Should I buy a BX or a B?

[Haff]

I have never owned a tractor. I have rented a few times, so at least I have a few hours of seat time, though not enough to know what I'm talking about. I have about 3 acres total, about 1 is grass/landscaping, the rest is wooded. I have plans to refresh my landscaping as well as to peel out some of the trees and put in a garden. I also want to make some paths through the wooded parts for some small bike trails for me and the kids. I have some hills, so tippiness is something I have to keep in mind. I plan to fill the tires and add spacers with either rig.

I was thinking of getting a bx23s as I know I want a loader and hoe. But I keep wondering if I will miss the extra lifting capacity of the B series.

Eventually I will also get a snowblower an I'll build a ballast box and possibly other attachments, though none planned at the moment.

I'm already going to put out a lot of money that I have been saving a long time for, so the extra $5k (ish) for the B over the BX is hard to swallow. Will I be fine sticking with the BX?

 

[ovrszd]

Welcome to TBN.

I think you'll be fine with a BX. A B series on 3 acres might be a little overkill.

 

[RalphVa]

Welcome. If your 3 acres has any kind of brush or uneven ground, you may need the extra clearance of the B. Also, if you need to make sharp turns at the ends of garden rows, you'll need turning brakes like are on the B. Or, if you plan on having the touch R4 type industrial tires, turning brakes help a lot with them because they have little turning force friction because of the position of their bars. Turfs (or maybe R1s) will do better for turning but are not as tough for use of the FEL.

The BX has an underbelly cooling fan for the hydraulic system. It can get damaged by brush in uneven ground. You can put in some protector shields for these. The B's cooling fan is the engine cooling fan, with the cooling cells for the hydraulic system located in front (think this is the case; any B owners chime in; I've read the operator's manual for the Bs and not sure it shows this clearly).

Ralph

 

[oldballs]

I'm glad that Richard said "might", because I'm saying..maybe...get the "B".... On my three acres the "B" isn't overkill, although I started out with a BX. Part of my reasons for the "B" was ground clearance......which also is a factor when doing maintenance. My first tractor, the BX2660, was quite a powerful machine I must say.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[oldnslo]

Like OldBalls I had the BX and now has the Branson equivalent of a B series. BX did not have the weight and ground clearance for me to do the ground engaging garden work that I do. If you are going to use a garden tiller the BX would for you. I am old school and plow & disc my garden residue.

I have 2 1/2 acres of flat ground

 

[ovrszd]

I'm glad that Richard said "might", because I'm saying..maybe...get the "B".... On my three acres the "B" isn't overkill, although I started out with a BX. Part of my reasons for the "B" was ground clearance......which also is a factor when doing maintenance. My first tractor, the BX2660, was quite a powerful machine I must say.

Cheers,
Mike

Yeah but you use your tractor like a farm tractor Mike!!!

 

[oldballs]

Yeah but you use your tractor like a farm tractor Mike!!!

Just a Wanna Be....Shoulda Been.....farmer.

 

[Haff]

I do plan to spend a fair amount of time working the woods, so the ground clearance is a concern. And to make it worse I'm getting all caught up in the numbers, and I was comparing the 2601 to 2650, and the 2650 looks to be a lot stronger.

What about the backhoe integration. I understand the 23s is great, but I have seen some people complain about how the seat and mounts work for backhoes on the 2601 and 2650. Are these people just nitpicking, or is there a real concern there?

 

[dragoneggs]

Haff, I have a BX with about 400 hrs on it and love it. I live on 1.5acre steep hill property. Have done a fair amount of trail/road building, landscaping, trenching, etc. and love my BX. Ground clearance hasn't been much of an issue for me. I did hire and excavator to come in to do some major clearing and he piled the large mess of stumps, brush, and logs, which I did manage to completely dispose of whittling away at it over about 1 or so years of occasionally getting after it. Lots of small burn piles, and horsing around large stumps heavier than the lift capability using chains.

At the time, a B series would have been a little more productive but I now am very happy I have my BX. It can get into tight spaces around the house that a bigger tractor would not be able to and that has allowed me to do a lot of landscaping, planting, laying water and power lines, etc that would not have been done.

I did a few things to make it hill and forest ready. Added a rear mid skid plate to protect the HST fan. Added wheel spacers for better stability on the hills. Add a Piranha tooth bar to the FEL bucket for easy digging, LED lights for coming back when it gets dark or doing the odd chore at night. Lots of other mods too.

The BX backhoe some say is a luxury, I love mine and it is on about 50% or more of the time. Makes great ballast and is handy helping getting unstuck. I also have a box blade and a rear scaper blade. One thing I added that I should have immediately was a front QA (quick attach) and some adjustable forks. Now I don't hesitate moving/loading/unloading things on pallets or otherwise. A really nice addition.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Haff]

One thing I added that I should have immediately was a front QA (quick attach) and some adjustable forks. Now I don't hesitate moving/loading/unloading things on pallets or otherwise. A really nice addition..

Do you mean the skid steer option for the FEL, or something else?