SUPERBUG wont go away

[easytractor]

Thanks Gittyup, AndyMA, MossRoad, Tommu56, Montekw, bigdad, alchemysa.

I am a newbe and have never been on a tractor but have years of experience operating commercial woodworking equipment and have tremendous respect for machinery. I have taught my boys and we have all been safe. I know the frustrations involved with underpowered equipment and don稚 want to end up with the wrong tractor. I am feeling the self imposed pressure of making a deal by the end of the year on the bx24 to take advantage of the 0% financing which may not be back for a while. I was convinced that the bx24 would do all of my tasks except maybe the home addition excavation but that seems in serious doubt having carefully read your response. However two different dealers say it should be ok on the bx24. I may have overestimated the capability on that little tractor. I have also been reading the safety threads and learned of a gent that purchased A BH3030 and did not feel safe on his hilly property and took a financial hit to move up to larger model. My property is all slope down to the waterfront. I have two neighbors that have Kubotas; bx24 and another slightly larger (maybe 7500?). So I do need to forget this or figure out what tractor is the correct one. Hopefully that痴 where you guys come in.... I sure would appreciate any more feedback you may have.

I think for now I am going to hire a local guy that recently dug a 125ft 48" trench for me and charged $600 to dig the foundation. When he brought his excavator down the slope he had no problems at all but you could tell his pucker meter was active with the look on his face. His operator/partner did not seem as concerned but then again he was not in the seat.

What tractor should I be looking at?

The neighbors don't have foundation project for an addition and the stump removal but use them for trenching, lawnmowing, snow removal. The owner with bx dug into his hill to create a parking lot and added 8" drainage tile then spread gravel for his parking lot. He is planning on building a garage soon. I has asked him to do a small job for hire but it has not happened so I got the hint. That is how I caught this terrible bug.

 

[rtdiggr]

Seeing you are new to the site welcome, and don't be shy to post pics.
The Bx sounds like a good unit once your BIG jobs are done. It is one thing to be underpowered it is another when you have to start replacing expensive parts because your tractor shouldn't be doing that.
I think more important than the colour of the tractor is looking for the service you will recieve, this is important, I would do alot of comparison shopping first, I have given my Massey dealer alot of money, what did i get in return service, respect, and good pricing. Quite often if i am at the dealer i will talk to a couple of machinics just to see what is going on[you will learn alot this way] There were times when i needed a certain bolt or a couple of extra keys, they were free. i don't ask for freebies [except my yearly calander and the odd cap].
Another story i went to the Kubota dealer [i have purchased nothing there before] I looked at a stumpgrinder that was in the rental program, he said he would sell it to me for $4900, this was a used item. So i go to my Massey dealer[ which i have given a large sum of money to] Same unit brand new delivered and set up[i need some different ends they didn't charge me for] The price was $4300.
So i guess the mortal is i wouldn't worry about 0% or the colour of the unit just get what you want and need and don't be shy to look at used, OR demo units that is what my 1433 was I got i for about $11000 less then a new one and it was only 2 years old with a full warranty.
And most dealers will tell you "that tractor will do anything you want" so in a year you need to upgrade.
Go that the other threads ie Massey JD NH Kubota etc. and you will get a feel for the goods and the bad.
Good Luck
Okay i am done.

Shane

 

[tommu56]

easytractor

I surly at times would like a bigger tractor but in the whole picture thing I would by another in a split second.

here is a link if it works to see one of my bigger projects the original hole was excavated by track loader and i had to lower one section to get septic tank in there at correct level. I decided to move septic tank and had to dig it out and deepen the new place.

tommu56/summer 2007 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

the biggest thing is a bigger tractor would more of a problem for my other projects and the bx 23 just takes longer so it is time or money and I'm frugal i have time and kept my money.


tom

 

[john_bud]

Easy,

The BX series is a great machine and can be stretched to do some chores that seem to be beyond its capability. But, I would think that with the longer drive way a bit bigger machine might be better. Check out the "B" series or even the base "L".

If you don't get a backhoe, you can buy a much more capable tractor and a loader with far greater capabilities. I would guess that a $6-8,000 backhoe, FEL, mower and a BX is more money than a L2800, FEL and mower. The money saved can probably buy you a couple other attachments like a wider box blade than the BX can easily pull, a small pointed FEL tree bucket and still have money left over to pay for someone to come in with a stump grinder.

I didn't notice, how large is your property? How much mowing (acres) are you planning on? I think the belly mower for the L is 72"....

jb

 

[Bob_Young]

I know the frustrations involved with underpowered equipment and don稚 want to end up with the wrong tractor. I am feeling the self imposed pressure of making a deal by the end of the year on the bx24 to take advantage of the 0% financing which may not be back for a while. I was convinced that the bx24 would do all of my tasks except maybe the home addition excavation but that seems in serious doubt having carefully read your response. However two different dealers say it should be ok on the bx24. I may have overestimated the capability on that little tractor. I have also been reading the safety threads and learned of a gent that purchased A BH3030 and did not feel safe on his hilly property and took a financial hit to move up to larger model. My property is all slope down to the waterfront. I have two neighbors that have Kubotas; bx24 and another slightly larger (maybe 7500?). So I do need to forget this or figure out what tractor is the correct one.

I think for now I am going to hire a local guy that recently dug a 125ft 48" trench for me and charged $600 to dig the foundation.

