Re: Thinking \'Bout Selling the B7500
I guess I really shouldn't have posted originally because this post has gone way off base. This was not meant to be a debate on what size tractor is needed for a particular size yard. Too big in reference to compact utility tractors is merely ones interpretation of TOO BIG. I could have bought a smaller GARDEN tractor with a 48" or 54" deck, but it would have been a dedicated mowing unit. I do everything myself, and to spend the money on a unit I would own, rather than having a bunch of rental receipts to show after my work, I opted for the tractor with a loader that could , and has, saved by back many times over.
At the time I purchased, the only subcompact was the BX... and the uncomparable JD 500X series. I really did not want bigger. When I compared the BX to the B series, the peanut difference in cost was worth the additional versatility, loader capacity, and resale of the B series. The small JD was not an option as the cost was right up there with the BX when comparably equipped, and the loader in my eyes was a waste of money for it's capabilities. Besides, I figured that if I needed to sell a used
B7500, it would move. A glorified garden tractor with a loader most likely would not - especially in my area. Included in my decision, was the fact that my wife and I were anticipating a move to at least 5 acres in the next few years, and I couldn't see doing the buy-sell-buy game again in a few years if I could stomach the
B7500.
Back to your post. I think you are getting a little out of touch here. HUGE tractors kill grass if they are HUGE TRACTORS... not CUT's. I live in an area where sod farms are a plenty, and if you look at the size of the tires on their TRACTORS, you will see they are wide to displace the weight across a broader area. Now, if you look at the size of the tire on a BX versus a B, the tires are substantially larger on the B, AND the weight netween the two units IS peanuts. Granted, if I was running ag tires or industrials, the weight may make a difference, but to say a 1500 # to 2000# tractor is not good for mowing and keeping a manicured lawn is wrong. I am sure that if you take the weight displacement per square inch on a tire on a garden tractor, or the BX for that matter, and compared it to that of the
B7500 series, the weights will not be much different. And if they are, it will not be worth the time spent figuring it. And let's not forget that a whole bunch of things come in to play here. Larger tire diameters are easier on turf than small ones, and so are wider tires. Yes, my diesel weighs more, but you don't see 4-inch wide tires on the front end, either.
I firmly believe the majority of the quality of the lawn is based upon the mower itself. The BX is suspended, so it is carried by the tractor. The B is a ground contact mower, so it rides on the turf. The BX might, in essence, has large rubber tires (the tractors) guiding it over the terrain, wher the B has little castors that are more likely to roll into the divets and ruts the BX would pass over (or not bounce over).
Since I posted originally, I have spent a bit of time looking at the whole scenario. I guess I shouldn't expect Wrigley Field unless I want to physically regrade and reseed. Not that I am mowing a rutted field, but the castors on the 60"MMM do make the mower ride rougher than a suspended deck, and to compensate, I have slowed the mowing pace down. As far as the "flattened grass" issue, the
B7500/60" MMM has more than enough lift to pull up the grass blades that are "flattened" by the HUGE TRACTOR rolling over them.
I remember the 35-year old Allis-Chalmers garden tractor I mowed with for years did a nicer job mowing than this Kubota. But, it's little front tires chewed up the turf, it took over twice the turning diameter the
B7500 does (this still baffles me), it took three times the time to cut the yard, and it was draining my pocketbook weekly.
Thank you to all who posted on this matter. TresCrows, I am not picking on you, I just think BIG is a relative thing. Yes, my neighbors may think I'm stupid for having the BIG
B7500, but it always seems that they have projects that could use a unit like mine. Hmmmmm. And while they are still mowing, I am taking the extra hours I've saved to enjoy time with my family. Someone posted that if I like 90% of the tractor then I should the 10% I don't like. I actually think that now I have looked a little harder, the 10% may be related to the turf conditions. I started spraying last year, and fertilized this year. It is probably just going to take some time to build up a thick turf that the Bota can trim into shape. As far as the front tires making their marks around the trees, I guess that is something I'll just have to live with until I can find a softer-edged tire.
