Looking at buying BX25D - questions on the BX's in general

[94BULLITT]

Here is a picture of some mowing. My yard is not the best but you can see in the better part it does stripe okay. I have the regular 54'' deck. I am wondering if it may cut better than the 54'' fine cut deck since Jason is dissatisfied with his.



Here is a hill I mow up and down now. When I took the pictures I was going down and backing up.







I have a tiltmeter on the BX and I have had it to 32*. I don't know how accurate it is though.

 

[Code54]

Your mowing looks great to me - our "yard" is a lot like your hill so I would be more than happy with the results you are getting. Thanks

 

[Scooby074]

Pretty powerful statement. It shows just what you think of the machine. Personally I am hardly qualified to comment on the BX as mine has a grand total of 15.something hours on it. But so far I have yet to find any "issues".

It is pretty simple to understand...you don't like little tractors, you see them as toys. Your sugar coating and tip toeing around their descriptions fool no one.

And you know what that is fine. It is not the end all and be all of machines, no one says it is....it might be totally useless to you. But to a great many people it is just perfect.....there is so much mine is bigger then yours with tractors it really is very grade school, and people get on the defense very quick and actively seek out places to spread the news that it is really just a lawn mower with a wheelbarrow on the front....when it really is much more then that....even after a short 15 hours I know that.

In not sugarcoating anything.. Im trying to be diplomatic and point out what a BX lacks at the same time.

They basically ARE garden tractors with a PTO , loader and backhoe, but they are a HEAVILY built GT. Im not denying the quality of their construction. Not so much a "toy" but a limited tool. Its not useless but it does have severe limitations due primarily to size and weight.

I didnt come up with powered wheelbarrow, actually that was penned by another BX owner, but I found it an apt description.

 

[94BULLITT]

Your mowing looks great to me - our "yard" is a lot like your hill so I would be more than happy with the results you are getting. Thanks

Thanks. The other pictures I showed your are the steepest. I would not even try mowing them with the Cub Cadet. I used a push mower.

This is a continuation of the hill that was in the first pictures. It is not as steep. The Cub Cadet with wheel weights that I had would slide down this part of the yard. It would spin a little going up. The BX is really great on the hill with the 4WD. I don't have to worry about sliding down the hills. The grass has improved on the is hill since I got the BX because it goes up and down the hills with ease. The camera does a nice job at leveling the hills out. I also mow with 3 55lb weights on the front.

 

[Scooby074]

Roger, it must be the regular deck.
If anyone is interested in cut issues. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...g/219707-problems-bx-fine-cut-rck54p23bx.html

Ive had my tractor at approx 22-25* sidehill without issues.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

Not so much a "toy" but a limited tool. Its not useless but it does have severe limitations due primarily to size and weight.
.

I only have a BX1500, so can't comment on the backhoe portion of the BX25. As far as being a limited tool, I have to strongly disagree. Every tool in the tool box has it's purpose as well as it's limitations. Would you use a 10lb maul to drive in a 8d nail or a 3/8 ratchet with cheater bar to torque a 1-1/2" bolt? I'm guessing not. Is there one true fits all tractor for every application, absolutely not. On our farm we have several tractors, each typically has there own uses. For many, a BX will perform all of the tasks asked of it, and do so efficiently. Around the yard or areas on our property where I want to tread lightly the BX fits the bill perfectly. There is a reason SCUTs are made and I think for their intended use a BX is not limited at all. The BX size and weight often times allows it to outshine it's bigger brothers.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Thanks for the Rip and Dig info! That is pretty neat. A lot of our property is very hilly and tight with trees. Some of my ditch lines are on the edge of the road and next to a 4' bank so sort of tight quarters. I do have a Stump bucket for the 5100 and been thinking it will work well with a small hoe. Sort of use the hoe to do the finesse work and bring the 5100 with the stump bucket in for some extra grunt maybe?

A little more info on the property may also help. We have about 8 acres, 3 or so are cleared and basically grass. I say basically because it is not a great yard, lots of little bare spots, some tree roots, hilly and somewhat rough. I am haven the soil tested right now so I am slowly trying to improve it but I have a feeling it is going to take a long time. The "woods" near the house is pretty cleaned out - I brush hog between most of the trees and have burned all the old dead fall off. I don't see us doing any major excavation (hope not at least) but a lot of planting bushes, planting some more trees, drainage ditching (about 16" wide, maybe 6" deep and a grand total of 500 feet at the most), may also dig some small trees out to replant (6' tall at the max, inch or 2 round type), have a 12' wide gravel driveway I need to put a few cross drains in, etc...

I also looked at the hoe for the 5100 and really really liked it but think it maybe a bit more than I need. I already have taken about 40 stumps out of the yard and got the shop excavated and put in so I hope all the big work is done. I was looking at several areas where I want to work and some are narrow -too narrow to get the 5100 in and not damage anything. Around us I can rent a Bobcat track hoe for $300 (total) for the day so if I had to do something major that is always an option.
I am thinking the BX will allow me to do stuff in the yard without a lot of damage and allow my wife to do some of her landscaping while I do other things. A few years ago I got an ATV Wagon 4 wheel dump cart and was thinking the BX should be able to pull it around no problem and that would allow me to load it with the 5100 when and if we move some dirt around.
You appear to me to be the perfect candidate for a BX25
4SHORTS - That is a pretty nice sized rock you had by your hoe - was the BX able to move it around? I figured it can't lift it but if it drug it from the hole that is impressive!!

