Upgrading a BX25 to L or M - Need Newbie Advice

[savaytse66]

I bought my BX25 for my 1 acre lot and still use the belly mower, bucket, and BH regularly. I love it. When we bought our 8.5 acre property 2 miles away, I decided that the BX25 would be adequate to manage that property also, and I picked up a 48" rotary mower for the fields and a 48" box blade for general maintenance. It is a great tractor, and I am really happy with it.

And then my wife found her dream fixer-upper farm house sitting atop 67 acres. and because I apparently love my wife more than my money, we put in an offer and it got accepted. The 67 acres is 4 miles in the other direction, and we will be moving there in the spring. So now I am sure I will need a bigger tractor. When I got my BX25, it seemed huge and way overkill, especially coming from a small Kubota garden tractor that could barely handle a front blade in the snow. Now, I feel that same intimidation looking at "real" tractors.

I guess the 1st question is, should I keep the BX25 and supplement, or should I sell it (It's got about 350-400 hours on it I think) and just use the larger tractor for everything. Right now, I can drive the BX back and forth for the 2 short miles, but once we move, I will need to either trailer one tractor back and forth, or perhaps just leave the BX on the 8.5 acre lot. Knowing nothing about the larger tractors, is it realistic to trailer an L or M Series machine?

Now the next question is: how big? The 67 acres has about an acre of lawn around the house. I would consider the property as having "rolling hills" with nothing too steep. There is about 3 acres that is wooded, and the rest is cleared.

I know, you're going to ask ask what we plan on doing with the tractor, and the simple answer is, I don't know yet! But out initial plan is to bring in some small livestock. Nothing larger than sheep or goats, and lots of fowl and rabbits. We'd also like to grow a variety of produce to mostly sustain a family of 4 (My wife and I are in our late 30s and the kids are in elementary school), and also plant a smallish orchard (a half-dozen each of a variety of apple, plum, peach, and pear trees, maybe some others). We'll want to utilize some hoop houses to extend the growing season. We will definitely compost, and the southwestern PA winters always bring on a few heavy snowfalls. The driveway is about 900 feet long and is a very gradual hill, but almost flat.

So in terms of implements, I suppose I'd want to run a harrow and/or plow for the gardens, would definitely need a bucket, and would need some sort of mowing device. If I can do a finer cut for the lawn with the larger tractor, that would be great, but I don't know if there are belly mowers available, or if I'll be towing behind. I would also need to maintain the fields, so a way to cut down the growth and possibly manage hay would be desirable. Right now, someone pays the current owner to come in and take the hay. I could have him continue doing that for a while, I'm sure.

So any initial thoughts? Do I need to further refine my usage to really understand what I need, or is there a general sweet spot for me to start looking?

Thanks everyone!

 

[mecan]

Are you keeping all 3 properties or selling the 2 small ones? Bigger tractors can be trailered just require sturdier trailers and pull vehicles. For the 1 acre lawn at the new house if you don't have the bx there I'd seriously consider a dedicated mower, zero turn or rider instead of trying to mow it with a l or m. Figuring out what will be done with the land would help others make suggestions. Then there's the always popular thought of bigger is better.

 

[TripleR]

My initial thought is to keep the BX and get an M. I wouldn't bother trailering an L or M, we have both and just drive them between farms. I would however wait a while before doing anything and let my finances settle down a bit and get a better handle on the needs of the new property.

 

[ultrarunner]

My brother was set to buy a BX like I have for his 65 Acres... told him as much as I love my BX it would be all wrong for his needs starting with the small tires.

He went with an L3800 and really likes it... just the right size for what he is doing.

Most people don't regret going bigger unless physical size is a problem.

I have a Deere 110 that I only occasionally use because the BX is perfect 98% of the time for my needs.

 

[TripleR]

We have several tractors including an L5740 and M8540 and one of our BXs has been busy all year being trailered between farms, one of the handiest things we own.

 

[savaytse66]

Are you keeping all 3 properties or selling the 2 small ones? Bigger tractors can be trailered just require sturdier trailers and pull vehicles. For the 1 acre lawn at the new house if you don't have the bx there I'd seriously consider a dedicated mower, zero turn or rider instead of trying to mow it with a l or m. Figuring out what will be done with the land would help others make suggestions. Then there's the always popular thought of bigger is better.

When it's all said and done, we are selling our current 1 acre residence, will keep the 8.5 acre horse farm, and live at the 67 acre property.

My initial thought is to keep the BX and get an M. I wouldn't bother trailering an L or M, we have both and just drive them between farms. I would however wait a while before doing anything and let my finances settle down a bit and get a better handle on the needs of the new property.

That's kinda what I'm leaning towards. I can get a smaller trailer to transport the BX the 6 miles between properties and just use the M for the big work around the large property.

