Kubota Conundrum...Which Model?

[jster804]

1st of all...I'm really frustrated with trying to decide what's the best model tractor for my situation. I have been looking for 4 months now and I still can't decide. I've read what seems like a million threads on tractor buying but since everyone's situation is a little more unique I figured I'd lay out my planned uses and just have everyone chime in. I've seen several threads where this was done and by the end of it we were all blessed with pictures of a new addition to the family. Also, I hope I don't offend anyone here but, I plan on posting this same topic on other sites as well to be able to get as many different opinions as possible.

By the way, I'm detail oriented so I'll apologize now for being long winded.

My homestead is two 1.4 acre lots (2.8 acres total) located in Texas between Houston and Galveston, and yes, Hurricane Ike recently remodeled my landscaping. One lot has the house on it and the other is clear with an old pole barn on it. I mow the whole thing regularly. I currently have a 54" deck on a regular garden tractor. The 54" deck barely fits between some of the trees I have so I'm trying to stay with that size. The vacant lot that I have was used for animals years ago. The previous owner didn't use it for anything. He just let it go and would only cut it with a bush hog once a year or so. It has A LOT of what I call "coastal hay" that grows at 3-4 times the rate of our San Augustine grass. I hate it. The lot is heavily compacted and has many low spots. I'm going to try and attach a Google picture of my property so everyone can get a visual. The low areas are pretty apparent.

I also have 21 acres of property (mostly wooded) in East Texas. An old Ford 3000 tractor came with the property. It has the diesel engine and runs good. No power steering, no 4WD, no FEL, no BH, and the 3-Point bleeds down regularly. It works O.K. for using the bush hog up there but that's about it. When I got the place up there 2-3 acres of it looked like Sanford and Son's place. Refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, water heaters, you name it, for as far as the eye could see. I ended up hiring a couple of guys to clear the debris because it was a pretty big liability for me. They brought in a bull dozer and a TLB and hauled all the big stuff off for scrap. All the trash was either pushed into piles or buried... and there it still sits... lots of it.

The tractor I'm looking to buy will predominately be use at my homestead. I need it to be light enough to use as a finish mower but I'd like the capability to use it as a TLB as needed. I do not want to have a tractor AND a lawn mower. I want one to do both jobs. I'm limited on storage space around here and I'm getting tired of maintaining so many engines (garden tractor, push mower, generator, weedeater, chainsaw, and chipper/shredder). I don't plan on hauling this thing to East Texas all the time but it will be needed at times for sure.

I'm a total rookie at tractor operation. I've never owned or operated one (other than trial and error on the Ford in East Texas). Everything I know I learned from the internet. Pretty scary huh?

As of 2 days ago I had convinced myself that the BX25 was the way to go. Then, just as I was about to head to the dealer to seal the deal, doubt crept in. You know, the Pre-Buyers Remorse-Remorse. Am I going to regret the Sub-Compact, I asked myself? I read it about all the time on these threads. Actually, the only thing that I don't like about the Sub-Compact is the fact that the 3-Point sits so low to the ground that you are limited on what 3-Point implements you can hook up to it. Now, do I need to be able to hook up a lot of 3-point implements? Hmmm, maybe not now, but what about the future? For my vacant lot I need to do a lot of grading. I know the BX can do it... but am I going to miss the extra ground clearance when I drag this thing up to East Texas?

I started to look at the next size up from the BX. The 2320, although taller, didn't offer much more than the BX for the money. The B2620 or B2920 would be the only way to go if I "stepped up". I got a price quote today for the B2920 and it sure seemed high compared to the BX25. It looks like Kubota has raised their prices since I started looking back in September.

I got a price quote on the BX25 as follows:
$15,950 w/ R4 tires and 12" Bucket.
$225 for the 3-Point Hitch
$1450 for the 54" Mid Mount Mower.
For an "estimated" $400 more I could get another set of wheels with turf tires. (I think I would use Turfs around here mainly but for serious dirt work and my trips to East Texas I can see the R4's being an asset).

From the same dealer I got a quote on a B2920:
$23,800 w/ Turf Tires, FEL, BH, & 54" Mid Mount Mower.
That seemed high to me. It also left me scratching my head... Main reason is because I don't want to spend that much. $21K - $22K out the door max...and the $22K is pushing it. Maybe a B2620? I can't imagine the price being that much cheaper and the extra PTO HP on the B2920 would be nice to have if needed.

The BX25's price is tempting. I'm just slightly concerned about regretting not getting the "bigger" tractor. This wouldn't be a problem if the B Series Tractors didn't offer up such a small footprint and low weight. I wouldn't even be considering them otherwise. They're basically just ever so slightly larger than the BX25 but they've got that height thing going for them...

Help...

 

[timswi]

Go ahead with the BX25..I have a very similar set up as you do, and I have a 2004 BX23 with a 54" mid mount mower. I bought this when my Cub Cadet garden tracter blew up with 100 hrs on it, and Cub wouldn't do anything about it, and briggs called it the exploding motor. Anyway I had just sold my Ford 8N farm tractor with a front end loader. I missed that as soon as it was gone.

The wife told me to get whatever I wanted...Mistake on her part!!

The BX is a perfect homeowner machine. you can do pretty much anything you need to do. It has plenty of power and many utility options. It is a substantial machine. It makes a garden tractor seem like a toy. It is expensive, but you do get what you pay for with this.

I would also get the frone ten loader (it appears to be an option on this model) along with the 3 point hitch...You'll use more than you would think..Trust me on this one.

Being a "compact" it does have some limitiations, but not enough to cause any problems. You will be amazed by the tractor, and will never want to be without one again!!!

It's the best grass cutter I've ever owned, foot deep grass, no problem.

Unbelievable fuel mileage with the desel as well.

I have only performed routine maintenance on the BX and have had no problems whatsoever.

Any other questions, let me know.

 

[dodge man]

The first thing I would ask you, do you really need a back hoe. I bought a bx2350 about 8 months ago, and have thought about getting a back hoe, but I really don't need one. I would say you need a back hoe if you want to dig holes and trenches, stump removal etc. The end loader will be best for moving piles of dirt, such as filling in your low spots. That said, I would love to have a backhoe and alot of people will say you can't get by without it.
I have so far been thrilled with the power and ability of my BX2350. It has yet to let me down. When I have been moving alot of dirt, I then wish I had a B or even a L. When I am mowing, I'm glad I have the BX. Its like having a pick up truck, some times you want a small truck, sometimes a full sized half ton, some times a one ton, sometimes a full blown semi, it will not always be the correct size.
From what you have described, the BX is the best size for your home property. Your other property it may not be big enough? A BX will only run a 48" brush hog. It just depends on what your long term plans are for the property. Will you keep the Ford for brush hogging? Alot of people will say get the bigger tractor now. Its your money and budget, it sounds like you are the one that has to decide how much you want to spend. Its really easy to spend alot of money after you get the tractor, such as more attachments, a new trailer to haul it on, a bigger truck to pull it with. Either way, you will not regret buying a BX or a B.

 

[timswi]

My bad...Should have known the 25 is equipped the same as the 23..In that case you will love it. I get quite a bit of hose out of the backhoe. It's amazing how unappealing a pick and shovel becomes when you have one of them.

The only pain in the arse is if you have to remove the FEL and BH to cut grass. Doesn't take long, just becomes an annoyance after the 50th time. If you have somewhere indoors to store them all the better.

 

[jster804]

The first thing I would ask you, do you really need a back hoe. I would say you need a back hoe if you want to dig holes and trenches, stump removal etc. That said, I would love to have a backhoe and alot of people will say you can't get by without it.

When I have been moving alot of dirt, I then wish I had a B or even a L. When I am mowing, I'm glad I have the BX. Its like having a pick up truck, some times you want a small truck, sometimes a full sized half ton, some times a one ton, sometimes a full blown semi, it will not always be the correct size.

Will you keep the Ford for brush hogging?

Alot of people will say get the bigger tractor now.

I currently have a lot of stumps to work on. More importantly, I plan on building a house on the vacant lot some day and would like to have the BH to do trenching, holes, grabbing / moving things (w/ thumb)... I don't think I would use it all the time, but I would definitely get a lot of use out of it.

Your analogy with the pickup trucks is my dilemma. Both of these tractors would work for me...

Yes, I'm keeping the Ford. Not only for brush hogging but if I needed a big heavy tractor for ground engaging implements I think it would be the way to go.

I wouldn't be opposed to getting the bigger tractor now if I could just convince myself that I wouldn't regret buying it for my application... Oh yeah, and I'd have to convince myself to shell out the extra money. Times are tough for all right now. If I won't need the thing than I don't want to pay for it. I'm the world's worst at over buying. My wife hates it. By the way, my pickup truck is way too big for my needs, I'm scared I'll do the same with the tractor... or maybe not.

That's why I'm looking for everyone's opinion. Thank you for yours.

 

[ChuckinNH]

It usually comes down to the primary use for the tractor. I think if finish mowing is the primary use that the BX would be better. I've owned both a BX, and now a B2620. I love the 2620, but am not sure I will finish mow around all my obstacles with it. Though paper numbers don't prove it, the BX did seem a bit more nimble. If a BX has enough horsepower for your uses going to a B doesn't mean you have to buy more. I bought the B2620 because I have a chipper, and thought the extra hp might be needed for that. The jury is still out on that one, and perhaps the B2320 would have been fine. I personally wouldn't buy the B2920 since I feel I would be much happier with a B3200 if I felt I needed that much horsepower. Some folks use large implements on small tractors, but I don't care for the tail wagging the dog feeling, or look even. My tractor runs a 48" rotary cutter just fine, but I wouldn't want the added length, and weight of a five footer hanging back there. Once you get by a certain point, hp without weight reaches a point of diminishing returns quickly. No tractor is going to be both a good logging skidder, and a nimble finish mower. Look at your needs from a very realistic view, write down the implements that you want to use, and how big you want them, and then buy the tractor that matches.

 

[PUSHINDIRT]

Good luck with this one. I originally chose a 24 for the exact same reasons you mentioned. I wanted something with some HP and I figured for the price I could get a hoe as well. I now have a 2920 w/o a back-hoe. I found the BH to be "underpowered" I had a tough time with 3-4" stumps in clay. I even went out and bought a bro-tek ripper tooth which helped some, but not enough. I realized that if I need to I can rent a trac-hoe for $300/ weekend to do all the trenching/ digging I need. I would put more money into the tractor. The Bx20 series and even the new 3200, are great machines for the money, they offer more PTO HP, greater hydraulic capacity (for loader and 3pt) and you don't have to pay extra for the 3 pt. hitch. You also get 3 ranges to choose from and greater ground clearance.
In reality they all are great machines. Everybody has a favorite. Good Luck!

 

[Charlton John]

I agree w/ the census so far. I had a New Holland SCUT (same as the Kubota BX) and it was one **** of a little tractor. I also have 3 acres. There was nothing the NH couldnt do for me it just took longer to get things done. Seeing most of my 3 acres was open (about 2.5 acres open) and needed a major overhaul (stumps, boulders, leveling etc...) I wanted something a bit larger as I needed a little more ground clearence and a stronger loader to get things done faster, I traded in for a Kubota 2620 and I couldnt be happier w/ this machine. As I think in the 2x20 series this model 2620 is the most bang for your buck you get a bigger stronger loader than offered on the 2320 a bit more HP. As I think Chuck also mentioned the 2920 really gives you nothing more than 3 more horse than the 2620. The loader weight etc.. are the same. Good Luck and welcome to TBN!

 

[Eightpoint]

If you are going to be using it primarily for the two smaller lots then the BX would be my recommendation. I think you would be pleased with the capabilities of the BX line - some tasks take longer than with a larger machine but it gives you more seat time

Another consideration is hauling the BX to your other piece of land versus a larger machine. Not sure what you would be hauling the tractor/attachments with but a larger machine may push you out of your towing abilities.

Good luck!

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I started with a BX2200. One year later traded it to a B7800 and 3 years later traded it to a L3240HST. No backhoes. I wanted to buy a backhoe but for the cost I couldn't justify it. I don't dig trenches or dig up trees. I actually couldn't think of a reason for a backhoe other than ocassionally dig a hole to plant a tree. I wouldn't take it off and on for that and I wouldn't want it on all the time. That's just my feeling and situation. The BX will do just about anything the B will do except for ground clearance and the weight of the B will give you more traction when pushing stuff. The BX also just takes a little longer to do things than the B. Same thing from B to L. I also had a BX1500 and traded it to a BX2350 which is now my mowing machine. If your the kind of person that always second guesses yourself then your not going to be happy with what ever you buy. Knowing the B is faster and higher you'll always think you should have gotten the B when it's taking to long and your having ground clearance issues with a BX. When your just mowing you'll think how much extra you spent for the B just to mow. I traded my B to an L and want to go back to a B3200 because it just fits my needs better. Have I clouded the water some more? Get the B and when you get ready for clearing the land and digging water lines add a backhoe, rent a digger or pay someone to do it. Also you can blame it on me any time you have any regrets that I told you to get the B. Guess you can see I prefer the B series having owned 3 BX's, one B and an L. I also have an F2880E that I use for just mowing a mobile home park that's level.