn't justify the blower for a BX series as fun as it might be.

It would be interesting to hear how people feel their mid mount mowers perform. Meaning are they happy with the cut. I've considered with a BX series the fine cut deck because I wouldn't be mowing any fields or anything "rough" like that and would like the lawn to look nice. This is also a consideration for thinking about a zero turn mower - the nice job of lifting and cutting the grass that they do.

From the responses a BX seems to be winning and that's how I'm leaning mostly because of its utility. I'm afraid the problem if I get one will be buying every possible attachment for it because it would be cool to have it...

 

[Ken45101]

I'm afraid the problem if I get one will be buying every possible attachment for it because it would be cool to have it...

I know, I'm running out of barn space (and one of the barns is 146' long).

I really don't have all that many attachments....

Ken

 

[Jeff F.]

I intially looked into trading in my old Husky lawn tractor for my BX2660. I kept it for the $700.00 I was going to get. I let my wife use the Husky to get in the smaller places and I of course use the BX with a 60"MMM. I can get closer to the trees with the BX than what she does with the Husky-- maybe cause I don't want to get off the tractor.

In the future, I could see her using a small zero turn or one of the push type mowers.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I'd vote the BX, use it to help build a larger shed, then get the ZD also..
Seriously, you will use the FEL a lot more than you think. I don't know how I survived without one. I mow with 6' RFM, and have been thinking of getting a husqvarna for my son to use. With all the Zero turn chatter on here, now i'm pricing them instead

 

[JANDG]

I have both & would say the ZTR is over kill, unless you are the extreme type & then who cares about over kill,...The ZTR are so very fun to mow. BUT...They are a one trick pony & that is it. I would think a sub compact would be a nice helper to have & mow's to boot. The most used gear on my 5.8 acres is my 13-15 year old JD lawn trators lx172& lx176, point a.b. pulling small wagons with sprayer, chainsaw gear, brush, etc, etc// reason, they are light. I can only put my ZTR & tractor on the ground after May of each year if I am lucky without damged to lawns & such. ruts & more ruts if I get to itchy to do tractor work,of course which I have & payed the price. I would get the BX . If the extreme type ,both are supreme.
Joe

 

[harpoonalt]

I had a commercial ZTR and a BX. I sold my ZTR and got a MMM so I would have one machine and get more use out of the tractor. The BX mows ok, but with lots of stuff to go around takes time. My ZTR with a 48" deck took half the time that my BX takes with a 60" and the ZTR did a better job. Try a walk behind ZTR with a sulky. They cost less and are a blast to ride and are even more maneuverable than a rider. The BX gives you everything in one package and will do a good job. The ZTR would be my choice for mowing, hands down.

 

[Unregistered2013]

i think you're on the right path --

-- but my whole world became a lot easier when i got my zd331 this year, taking a 3 acre lawn to mowing in just under an hour.

i got a backhoe for the b2400, so it is used primarily for heavier work, and i have the RTV for the hitch-work.

it's all about time saved, for me -- the zd is a lifesaver.

 

[LBrown59]

I've recently sold a tractor that I could pull an aerator and dethatcher behind and I wonder if I'd miss the utility of the tractor if I bought a zero turn machine. Don't know what attachments are available for zero turns.

Basicly none.

 

[dodge man]

When I bought my BX a little over a year ago, I thought I would give up alot on the quality of the cut, but that is not the case. I have a 60" MMM, which is not the fine cut, but I put the mulching kit on it. The only drawback is the BX is pretty heavy compared to a regular riding mower, so it does seem to mash the grass down a little worse. The biggest suprise I have had with my BX is how much I use the FEL. I have put about 200 hours on my machine in the first year, and about half of that is FEL use. I use mine to haul my splitter to the trees I have cut down, and then haul the split wood to the pile. Plus I have moved dirt, dug out some stumps and many other things.

I also bought a rear blade for mine and haven't used my snowblower since, but my drive is about 600 feet long.

I don't think you would be disapointed with a BX as far as mowing goes and you will really enjoy having the FEL.

 

[KeithInSpace]

Faced with almost the exact dilemma, I chose the BX and BOY am I GLAD that's how I went. I mow a little more than 1 acre of heavily wooded grass and can get it done (including bagging) in about 45 minutes (that's tractor time...not trimming and such). Perhaps I could get that down to 30 or even 20 minutes with a ZTR, but along with gaining 15 to 25 minutes of my life, I'd lose one of the best tools I've ever purchased. I do EVERYTHING with my BX and the mow quality is exceptional.

Alternately, my cousin mows 5 acres of open field every week. That's his yard. His Kubota ZD21 FLIES and gets the job done much faster than a BX would. In his case, he's much better with a ZTR and a non-mowing B21...the exact solution he's deployed.

If you're looking for one solution, go with the BX. I hate renting things. Don't like the timetable it puts on my projects. You'll gain little time in mow speed and give up HUGE amounts of utility.

To give you an idea of how quickly a BX could dispatch 10 yards of mulch: I trailered my BX to my parents house (~3 hours away) to help fix their 1/2 acre yard. After I completely re-graded their ditchline and cut/filled numerous places in their yard (as much as 1 foot in places), I spread 6 CY of screened topsoil and 6 CY of compost blend. I evenly spread and graded that 12 CY of material in about 1 hour. I completed the entire lawn rehab job (including many, many other tasks) in 1 day. The next day, my Mom asked me to get the roots out of the back yard. Using the backhoe, I pulled ~1,000# of roots out of the ground and regraded the back yard for grass planting...that distraction took about 5 hours start to finish.

The BX is wicked-amazing.

 

[TripleR]

I replaced my BX2200 with a BX2660 six months ago and it mows everything without needing a second mower. We have a push mower that hasn't been used in so long it no longer runs. We also kept a JD425 to use in "trimming" and it has the same flat on it that it has had for about a year and it hasn't been started this year. The BX is a very nimble machine and will surprise you how sharp it will turn or how quickly you can do a 3 point turn with the HST.

My vote would naturally be for the BX with the 60" MMM. I prefer the standard deck as I have had a "fine cut" on a JD and unless the grass is completely dry you will probably get a lot of caking under there and spend a lot of time digging it out. The quality of cut on my 60" MMM is very good with "windrowing" only in really wet or tall grass.

 

[JANDG]

OT
Erici just checked your site out, how wonderfull. i have had no less than 5 APBT's in the last 30 years. There are all treated as kings & queens
Jax
Rosie
Kauss
Angel Baby
Clover
sorry for OT'ing this great thread
Joe

 

[jambx]

The right answer is the right answer based on your specific needs and wants. From what you described the BX is a more plausible direction than a dedicated ZTM.

If space is a premium and your really are looking for a all in one machine the BX would be the way to go - my former BX22 with a 60 inch cut cut like no other tractor / lawn mower I ever operated however, I was not happy about the fact that I had to take the MMM off ever time I wanted maximum clearance (i.e. wood, skidding logs etc). Since I mow every weekend I found myself taking the mower on and off a lot and for me it was a PIA. I vowed that if I ever upgrade I would look at a dedicated ZTM machine (I also have a 36x30 barn so space is not an issue).

I recently pulled the trigger on a B2920 and ZD21 (used w/ 144 hours) - even though its way overkill for my 1.5 acres I justified it by thinking that this would be the last mower I will ever buy (I also use it at my other property ~2 acres) and I could use the tractor all the time as a tractor (I put on ~100 hours / year in tractor mode). For me this was a great move and I have not looked back. My only problem is my 86 YO Dad will not let me cut the grass since he is having so much fun.

Good luck!