ericsink
New member
My family and I are moving from our 1/3 acre place in a subdivision to
five acres just outside of town. We will *probably* end up with ten
acres, as I am trying to purchase the lot next door. For now, it's
five for sure. I'm shopping for a compact tractor, and looking for
advice.
So far I like the looks of the BX2200. Everybody here on this website seems to love
theirs. I drooled over the JD4000 series for a while, but the price
difference is quite substantial. Nobody has given me a good reason to
go for the beefier grade of tractors.
I want 4WD and HST transmission. I want the ability to use a variety of attachments in the future. The ones which interest me now are the MMM, a snow blower and a tiller. I've read enough posts here to understand that everybody thinks their FEL is the greatest invention since sliced bread, so I am starting to think I'll want that item as well.
I'll be mowing at least three of those acres as a finished lawn, maybe
all five. If we get the other lot, I rather doubt I will probably
leave it as something other than lawn grass.
One of the first tasks, of course, is to convert this land from a corn
field into a lawn. Can a compact tractor do this? What attachment(s)
do I need?
What is a box scraper anyway?
The driveway will be 450 feet long, all gravel. We don't get a lot of
snow here in central Illinois, but every now and then we get pounded
with a bunch. My pickup truck won't have much trouble driving over
it, but I'll definitely need a way to clear the land for the wife's
minivan. A friend told me that snow blowers are considered far more desirable than a mere plow, and I noticed that their pricing reflects that. I may find myself dealing with 450 feet of snow a foot deep. What kind of power do I need for something like that?
We plan to have a garden. I'm not yet sure how big, but we want to
have sweet corn. I've got a 5HP Troy-Bilt tiller, but I was toying
around the idea of getting a PTO tiller for the tractor instead.
I want to do my own landscaping. I don't think we're going to do
anything major. There is a possibility that we'll need to put in a
stone creek across the front lawn, since we've got a drainage swail
that goes through there. My wife mentioned something about a
retaining wall once.
I'm thinking about having a one-acre pond put in on that second lot,
but I assume that digging such a beast is WAY beyond the capabilities
of a compact tractor. The guy next door put one in and the folks who
did it brought some very big yellow dirt moving equipment.
I've dreamed a little bit about putting in a gravel or chipped path
around the entire property, for walking or jogging. I assume that a
compact tractor is capable of that sort of task, although I don't
really know which attachment(s) I would need to get that job done.
Bottom line: This thing is going to get used for lawnmowing, more than
anything else, but I do want the flexibility to try and use it for a
variety of other jobs.
The local Kubota dealer has a BX2200 in their inventory, and I'm
getting hints that I can get a good deal on it. I don't have a
specific price quote yet.
I talked to the local John Deere folks, and the JD 4200 looks very,
very nice. But the price range is really a lot higher. The 4100 is a little more affordable, but that tractor just doesn't look appealing to me. It is very obviously not related to the rest of the 4000 line.
Money isn't the biggest factor here, but it is definitely a
consideration. I don't want to buy more than I need, partially
because I've got so many other projects clamoring for our money. And,
my wife is suspicious that I am buying a big toy. She might be right.
I figure I'm going to spend at least $12k and less than $15k. I *might* end up spending more, but I need a good reason, for both me and my wife. The
reason the JD is scary is because it looked like I could spend $20k
without blinking an eye.
So I'll take any advice I can get. Given the story above, am I going
to regret getting a BX2200? What alternatives should I consider?
five acres just outside of town. We will *probably* end up with ten
acres, as I am trying to purchase the lot next door. For now, it's
five for sure. I'm shopping for a compact tractor, and looking for
advice.
So far I like the looks of the BX2200. Everybody here on this website seems to love
theirs. I drooled over the JD4000 series for a while, but the price
difference is quite substantial. Nobody has given me a good reason to
go for the beefier grade of tractors.
I want 4WD and HST transmission. I want the ability to use a variety of attachments in the future. The ones which interest me now are the MMM, a snow blower and a tiller. I've read enough posts here to understand that everybody thinks their FEL is the greatest invention since sliced bread, so I am starting to think I'll want that item as well.
I'll be mowing at least three of those acres as a finished lawn, maybe
all five. If we get the other lot, I rather doubt I will probably
leave it as something other than lawn grass.
One of the first tasks, of course, is to convert this land from a corn
field into a lawn. Can a compact tractor do this? What attachment(s)
do I need?
What is a box scraper anyway?
The driveway will be 450 feet long, all gravel. We don't get a lot of
snow here in central Illinois, but every now and then we get pounded
with a bunch. My pickup truck won't have much trouble driving over
it, but I'll definitely need a way to clear the land for the wife's
minivan. A friend told me that snow blowers are considered far more desirable than a mere plow, and I noticed that their pricing reflects that. I may find myself dealing with 450 feet of snow a foot deep. What kind of power do I need for something like that?
We plan to have a garden. I'm not yet sure how big, but we want to
have sweet corn. I've got a 5HP Troy-Bilt tiller, but I was toying
around the idea of getting a PTO tiller for the tractor instead.
I want to do my own landscaping. I don't think we're going to do
anything major. There is a possibility that we'll need to put in a
stone creek across the front lawn, since we've got a drainage swail
that goes through there. My wife mentioned something about a
retaining wall once.
I'm thinking about having a one-acre pond put in on that second lot,
but I assume that digging such a beast is WAY beyond the capabilities
of a compact tractor. The guy next door put one in and the folks who
did it brought some very big yellow dirt moving equipment.
I've dreamed a little bit about putting in a gravel or chipped path
around the entire property, for walking or jogging. I assume that a
compact tractor is capable of that sort of task, although I don't
really know which attachment(s) I would need to get that job done.
Bottom line: This thing is going to get used for lawnmowing, more than
anything else, but I do want the flexibility to try and use it for a
variety of other jobs.
The local Kubota dealer has a BX2200 in their inventory, and I'm
getting hints that I can get a good deal on it. I don't have a
specific price quote yet.
I talked to the local John Deere folks, and the JD 4200 looks very,
very nice. But the price range is really a lot higher. The 4100 is a little more affordable, but that tractor just doesn't look appealing to me. It is very obviously not related to the rest of the 4000 line.
Money isn't the biggest factor here, but it is definitely a
consideration. I don't want to buy more than I need, partially
because I've got so many other projects clamoring for our money. And,
my wife is suspicious that I am buying a big toy. She might be right.
I figure I'm going to spend at least $12k and less than $15k. I *might* end up spending more, but I need a good reason, for both me and my wife. Thereason the JD is scary is because it looked like I could spend $20k
without blinking an eye.
So I'll take any advice I can get. Given the story above, am I going
to regret getting a BX2200? What alternatives should I consider?
