New guy, 2210 or bx2230

[lildozer]

I've 4.3 acres, 3 of witch is overgrown with sumac and every kind of vine and briar you can think of. Will a sub-compact and 4' cutter handle this? There's probably plenty of hazards I won't know about till I hit em. If anyone has used or abused a 2210 or 2230 I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Will_C]

I am sure that those tractors could handle it, but have you thought about hiring it done for the first time? I know I would hate to put a new tractor through such a place.
After things were knocked down, I know that a sub-compact and 4' cutter would allow you to maintain the area without any problem.
Will

 

[thcri]

I would agree with Will. Not a bad idea to take a larger tractor, owned by someone else and go through the mess the first time. Get one with a loader and when you find the dips and ruts fill them in. Then take your nice new machine, keeping it nice and new to do the rest.

murph

 

[Henro]

I agree with the others...get someone with a bigger tractor to do it the first time.

I probably would do it myself with my B2910, first going through and ripping out a lot of stuff with the toothbar/loader...

With the smaller bx...the ground clearance is not that great and I would not want to beat the tractor up that much. You could do it if you take your time, expecially if you have a loader and do some exploritory work first.

<font color="blue"> There's probably plenty of hazards I won't know about till I hit em. </font>

With six inches clearance under the bx axles, you will hit them! Be sure to lay on the ground and look up at the bottom of whatever you end up buying. You will likely see filters that could be knocked off and/or punctured...and exposed hydraulic [or other] tubing. You may want to consider a belly pan if you going to be agressive in the tough stuff with a sub compact.

 

[lildozer]

yea, I thought about renting, but the rental place was 1 step ahead. they dont rent bush-hogs, people tend to break them. having someone else do it would sure take the fun out of it. mainly what worries me is many large grapefruit sized rocks I see laying around. would these be bad for a 4' cutter?
THANKS.

 

[thcri]

You would do some damage to the blades, but you can replace them or have them sharpened. Just keep your hand on the 3 point hitch lift. You will also do some bending of the frame due to rocks hitting the side and being pinched within the blade. However I just call that battle scars!!!

murph

 

[GregJ]

Lildozer,
Are you set on the 2210 or 2230? When I bought mine I was looking very closely at the BX22 and ended up with a B7500, one size up. By doing so, I got double the ground clearance and 50% more lift on the FEL and 3pt. For less than $2,000 more, this seemed like a bargain, as well as a better fit for my property.

For what it's worth, I have cleared a fair amount of property with my B7500 with a toothbar on my loader. I see in your bio that you like to play in the dirt, push things into piles and set them on fire. With a little larger tractor, like a B7510 which has 12" clearance, you should be able to do it. Of course, every patch of dirt and vegetation is different, but some of the most enjoyable seat time I have had has been clearing land. Last summer I cleared a section of one of our lots that was covered with blackberries. In the end I was pushing around a pile of blackberry bushes that was about 30ft wide by 10 feet deep and 10 feet high like it was nothing. Talk about a feeling of power.... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Anyway, just a long winded ramble about stepping up one size and getting some ground clearance and a toothbar as another option.

Greg

 

[Charlie_in_TX]

Just a thought. Go to TSC or F&F and buy a 4ft KK hog(rotory cutter). Get prenty of shear pins. Rent a tractor with a box blade. Take the blade off and put the hog on. Do your clearing. Swap back and take tractor bact to rental place. You may have a worn/damaged $400 hog but that is better than having a worn/damaged/just not new any more tractor and a worn/damaged hog. You can then use the worn/damaged hog for a year or so on your 2210/2230 until all the big stuff has decomposed.

Good luck and injoy the new wheels.

 

[Henro]

Actually Charlie_in_tx that is a pretty good idea!

Around here you can rent a JD 4210 [I think that is the number] for $180 per day, with a loader on it...it would have more ground clearance that the smaller tractor...

Oh, just remembered there is a backhoe on that tractor...might be a bit of a pain taking that off to put the rotary cutter on...

Anyway, your idea is a great one. Still have the enjoyment of doing it oneself, and still have the KK [or whatever brand] after the initial work is done. And renting the larger tractor would not really mean you would be abusing it...more like matching the machine with the job...

