Buying Advice Question for John Thomas

[tractorshopper]

JT, since your front hill looks like one of mine and since you've owned every Kubota known to exist , at least in the B and BX series which is what I'm trying to decide between, can you tell me if you had to choose only 1 tractor, which would it be?

Uses: Mowing about 3 acres, bushhogging about 3 hilly acres, landscaping and some minor drainage fixing work. Used an L-2500 with ag tires for bushhogging one time and was terrified on every slope so pucker factor needs to be taken into account. Some gardening and scraping and loader work.

Choices: Limit to BX2660 and B2620 or 2920, unless you think something else may be a better match.

Thanks in advance. I've pretty much ruled out the Cub/Yanmar, JD's, and NH's for various reasons.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

For my home use I have done that. Choose only one tractor. I've kept the BX2660, 60"MMM and FEL. I don't bushhog and if I did that might give me a bit of a nudge toward the B. I had an L3240 and the hills also scared me back to a B. The BX of course feels more stable being lower to the ground and probably truly is more stable. I guess what you bushhog would be a big factor. If it's just high grass then the BX will probably handle it OK but if it's rugged and rocky I'd go for the B. If it's just high grass then raise the MMM to near the top and take off on the BX. I kept the BX2660 instead of the B3200 because I have most of my landscaping done and am mostly into mowing here at home. Course I was talking to my wife today about moving all the big stones and moving the fish pond which an L would be handy. No, I'll be able to do my future jobs with my BX2660 and maybe use the Back hoe on my BX25 some for the digging and rock moving. Barlows has my old 34 hour B3200 waiting for a happy home, I guess. I have been out of town and haven't been by their lot.

 

[tractorshopper]

Thanks for the insight. Really does help a lot. The bushhogging is mostly tall grass with occasional weeds and briers on the slopes that I want to keep tree free and looking nice and figure two or three times a year should be enough. I would just mow it all with the MMM up high, but since the grinder machine left enough small stumps (that you don't see amongst the roughage) and saplings trying to regrow to destroy my lawn mower deck (I know, wrong tool for the job), I figure I'll keep it more as manicured pasture than lawn. I do know the decks on the tractors are much, much stronger than my lawnmower though. Maybe I'll feel that out at some point.

 

[samofsweden]

Johnthomas, please help,
I have a BX24 which Im very happy with, but...Im planing to buy a small "woodtrailer with a crane on" to carry out firewood from the forest. The BX ground clearance are to small so I started to look at the B3030 or B3200 (which I cant find any bigger difference between?) How much bigger are the B3200/B3030 then my BX24?
If I dont buy an B3030/B3200 with a BH, does it comes with the turning chair, which I need for operate the crane.
Thanks for help!
/ Sam

- V舁kommen till KRANMAN p internet -
(crane manufactor)

 

[KU Gator]

I have a B2920. We have a home on 3 acres that is basicly a big yard and another 12 acres about 30 miles away on a lake that we bought for recreational and eventual build property. On our home property, I mow it some with the B, but also have a JD garden tractor with turf tires. The B does a good job of mowing the yard with the MMM, gets around obstacle pretty easily and is pretty quick and comfortable to operate. The only place I won't take it due to slope is one ditch that I where I won't take the garden tractor either, so mow it with the lawn mower.

On the I have a 5' rotary mower for it and use it when I have gotten behind with keeping it up or if we are trying to clear a new area. But for routine mowing, usually use the MMM as it is easier. The one complaint with the B is the 1/4" valve which will not maintain the rotary mower at a fixed setting, so you need to watch it and bump it up every lap or so of a 3 acre field. Maybe will try and install some chains to limit its drop this year. I have never really felt uneasy in mowing. I have some sloped ground, but don't know how it compares. I will try to post of picture of at least one are that I mow with both the rotary mower and the MMM without issues.

The B2X20 series does offer the drive over MMM deck. It is pretty easy to remove or reinstall. I like the analog tach on the B and I like that the HP is reached at a lower RPM. But the reason I actually went with the B instead of the BX was simply that I thought it was a better fit for the other property we have and did not want to be trailering an L.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Johnthomas, please help,
I have a BX24 which Im very happy with, but...Im planing to buy a small "woodtrailer with a crane on" to carry out firewood from the forest. The BX ground clearance are to small so I started to look at the B3030 or B3200 (which I cant find any bigger difference between?) How much bigger are the B3200/B3030 then my BX24?
If I dont buy an B3030/B3200 with a BH, does it comes with the turning chair, which I need for operate the crane.
Thanks for help!
/ Sam

- V舁kommen till KRANMAN p internet -
(crane manufactor)

The seats do not turn on B3200 or B3030 normally. I guess you could order one but I think the seat for the BH comes with the BH. Here are pictures and other input comparing B to a BX. Notice BX has MMM and B doesn't so imagine BX without MMM to see the difference in ground clearance. The ground clearance was the main reason I ever purchased a B to start with. I think there is a New B3300 which has bigger tires for even more ground clearance.
B3200 BX2660 SIDE BY SIDE...NOT BETTER....DIFFERENT - Page 4 - TractorByNet.com

 

[samofsweden]

Thanks for showing the difference, nice pics! By the way looks like a very nice area to live, I like the hills! Yes ground clearance is the main factor for me. Looks like the B3200 is more or less the double size of tractor. I will keep my BX for snow clearning and grass mowing. And use a B tractor for foresty work and landscaping.
Thanks for all your help
/Sam

And its not just ground clearance, bigger tires cope better with big obstacles in the foresty, that way the B3030/B3200 looks really good!

 

[ChuckinNH]

Sam, I've used both a BX22, and a B2620 in the woods, and I feel that the B is much better suited to that kind of work. As JT mentioned, the swivel seat comes with the backhoe on the B3200, but not on the B3030. I expect that you could get the B3200 seat separately. The set up on my B2620 is the same. Forward facing seat without the backhoe, swivel seat with.

 

[samofsweden]

Sam, I've used both a BX22, and a B2620 in the woods, and I feel that the B is much better suited to that kind of work. As JT mentioned, the swivel seat comes with the backhoe on the B3200, but not on the B3030. I expect that you could get the B3200 seat separately. The set up on my B2620 is the same. Forward facing seat without the backhoe, swivel seat with.

Thanks for our input, then I need to be careful about the seat! If found Barlows webbsite. I will contact them and see if they can help me with the shipping to the eastcoast where the boats for europe are.
/Sam