John, will you elaborate on why you have had 13 tractors? I don't care what brand, just why so many?
Nine years ago I owned some land on a hillside (still do) that has gullies, rocks, trees and no house. I now have a house on it, some gullies filled in, lots of rocks rellocated, lots of trees moved with some gone and many more added in different locations. My hillside that was the edge of a farm is now my home.
I bought my first time life time mower with a high priced wheelbarrow on the front after much research. It was a
BX2200 MMM FEL. Done for life. Had a Dozer on my property alot and expected to see it here often.
Well, I discovered that 'Mower" with the "wheelbarrow" was actualy a small tractor that mowed and moved small trees, rocks and small bits of earth. That's why I now tell people to do some research concerning the purchase of their first tractor but don't get bogged down with the purchase because it's just the "test" tractor to determine what they actually need to perform the jobs they need done.
Well, I decided after one year that if this "little" tractor would do so much work that a bigger tractor would do more, quicker and require the dozer guy to come less often and for shorter periods of time, you know one dozer job just begets another dozer job.
Same I've found with tractor landscaping, just keep doing new jobs (I don't have a tractor for farming).
Well, since I was needing a bigger tractor, mostly for ground clearance, I went back to my selling Dealer, Steve Barlow and to my surprise trading tractors was as easy as trading cars (have traded cars over 150 times since 1964).
Left Barlows with a
BX1500 MMM for mowing only and a
B7800 FEL for tractoring only. Course like many other tractor owners I started discovering 3ph Implements.:licking:
As the story continues, after 3 years I paid off the 2 Kubotas. Actually trouble free with no issues. Course being a "trader" anyway and wondering if these tractors may start tearing up, and 0% interest and falling for the bigger is better story promoted by some tractor owners I fell for the "get bigger" trap. Back to Barlows and left with a
L3240 FEL and a
BX2350 MMM. MISTAKE, both were a mistake. The L was to big for my hillside and the
BX2350 had the abrupt stop in reverse issue. Didn't want to use either one like I had hunted for jobs for the previous models. Back to Barlows for the easy trade program Steve has and more hats with each trade.
Left with a
BX2660 MMM FEL and a
B3200 FEL with anticipation of using the
B3200 some on my rental property.
I had also bought a Kubota mower 5 years ago for mowing the rental property and after a year sold the gas mower and bought a Kubota F2680 (paid off
)with a 60" front rear discharge deck.
Time moves on and jobs on the hillside farmland converted to home land changed. Less big jobs and more small jobs I never had time for before and maintaining what I'd completed up to that point. Oddly enough requirements change guys, maybe not for big farms but for residential needs some jobs are completed and maybe with enough land new jobs come up.
Moving on I bought/traded (back to Barlows for their easy trade program) the
BX2660 to a Kubota F3080 72" rear discharge front deck mower that has 4wd for maintaining my grass on my hillside home land. I traded the
B3200 to a
BX25 for use on home landscaping and rental property use.
I have twin Grands which are growing up so fast and I want to spend more time with them. Back to Barlows for their easy buy program with 0% interest and no money down. Left with a Kubota RTV1140 with 2 rows of seats and a hydraulic dump bed that will also do work as well as ride me and the kids around the hills.
One more, I have a garden plot and I have excess land on my rental property. Who don't like a small garden? I do, my wife does and renters do also. I've never taken the BH off of my
BX25 and I have a tiller and other implements sooo last year I needed another tractor for using the 3ph implements I've aquired over the years. What better way to use those implements than a dedicated tractor for 3ph implements?
:laughing: Back to Barlows and off I go or Steve delivered to me 2 miles from his location one new
B2320 gear drive (my first and last gear drive, saving money isn't always worth the savings). That made number 13 and maybe my last one since I now have what I need for my current jobs. If needs change then I know how easy it is to trade or buy another different one. It really is a piece of cake and probably easier than trading cars/trucks.
Wonder when Kubota is going to come out with a BX26?
Again, let me restate in case you missed it. The FIRST tractor is just a TEST tractor to determine what YOU need. Don't sweat it, just do some research and contact Barlows and tell them to bring what you and they decide should probably get you a good start toward what you think you may need. They will always take it back and then deliver the one you REALLY need.
THE FIRST TRACTOR IS JUST A TEST TRACTOR!!!!!!!!!!:laughing::laughing:
