BX23 V GC2310

[jhb]

I am going ot the dealer that sells both, but thought I would look for a few heads up non salesman type info.

How do these two compare in price, size and work ability.
I know the 2310 has more HP, but that does not relate to lifting capacity.

Did a search and surprised I could not find this topic, so if its a repeat, sorry!

 

[jpr62902]

My advice is to not concern yourself too much with manufacturers' specs. All brands of subCUT's in this class have plenty of power to do the jobs they were designed to do.

When comparing the BX and GC TLB models, I think it all boils down to ergonomics and price (since you're looking at a dealer who carries both). See which one feels the best to you.

 

[GerardC]

I agree. Which ever one fits you better is the one I would get. Gerard

 

[jim_wilson]

I looked at both tractors pretty extensively when I was doing my shopping last summer. I ended up getting the BX23 but really could have gone either way. Here is what I remember being same/different between the two tractors:

1) The 3pt arms can stay attached on the GC when the backhoe is on the tractor - on the BX you need to remove them to put the backhoe on - this is a plus for the GC
2) The teeth are welded on vs. bolt on with the BX23 backhoe - I thought the bolt on teeth was a better deal because if you broke one you could replace it easier - I think this is a plus for the BX
3) The swivel on the GC seat was not as intuitive as the BX - the first time I looked at BX23 on the lot I was able to figure out how to move the seat. Even after looking at the GC a number of times I still wasn't able to figure out how to do it. This was a big plus for the BX because I knew when buying (and this has proven out in actual use) that I would be going back and forth from hoe to driving position on the seat.
4) Fit and finish - the GC's that I looked at did not appear to have the same level of fit and finish as the BX did.
5) Dealer, internet and population support - by this I mean how many Kubota dealers in the general area where there vs. how many Massey dealers and what was their location. Internet and population - by this I mean can I find support information about the tractor on the internet and in the general population. I think this is very important because I have discovered over the years that when I buy equipment and vehicles that I tend to do maintainence and modifications on them myself. So to support this I need readily accessible information - if you look thru tractorbynet you will see there are many more BX23 owners that you be able to turn to for support than there are GC owners. This is a plus for the BX
6) work capability - the published specs for both of these tractors are pretty close - I think the specs are actually somewhat better on the GC than they are on the BX. I would put this as a plus for the GC but only by a small margin.
7) Tractor attitude - I personally think the GC looks "cooler" than the BX. The BX has a little bit of overgrown garden tractor look to it. The GC looks more like a real tractor to me for some reason.
8) Tires - the front tires on all the SubCUT sized tractors are one of two sizes. The rears are all the same size. The BX and the NH TZ use the same size front tire and the Massey GC and the Deere 2210 use the same size front tire. There are no options other than turf or bar tire in the front tire size used on the BX and the TZ. For the front tire size used on the GC and the 2210 you can get turf, bar, HDAP, and industrial. I don't know if Massy offers all four but you can at least get the tires if this is important to you. I believe Deere does offer all four types on the 2210. You can also get much heavier duty tires in the size used on the GC and 2210 fronts than you can with the others. Useful if you are going to be using the tractor in places where you might get a lot of flats. This is a plus for the GC in my opinion.
9) Price - at the time I was shopping I was getting quoted higher prices for the GC than for the BX23. This was a plus for the BX but the differences were only about $500 so to me it wasn't really a big factor.
10) PTO HP - I believe that the GC has higher PTO HP than the BX - a plus for the GC.
11) Resale value and likelihood. At the time I bought my tractor I had to factor in the likelihood that I might resell it when I was done with the work I had to do. So resale value factored high. I had already seen BX22's out there on the used market and had proof that they kept their value pretty well. I could not find any used GC2310's out there to compare to. I watch Ebay frequently and see used BX models sell all the time. There have been a few GC2310 auctions and they seem like a hard sell sometimes. A plus for the BX.

If you are looking for a SubCUT sized tractor with a backhoe you might also want to factor in a John Deere 2210 with the new Woods Groundbreaker X , and a New Holland TZ with the same backhoe. The JD 2210 has one distinct advantage over the other SubCUT tractors - it's FEL bucket comes with quick attach so you can swap other implements onto the FEL. This was something I really wished the BX23 had when I bought it. The Woods backhoe is pretty nice. Chappell tractor up in Milton NH has had both a BX2230 and a NH TZ25D on the lot with the Groundbreaker mounted and they look nice. I have some pics online of the TZ with Woods backhoe - the downloads might be slow , the pictures are pretty big.

 

[8561]

Excellent post Jim. I agree with your assessments. The only one you may have left out regards the 3 point hitch. Some say the sub Kubotas have limited width making it somewhat less than a cat 1 capable hitch. I've never used a sub Kubota, so I can't state that as fact. About a year ago, there were many posts on this and the fact that the GC Massey did not have that limitation. My brother-in-law was going through the same comparison last year and went with the Massey so he could borrow my implements when necessary. That combined with the fact the local Massey dealer is much better than local Kubota, swayed his decision. I also have a friend with a BX23 that he likes very much. Both are excellent machines in my opionion.