What tractor should I be looking at?

Welcome to TBN, easy,
Reading the posts in this forum, it's easy to catch the BX bug. I even had it for awhile. The reports on what people are accomplishing with them border on the astounding. They seem to be the Swiss Army knives of tractoring.

But, we're not all McGyvers. As experience is acquired, it becomes apparent that the average Joe would do well to match tractor size to his applications. I think you're on the right track now. Amazing feats are best left to those with amazing skill/perseverance/imagination and free time.

Please, don't let the year-end deals pressure you into a tractor that's less than suitable. Whether BX or L-series, these things aren't cheap. As long as you're taking the hit, you might as well get what you really need. After several years of use, if the tractor is well cared for, you should be able to get most of your money back if you sell. Where you WILL get clobbered is if you find you have to upgrade after a year or two of use.

As to the specifics of your application, I think you'd do well with anything from a high-end B model (B3030 or B7800) to a smaller L-series (L2800 or L3400 up to an L3940). Add a 7.5' or 8' backhoe to one of these and you'd have something quite capable....though I still think having your foundation dug is best. The posts I've seen about B3030 tippiness seem to be centered on the cab model. It's CG will be significantly higher than the open-station/ROPS version. Still, neither the B3030 or the B7800 allow the rear wheels to be moved out on the axles...which seems strange when it is possible on the smaller B7510/7610 models. I think the B7610 is small for your needs, but you might get by with one if you pick your battles...a half mile of driveway is significant.

If the full TLB smear in the size you need is too weighty at this point, consider just getting the tractor and the loader. Hire out your backhoe work and get some experience with the basic tractor/loader. I've found that having the hoe hooked up cuts deeply into a tractor's utility. It's now good for digging, true, but the pressure's on to get the digging finished so as to get the hoe off and make use of the towing/pulling/3PH capabilities.

On edit: Lbrown will probably be along shortly to express his views on the tractor utility question. There's something to be said for his approach.

Hope this helped.
Bob

 

[Kendrick]

Dont ever let year end sale type stuff be a deciding factor. you have to be sure it will work for you even if it cost 10X what you are looking at. if you are sure and are able to work with your dealer something can be sorted out. be VERY sure about your dealer. get to know them well first. sofar I have loved the tractor but have to admit the dealer may ruin it for me. they recently closed their doors for retirement wo any notice to any one. they are claiming that they are transferring ownership to some one and will be back open in january. a truely crappy way of handeling it.

 

[alchemysa]

. I has asked him to do a small job for hire but it has not happened so I got the hint.

Don't be too harsh on him. It's one thing to play around on your own dung hill and live with, or pay for, your own mistakes. Its another thing altogether to mess around on someone else's block. You may be asking him to tackle a bigger job than you think. Don't underestimate how much time it takes a little backhoe with a non-professional operator to complete a task. A big backhoe with an experienced operator can do things in seconds that might take me hours.

Some other jobs, like foundations, are sometimes best left to pro's anyway. Backhoes are harder to work 'well' than it looks. Nice straight trenches with clean sides and smooth bottoms take quite a bit of experience.

By the way, if you specifically want comments about BX models you should post in the Kubota forum. You'll get a lot more feedback.

 

[JCB]

Easytractor,

I don't know where you live, but I've got pretty much the same tractor (JD 2210) that I use on 20 acres in middle Wisconsin. I've got a long driveway and snow removal is a bear.

We've been hammered with snow the last couple years now, and that little tractor has trouble with that much snow. It'll move the snow, but finding a place to put it with the little tractor is way to slow. You can only make piles so big with those loaders.

Using just the loader is way to slow for a long driveway. A rear blade will help, and speed things up too, but eventually you'll need the loader to move the banks from the rear blade too.

If you're going to maintain 1/2 mile driveway with that tractor. I'd figure on a minimum 30 minutes to clear a light snow (4 passes at 5 mph). Anything more than a light snow, and you're into hours of cleanup!

You can do it, but be warned that you will probably be upgrading your snow removal equipment in short order to either a: front blade, PTO blower, or blade on a pickup.

Hope that helps you make the right decision.

Joe

 

[Swanee]

I agree with Joe on this one. My driveway is not that long and if it was I'd be looking at getting a plow for the truck. Using a bucket and back blade just takes longer than a front mounted plow for any accumulation. For 1/2 mile, you'd be looking at the suggestions Joe has at the bottom of his reply right quick. However tractor mounted snowblowers and gravel don't always go together. My neighbor did blacktop after one year of that combo.

 

[easytractor]

I have learned a lot from the replies from all. Thanks. This is how I am currently thinking. I am considering the bx24 with a few modifications to my plan. I am going to hire a local contractor to do my foundation dig and remove the two or three large tree stumps that the bx would not be able to do. Even if I were to get them dug out I could not get them up the hill with the bx24. As far as the snow removal I was giving the worst case senario with the 1/2 mile gravel private road/driveway if I ever had to do the entire road. I was thinking of a front mounted snowblower but a plow on my truck may be a better choice because of the gravel. The families that live on this road contract a company to remove the snow and during the other three seasons we all contribute labor and money to keep the road in good condition. Several folks have different pieces of equipment to help maintain the road. The equipment is not large at all but it gets the work done. I would use the bx24 to contribute to the road work. What are your thoughts?