Kubota Tractor Purchase

[TX ANM]

I am looking to purchase in the next month a tractor for my new place. I have 2.5 acres, and have a need for the following:
- snow removal down my driveway (about 150 yards)
- Post hole digging
- Tilling of old overgrown area (about 1.5 acres)
- removal of lots & lots of gravel & rock that the previous owner dumped
- removal of a 150 year old cotton wood (cut & drag to the front for easy loading)
- mowing of about 2 acres going forward (The rest will be nice grass & I will use a push mower to get my exercise!)

I have been looking at Kubota tractors & they appear to be great machines that hold their value. My budget is around 10-12,500. What should I look for? I have found the following on craigslist:
BX2200 (looks newer) 4WD with 48" tiller & box scrapper - $10,500 OBO
2007 L2800 (under 150 hrs) with bucket, Brushhog, Landscape rake, Box Scraper, Rear Blade - $15,000 (This seems high but maybe somebody could tell me here)


What else should I look at?

Thanks for the responses, anything helps.

 

[gwdixon]

You will probably want and need something larger than a BX for some of those jobs.

A B-series or an L-series in the 25 - 35 HP range should do whatever you want and in a reasonable time frame.

The tiller, post hole digger, and mower will add quite a bit to the expense. That makes the L2800 look pretty good. Check the various tractor selling sites (this one included) to get a price comparison.

 

[art]

The BX is about all you need but some tasks that you have listed could be asking all of the BX and then some with out good knowledge of tractot operation.
This is where getting to know your tractor on some of the smaller jobs would make using it on the larger jobs a bit easier. Time is the key here and if you are short of time then a larger unit might assist in a faster intial job but leave you over sized for future tasks.

 

[radioman]

For the tasks you have listed- you would be better off with a B or bigger. A BX can do all those things, but time is not on your side. The post hole digger, you are limited to the size you buy and it must be a junior size. A full size post hole digger will cause auger to drag. Tilling is not a problem for BX, 4 or 5 footer will be good so whatever tractor you get it will work for all sized tractors. For moving dumped gravel, you will need to order a toothbar for whatever tractor you get. What size of rocks are you talking about that needs to be moved ? Any sized tractor with right snow equipment suited for your area will be fine. 150 yr old cottonwood ? are you sure? have you cut one down to get the age and final diameter yet ?

using a push mower for 2 acres to mow ? sure ! you can get a belly or RFM mower for the tractor instead- the fuel costs will be much less compared to push mower.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Had an L and now have a BX and a B. Looks like a B will do most of your requirements. I found that trees and stumps are usually a one time item which can be handled much easier and quicker by a dozer. Pay the guy a few hundred dollars and save a few thousand dollars on a bigger tractor that will be to big for most of your ongoing needs. i cut trees for a month with a chain saw and still had stumps. I then had a dozer come and knock down with stumps and all in a few hours the remaining ones that was more than I had cut and also pushed my remaining stumps in the pile and then burned them.

 

[LBrown59]

The BX is about all you need but some tasks that you have listed could be asking all of the BX and then some with out good knowledge of tractot operation.
This is where getting to know your tractor on some of the smaller jobs would make using it on the larger jobs a bit easier. Time is the key here and if you are short of time then
1* a larger unit might assist in a faster intial job but leave you over sized for future tasks.

1*Many sceamers of the bigger is better faith forget this about this fact.

 

[TripleR]

I truly love my BX2660, but would probably opt for a B Series for what you describe and as JOHNTHOMAS points out, hire someone to do the bigger, one-time stuff.

 

[Jimmy Joe]

Not sure where you are located, or how much snow you get, but if it gets very cold there I would want a bigger unit or a cab. You must be on an easement or something to have a driveway that long.

 

[LRTX1]

using a push mower for 2 acres to mow ? sure !

I believe he said he has 2.5 acres and wants to tractor mow 2 of those. Leaving the .5 to push mow....

 

[Carter Bamboo]

The BX2660 is one fine machine. I worked a Bolen 21 hp for many years on a little over 15 acres. That was indeed small, but the higher hp and 4wd of the Kubota would be a huge leap forward. I found I spent more hours mowing than anything else and the tight turning radius, power steering, mid mount mower and hst trans of a BX2660 sure would have been nice. I now use a JD455 for my mowing around the house, appr 4 acres yard. The Ford 2600 for bigger work. If I could only have one machine again to do all my work, I would size it for what I do most. I have many, many trees in my yard and a machine the size of a BX would be ideal for mowing.