Ideas for Kubotas next BX lineup?

[wrooster]

I figured we could start a thread for the Kubota execs to read if you were at the table when the new BX or "Max killer" tractor was designed, what would you insist Kuboypta includes to leap frog the competition without breaking the bank?

What features would YOU like Kubota to put in the next generation of SCUT it CUT tractors?

I think another way to look at this is by stating what features you DON'T want or need. Money saved in these areas can be better spent on other, more useful features.

Examples:
1) Turn signals on the BX, to me, are a complete waste. So, ditch the turn signals and mount a proper rear worklight, or two. Net cost is zero, in fact this might be an overall cost reduction.

2) Rear diff lock -- again, to me there is questionable value to this on a 4WD-capable tractor which neither weighs all that much nor has lots of ground clearance. Where you can get the BX stuck is rather limited by the ground clearance, and when you do get stuck it's not clear the diff lock is going to have much positive benefit. You can say, "but it will be there when I need it", however wouldn't you rather have a better seat or some such with the "savings" -- something you are using ALL of the time?

n.b.
There are some comments I would tend to disagree with in a couple of posts above. For example, the HST fan protection. I don't think this is a cost adder -- the fact is that Kubota probably has to fix a lot of broken fans under warranty, and that costs the company money and goodwill. It's probably cheaper, looking at the "full stream cost" to Kubota, to simply mount a sturdy guard under the HST fan. Sometimes more is less, especially if it knocks down a VERY expensive warranty fix.

Wrooster

 

[radioman]

Well - I really think the BX needs a road transport speed in high so there is l,m,h. 25 mph top speed perhaps.

I also think there should be a built in heat diverter from radiator to by the feet. for those cold months.

It would be cool if the tractor engine doesnt need to be shutoff for disconnecting the FEL and BH with a way to release pressure. This would make engine last longer by letting it run. It makes me cringe knowing engine is not warmed up yet when starting tractor to run hydraulics to remove equipment and then shut off to disconnect hoses.

mounting brackets for a TOOLBOX. all tractors always seems to need a toolbox for things. Under the rear fenders, just needs a built in hinge on fenders.

redesign midmount pto for ease of hookups, esp for those with back issues, arthritis, clean hookup without getting on floor getting dirty .

All BX's should have hydro aux ports ready built in for attachments on front or rear.

build attachments to run off BX's. midmount pto genny. midmount pto harley rake. rear grass baggers.

 

[bcp]

Hand crank on top of lift link so you can tilt the implement from the seat. Might as well put one on the top link, too. Manual TnT from the seat.

Bruce

 

[sea2summit]

2) Rear diff lock -- again, to me there is questionable value to this on a 4WD-capable tractor which neither weighs all that much nor has lots of ground clearance. Where you can get the BX stuck is rather limited by the ground clearance, and when you do get stuck it's not clear the diff lock is going to have much positive benefit. You can say, "but it will be there when I need it", however wouldn't you rather have a better seat or some such with the "savings" -- something you are using ALL of the time?

Have to disagree here. Dif lock was a life saver several times this winter...okay maybe not a life saver but was really nice to have.

 

[CHDinCT]

John Deere has addressed this by offering the 1023 with more features than the old 2305, but fewer than the 1026R. I am probably in the minority, but I won't buy another tractor without position control. We have a BX2660 as well as John Deere 2305, but there were no alternatives at the time.

I agree that Kubota is going to have to offer position control just to keep up with the competition. More and more of the SCUTs are coming with this feature even if 80% of SCUT users don't really need it, they'll compare spec's and see that Kubota doesn't offer it.

But, instead of adding it to the fully line, add it and maybe a few more bells and whistles to the BX2660 or it's replacement. Make a model that squares off more with the JD1026R. So what if it prices out at or slightly above the lower end of the B series. They'll be plenty of buyers that want a BX and want the bells and whistle's too.

 

[kiotiken]

For a Kioti fan-boy you sure spend a lot of time in the Kubota forum, sniping any thread you can stick your $0.02 worth in. :confused2:

This thread, as you can read in the OP's post, is located in the Kubota forum and regards ideas on how folks use their CURRENTLY OWNED BX's and how the BX model lineup might be further improved. Can you stay on topic and in your lane, instead of trying to start an endless and unproductive pissing match?

Wrooster <-- Has BX.

Wrooster, I think you might have taken my post a little seriously, it was supposed to be pretty light hearted. I know little about BX's, I've never looked at them, and I know even less about the new Kioti SCUT. As was mentioned, they were the Shibura (sp) version of the NH and may not hold a candle to the BX for all I know. Smile Wrooster, it wont hurt.

P.S - I look at the "Today's Posts" section of TBN and couldn't resist a little poke when I saw this thread.

 

[Scooby074]

Have to disagree here. Dif lock was a life saver several times this winter...okay maybe not a life saver but was really nice to have.

YES!! I regularly use the Diff Lock when mowing (saves having to try to shift into 4wd on the fly) and just the other day i needed it to crawl over a trench I dug. There is no replacement for diff lock on a tractor that is being used in less than perfect conditions.. sometimes its the difference between getting out by yourself and getting towed out.


All that said.. looking at a 1026r at a home show the other week, ironically the Kubota had a BX25 setup not 50' away so comparison was super easy... they really look to have hit it out of the park. Its basically the same cost (in my market) as a BX when the hoe is added. Lots of nice features, better paint, better lighting, more ground clearance etc.etc. If i was buying new today, I'd buy it over my BX. Kubota really got to step it up and LISTEN to the current owners, if they want me to stay in the family for my next purchase. How long have Kubota seats and their rotation been garbage? Yet they still remain...

 

[shownuff]

how bout a factory cab with glass??

 

[bp fick]

#1 thing for us in selling these is that you can't add ANY cost. The B-series is only marginally more as it is. Deere added position control on the 1-series subcompact and made it as expensive as our B-series machines are. I would not want position control given the cost involved. Many other suggestions here would be addressed by simply jumping to the larger model. Suggestions like protectors for the steering cylinders are more realistic.

I think Messick has a strong point to make here. In other Kubota lines, there is generally a basic series and a deluxe series. In the BX, even the smallest gets most all the features, but this jacks the price up. Setting up manufacturing of two different BX lines might be headache, but I sense this is where this may be heading, as Deere did, one way or the other.

There's already huge sticker SHOCK when lawn/garden tractor folks walk in and see $11,000 BX price tags. Add all the good stuff, even some of it, and the BX could easily push $12K before a loader. That's pretty heady stuff.

There is a market for a plain jane work horse diesel powered BX, just as there's a market for the deluxe, all the bells and whistle version, I suspect. In any case, this will be interesting to watch unfold.

 

[dodge man]

I also agree with Messicks. For me, my BX2350 was a huge investment. One my wife certainly didn't want to make. If they jack up the cost any higher, its just going to lose sales for them. Postion control? I'm not sure how that is going to help me. I my 3 point for a rear blade and a brush hog, which I use rarely. Its usually all the way up or all the way down, I don't see it doing anything for me. There are probably a lot of BX owners that don't even use the 3 point.

A road gear to make it go 25 mph? Thats a joke right? The engine would probably pull a BX up past 50 mph, but with the tiny tires, it would be unsafe much beyond 10 mph.

I think Kubota has and is building a tractor, that in my opnion, has the right number of options and features and they should leave it alone.