Bx or B

[senecak19]

I feel like your where I was at back in 2013. I shopped B’s till I was blue in the face and then bought an L3200. As soon as I bought my house, I bought a Gravely ZT. I bought my L series hoping I’d never have a need for larger. Today that’s still the case, HOWEVER, I still want a larger unit now with a cab I could very well be happy with both of machines and I have no regrets on either.

 

[Redtnsv]

So I went over to the local dealer again today. Drove both around the lot a second time and I actually think I liked the BX. Now the financials also might make that as we are just starting our home build. So it looks like I went back to a bx. Im hoping it does what I need. If it doesn't well then it will be back to the dealer. Keep the comments coming. This also ensures I won't be the only one mowing as my wife said she'd never mow on the b. Dealer says to get the turf tires as they'll work on everything.

 

[sea2summit]

So I went over to the local dealer again today. Drove both around the lot a second time and I actually think I liked the BX. Now the financials also might make that as we are just starting our home build. So it looks like I went back to a bx. Im hoping it does what I need. If it doesn't well then it will be back to the dealer. Keep the comments coming. This also ensures I won't be the only one mowing as my wife said she'd never mow on the b. Dealer says to get the turf tires as they'll work on everything.

R4’s don’t do any more damage to the lawn than turfs with small tractors IMHO (heck, my MX on R4’s doesn’t tear anything up unless I’m carrying something heavy and make tight turns) and the turfs can’t handle a load in the FEL. Still wouldn’t recommend a BX for the work your considering, and still wouldn’t recommend finish mowing with a tractor.

 

[JK22]

R4’s don’t do any more damage to the lawn than turfs with small tractors IMHO (heck, my MX on R4’s doesn’t tear anything up unless I’m carrying something heavy and make tight turns) and the turfs can’t handle a load in the FEL. Still wouldn’t recommend a BX for the work your considering, and still wouldn’t recommend finish mowing with a tractor.

Ditto on all fronts. Does the dealer only have BX in stock with turf tires? I get the sense he is trying to sell you what he has on the lot and not necessarily what you need. Some people buy the BX just to be a lawnmower, and that’s fine. But, it seems to me like you actually need a tractor with 8 acres, so buy a tractor. If you get a BX (which I maintain is not enough tractor for your situation) then get one equipped to do tractor stuff. It doesn’t sound to me like you will be mowing a finished bluegrass lawn, but rather some native grass, so why would you need turf tires? If you get a BX, I’d wager we see a classified ad from you in a year.

 

[Redtnsv]

He does only have turf tires on the ones he has....he gave me a price of $15400 which is lower than anything else I found by about 1k. The best I found on the 2301 was 19500. A 2601 I found at 21400. I do think at minimum I want the R4 tires. The b series just felt "big" and its likely due to me being a city boy who bought some acres. Im hoping to truly only maintain 3 of the acres. 2 of the acres is pond so thsts area I won't mow. I do forsee in a year I do sell the bx. I love everyone's input. The only grass I'll have is likely native grasses. A buddy did say skip the mmm and just get the b series and brush or flail and be done with it. Said the mmm is a waste and expensive.

 

[Redtnsv]

Loaded question, but am I wrong to think if I do sell the bx I'd have more interest than if I had the b2301?

 

[Rook78]

Got a 2301 5 yrs ago. I’ve built berms, moved 200 tons of cracked river rock, tilled with it (worked just fine), plow a 100’ drive with the bucket (edge tamers are worth the spend), have a grapple for it and it is the most used piece of equipment I have.

No MMM, I bought a zero turn for mowing as it is 3x faster and a better cut.

2301 gets my vote!

 

[donn12]

I sold my BX and got a B. No reason to buy two lol so get the B

 

[chim]

He does only have turf tires on the ones he has......................................The b series just felt "big" and its likely due to me being a city boy who bought some acres. Im hoping to truly only maintain 3 of the acres. 2 of the acres is pond so thsts area I won't mow. I do forsee in a year I do sell the bx. .................................A buddy did say skip the mmm and just get the b series and brush or flail and be done with it. Said the mmm is a waste and expensive.

Tire damage depends a lot on the conditions you have at YOUR place. I've had old diamond pattern turfs on a 2WD tractor, R1's on the little Ford and R4's on 3 different Kubotas. Those turfs were the worst for traction. The R1's are a lot better for traction than the turfs, slightly better for traction than the R4's, but mark the yard more than any of the R4's have. The last two sets of R4's are grooved and work great year round.

My FIL's John Deere 110 felt big to me when I was using a walk-behind mower at our first house. Since building here about 30 years ago we're on the 5th tractor and have reached the point where there's no need for anything bigger. It doesn't take much seat time on a larger tractor to feel right at home with it - or feel it is undersized.

The L4240 is very comfortable and pulls a 90" RFM. It has cut our 3-1/2 acres in just under an hour when I was in a hurry and went faster than was sensible (yard isn't golf course smooth). The 8' plow is more than needed at home, but allows me to clean parking lots at the church better than the buckets, blades or blowers I've used there in the past.

 

[tradosaurus]

Messicks did this video on the 5 most hated implements, the #1 worst was the MMM. Personally I would rate the rear mount snow blower #1, but the point is I would get a zero turn and forget about mowing with a tractor. Even if you get turf tires, you'll still tear up the lawn if it's wet or even damp out, every time you want to take the mower off you'll be hissing and spitting, and if you have a lot of trees it's going to take you forever, and when you're done it won't look as good as a ZTR would. For what you've described, get as much horsepower and lift capacity as you can afford. For example at some point you might get pallet forks, but with a B2630 you will have very limited lift capacity by the time you put the load out on the forks. If you want to pull a bush hog on hills through heavy brush, you either won't have the ground traction or the power to run a bush hog. If you want to till or turn over dirt in a garden, you'll need more weight and power for a ground engaging implement. If I were in your shoes I'd look for a used low hour L at least in the high 30 HP range or more, and wouldn't rule out an MX with 50ish HP. Kubota warranty is transferrable so if you buy something fairly new you'd have some warranty left.
"I wish I had bought a smaller tractor" is something no man has ever said, anywhere, anytime.

I went through the same process and purchased a 60" ZT mower to mow 2-1/2 acres. The only disadvantage is I have to wear a respirator as I kick up pollen and dust. At some point as I get older I will probably hire a kid from the community to mow for me (5X / yr) . Cheaper than buying a cab tractor. :laughing:

I never understood a MMM and why anyone would buy one but there obviously is a market for it.

Unless you are deadset against the DPF I would go with the largest tractor you could afford. Because I was new to tractors and the salesman evidently didn't know how to upsell laughing, I realize I should have went with an MX5400 vs the L3301. I do a lot of work in and out of trees and there is very little underside protection in the L3301 and I could have used the extra PTO hp in the MX.