Johnthomas - I noticed you really liked the BX, why did you prefer it over the B's. I LIVE ON A HILLSIDE AND THE CLOSER TO THE GROUND MY BUTT IS THE BETTER I LIKE IT. THE BX IS SMALLER FOR TRAILERING FROM WORK SITE TO HOME SITE AND BX WILL DO ALMOST AS MUCH AS THE B, MOSTLY JUST TAKES A LITTLE LONGER. FELT MORE COMFORTABLE ON THE BX THAN I HAVE ON THE B7800, B3200, B2320 AND THE B2620 AND FOR SURE THAN THE L3240 I had a walk behind zero turn with sulky and just sold it. It is an excellent machine but no one else in the house could run it. My Son is 13 and mows with the tractor and does a great job, wife likes mowing on the tractor but both of them were nothing short of terrified of the zero turn. No idea why but it does take a different ability to hang on and ride the sulky.

Thanks again to everyone for all the info and please keep it coming!

Its the definition of Master of None.

Yes it does alright in different jobs but it doesnt excel in any.

Have you ever trenched with a BX? Its too small to drive over the trench when your finished so unless you can drive straight out, your a bit stuck. Its hoe doesnt have enough swing to swing the rear over end over the trench to get out. It also has limited reach, so that means frequent moves, which wouldnt be so bad if it had a creep function you could use from the BH operators station, but it doesnt. Thats just how it is.

Ditching from the side, its "ok" but it suffers from limited reach, which means frequent moves and wasted time. On top of that it has relatively weak hydraulics and its light weight doesnt allow you to maximise what hydraulics are there. Try digging some hard packed red clay like I have around here. Its so light you'll drag your *** all over the place so you need to rely on small bites using the curl. Slow process. And the hydraulics themselves are slow.

Mowing wise, its never been a good mower to me, even with the fine cut deck. My ZD completely blows it out of the water as far as cut quality. Its heavy and all the weight is over the front wheels on the BX which means it compacts the grass and that grass leaves streaks. The ZD is just as heavy, but its weight is in the rear so the grass is cut before being squashed.

Lift capacity on the loader is too low to be overly effective. It can only lift what, 800lbs? It could barely lift my new woodstove out of the truck (and I have my hydraulics "turned up"). It certainly cant move a full pallet of firewood,not even a half pallet.

Right now, im dealing with the lack of 3pt hich lift height and ground clearance. I need a rear blade that will offset and angle to repair my washed out driveway. The BX's lack of lift prevents me from being able to do that with an off the shelf blade so Im going to have to design and build one to work with the BX's limitations. Frustrating.

I know you guys dont like hearing your babies arent perfect. I got one and call it like it really is, warts and all. Im not saying it isnt a tough well built machine, but people need to hear about the flaws too. As a retired homeowner machine, one where you have all day to do something. Or you want to put in some flower beds.. Or you dont want to damage the lawn.. then fine, but you should know that going in.

Robert, its not that the glass is half empty.. Its a great little machine, but it really has a lot of "issues" that can be frustrating. Everybody screams "buy it", but nobody points out the BX's inherent weaknesses. Potential buyers should hear this.

A BX without a Hoe is a powered wheelbarrow. If you've never used a BX Hoe, you shouldnt be recommending it to others.

In retrospect a B is as small as Id go as far as a tractor is concerned, if youre going to use it as a tractor and frankly an L is even better.

If I had an L, Id have a repaired driveway by now.

How deep do you need to trench? you can dig 4 ft neat and up to 6 ish messy. If you need to go deeper, you will be digging a swale like ditch to set BX inside of to go deeper then BX hoe can reach. I have dug a 12 ft trench but had to dig with FEL first 8 ft and it took alot of time to truck out the tailings with FEL. For me, the BX was the only machine I had so I made it work without abusing it. I just worked smarter with but it took time. I see you already have a larger tractor so if you can use both BX and MX, I think you got a sweet setup. You can use either one based on how much time you have or how much damage you want to do to area working. I like BX for many things, but its certainly not a B,L or MX series. I think EVERY tool you have has its own pros and cons and the BX doesnt have a con that prevents people buying it. You just use the right tool for the job for best efficency and safety, thats all. same goes for tractors.

I only have a BX1500, so can't comment on the backhoe portion of the BX25. As far as being a limited tool, I have to strongly disagree. Every tool in the tool box has it's purpose as well as it's limitations. Would you use a 10lb maul to drive in a 8d nail or a 3/8 ratchet with cheater bar to torque a 1-1/2" bolt? I'm guessing not. Is there one true fits all tractor for every application, absolutely not. On our farm we have several tractors, each typically has there own uses. For many, a BX will perform all of the tasks asked of it, and do so efficiently. Around the yard or areas on our property where I want to tread lightly the BX fits the bill perfectly. There is a reason SCUTs are made and I think for their intended use a BX is not limited at all. The BX size and weight often times allows it to outshine it's bigger brothers.

