Deciding between B7510, BX1500, BX2530 for 5-acres

[caddelma]

Looking for input on a tractor purchase. I would be using it to maintain a 5-acre lot. The lot is rectangular, flat and rough in spots (old farm field). First goal is to keep the area mowed, second is landscaping, etc. I have a 300 ft paved drive, and keep about 1/2 to 3/4 acre groomed like a lawn.

Last year, I mowed the lawn a with a Huskee rider (20hp, 46 in cut) and used my old tractor (Lenar) and a 5-foot bushhog to maintain the fields. I sold the tractor and had the pleasure of cutting all 5-acres with the Huskee for the first time last week. Took almost 7 hours and nearly beat me to death bouncing around.

I was originally considering replacing the well used (but functional) Huskee with a decent zero-turn, but my concern is the rough terrain and I can see snapping off a front wheel in some of the ruts. I talked with the local Kubota dealer about this as he sells both and lives about 3 houses away and knows my lot. He suggested a BX2350 with a 60'MMM and a loader. He also said he has a B7510HST with a loader he could add a MMM to that he needs to sell before he starts paying interest.

Here are the prices from the local dealer:
BX2530 60"MMM and Loader w/turf tires $12,200+tax DEMO w/less than 20 hrs
BX2530 60"MMM and Loader w/turf tires $12,895+tax (new unit)
B7510HST 60"MMM and Loader (LA302) w/R4 tires $14,000+tax (new unit)

Another dealer across town advertised a BX1500 w/mower, loader and 10 hrs for $9500, but do not know the details beyond that, guessing either 48" or 54" MMM and it is a Demo unit.

How easy is it to mow with the loader on? I have a fenced in back yard and some trees I planted around the house so I am concerned about maneuvering.

How long does it take to remove a loader?

I have considered going with the B7510 w/o a MMM and using my 5-foot bushhog and continuing to use the Huskee around the house. My concern with the BX series is using my other attachments, the 5-foot bushhog, a post-hole digger, pond scoop and blade, due to the lift height and weight capacity of the 3-pt hitch.

Appreciate any advice...

 

[herder_of_cats]

Hi Caddelma!

I just purchased a BX1500 and had to have the loader removed to get the tractor home. It took about 10 minutes (or less) to remove the loader and it was done at and by the dealership. I had to put the loader back on myself and it took about 45 minutes. I forgot my manuals and kinda had to guess at what had to be done. I think I could have done it a lot quicker if I knew what I was supposed to do from the start.

I have about 10 acres of land with about 6 acres open. I have regularly mowed (54" MMM) about an acre with about 1/2 acre of pasture as well and have found the BX1500 more than up to the task. Mowing 5 acres should be a snap.

I have also hogged out a LOT of staghorn sumac and blackberry brambles with the bucket. That was a LOT of fun! (except for getting whipped by the thorny canes.)

I paid $8K for mine that had about 180 hours on it.

Take care and I'm sure any of the tractors you're looking at will be fine.

Mark Vancho

 

[Bob_Young]

Caddelma,
Of the three, I'd definitely favor the B7510. It'll give you more ground clearance and the height of the 3pt. hitch will be much more in line with your existing implements than the BX. That said, however, the B7510's 3pt. is somewhat reduced in its dimensions and you still may have some problems lifting your standard Cat I implements high enough. I've found that the reduced dimension XB implements King Kutter came out with for the BX's seem to work quite well on my B7610.

The 5' bush hog will probably overwhelm the BX and really challenge the B7510. The Maximum bush hog size recommended in the B7610/7510 manual is 4'. I think this is more a matter of implement weight than power needed to run it. If the land isn't too rough and your hog has a tailwheel, you might consider running it with only the lower 3pt. hitch arms attached and no toplink. You won't be able to lift the hog clear off the ground, but half of the hog's weight will be supported by the tailwheel easing demands on the tractor. I frequently run this way with my 6 footer where the ground is fairly even.

Don't sweat removing the FEL; just follow the book. You can have it Off or On in 5 minutes once you get used to it. I've got lots of trees plus some rough ground. Everytime I mow it's "install the mower and remove the FEL" takes around 15 minutes for both. When I finish mowing it's "install the FEL and remove the mower"....another 15 minutes.

R & R of the MMM is a little tougher than the FEL, but not bad IF THE FEL IS ON THE TRACTOR. I use the FEL to raise the front wheels of the tractor far enough to roll the mower under them. This makes moving the MMM into or out of position quite easy. For MMM R&R the book procedure (without FEL) is a struggle.

Getting the MMM off the tractor frequently is necessary to reach all the grease fittings. The mowers are notorious for coming with little or no grease in the spindles. If the dealer forgot to pump the spindles full, a few shots with the grease gun will be nowhere near enough grease at the outset.

Your prices seem to be very good. I think the B7510 with MMM is quite a bargain at the price you've listed. You might want to fill the rear tires (for traction and stability), add bucket hooks and maybe a block heater. These things might add another $500.

From what you've indicated and your existing implements, the B7510 is minimum I'd go with. Even that may be marginal. A used Ag tractor of around 30 to 35HP might allow better use of the implements you have. Another possibility is to sell your existing implements and replace them with BX sized versions from King Kutter. That might allow you to take advantage of those BX2350 prices.
Bob

 

[caddelma]

Appreciate the info so far.

I called another dealer today to get more input on the BX1500. He was very helpful and offered similar advice. He did say I would be limited on the BX series with regard to implements. He said I could get either the 48" deck or the 54" deck, but he said the 54" deck on the BX1500 will be pushing it with thick grass and hills. He did say the 5-ft bush hog would be a stretch for the B7510, but would work for my purposes, but would make for some touchy situations if I raised it all the way up, but with the loader on it would help keep the steering from getting too loose. He also offered a similar deal for a B7510...$9100 for tractor w/R4's and another $2800 for a loader +tax and a MMM if I went that route.

To really make a decision, I need to go drive them all and get a better feel. I do like the openness of the operator area on the newer BX series vs. the B7510. The advantage of the B7510 is I can use all of my implements, even if in a limited manner. I only have about $500 in all of my implements so if I go the BX route, it is not too big of a hit.

I would love to jump to a B7800, but that is pushing it past what I want to spend (i.e. what the CFO will allow). Partly why I am leaning toward the B7510 w/o the MMM and using my bush hog for now...decisions, decisions...

 

[wushaw]

I had a B7500 I used to pull a 5' finish mower (bushhog brand 536lbs) without the FEL on and had no problems with the ft. end coming off the ground. The motor would run a little warm in real tall stuff...I was cutting more than I should have.

 

[caddelma]

I think the concern with the brush hog I have and the B7510 is if I was transporting any distance with the hog all the way up the front would want to get loose, which I really would not need to do and with the loader on it should be fine.

As for cutting height, I plan to keep the fields no taller than 6 inches or so and it is not that thick...yet. With my old tractor, I never ran out of enough power before the slip clutch kicked in on the really thick/tall stuff.

 

[Volfandt]

Like's been said, using your exisitng implements on the B7510 will be pushing it and unfortunately they are definitely too big for the BX's.

I finish mow 4 acres with a BX23 & 60" MMM which is the older version of the BX24. It does very well and I can knock it all out in 3 hrs tops. The strength of the BX w/a 60" MMM is that it is a full floating mower that does not contact the ground except when it encounters hills or depressions and thats when the anti-scapl wheels come into play. Aprrox 3 acres of mine is former pasture / garden land and it's very rough so I opted to go with the BX because of the floating deck. I too was looking at a B7510 also but thought I'd wear it's ground contact mower out. Since then Kubota has come out with the B7510 Turf Special and it does have a full floating MMM.

On a BX, R&R'ing the FEL only takes a minute or two once you've gotten used to it. It's a tooless proceedure and is so easy that I may mount / dismount mine several times in a single day depending upon needs. It is not hard at all! Since I finish mow around the house, shop and many fence rows theres no way I mow with the FEL mounted. I also dismount the BH but thats another story.

All that said, the B7510 may be a better fit due to your implements. I sold my old std Cat 1 implements along with my old tractor when I went w/the BX and I've found that the FEL does most if not more then what my old pond scoop and box blade did. I didn't have a PHD and if I need to plant posts now I'll just use my BH to dig. Since I keep all the acerage down I don't miss the 5' bush hog at all.

The B7510 w/ the larger rear wheels MAY give a softer ride than the short BX wheels but the ground contact mower may not withstand the pounding as well as the floating BX mower does. Kubota does make a floating 60" MMM for the B7510 but I don't know what the price difference would be if any.
As for the 5' bush hog, I would be afraid that it would be too big for the B7510, both in size and required pto power. My old Fergusen TE20 made around 20 hp at the pto and it took all of it to work my old Howse 5" bushhog. It would nearly bring the front end up when I lifted it also.

Anyways, the sop for the 23hp BX and 21Hp B7510 is to go w/a 4' bushhog. If the dealer says' it'll handle a 5' and he'll warrant it then what
-the-hey...

Any any case, as for mowing w/a 60" MMM, the BX2350 and/or B7510 are close in cut quality (with the above mentioned differences) w/the B7510 getting the nod with it's ability to handle more std Cat1 implements. I wouldn't consider the BX1500 or BX1850 in your case only because of the sheer size of your property. They are great machines tho.....
Test 'em out as best you can and go with the one that fits your seat best
Good luck

 

[cmhyland]

I think the answer is simple...

Get the machine with the biggest lift capacity on the loader.

Second to that is get the machine that weighs the most.

Hp is seconday for the most part unless your running a chipper or a harley rake or something.

I have a B2910 and the only limitations I run into is the loader lift capacity...

Until you do this tractoring stuff a bit it will amaze you what rocks, and logs weigh.

Pallet forks are a must for any machine with a loader.

Regards,
Chris

 

[don716]

I have a B7500 and love it. I can take the loader off in about 3 min and put it back on in about the same. I have a 4ft bush hog and it pulls it very well.I've used it in a field where you could'nt even see my tractor until I came out the other side and with no problems.I have a 60" MMM and it works great when mowing the 6 plus acres.I keep my loader off more than ever now since it's mowing season.It's like an oversized lawn mower with an attitude.If I was you I would go with the 7610 with a loader and a 60"MMM.Trust me you will not regret it.
Donny

 

[caddelma]

Right now I am strongly leaning toward the B7510 with the loader only. Adding the MMM now pushes the price beyond my budget. I plan to use the bush hog I have for now until I get the fields a little smoother and/or until the little Huskee kicks the bucket. Then I can either add a rear finish mower or a MMM.

I need to call/visit my local dealer and get a firm price on the tractor with:
B7510
Loader (LA302)
Loaded R4's

The one he and I discussed initially has the loader and 4-position valve already installed and would only require loading the tires. It already has the grill guard installed which I wanted. Even my wife was convinced I need the bigger B7510 over the BX series (and I had a witness), now if she will hand over the $$$