BX2350 or BX24? (Backhoe or not)

[LBrown59]

I've been following this thread and each of you have made some great points. I have been shopping and until yesterday never paid much attention to the BX24. Throw in a MMM and you have a great little machine and 24 ponies to get things done. Anyway, the last time I wanted to rent a hoe it was always booked. So I called a friend who does construction work and excavating on the side. About a year latter he showed up. The demand for small hoes to get in tight yards etc is greater then many folks realize. I'm not saying get one to hire yourself out but when you want to get a job done and can wait on someone wait. But I think one would be wise to get the hoe, do what you want, when you want and then if you don't need it sale it.

I figured it like this.
My BX 23 is worth at least 40 bucks and hour so at 3800 dollars the BH was paid for after I got 95 hours on the tractor.
I now have 943 hours on the BX23 so at 40$ an hour both the tractor and the BH was paid for a long time ago.

 

[LBrown59]

You are right! That is odd, I wonder why Kubota did that?

The BX2350 rops is 70.4"" high
The BX--24 rops is 85.4'' high.
I just took some tape and taped it across my bx23 rops 15 inches down from the top.
Tried getting on and off the BH seat ducking under the tape.
Loosing 15 inches off the height of my ROPS did in fact make getting on and off noticeably more awaked.
Yes, you can still use the short rops but the BH experience isn't nearly as pleasant.
This make me suspect it's because one tractor is designed for a BH while the other is not; at least in Kubotas eyes.

 

[KeithInSpace]

Doesn't it strike you as a little odd to put 2 different ROPS on the 2 tractors if there is no purpose for it?

Never once said there was no purpose for it. The smaller ROPS isn't exactly roomy. Thing is, it is a little in front of you when sitting in the rotated seat, so it really isn't in your way. When you straighten your back, you naturally lean back, so you end up staring at the ROPS instead of hitting your head on it.

The statement was that I never found it to be a constraint and I never clunked my head on it...a statement I stand by. That isn't to say it wouldn't be nice to have a few more inches. And it certainly hasn't bothered me enough to shell out $$$ to fix.

Pics are from the beginning of my marathon landscaping project last June. Note the ear protection hanging on the FEL stick...I use it almost 100% of the time, but my wife was taking pictures and I wanted to look cool (er).

 

[CRAFTBENDER]

I have a BX24 and love it. The first thing I used was the BH to dig a forty foot long french drain almost 6 ft. deep. Everything about this pocket battleship amazes me. I also bought the 60 inch belly mower and my wife loves to mow our 3.5 acreas. The three year no interest is a plus too. When building a new front and back porch it came in handy in many ways. In the spring we are going to be doing a lot of landscaping too.

 

[Tom_H]

So then wonder why does the BX2350 and the BX24 have different ROPS if the BH doesn't make any difference?
If the reason for the 2 different rops isn't because of the BH then what in your opinion is the reason for it.
Doesn't it strike you as a little odd to put 2 different ROPS on the 2 tractors if there is no purpose for it?
== L B ==

I don't have to know why Kubota did it. You have not been on both types of tractors. I have. In my own opinion, the ROPS on the BX24 is larger than necessary. You seem to think that if your own logic makes sense to you, then it must be absolute truth. You think that if the ROPS on the BX22, 23, 24 is bigger, then the reason absolutely has to be that the ROPS on a BX 1500, 1800, 1830, 1850, 2200, 2230, 2350, 2650 is too small to accommodate a bh operator. In a science experiment, that might seem to be a reasonable hypothesis. But a hypothesis in not a fact until proven. You have never been on one of these tractors. Why don't you go sit on one and try it before you come on the board and tell everyone that it's too small. You don't know that it's too small, you just guess that it is. GO SIT ON ONE AND TRY IT OUT BEFORE YOU MAKE THESE STATEMENTS OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH!!

Does the size difference strike me as "odd"? What strikes me as being "odd" is you. You claim to have bought this BX23 for $2500 less than anyone else has ever heard of. You claim that your Ohio lic. plates only cost $5. You claim that you have built a deck on 2" x 4" joists that is stronger than a typical deck on 2" x 10" joists. You claim that mobile homes and manufactured homes are stronger than stick built homes. And you claim that this ROPS is too small, even though you have never sat on a tractor with this ROPS and a BH6000 attached. Junkman asked you repeatedly for evidence to verify the prices of the BX23 and the lic. plate. You just ignored him, except for the one time you asked why you should have to provide the evidence. Ohio hasn't been considered the NW territory since the revolution, but you list yourself as living in "the first settled sommunity in the NW territory" just so there's one more thing to brag about. To me, all these strange things that you say are the things that are "odd". The reason that you should verify them is because people have no reason to believe you otherwise. You want us to believe that BX price, show us the receipt. You want us to believe the lic. plate price, show us the receipt. You want us to believe your 2x4 joisted deck is stronger than a 2x10 joisted deck, show us the engineering. You want us to believe a manufactured home is stronger than stick built, show us the engineering. You want to convince us that the ROPS is too small, go sit on one and have photos made of your head banging the top. Do this and I'll change my mind about what/who is "odd".

 

[Tom_H]

Pics are from the beginning of my marathon landscaping project last June.

Hey Keith, nice house. Nice little woodland around it too.

 

[asylum575]

This is getting good.

Tom,
I gave up on asking for pictures and asked for video when Lee said he uses one BX to push a rock into the other BX's bucket.

Re: Confessions of a Newbee

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by LBrown59
If worse comes to worse I can cheat a little and push the rock into the BX23 loader bucket with the 60'' front blade on the BX1500.

Hey Lee,
Yet another use for multiple machines. Still not proving the cost effectiveness of the purchase. How about giving up on the pictures and going all out. Get a VIDEO camera and tape one machine pushing a rock into the other's bucket. Then we'll put it on You Tube,

BTW, I have a BX24 and love the high ROPS, If there's a chance of me bumping my head, I normally will.

 

[David Cockey]

I figured it like this.
My BX 23 is worth at least 40 bucks and hour so at 3800 dollars the BH was paid for after I got 95 hours on the tractor.
I now have 943 hours on the BX23 so at 40$ an hour both the tractor and the BH was paid for a long time ago.

Your calculation only makes sense if the backhoe was used all the time.

To do a per-hour financial assessment of buying a BX24 vs a BX2350 figure the value per hour used for the backhoe. Then divide that into the cost difference between the tractors (cost of the backhoe) and that gives you the number of hours it takes to reach break-even on the backhoe. That doesn't take into account the value of having a backhoe available, nor of the time-cost of the money invested in the backhoe and the hassle of having the backhoe when it's not being used.

 

[KeithInSpace]

...noticeably more awaked.

Well, we can't have that.

I tend to agree with Mr. Tom_H on a great many of his points...well, all his points.

To the original question: Unless you are over 6'-2" tall or 250#, there is but a small difference in accessability between the two machines. In fact, when I'm using mine, from the normal forward position, I typically stand up, turn [my body] around, rotate the seat 90 degrees, step from the main operators platform to the BH operator's platform holding onto the top of the ROPS as a sort of monkey bar, use one hand to spin the seat the rest of the way around, and sit down facing the BH. I actually find it more cumbersome to exit the tractor and re-enter on the BH platform.

If I have room to do that, I have room to operate the BH comfortably in a roomy and efficient manner.

Therefore, I ask all owners of BX22/23/24 machines...why is your ROPS so friggen' huge! Just kidding. I love you guys.

 

[David Cockey]

We recently decided on a BX2350 instead of a BX24 even though a backhoe might be occasionally handy because:

1) Not many potential uses for a backhoe beyond digging up a few stumps and possibly planting a few trees. No construction projects are contemplated, and no drainage ditches to dig out. If we do need some minor backhoe work done I'll see if our neighbor can do it since he's always looking for an excuse to use his. I've noticed that he rarely has it mounted on his tractor, which might indicate how frequently he has need for it. (He uses the tractor for property maintenance, etc, but not for mowing.) For major backhoe work I'll rent a larger backhoe or hire someone to do it.

2) Storage would be a problem. A longer space would be needed to park the tractor inside with the backhoe on, and there isn't an inside space to store it when off the tractor.

3) $3500 or so can be used for other things, including attachments which will get more use, and some which are not tractor related.

That was our analysis of our situation. So far we don't miss it and I'm glad I haven't had to figure out where to store it for the winter. Others will certainly be in different situations where a backhoe makes more sense because of needs and/or desire to own.

In contrast the front-end-loader is proving to be as useful as expected.