So now I guess the question is how to decide which M to go for? Is it all about horsepower, or are there other significant differences among M models?

 

[TripleR]

No, lots of different frame size and options in the M Series, I like to visit the dealer lots when they are closed and take my time getting a feel for each one, Kubota offers the M in Deluxe Utility and Special Utility or economy models. I would definitely go with a hydraulic shuttle shift transmission and prefer a 12/12 transmission though you have to get into the bigger machines like 7060 and up, so an M6060 should be OK.

Don't get confused with the MX as they are really CU not UT.

 

[tractorshopper]

I would keep the BX assuming it's paid for. If nothing else, you will use it for mowing and have the backhoe already which would save you from needing a backhoe and belly mower (or pull behind finish mower) for the lawn areas. Then I would buy an L or M for the rest of your larger chores. I had an L3800 (now L3901) and absolutely loved it. An M would be even more capable for your new property size. As 3R says though, if you can wait until the dust settles and you have a better idea of what all you will do at the new place, you can then make a better decision for those needs at that time.

I trailered my L3800 regularly with my F-150. Never had an issue. That was for doing work at other's places. When only going 4.5 miles to my other property, I just drove it instead of trailering. Took about 15-20 minutes which is what it would take to put it on a trailer even, so didn't make sense to trailer for that short of a distance.

 

[jeff9366]

I
My wife found her dream fixer-upper farm house sitting atop 67 acres. We will be moving there in the spring.

Our initial plan is to bring in some small livestock. Nothing larger than sheep or goats [FENCHING], and lots of fowl [CHICKEN HOUSE] and rabbits [PENS]. [WELLS, WATER LINES]

We'd also like to grow a variety of produce to mostly sustain a family of 4 (My wife and I are in our late 30s and the kids [BOYS?] are in elementary school) [10' DEER FENCE]

And plant an orchard (a half-dozen each of a variety of apple, plum, peach, and pear trees, maybe some others). [10' DEER FENCE] [MULTIPLE SPRAYS]

We'll want hoop houses to extend the growing season. [CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE]

We will definitely compost.

Southwestern PA winters always bring on a few heavy snowfalls. The driveway is about 900 feet long and is a very gradual hill, but almost flat.

I do not think the issue is tractor size. The issue will be time. You are contemplating enough field work for a motivated adult with established farm skills 60 hours per week.

It is pretty obvious you will have a "town" job to make this purchase possible. (Correct me if I am wrong.)

Your wife will have her hands full with a fixer-upper and two kids.

Are you contemplating employees? I cannot see how you can employ someone with the small animal/garden/subsistance scenario you have offered; there will be no profits.

By yourself, weekends, the reality is a 1/8 acre to 1/4 acre garden and that is a lot!
The BX is ample.

 

[savaytse66]

I would keep the BX assuming it's paid for. If nothing else, you will use it for mowing and have the backhoe already which would save you from needing a backhoe and belly mower (or pull behind finish mower) for the lawn areas. Then I would buy an L or M for the rest of your larger chores. I had an L3800 (now L3901) and absolutely loved it. An M would be even more capable for your new property size. As 3R says though, if you can wait until the dust settles and you have a better idea of what all you will do at the new place, you can then make a better decision for those needs at that time.

I trailered my L3800 regularly with my F-150. Never had an issue. That was for doing work at other's places. When only going 4.5 miles to my other property, I just drove it instead of trailering. Took about 15-20 minutes which is what it would take to put it on a trailer even, so didn't make sense to trailer for that short of a distance.

I think I can probably hold off on the purchase for a year, I just want to be able to plan accordingly. I've already got a new pickup on order, and with the purchase of this property, unless I come into a nice bonus next Spring, I doubt the funds will be there for a large tractor anyway. Also, we are planning to start small, so maybe I can swing a tiller for the BX25 and make do for a while.

I do not think the issue is tractor size. The issue will be time. You are contemplating enough field work for a motivated adult with established farm skills at least 60 hours per week.

It is pretty obvious you will have a "town" job to make this purchase possible. Your wife will have her hands full with a fixer-upper and kids.

Are you contemplating employees? I cannot see how you can employ someone with the garden/subsistance scenario you have offered; there will be no profits.

You have some great points. No, we are not looking to have employees or make a profit on anything. This is purely for us. Time is definitely a concern, considering my wife also works. We're hoping to get a lot of the fixing-upping done before we move in, and all of the farming tasks will be done a little bit at a time. For 2016, I don't expect to do much more than add some birds and bunnies and get a solid garden going. I think we can get at least part of the orchard planted as well. I'd like to do that sooner rather than later since it will be some time before we see the fruits (pun intended) of our labor.