You are going to find so many that say the little machines are not really good at.....well anything. And I think that is likely true. (I own a
BX25D and LOVE it) However, you will also find that there is very little that the little machine can not do....they will just do it a little slower.
All I have used my machine for is digging up stumps, digging out trees, and moving dirt in general. (look at my day in the life thread in the Kubota section to pimp myself just a bit)
The only thing I do not care for the Kubota
BX25D for is mowing. (first let me say that some men put some metal in me that I did not come standard with, so I am not your typical user of the machine) I find it pretty darn bumpy when I do mowing, I have an older JD650 (a 1980's sub compact tractor I would guess) and with its longer wheel base it is much more friendly for me to mow on.
As to moving and digging a pond, you bet you can do it. I had started to dig back out my pond with it, but all this rain has made it fill with water again so that project is on hold so I can't comment too much on that. All I really did was make a quick trip into the pond pick up some downed trees with the grapple and come back out again. No real digging but I really don't see why I could not.
Digging up trees and cut down trees is what I have been doing...I think the biggest I have done so far is about 18" perhaps a little more, as the bar on my saw is 18 and it was the first one we dug up. The wife dug, I dug, my son dug....first day we had the tractor....it took us 2 days, but don't let that be your guide. We had no idea how to run a backhoe and we just had fun. I would bet now I could get that tree up in a few hours....it was about 5' deep at the end. The little thing is really a digging machine.
Only you can really know if the "little tractors" are going to do it for you....but one thing is sure as sunshine just about everyone will tell you to upsize, and better too big then too small....and they are right....unless you need to get into little spots, or really think you just are not going to need it.
What I would say look around, Look on youtube and see what people are doing with the little tractors, does that look like what you want to do, or does it look like you are going to need more. The next step up in machines is not THAT much more expensive....sometime things like the backhoe gets much more expensive next step up, but the machine itself is really not much more.
Personally I have used the crap out of my BX, some think I will "wear it out" I am not quite sure what that means....it really is just a pump on wheels, I guess I could damage arms, or something...not sure how, but I think just about everything can be rebuilt.
People like yourself are one reason I am trying to document all the work I am doing with the machine....to show just what it can do and what it can't and any issues over the long haul. There are other folks on here 4shorts has made changes to his machine that make it into just a total jack of all trades....some of the things he has done is just amazing...check his stuff out as well. My log, and I am going to try to start doing video logs as well, are more of the work related....what I am doing with the machine, his are mostly the changes and mods, upgrades he does...he also has some very nice work videos too.
I think you will be hard pressed to find someone that does not like their BX, 1 series...or other machine in that class. But that does not mean it can do everything....nothing can do everything.
Do your research....it took me over 6 months of reading and research to pay my money. I could not be more happy with the product that I have.
