Still stuck between BX23 and B7510

[BossBill]

After hiring someone to dig a 250 ditch (and loosing the equiv of a down payment), we decided to get a tractor as a Christmas present. Still don't have a tractor because we can't make up our minds on size.
If you read the Bio, you'll see a plot map of the property (incl grade markings). Had to do it for a house remodel project ...
I have over 10 projects in mind for a tractor, and at $1k each to hire, you get the idea. Plus, the wife is darn near a professional gardener and she's always hauling dirt and other stuff around.
The property and trails are set up for the width of the 2148 Sabre (a fantastic garden tractor, I might add) and is therefore set up for 48" wide and a length of tractor and 10ft3 trailer for the bends. At 48" wide it takes about 1:20 to mow.
I think I'll keep the Sabre to mow, but that could change if my son gets a house with enough lawn, and then he'll get it.
Went to the dealer and drove a BX and it seemed like a really nice piece. It reminded me of a a diesel version of the Sabre.
With p/s it was very light, even with the FEL and BH.
Loved the BH sub-frame mount.
Then I drove a 7510HSD -- now this thing felt substantial.
With the taller tires (I assume these are geared the same, but there are no specs on final) the 7510 was much faster -- I'm a car guy and speed impresses -- and actually felt like a tractor, rather than a beefy lawn tractor.
The width is fairly close (within 6"), although it was taller. Hmmm, with my grades do I really need a higher cg?

So while the BX is a pretty good size for the property -- including its low height to get under tree limbs-- I wonder if it's too small. Will it do what I want, includnig building rockeries?
And the 7510 doesn't even have a sub-frame mount BH. Huh?

Do I get all that much more for the price difference of $15,995 vs $19,245?
At the 7510 price I'm real close to a 4110 and it has a sub-frame BH.

 

[Junkman]

I am all for spending other peoples money. Purchase the largest tractor that will fit into your needs and the property that you have with all the attachments that you could possibly need or want. Once you have decided what tractor that you think will do what you want, ask the local dealer to bring it to your property and try it out. That is the only way that you will know for sure. The BX is a great little machine, but it does have its limitations. You are not going to dig a 250' trench in a day, and a bigger machine will do it faster and better in the end analysis. The BX doesn't have the ability to handle large boulders or rocks like a larger machine, but you can't beat it for the all around mowing, digging, lugging loam, etc. machine. I have no way to get into your mind and know what the 10 or so project entail, so the final decision is up to you. Good luck with what ever you decide and remember to post the pictures of the new machine....

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Normally I tend to agree with what much of Junkman has to say, despite that fact that he is from New England. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif But this time I'm going to have to say that the smaller tractor is probably a much better fit. You have 2 workable acres of uneven terrain, and you may need a mowing tractor if you son departs with your Sabre. The smaller BX is going to be a better fit for the property but it will take a bit longer to complete each of the 10 projects you have, but it will very likely be able to complete each of those. Now if you want to depart the conventional thought, and you really want to take advantage of the grades you have to deal with, there is a MUCH better choice of tractor than the BX. I would strongly suggest you take a look at PowerTrac. If you can live without the backhoe, then I would add 2 other brands to your list. Take a look at Ventrac's 4200 series tractors. And also take a look at the Steiner 430 Max tractors. Steiner and Ventrac are designed with weight transfer systems to improve traction on slopes. The PowerTrac equipment is larger and less traditional looking, however it is very capable, in many ways more capable than any other tractor on the market. Given your list of chores, I'd be seriously considering PowerTrac. The one thing I can tell you as a traditional CUT owner and the owner of a Ventrac, is that the front mount implements and the articulated bodies of these tractors makes them very well suited for the roughest terrain, far better suited for a traditional CUT.

 

[BossBill]

Here's one project -- keeping this drive under control.

I actually graded this by dragging a 6x12 that had a Cat blade (only) attached to it behind the Sabre. What can I say...
At the bottom next to the car is large gravel motor court. We were thinking of pavers, but if I had a tractor I could keep the gravel looking nice and not have to deal with thousands of pavers.
The bucket? That held down the wood, which covered the ditch in which I was running the large new power wire for the shop. Dug that by hand as there was already power, water, cable, etc in there, as indicated by the wood stake markers.
Had to have 200A of power for the shop, right?
While those other makes sound interesting, I only have the big three (orange, green and blue) anywhere nearby.

 

[aardvark]

I was stuck between the BX23 and a B7610 with a LA352 loader and a 6.5' backhoe. I got quotes on the 7610 at $18k for the machine with loader and hoe. The BX23 was $15k, and I ended buying the BX because it will fit on my trailer and I can tow it with my Toyota pickup. there have been a couple times when I wished I had a bigger machine, but one of those times it was obvious that a B7610 would have been too smal also, and the other time I just cut the logs up into smaller sizes and it was no longer a problem. I'm happy with the BX, but if I ever buy another TLB, I'm going to buy something big, like an L48 or JD 110.

 

[btolle]

I was going to buy a BX2230 but after studying the B7510 I bought it mainly because of the ground clearance and fact that the B7510 is much less vulnerable under the belly. My main use is in woods with lots of sticks all over the place and I would have had to build a belly plate for the BX. Plus the fact that I would have spent a lot of time high centered.

If your land is gently sloped and ground clearance and possibility of underbelly damage is not an issue the BX is a great machine. The B7510 also has dual hydraulic pumps and the way I use the tractor I was concerned about the lower overall GPM flow rate of the BX (7.0 vs. 5.5 GPM)

You really have to read the specifications of both tractors carefully and compare everything to see some of the differences. Slightly higher lift capacity on the 3PH for instance.

You also need to look at the tractors side by side and you will see some differences.

One thing that really bothered me was the way the rams (not sure that is the right term, shiny rods from the hydraulic cylinder to each front wheel) for the power steering were in front of the axle on the BX. Again, in the woods I have lots of stumps of all sizes that are tall enough that I could easily run into them with the rams and that could be an expensive mistake.

BTW, ground clearance on the BX is listed as 6.7" and the B7510 is 12", quite a difference.

For me it came down to how I use it that made up my mind. Both are great tractors.

Bill Tolle

 

[Volfandt]

Greetings BossBill, just went through a very similar decision making process myself about 2 weeks ago.
I was torn between the B7510 & the BX2230. I maintain approx 4 acres that is somewhat tamed now. I garden but not as large scale as I used too. And the backwoods is about gone too. Mainly & primarily I mow.

In testing the two out, I also liked the "feel" of the 7510 much better as it felt like a tractor but then again, I have many trees and obstacles to manuver around and sitting taller isn't a plus in those situations.
Most of my back 40 (really back 2) is rutted & hilly former pastureland so a floating mower would fair much better IMHO and the BX is primarily designed for mowing,

So, when the day came to part with the $$$'s and test drive each one, one last time. I went with the machine that always got my last glance when leaving the dealership, the BX23!

It seemed to fit better into my big picture and it was also the tractor I continually had to keep trying to convince myself I didn't need! That and I liked the idea of the tractor being beefed up OEM out of the factory for all the implements I expect to utilize.
I haven't got to work it much yet but I'm still very happy with my choice.

To throw you a curve, Kubota is coming out with a special edition B7510 model sometime in March that will have a fully suspended 60" self balanceing MMM with a similar mower adj as the BX. The dealer priced me one with an FEL & R4's for around $14,800. This included the 2005 price increase. The BH will still be the same tho. Dealers had to place their order during a large dealer meet sometime last fall so you may check with tyour dealer to see if he's gonna have any.

As for which one is best for you, go back and test 'em out some more and mark down what you expect the machine to do for you with the primary use rateing a 5 and other lesser uses rating a lower rateing. The math may do it for you.

The BX is a sub-compact tractor designed for mowing that can also do small utility tractor applications where as the B7510 is a compact utility tractor that can also mow.

decisions decisions,

Good luck.

Volfandt
A pic of my recent decision just outside it's new home /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tom_H]

If you can wait 3 or 4 months it might be worth it to take a look at this: What Henro Heard

 

[Tom_H]

You also might want to look at the New B2630 and B3030

 

[Junkman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You also might want to look at the New B2630 and B3030 )</font>

Make sure that you are sitting down when you find out the price for the tractor, loader, backhoe, & mmm.