thinking of upgrade to 2305

[bruiserx2]

I have an x320 which I bought last year. The tractor has been nothing but trouble and they are picking it up tomorrow to fix it once again. I had a carburator issue, then it threw two belts and now the charging system seems not to be working. Anyhow I would like to upgrade. I am locked in with JD or I would look at other machines as well. I have two acres of land and a FEL would be great. I need to level much of the back yard and pull some stumps. The idea here is to get enough tractor to do everything. I have been reading as many threads as I can but no one really talks about the FEL and BH and what they are able to do.

My needs: Must mow the lawn so a MMM is a must, FEL with tooth bar no question. Is the BH powerful enough to really justify the purchase.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I have an x320 which I bought last year. The tractor has been nothing but trouble and they are picking it up tomorrow to fix it once again. I had a carburator issue, then it threw two belts and now the charging system seems not to be working. Anyhow I would like to upgrade. I am locked in with JD or I would look at other machines as well. I have two acres of land and a FEL would be great. I need to level much of the back yard and pull some stumps. The idea here is to get enough tractor to do everything. I have been reading as many threads as I can but no one really talks about the FEL and BH and what they are able to do.

My needs: Must mow the lawn so a MMM is a must, FEL with tooth bar no question. Is the BH powerful enough to really justify the purchase.

i'm not that familiar with this size tractor but i want to suggest you also consider a 2320 and a 2520. just to make sure the 2305 isnt going to be too small for your needs, or you may even find that its perfect after test driving one of the other two i mentioned. as with stump removal with a backhoe, it can be done it just depends on how fast you want to do it.

 

[LBrown59]

If this didn't have the FEL and BH I'd give the tractor away because a tractor without them is worthless to me.

My needs: Must mow the lawn so a MMM is a must, FEL with tooth bar no question. Is the BH powerful enough to really justify the purchase.

 

[bruiserx2]

The x320 is a lawn mower. I made the mistake of buying to quick and not enough. I bought what I thought we could afford with the new house. The 2305 seems to be ideal. It is strong and will take a beating yet will mow the lawn and is still compact. I also looked at the X700 series tractors. They are also real nice but I keep reading that if you are going into that price range get a tractor not lawn mower.

The other reason for upgrading is to get fuel injected engine. I assumed that everything would be fuel injected these days. I was wrong.

Can anyone tell me how they like their BH? Kubota or Deere as they are very familiar. I am a home owner and weekend warrior so I do not need the most power or speed just enough tractor that with perseverance I will get the job done .

 

[nickwarchol]

I upgraded from a JD318 garden tractor to a 2305 with a FEL, 60" mower deck and material collection system. I was also able to find a used front mount snowblower. I have almost 2 acres of lawn and I can't be happier with this machine.

For your use I think you need to define what you mean by "pull some stumps". If you bought a big enough machine to pull some larger stumps it might be overkill for the future when all you need to do is cut the lawn. You might consider paying someone to do the rough clearing and then use the 2305 to do the finish work.

Nick

 

[thendricks]

I have a 2305 TLB. I love the hoe. That being said, i wouldnt call it powerful by any means. It really cant be because it can pretty much drag the tractor with the dipper (esp if the shoes cant dig in good). I have dug out some fair sized hardwood stumps. It takes time, patience and a good axe. Its alot better than digging by hand for sure. Its great for trenching and landscaping type tasks. You are not going to excavate a large area as it has limited reach. We have pretty good soil for digging so i cant comment on hard packed clay of the south or rocky soil of NE. There are quite a few people with 260 hoes now so you should get plenty of more opinions.

Thad

 

[bruiserx2]

Sorry for not being clear.
I cleared most of the two acres, leaving the big trees. I took down roughly 70-100 small tress leaving the stumps. (All under 6 inches) Then I have 5 big stumps 12-16 inches round.
I also need to level the backyard, which means digging some areas, moving rocks and bringing in material.
I will me mowing,
From that point I could used it for projects yet to be determined, clear and level for a porch, barn, fire pit, patio etc. The possibilities seem endless.

 

[cast_and_blast]

THe under 6" stumps will be easy if you left some trunk above the ground to hit it with the FEL.

Instead of dropping the $5K+ for the backhoe, why not rent a mini hoe or track hoe for a day or weekend and knock them out? Just a thought - a backhoe is useful (no doubt), but I've not been able to justify the purchase yet.

If you're really going to get into backhoe work, I'd probably recommend an upgrade to the 2520.

I love my 2305!

Scott

 

[bruiserx2]

I hear what youæ±*e saying and it makes sense. It's just having it when you need it. Plus with the 0% financing now would be the time to purchase it.
Anymore feedback on the BH and if others find it worthwhile would be appreciated.
Scott you mentioned going up in size if I wanted to get into BH work. That is my very concern. Spending the money and the BH not having enough power or ability to do what a BH needs to. I do not want to end up with a cool looking toy backhoe.
Also with a tooth bar on the front bucket, does it make a big difference?
Can you rent a backhoe attachment? I called around and the answer seems to be no. Itç—´ to hard to match the hoe to the tractor so they rent the whole thing.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

I seem to recall more "real life" stories of BH work posted regarding the BX23 and MF GC2310 machines. Based on some of the pics posted you might be amazed how much can be dug up with one of those little hoes. I suspect the JD - BH would have similar capabilites. The most common comment is that it just takes longer and at some point there may be a question of lift capacity once the object has been dug out.

Posters do discuss whether they can justify the price of a BH financially, however, I can't recall a single post by anyone who actually has a BH where they said "I wish I never bought that hoe." Once you have it - even the annual digging of a flower bed, making a mulch hole becomes fun rather than hard work.