Deciding between B7510, BX1500, BX2530 for 5-acres

[BAYOUBENGAL]

Hi caddelma,

Now that I'm an experiences tractor owner with nearly half an hour in the seat of my new B7610 I thought I'd pipe in. I also considered a zero-turn (for about 12 seconds) then decided my property was a bit much for it. I had a guy come do my yard with a Dixie Chopper, he blew through it in about 2 1/2 hours (5+ acres mowed). He also would not come back. My land is slightly rolling and not groomed but not particulalry rough. But I could read between the lines why he wouldn't come back. So I began my search and looked at everything from the BX series, all the B's, and the L2800. Came close to buying the BX but several folks input that with the short wheelbase it would beat me to death helped sway me. That being said I like the BX's and if I had less the five acres, and it was lawn, I would go BX. The price differentail between the 18 and 23 series is very minor though. If I already had implements I would consider the B7610 for it's extra HP with only a small price difference over the B7510. The easiest thing in the world to find is someone willing to give you their opinion. I asked the guys on the forum here for input and opinions and it helped me tremendously in making my decision. In the end go with your gut instinct on what is the right tractor for you, your budget, and your requirements. I feel very comfortable with my choice and have no buyer remorse.

 

[caddelma]

Given the $$$ I would jump to the B7800, but I had to draw line (per the CFO) somewhere. Jumping to the B7610 would run me about $1k more and would basically gain me the ability to work slightly faster over the B7510. I may regret it later, as you can never have too much power!

Again, thanks for the input.

 

[Bob_Young]

If you expect to eventually go with a MMM on the B7510, it'd be better to get it now. The dealer's giving you an excellent price on the package. Later on he might not be feeling so generous.

The B7510/7610's with MMM make great mowers and, if you ever resell, the MMM adds a lot to saleability. However, if your lawn is open with few trees and obstructions, you might be able to get away with a Rear Finish Mower and save that way.
Bob

 

[caddelma]

If you expect to eventually go with a MMM on the B7510, it'd be better to get it now. The dealer's giving you an excellent price on the package. Later on he might not be feeling so generous.

The B7510/7610's with MMM make great mowers and, if you ever resell, the MMM adds a lot to saleability. However, if your lawn is open with few trees and obstructions, you might be able to get away with a Rear Finish Mower and save that way.
Bob

The dealer is family owned and he (Manager) and his wife (VP) live down the street from me in a new small "subdivision". We all know each other and my grandfather used to buy nearly all of his equipment from them, so I would expect the same support and service going forward (but you never know).

Right now the majority of my lot is fairly open, except right around the house where I have put up a fence (backyard) and planted several trees (8) so far. The backyard is already getting tight to manuever with the trees and I do not have a deck or a shed yet. Once they are added, I think the B7510 w/MMM or RFM will be too big to really save me time over a small rider or even push mower, but the rest could be cut by either

 

[Tom_H]

I would not go with the 1500 because it is too small, too light, and too little hp at the pto to do the many things you may want to do in the future with all this land. Those who have a 1500 are enamoured, but if you have used a bigger tractor, you know that you really need it for the larger land and the rough terrain that you have.

The BX will have more versatility for your needs than the B. The 2350 should have enough hp at the pto to turn that brushhog you mentioned.

 

[amigauser]

I would go with the B7510/7610. I own both a B3030 and a BX1500 and there is no comparison. The BX1500 is a fantastic mower with the full floating deck but it has limited ground clearance and PTO horse power. If you do go with a BX I would recommend the BX2350 but it still has the ground clearance issues.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Norm

 

[Renob]

I have a BX24 and cut 6 acres of old hay field several times of years with a 5 foot light duty BushHog Razorback. I have no problems whatsoever even in 6 foot tall weeds. Keep in mind I am only cutting an old weedy field that has material that is 1 inch thick or less. The field is also fairly flat and smooth, but some areas are rutted and not very fun with such a small tired tractor.

75% of the time the BX is cutting 2 plus acres of lawn. This is where it excels, but for the couple times a year it's in the field it also does a very good job.

 

[maxtractor]

I think you are going it the right direction. The B and BX are both good choices. I had to make a similar decision a couple of years ago and decided on the B7610. I chose mine because of the extra loader capacity and higher ground clearance. I have needed both. I absolutely love my tractor. I know the money up front is big, but you will be able to use the tractor for years and if you do have to sell it it will still have most of it's value. Check used prices, these tractors are really holding their value. Buy the largest tractor you can afford. I rarely see anyone on this forum say they wish they had gone smaller, but have seen several that wish they had gone a little bigger.
Don't worry about mowing with the loader, once you realize how easy it is to take off and put back on, you won't ever mow with it on.

 

[lawn_king]

I think you will have big time regrets if you go any smaller than the 7510. Its a proven machine, i ran a B7500 commercially for 6 years before jumping up to a 30 HP machine. I worked that 7500 year round, overworked it many times, loading stonedust, moving large trees,blowing and plowing snow,hogging brush, you name it she handled it and was good on fuel to boot! I would look at the B7610 as well, if they are close in price you may want to go for the extra horses. Good luck, Scott.

 

[caddelma]

Well, I made the plunge and went with the B7510. For now I went with the loader (LA302), grill guard, and loaded R4's (calcium). The total was $12190 (includes rebate of $350) +tax. They will be delivering on Sat. (for free).

Plan on trying the bush hog I have for now and once the budget recovers, consider either the MMM or RFM.

Thanks for all of the advice.