BX25 questions

[check]

I have a BX25 and I reach its limits all the time, especially with respect to traction (although traction does not seem to be a problem when moving snow). For example, you have to spend a lot of time digging around even a small rock until you loosen it enough to roll it out and pick it up with the FEL, and tree stumps and even fairly small roots take a lot of finesse as well. (Having a helper with a big bar, a shovel, and an axe would save enormous time.) Also, I sure could use a 16" BH bucket as an option because you cannot move a lot of material quickly with the stock 12" bucket.

Regarding the FEL, BXpanded.com sells a bucket expander that will make a HUGE difference in your volume for things like soil and snow, and I want one just to reduce cycle time.

There i also another thread on how to boost your hydraulic pressure because the BX25 seems to ship with the pressure a bit low, and people who have boosted it have been impressed with the results. (So check that out as well.)

Having said all this about the limitations, I am still thrilled with my purchase, and would never buy the next bigger Kubota because the step up in $ is not worth it in my opinion, and mine fits on my 5' X 10' trailer whereas something bigger would take me over my 3500 lb. limit and maybe also be too long. In any case, I get the work done - you just can't be in a rush.

Good luck with your purchase!

 

[megaboz]

I have a BX25 and I reach its limits all the time, especially with respect to traction (although traction does not seem to be a problem when moving snow). For example, you have to spend a lot of time digging around even a small rock until you loosen it enough to roll it out and pick it up with the FEL, and tree stumps and even fairly small roots take a lot of finesse as well. (Having a helper with a big bar, a shovel, and an axe would save enormous time.) Also, I sure could use a 16" BH bucket as an option because you cannot move a lot of material quickly with the stock 12" bucket.

Regarding the FEL, BXpanded.com sells a bucket expander that will make a HUGE difference in your volume for things like soil and snow, and I want one just to reduce cycle time.

There i also another thread on how to boost your hydraulic pressure because the BX25 seems to ship with the pressure a bit low, and people who have boosted it have been impressed with the results. (So check that out as well.)

Having said all this about the limitations, I am still thrilled with my purchase, and would never buy the next bigger Kubota because the step up in $ is not worth it in my opinion, and mine fits on my 5' X 10' trailer whereas something bigger would take me over my 3500 lb. limit and maybe also be too long. In any case, I get the work done - you just can't be in a rush.

Good luck with your purchase!

Watch adding capacity to the FEL. With heavy mud/dirt, I have had the stock bucket loaded and lift the rear (loaded) tires. That is fine with the lite stuff, but just watch on the heavy stuff.

 

[TripleR]

Maybe I shouldn't offer an opinion because I don't own a BX25, but I have owned a BX2200 and now own a BX2660, John Deere 2305, two 600 Series Fords, a 375 Massey-Ferguson with FEL 4WD and a Case CX 80, 80 HP with FEL 4WD.

I will have to agree with an earlier poster and initially go with a bigger tractor even if you have to buy used until the "heavy" work is done and then go with a smaller one to maintain your property.

I am not saying a BX25 won't do it, I just wouldn't want to spend the time and added work it is going to take. Another option would be to get the BX25 and do what you can and if you run into something it can't handle, rent a bigger tractor for a day or two.

Just take time to learn your equipment before trying anything really challenging as we lose someone around here every year or so due to a tractor accident and they are experienced operators. Learn weight distribution, use your seat belt and ROPS. Another thing I have found useful is to get out and walk your work area; often looks different on foot than from a tractor seat. Be very aware of any undercuts along streams beds or washouts.

 

[TonkaToy]

Hey guys, sorry to cut in on this thread, but being a new owner of a BX25 (2 weeks), I am curious about the many comments of lifting the rear tires with heavy loads in the FEL. Is this with the BH on?

 

[deerhunter1]

Thanx for all your comments. I'm not real concerned about getting anything done quick so I should be ok. Aprecciate the safety info also !

 

[alchemysa]

I'm not real concerned about getting anything done quick so I should be ok.

A lot of guys have said that and learned to regret it. Sure, it sounds like a reasonable thing to say but its not simply a matter of YOUR time. You need to consider the wear and tear on the small tractor.

