Suggestions for small yard and lots of FEL work?

[jim_wilson]

I also have a small (1/2 acre) yard - located in a suburban neighborhood, and was looking to do the same type of work as you when I went looking for a tractor. I bought a BX23 last summer and so far I have used it to dig out about 100 feet or so to put in the base for my new driveway which extends to the backyard where I am going to hopefully put in a garage this summer. With a toothbar on the bucket the BX or any other SubCUT sized tractor is very capable of doing a lot of FEL work. I brought approximately 120 yards of material to fill in where the driveway went and I dug out probably about 100 yards of material to get thru all the topsoil, tree stumps, roots and rocks I needed to clear to get a good base.

After using the BX to all that work however I have to say however that I do wish it had more lifting capacity and curl capacity - if I was to recommend the next step up from a BX in the Kubota line it would be the B7610 - the B7510 capabilities for FEL work are not rated that much higher than the BX. If you are going to be removing trees however you might want to think about the BX23 - the backhoe will come in mighty useful for digging out the stumps. Attached is pic of some of the work I did with the BX.

 

[jim_wilson]

The backhoe and the FEL will get some pretty big rocks out of the ground.

 

[jim_wilson]

Another shot - I had to dig down about 2 feet to get thru all the topsoil , remove a big tree trunk, and get out all the roots, and to get down to clay before I could start filling in with all the gravel to make a decent base for the driveway.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Any idea what a 7510 with FEL and BH costs? )</font>
When I was looking, the B7510 with FEL and Backhoe and a 4' boxblade was right around $18K
I bought a Kioti CK20 (the most comparable to the 7510) FEL, BH, boxblade and brush mower for $16,681 plus tax. Of course, prices have gone up on these, but I would expect the difference to be about the same. Some of the things that would sway me away from a BX23 is that they're nearly as expensive as my CK20 was, but they have less clearance, smaller tires etc. They're very capable, but I prefer a heavier tractor with a lot more clearance. On the B7510, I was going to have to pay extra for the hydrualic valve block and joystick which was standard on the CK20.
I think the B7510 is a nice tractor, but the ladder frame sort of turned me off, and of course, the price difference helped me pay for my backhoe.
An FEL on a CUT is no competition for one on a skid steer. Even with a toothbar, loaders are loaders, not great diggers. They'll get out some small stumps, but forget doing large ones unless you use a backhoe. They're also not good to bulldoze with!
Most small tractor's FELs are for digging only a few inches down. I know people do more than that, but it can sometimes ruin your loader, wearing it out prematurely, and sometimes bending the arms or bucket. But for moving dirt, and breaking up compacted piles, a toothbar and FEL do fine.
Sorry this is so long, just wanted to point out a few things.
John

 

[Egon]

Lot size is one acre.

Chances are the smaller tractor will do just fine. It may not be capable of some of the jobs but those may require a tractor of a size that is much too large for most of your work.

Take your time and apply common sense. If you wish I could post some pictures of work done by a little Kubota B7100.

Egon

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[ByronBob]

On the 2230 it has an LA211 FEL on it. I believe that the number is in kilograms. So converting to pounds you have over 400 pounds of lifting capacity. You must have rear ballast on this if your lifting that much weight.

I've lifted rock way heavier than I thought it would life before. The power of the 2230 is good for its uses. If you go this way get a toothbar for the FEL and it will dig great.

 

[jpr62902]

A couple of comments on the BX vs. CK comparison.

First, it appears this person lives about 100 miles from Kubota's main U.S. assembly plant, so I'm willing to bet the Kubotas are relatively cheaper there (I'm 80 miles from their Columbus headquarters and there are 6 or 7 dealers within 40 miles of my home or office). That means lots of competition and much more reasonable pricing (my BX22 TLB was over $4,000.00 cheaper than a comparably equipped CK20).

On the ground clearance issue, the CK's advantage is lost when the BH is mounted, due to the subframe.

On the other hand, the CK does have additional weight of almost 500 lbs., but this is not an advantage for mowing and more weight can be added to the BX. They both have similarly sized\rated power plants.

Where the CK has the clear advantage is in FEL and 3PH lift capacity. For me, that was not enough to spend more than $4,000.00 more and with less dealer support (in my area anyway). The BX FEL's lift capacity is in excess of 600 lbs. Kubota specs it at 460 lbs., but that's from the bucket center, not the lift pins (i.e. the way JD rates the 2210's FEL).

Since another primary role of this machine is to mow, the BX gets the nod (I've read that several CK owners are not all that pleased with the CK's MMM).

Is the CK an excellent machine? I've read nothing to doubt that. Is it the best machine for this man's needs? Don't know, but the more info he has, the better.

 

[BoneheadNW]

I have been pricing a b7610 myself. I believe the b7510 was about a grand less. With that in mind, a ballpark estimate would be about $13k for the tractor and FEL, and about $5500 for the BH. I know nothing about the cost of a mower. Then there is the tax, and here in WA it is on the order of 8.5%.
Bonehead

 

[ronjhall]

Here is a good place to check pricing on all B series <font color="orange"> Kubota's </font>.
Click Here

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Since another primary role of this machine is to mow, the BX gets the nod (I've read that several CK owners are not all that pleased with the CK's MMM). )</font>
I have to agree that if someone really wants an MMM, the CK20 is not the way to go. I would only use a rear finish mower for myself anyway, so no big deal for me. The MFG of the MMM needs to work out some issues on both rear and side discharge in my opinion. They're clearly not the better mowers on the market.
As for the loss of clearance with BH subframe, that has not been much of a problem since most of the time, usuing the backhoe does not require me to be traveling around a lot of low clearance areas, and the backhoe comes off for doing other jobs. The backhoe is not on that much, so to me, it's a non issue for the most part.
A $4,000 difference would certainly make a difference in my book, but I still would not have ended up with the BX22/23, but maybe another B model.
Here, the BX was going for over $15K when I purchased, so it was too close to even consider. The B7510 was almost exactly $2K more at the time.
John