Scooby, not being mean but the bottom line is you bought the wrong size tractor to meet your needs and expectations. The BX is a tractor, actually classified as a sub compact utility tractor and that's what it is. I used the expression that when I bought my first ever in a lifetime tractor 11 years ago, a BX2200 MMM FEL, that I added the high priced front wheelbarrow but later discovered that I had NO IDEA of what it would do therefore had no idea of what I was talking about or thinking.
I've bought several, many, a bunch of different tractors over the past 11 years. All of them were great for the right job but all of them had issues with some of the jobs that I wanted them to do.
TripleR is my TBN hero. He has SCUTs, in between and monster tractors, the only issue is he's color blind on some of them, but he realizes that each machine has its limitations and areas of excellence.
My experience is that the BX25 is the BEST all around tractor that I have ever owned, Period. I've never mowed with a BX25. My experience is that the F3080.2680/3680 is the best mowing machine made but I use it for home/business lawn mowing on hillside home (F3080 4wd) and flat business (F2680e) lawn and I wait till the grass gets high enough to never doubt where I've mowed. I guess my L3240 would have almost picked the BX up in its bucket but the BX wouldn't pick the L3240 up. Different machine for different jobs but on my hillside I'd trade the L for a BX any day.......and did. Well traded it to a B3200 which I expected to perform differently than the L and the BX2660. I think you've typed before thinking clearly and may need to go back and delete some stuff or admit that you bought a machine to small for the jobs you expected it to do. Not trying to be mean with you. I've had people dig up something I posted several years in the past and it's contrary to my later postings.
Bite the bullet and trade that BX25 SCUT to an L4240 TRACTOR with a cab and BH and I believe you'll be happy with the jobs that it will do if they are in a location that you can reach/get to. Oh by the way, I'm sure your going to have to come up with a LOT MORE MONEY for that bigger, more right for your needs, machine but you'll be happier and really not poorer because you'll have the cash in the machine and using it.

 

[Cherokee140]

I laughed at the power wheel barrel comment - the other night I had my 5100 sitting on the driveway while I shoveled dirt from my ditch into the bucket. Why into the bucket - so I won't have to get the wheel barrel and push the heavy wet clay 100 yards away to dump it over the hill.....Kept thinking I can't wait to get a little backhoe so I can quit trying to shovel wet clay out of ditches......

By the way Cherokee140 - GREAT video from above - your "pilot" did a heck of a good job filming!

I wish I could claim that but I can't....just found it on youtube....saw what he was doing with it and figured....heck it can do that it will sure do what I need it to do.

I do bet some here are thinking that he cheated and there is a larger machine somewhere that really did that work.

 

[Cherokee140]

In not sugarcoating anything.. Im trying to be diplomatic and point out what a BX lacks at the same time.

They basically ARE garden tractors with a PTO , loader and backhoe, but they are a HEAVILY built GT. Im not denying the quality of their construction. Not so much a "toy" but a limited tool. Its not useless but it does have severe limitations due primarily to size and weight.

I didnt come up with powered wheelbarrow, actually that was penned by another BX owner, but I found it an apt description.

Ok....an over grown lawn mower.
I sure can't wait till I learn how to run that darn wheelbarrow....I keep taking huge chunks of grass out when I try to pickup dirt. I have screwed up and dug 4" down once. But I guess once I get better I will quit doing the bulldozer thing and use it like a wheelbarrow like it is suppose to be used.

You don't have any use for it that is clear. You seem to be the only one in this thread that did not know what he was buying....I don't know if someone told you it would do something it would not, or you did not know or research what you bought. It is real easy to figure out that one size machine will not do everything....even I know that. You seem to think that this is not a tractor, have a feeling it should not be on a real tractor forum as it is a garden tractor/ lawn mower....and it can't even do that well according to your sources(oh wait...that source is you...go figure)....so this thing in your eyes is really useless....we get it. We will tell the OP to go and buy a 9series JD....that should do the job for him.

 

[coveredbridge]

Most of my trenching will be very shallow - under a foot. May run a water line over to my shop, about 100 ft max and would go 3' deep. The only thing is I can rent a trencher for about $110 buck, make a little skinny 4" trench through the yard very quickly so I may skip the BX for that task. If I would dig it with a BX it would have to be about 3' deep so I would never have to worry about it freezing.

I seen a lot of good info on here and some great points were/are being brought out. I'm in the same boat as Cherokee140, if I go at full zero turn speeds my lawn will also eject me into the woods. It looks good from a slight distance but has some real rough spots. Also with hills a zero turn is not a lot of fun. Those front caster wheels love to pivot and help you go sideways down hill. I know that for a fact!


If anyone has photos of the BX on hills I would be interested in see what it can safely do.

I don't have any photos, but I can tell you without a doubt the BX is very stable on slopes, especially with loaded rear tires. I've mowed with mine across slopes that most people would call reckless, and never felt it was unstable. Now, can you roll one? Absolutely. But the BX feels way more stable than the larger tractors on slopes. That's one of the main reasons I bought it.