I'll give an example. Say you need to dig a 20 yard long, 4 feet deep, 4 feet wide soakage pit for a septic system. You are digging into a mixture of dirt and rock. Even if you have the time, are you really going to beat the **** out of your new BX for four days? Probably not. You'll probably hire in an excavator. But maybe you would have tackled it yourself with a bigger tractor that could do it in a day without straining itself.

You could find many similar situations while removing trees and making roads on your property. That bucket on the BX may look big NOW, but it will suddenly look very small when you want to move 40 ton of hillside. On 30 'mostly wooded' acres you are going to find lots of jobs that 'in practice' are just too big for a BX.

Small tractors have great maneuverability in small spaces. Thats about their best feature (and an important one) but I'm not sure they have a whole lot going for them apart from that. (Over a big tractor that is)

 

[megaboz]

Hey guys, sorry to cut in on this thread, but being a new owner of a BX25 (2 weeks), I am curious about the many comments of lifting the rear tires with heavy loads in the FEL. Is this with the BH on?

I don't always leave my BH on, most of the time it is off. And yes my lifting experience is without it on. Some counter weight in the back would be better, but I do not have anything at the moment, and to be honest the BH actually make some of the things I do dangerous because of it raising the center of gravity (or at lest in my mind it makes it dangerous to have it on).

You can lift the rear of almost any tractor that has a FEL without proper coutner weight, so this is not just because of the BX is small. What you need to watch out for is with a fully loaded bucket doing sudden jerking movements with the controls can really rock the BX. Also when carrying a heavy load in the FEL is usually best to keep it as low as possible. Again I don't think I am stating anything that isn't applicable to other tractors.

The point of it is that the BX 24 or 25 is a great little grass cutting machine that can perform other jobs on a smaller scale and in more time. Perfect for someone who has little projects that pop up. To use it to dig a leach field for a septic system, I would pass on that for this tractor. It is too slow and would take to long. Does it have the power to do it? Sure, it has plenty of power, but the hydraulics are a little light weight when it comes to trying to do more than one job, especially with the BH, but during a single function operation it has plenty of power.

Choosing the tractor size should be based off what work will it do most of the time. With a smaller tractor, you might have to take things a little slower.

I have been on this site for several years now, and I have learned a lot from reading other threads. There is good information here, some of it just doesn't always apply, but it may later.

Back to the orignal question, buy a smaller tractor cause you can afford it? If it isn't always going to be trying to do jobs that are bigger then it's capability, then get a BX. But if you are going to want to run bigger attachments later, you are stuck as the BX is limited to the size of the implements. 4 ft brush hog seems big, but on 30 acres, it isn't that big. But on the other hand if it is heavily wooded, the smaller tractor will get around obstacles better in most cases.

This is really a subjective question and different experiences are going to have varying opinions.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hey guys, sorry to cut in on this thread, but being a new owner of a BX25 (2 weeks), I am curious about the many comments of lifting the rear tires with heavy loads in the FEL. Is this with the BH on?

Foam filling my rear tires was $325 very well spent... the added weight is a bonus... the primary reason is to eliminate the possibility of flats...

Too many weekend projects were interrupted due to a flat... after the 3rd time in the first 60 hours... I said never again.

The weight improvement is very noticeable doing loader work and using the backhoe...

I don't use my BX for mowing so that is not an issue.

 

[rlsmith]

I loose traction before I have loose power in low range. I have blown a rear tire due to a all the weight I drag with my BH, I have a bubble showing up on one of my front tires now because of all the weight a hail around in the FEL.. I run 85% of the time full throttle with mine also. I will say also that I have blown the tranny out and Kubota replaced (not rebuilt) it even when it was 3 months out of warranty. Also cracked the both front steering housing because of what I have carried with my little mule. I love to work with my little mule.

 

[megaboz]

I loose traction before I have loose power in low range. I have blown a rear tire due to a all the weight I drag with my BH, I have a bubble showing up on one of my front tires now because of all the weight a hail around in the FEL.. I run 85% of the time full throttle with mine also. I will say also that I have blown the tranny out and Kubota replaced (not rebuilt) it even when it was 3 months out of warranty. Also cracked the both front steering housing because of what I have carried with my little mule. I love to work with my little mule.

I don't think I will be loaning anything of mine to you if you can destroy equipment that easily.