If it were me and in the end I was going to have a small tractor, I think I would take C_in_T's idea and run with it... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Charlie_in_TX]

Thanks Herno. A blind sow finds an acorn. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[lildozer]

"Battle scars" I really like the way you think, and Greg I'm not dead set on a sub compact.......but, I'll be lucky just to afford one.
So what is a shear pin?
A disposable bush-hog.........hummm....I like that idea. It's kinda like my push mower, it dubbles as a 4hp 22in cut bush-hog, and no I don't use the same blade on my lawn.

 

[rdam]

That's sneaky Charlie.......I like it! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[surfran]

Just make sure you check the rental agreement so that it doesn't have some clause about using with implements other than rented or something like that. In these days I could see them doing something like that. I would hate to go this route and have damage to the tractor then have an issue with the rental company.

Gotta agree though it is a great idea.

 

[frank_f15]

good idea /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif was wondering tho,the pto shaft would have to be cut to fit the larger tractor first wouldn't it? or would he need 2 different pto shafts?

 

[Hambone]

I think the pto shaft would fit the larger tractor fine, then would have to cut down to fit the subcut.

 

[Charlie_in_TX]

surfan, I agree read the rental agreement, or better yet, buy the optional insurance.

I don't know how all rental co work but I would figure they keep the equipment around until it is depresiated. I would guess they have extended warrenties until the depriciating is done. If it is under warrenty, it would cost the rental co little or no money to fix.

I guess another question is how likely is a 30hp Kubota (all rentals are Kubs right?) to be damaged by a 4ft hog?

 

[Charlie_in_TX]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...
So what is a shear pin?
)</font>
Expecially on the small and cheap pto driven equipment, the manufactures put shear pins for safety. It usually goes between the input shaft of a gearbox and the drive shaft. It is engineered to be the weakest link in the drive system.

In this case, the hog gearbox may have a 1 inch input shaft. The drive shaft will slip over the input shaft. The manufacture will have a 3/8in hole drilled thru both. The shear pin (a 3/8in bolt) goes thru this hole. When/if the blade hits something that will damage the gearbox ect, the bolt should shear. So you replace a 25c bolt instead of a $300 gearbox.

 

[Hambone]

As to the 2210 or BX2230 question, from what I gather both are good machines. I only have experience with one.
Dealer is a very important thing you need to look at. Hopefully you will have the tractor for a long time.
Test drive both machines and see which one you like better, the ride, feel, and comfort.

Good Luck!

 

[GregJ]

Lildozer,
OK.... I have been thinking about this post and one thing about TBN is you can depend on different opinions..... So here goes. I may be a little different but here is how I look at this situation. 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. If you saved that money and put it toward a little larger tractor, that essentially "lowers" the relative price of that tractor. Once you pay a rental fee, it has no value after you return the machine. If you put that money into an asset that you own, you will have it forever. As you can see, I am not a great fan of renting equipment.

Secondly, with a little larger tractor, you may not even need a bushhog, which lowers your "purchase price" again. I have put in a lot of lawn with just my fel with a toothbar. Once it is rough graded, I drag it with a weighted piece of chain link fence, toss some grass seed and I am mowing with my riding mower within a month.

When I bought my tractor, I started out with a "less than $5,000" budget. After about 6 months of studying and agonizing, I realized that this is a "long term" investment that will have value for many years to come. I am glad I went WAY over my budget and got the machine I needed. I have used it for more things than I ever dreamt of. I have close to 300 hours on it in just a little over a year.

As far as abuse, I am a believer that these tractors are designed to work hard. Mechanically I take very good care of my machine, but when I am using it, I'm not afraid to push it to it's full potential. Yup.... it's got a few battle scars and it's darn proud of 'em..... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Don't misinterpret this post to say that there is anything wrong with a 2210 or a 2230. They are both fine machines and would probably serve you well. I am only sharing my personal experience and what worked best for me. Your case is obviously different, but I guess that's what TBN is all about... different opinions.

Have fun shopping,

Greg

 

[KubotaSteve]

I think I would side with Greg on this one. Buy a little larger machine and you can do it yourself. Since you would be using your own machine you can take your time as not to abuse the machine. I have found that using a landscape rake will clean up vines and small saplings quite nicely as well as the rocks. Using the rake you wouldn't have all the abuse and stuff flying from a bush hog. If you rent a machine, you of course are going to try and get it done as fast as possible which isn't much fun. Since I got my new 7800 I enjoy doing projects like that. Just remember the first 50 hours on a new machine are the most important. How the machine is treated in this period could set the tone as to how it will last.