New guy, 2210 or bx2230

Charlie_in_TX · Feb 11, 2004

Greg, all good points.

I was in a similar situation as lil. The wife and I bought 7 acres, about half cleared. I bought a 1952 8N in good shape in '99 for $2300. Added a 5ft KK hog and beat the property into submission clearing brush and leveling 100's of loads of dirt. I will sell the 8N this year for about what I payed for it and replace it with either a 2210 or a Mahindra 2015. All the hard work was done by a piece of equipment better designed to handle it than any of the modern units I have seen.

Henro · Feb 11, 2004

If you purchase a "disposable" bush hog for $400 and rent a tractor for at least $200, that just made your tractor "purchase price" go up by at least $600. 

GregJ,

You make some good points. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

One small flaw in your logic though...he would still have the brush hog after he returned the rental tractor...so the purchase price only goes up by $200. Maybe only by $150, if we deduct something for the wear and tear that is transfered from the new tractor to the rental tractor, by using the rental for the initial heavy work. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

bigpete · Feb 11, 2004

if we deduct something for the wear and tear that is transfered from the new tractor to the rental tractor, by using the rental for the initial heavy work. 

That wear and tear can be considerable with the smaller CUT or SUB-CUT. I'm all for beating up the rental and using the smaller (your) machine for the clean-up and maintenance. You could add years to the life of the machine you own, not to mention the possible savings on avoiding premature repair costs and a higher resale value with fewer hours, dents, and dings.

Just like they used to say back in college, NOTHING parties like a rental /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

GregJ · Feb 11, 2004

Henro,
I admit that I am probably representing a minority opinion here, but you have to understand that this opinion is coming from a slightly demented... addicted... tractor owner. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I was however suggesting that he may not need a bush hog after all. If he cleans up the area he wants cleared and puts in lawn, a simple lawn mower can take care of that. I have done that with a lot that we own and it is a lot easier to mow than bush hog. (Actually, it's really easy. The neighbor to that property was so happy I put in lawn, he mows it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

I really like my toothbar and it does a great job at simple clearing. I did mention earlier that each patch of dirt and vegetation is different, and around here, brush clearing is a "walk in the park" for my B7500. His situation may be different.

I guess it comes down to 2 basic points of differentiation. Whenever I go to rent something, I really like to look at it closely to see if there is any way that I can cost justify buying vs. renting. I have never liked paying rent. The second point is time and the enjoyment factor of "doing it yourself", with your own equipment. I have spent many evenings since I bought my tractor just puttering in the back yard... pushing back brush and adding lawn, etc. I go out for an hour at a time. If lildozer has time and enjoys that type of work, like me, I think he would miss out on a lot of fun if he rented some bigger equipment and rushed through clearing his property in one day. For me, it is theraputic to come home from work and do something totally different from what I've been doing all day.

I know that we are all "Masters" at spending other peoples money. How many times have we all said, that's a really nice tractor you're looking at, but if you got one size bigger you could....... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I know I'm doing that right now, but I really think it's important to give some differing viewpoints to the potential buyers. The reality is, I wish I had a B7800, but it wasn't on the market when I bought. I almost got the BX22 and it would have significantly limited the things I am doing now, because I am pushing my B7500 to the limit. Just tonight I helped my neighbor remove an outboard motor from his boat and load it into his pickup truck. I had about 2 inches to spare in lift height to get the motor off. It occured to me that if I had gotten the BX22, I wouldn't have been able to help him.

I guess, bottom line is that everybodies uses will be different and it is up to us to try to confuse any future buyers as much as possible. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Greg

lildozer · Feb 15, 2004

Alright, here's what I decided to do. I'm buying a bx2230 w/ teeth on the bucket and a rake, as was suggested earlier, and hopefully uproot the vegetation with the bucket/teeth/rake combo. I got to thinking, if I wack these small saplings down with a bush-hog I still have small nubs sticking up that have to be pried out, so I'll just pry them out with the plant still attached /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.............. Hopefully.
My 2230 should be here tues. the 17th /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. I'll let you know how it goes.
(UUMMMMMM......ooownerrr/ooperatorrrrrrrr)

frank_f15 · Feb 15, 2004

sounds like a good plan, just be advised that some of those nubs, will have some god awful roots, and they won't pull easy, remember this when u hook one and the right or left rear wheel starts to lift. just back off! and then u have experienced the pucker factor /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

GregJ · Feb 15, 2004

Lildozer,
Congratulations on your purchase. I'm sure you're going to have a great time with your new machine. I think you'll be amazed at what it will do. Your toothbar will do a lot of damage in a short period of time.

Frank's advice is really good. If you are new to tractors, it is really easy to pick up the back end and actually tip over a tractor if you aren't careful. You will get a lot better performance if you can get some weight on the back end. It will actually give you a little more digging power and be safer as well. Also, keep your FEL as low as possible when you have a heavy load. When I am working my machine hard I keep chanting to myself.... Low and Slow.....Low and Slow....

Congratulations, take your time, have fun and be safe.....

Greg

megotatractor · Feb 17, 2004

I had a similar sitchation. I bought an acreage with 3.5 acres of weeds, plus patches of burdock and ragweed up to ten feet tall. Had no idea what was in there. I borrowed a neighbors beat up but low hour 4wd kioti with a bucket and a five foot woods mower. I drove through slowly with the bucket lowered and sometimes backed into areas too dense to see forward. The neighbor had hit a steel fence post, I took over and hit a concrete block. The guy didn't mind otherwise he probably wouldn't have loaned the tractor in the first place. I kick myself for not buying the little kioti from him with it's shuttle shift, loader, cab, mower for $6500. He traded the Kioti for a brand new JD which I haven't seen yet. Good luck with the weeds.

DanR67 · Feb 18, 2004

Hello all,

First off - congrats lildozer! You've at least passed the critical hurdle that my wife and I are currently *agonizing* over: making the final CUT choice / decision!

I hope I'm not too far off-topic - but it seems like I'm in the market for approximately the same sozed CUT - so I thought I'd post here reather than start a whole new thread.

*************
I've been lurking for the past week here at TBN - but have visited a couple JD & Kubota dealers in past years. Well - the *Missus* just turned 40 - so she's just started talking about "how much work..." and "we aren't getting any younger..." - could it be????? A GREEN LIGHT!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So - we've visited the local JD & Kubota dealers.....and there's a *barely used* (41 hours) JD2210 with FEL for @ $10,500 - toss in a 54" MMM and taxes - call it $13K

But....

I am leaning more towards a Kubota B7500 *leftover* (new) - or (insert miracle of choice here) - a new B7610.
The B7500 would come in just under $16K - so the "Approval Committee" is not happy because of the $3K diff. However the B7500 would include a used bagger with the MMM setup - nice for the fall cleanup....

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(edit) Now, when I price "new vs new" - then we have a real close matchup: $15.3K for the JD 2210 and @ $16K for the K B7500 - a difference of only $700.

My arguments in favor of the Kubota are:
- longer warranty (3 vs 2 year)
- (somewhat) larger loader capacity (770 vs 620 # at pivot)
- higher total hydraulic flow (7.0 vs. 5.5 gpm)
- higher ground clearance (12.0 vs 7.7 in)
- backhoe capable in the future if needed

Just *dreaming* - but a new B7610 (@ $17.2K) vs the JD2210 is only ~ $1800 difference - but the B7610 has the next bigger FEL - @ 925 # at pivot - which would, in my opinion - cover 90+ of my loader needs.

My primary concern with the JD 2210 is the FEL loader cap - I don't mind "making more trips" - but if I come across a good sized rock - I'd prefer the extra muscle on hand - rather than having to rent a TLB. This is New England - our stone walls didn't fall from the sky.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

*******************
My situation:

> 11 acres - 7 wooded / 4 cleared / 2 - 3 mowed (fairly flat)
> need to replace an old 38" Sears riding mower (this year)
> plan on landscaping @ 1 additional acre in upcoming years (somewhat rocky - see "stone walls" above - but otherwise fairly flat)
> moving between 2-4 12-wheeler loads of gravel and *graded base* for driveway extension (@ 150 ft) & landscaping / pathways
> Yearly wood pellet (on 1 ton pallets) handling (I don't expect to move full tons at once!) - between 10-20 tons / year
> Yearly leaf / brush pickup
> Possible removal of existing asphalt driveway & replace with gravel (@ 200' overall length / incl. oval-shaped turn around)

***********

I realize that most of my *needs* will likely take place in the first few years of ownership (favoring Kubota w 3 yr warranty) - and that if I *only* had mowing to do, with some scattered FEL work - I wouldn't even be asking! I'd have th JD 2210 in my garage already! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I've rented a decent sized JD (@ 40 HP?) TLB twice in the past: 1) to spread gravel around our pool and did some rock landscaping with the backhoe and 2) put in @ 120' access road using graded base. This chewed up the lawn fairly well in a few spots - the weight + the Ag tires - so I know I want a CUT - probably with R4 treads rather than turf.

Any thoughts / suggestions on the JD2210 vs K B7500 would be appreciated!

Thanx in advance,

Dan

PS Great site - lot's of useful, 1st person info! Thnx! D

Bird · Feb 19, 2004

( Any thoughts / suggestions on the JD2210 vs K B7500 would be appreciated! )

Dan, personal preferences and financial considerations usually rule, and you should buy the one you like best. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif For me personally, given those two choices, the size of your property, etc., I'd definitely go with the 7500, but if I could afford it, I'd move on up to the B2910. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif