Considering a Kubota BX.....

   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #1  

deere4320

Silver Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
187
Location
Northwest CT
Tractor
2008 Deere 4320 eHydro w/400X FEL and Unloaded R4's
Hi All,
My family and i are looking for a new SCUT for mowing. We have about 5 and 1/2 mowable acres. My deere 4320 is a little too much for mowing and tilling our small garden. Plus, i don't have an iMatch or a quick change system, so i would be a pain switching between a RFM and the old brush hog. I would plan to eventually purchase a tiller. Our terrain is hilly so 4WD is a must. I have been doing research on the BX vs. the competitors and i think the BX is an all around better tractor. I am only fifteen years old so i have been saving since winter, working all summer so far, and plan to sell our deere lawn tractor. On our way home from Charlotte today we saw a Kubota dealer in Maryland and stopped to see what they had. They had some nice used BX's. I had wish a bought a camera with me, but there were already on tractor house.com. The first is a 2004 BX2230 w/ 414 hours and a RCK60 MMM for $7,500. The other was a 2002 BX2200 with 670 hours and a RCK60 MMM for $6,900. They both seem to be in great shape. Was there any big difference between theses tractors? I know that there is a $600 price difference but the BX2230 has 200 less hours than the BX2200. Has anybody had both of them? Whats a better deal?:confused:

Sorry I don't know how to post more than 4 pictures so the pics of the BX2200 will in another post.
 

Attachments

  • 84963626.jpg
    84963626.jpg
    186.4 KB · Views: 300
  • 84963628-1.jpg
    84963628-1.jpg
    180.3 KB · Views: 278
  • 84963630.jpg
    84963630.jpg
    151.3 KB · Views: 211
  • 84963632.jpg
    84963632.jpg
    188.5 KB · Views: 370
   / Considering a Kubota BX.....
  • Thread Starter
#2  
Here they are...
 

Attachments

  • 84194660.jpg
    84194660.jpg
    189 KB · Views: 494
  • 84194662.jpg
    84194662.jpg
    211.5 KB · Views: 290
  • 84194664.jpg
    84194664.jpg
    146.1 KB · Views: 229
  • 84194666.jpg
    84194666.jpg
    180.3 KB · Views: 383
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #3  
They both are great tractors, but i woud definately prefer the BX2230, considering the pricing that you recieved and the improvements of the model line. The BX2230 is a very good Kubota tractor.
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #4  
200 hours and 2 years is worth paying the $600 difference in my opinion. I've had a BX2200, my first Kubota and it is a workhorse and there will be very little difference between either one of them other than the age and hours. Shop around with these figures and you may be able to save some more money.
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #5  
I believe one of the main changes from the BX2200 to the BX2230 was the loader design. With the BX2200, you would disconnect the FEL, but the control valve and stick would stay with the tractor. With the BX2230, the valve and stick were mounted on the FEL frame and came off with the FEL. And, sure enough, you can see the control valve and stick on the right side of the BX2200 in that picture! But the rest of the loader seems to be missing... no mounting brackets, etc. I would want to know the story behind that. Seems a bit wierd that it originally had a loader and it was taken off.
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #6  
I had a 2230 that was a great mower. I traded for a BX2350 also very good. I'd go with the BX2230 of the two just for the lower hours also.
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX.....
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I believe one of the main changes from the BX2200 to the BX2230 was the loader design. With the BX2200, you would disconnect the FEL, but the control valve and stick would stay with the tractor. With the BX2230, the valve and stick were mounted on the FEL frame and came off with the FEL. And, sure enough, you can see the control valve and stick on the right side of the BX2200 in that picture! But the rest of the loader seems to be missing... no mounting brackets, etc. I would want to know the story behind that. Seems a bit wierd that it originally had a loader and it was taken off.

But without the loader joystick on the BX2200, how would you operate a plow or snowblower?
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #8  
I had a BX22, and one of the reasons I traded it was that the hydraulic controls came off with the loader. Yes, you can dismont the loader controls, and mount them back on the tractor, but it is kind of a greasy dance to do alone. Some of that series tractor was sold without a loader, and so the mast, etc. has to be purchased separately if you want to use front mounted attachments, and they aren't cheap. I think that the foot pedal for the hydro was improved between the BX2200, and BX2230 series too. Others, and myself had problems with the tractor not stopping sometimes when you took your foot off the hydro. The issue was "sometimes" since it could be a bit irritating to stop one time, and not the next.
You say that you think the BX is the better of the small tractors. Is that a subjective thing like feel, or ergonomics, or a matter of specs. / performance? Older minds need to know. :D
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #9  
But without the loader joystick on the BX2200, how would you operate a plow or snowblower?

There were some who did not like the "improvement" for just the reason you mentioned, but I guess most buyers did not need a front attachment other than the FEL. I have a rear blade for my BX, which does OK in our mild mid-Atlantic winters.
 
   / Considering a Kubota BX..... #10  




You dont need new to you power in my opinion only but:


It would be better for you to save your money, buy some rear wheel wieghts,
or have the tires loaded with windshield washer fluid in bulk, and as you already have a prime mover with a large engine and power-

you should keep the John Deere and purchase a 59 inch Caroni Flail mower with or without the hydraulic side shift from agri supply as they have an internet sale price with frieght included delivered to your door or if you live close to one of their retail outlets save on the freight.

The Caroni TM1900FSC flail mower can be mounted manually in two postions being 1 and 0 to mow.

Youu can order the hydraulic side shift and do it all for you with no issues.

You can eliminate the brush mower too with purchase of the flail mower.


The Caroni folks build a good rototiller as well and agrisupply may be whre you want to buy the tiller and you could save on freight costs when or if you buy both of them at one time.



The CaroniTM1900FSC has a 75 inch cut with 112 grass knives and the grass knives have more total cutting edge in ches than an Brush hog, RFM, or belly mower.


Its no secret I like Kubota tractors and flail mowers, as I worked on the mine use underground versions of kubota two wheel drive tractors for years etc., but you should save your money and buy wheel wieghts for the JD4320 and or have the tires loaded and buy the TM 1900FSC as you will be out less money in the long run and you will have a mower that will outlast the tractor as long as it is taken care of.

The flail mower is shorter than a RFM or brush mower too and will not throw objects making missiles out of them.

The rear roller on the flail mower reduce any scalping to a bare minimum
if it happens at all and creates an even cut all the way across the mower path.

The rear roller is the hieght gauge for the cut of the flail mower and is locked in place with nuts and bolts.


The flail mower with finish blades is equally at home mowing brush as well and will knock it all down in one or two passses depending on your ground speed and brush volume, and as long as you maintain 540 rpm and the higher throttle setting to avoid power issues.


There are a lot postings about flail mowers here and 93 pages or more on them now in the attachments part of the TBN home page, candidly I would suggest you read them, only to become more informed, as knowledge is power.


An old Arab proverb goes like this: "there is danger in not knowing what you do not know".

I would rather see that you were an informed consumer only because:

1. I dont have a nickle invested in what you do, or do not do with your money.
2. I have any commercial interests in mowers.
3. I own a towed motorised 48 inch flail mower
4. the first time you see how a flail mower works you will see why they work so well.
5. the flail mower slices the grass blade or brush where the rotary mower or brush mower tears it.
6. The flail moweer operates at high rpm and creates a vacuum to lift the xliced material over the rotor and throws
it back down on the ground.
7. heavy brush is sliced into tiny pieces and it will be much easier to chop it up with the flail mower a second time
with very little effort or power.
8. the flailmower makes much, much, less noise than a rotary mower or brush mower.
9. less fuel used.
10. less time required to mow- I mow five acres with a wheel horse with 2 gallons of gas flat out with 16 horse
briggs and stratton single cylinder engine inn low range-
the tractor simply becomes a tow truck where the motorised flail is giving full out to the flail mower
rotor through the belt drive at very high rotor RPM.
11. mower grass knives are much less expensive than rotary mower blades.



We have had the same 48" flail mower with only minor repairs for the original engine, one tire and rim and main bearing replacement in 30 plus years- we replaced a 36 inch flail mower with the wider unit.





My thoughts anyway for what it is worth.


Flail-Master - Mower Replacement Parts, Commercial Riding Mower Parts, Rotary Cutter Parts, Blade grinders, Trimmer Line, Mowing Accessories - Flail Master - Flailmaster -

Agri Supply - Farm Supplies, Tools, Lawn Mower Blades, Cast Iron Cookware

Caroni S.p.a. - Costruzioni meccaniche


leonz


There is no helping fluffy now, we are ruined!



 

Attachments

  • 51838334-3c69-4c56-a83b-45aacd0c5ee3.jpg
    51838334-3c69-4c56-a83b-45aacd0c5ee3.jpg
    64 KB · Views: 270
Last edited:
 
Top