I think I've talked myself into a tractor

[sawkiller]

That is prolly 745 lbs at the end of the boom. Now what does the bucket weigh? Or the forks? How much leverage do they gain on you the farther they stick out. I would be very impressed if it will lift a 500 lb properly centered load with the forks.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

Ian... for whats it worth... I would not got with the BX series... It might be better to step up to the "L" series... they are built better and tougher... thats just my opinion... I have 3 of em... 2 L's and 1 M series... I have talked with my sales man before and he was telling me how cheaply the bx series is... ( the story was one of the guys stepped up on it and the plastic floor pan cracked)
Also if you go the used route.. an L2850 is one tough mother..... I have seen them used and abused... one I saw traded in actually had no hood or fenders left... they had rusted away.. but the dang thing ran like a top... they are built like tanks.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

also the 0% is a good deal... and if you are late on a payment they just tack on a late fee... KCC ( Kubota Credit Corp ) were very easy to deal with and you can pay online.

 

[Walt41]

Play the game, get a quote from Kubota then run to the Mahindra dealer and make him beat it, I have both and can honestly say the Mahindra will outlift the orange guy any day of the week and both sets of hydro's are turned up all the way to stupid. Don't skimp on the bucket either, the quick attach will allow you to run all skidsteer attachments.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

one other thing to think about is dealer support.... we have at least 2 Kubota dealers near by. and have been in business a long time... also if you are somewhat mechanically inclined you can do most of the work yourself. there was an online parts dealer that would send you the parts list PDF for free... cant remember which one that was.... been so long ago...

 

[BSD]

Play the game, get a quote from Kubota then run to the Mahindra dealer and make him beat it, I have both and can honestly say the Mahindra will outlift the orange guy any day of the week and both sets of hydro's are turned up all the way to stupid. Don't skimp on the bucket either, the quick attach will allow you to run all skidsteer attachments.

+ 1 on quick attach buckets (skid style). Get something that is universal. it's cheaper and you can find used products from other machines too. bolt on forks are not strong and will tweak a bucket, especially those on the BX series. My father has a bx2350 and its great machine. I borrow it many times a year when my Kubota L48 is too big for a job. That little bx is great but the weak point is the weight of the machine. it will lift enough to pick the ass of the machine off the ground if you don't have a counterweight or vise versa, we have a set of 3pt hitch forks and it'll lift enough to where the front wheels will be off the ground if you hit a slight incline. The mid-mower is very expensive option, you're better off getting a commercial grade walk behind for you money. plus I couldn't imagine mowing with the loader hanging off the front. I use my fathers bx2350 when we aerate lawns and it is a PITA with the loader up front. Overall it's a great machine, but I would book for a B or L series and try to get a few more HP and bigger lift capacitys without much more cost.

 

[STLfirewood]

I would go bigger. I say that because the lifting capacity goes away very quick. Then you end up with a toy. Nice tractor but go as big as you can afford.

Scott

 

[Ductape]

Ian,
Once you have a tractor, you'll wonder why you ever waited so long. Seriously........ do it ! On the BX, I think you'll find the lift capacity is more like 500 lbs. Manufacturers always use grey areas to rate everything, and I'm sure the lift capacity you quoted was at the bucket pins. My free advice is to price out a B2620 also. I feel its considerably more tractor for not much more money. Once you realize how much you can do with all those different attachments that go on the back .......... it will definitely start up a whole new addiction.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

the L series will pick it own ass up easily... have to have a counter weight... like a bushhog or finish mower...
also skip the mid mount mower... go for a zero turn.. it will cut your time in half.. no joke. .. leave you more time for wood...

 

[Jkebxjunke]

also if you have a belly mower and get into some marginal ground... and sink.. you are stuck.... I have had my L2850 mud over the front axles and up the rear axle.. and had no problem getting out... the diff lock pedal can be your friend... and 4wd is great for scooping with a loader.

 

[kzack]

HI Ian,

I'll chime in. Keep in mind it is only my opinion.

Seems that tractor might do a lot of things, but maybe not do them well. I think you should honestly analyze your expectations and do some research. Do some reading on tractorbynet.com. If you are only considering something new or near new, you are doing yourself a dis-service. Also, another brand you did not mention is Yanmar. I've had a number of tractors, but will always have my Yanmar ;-)

Just be honest with yourself and keep your mind open to things beyond what a salesperson says and you will make the right decision.

Good Luck, Keith

 

[DSS]

We have an L series at work and that thing gets the piss beat out of it constantly. I agree they are built like a tank.

Very good tractors IMHO.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

We have an L series at work and that thing gets the piss beat out of it constantly. I agree they are built like a tank.

Very good tractors IMHO.

we have had our L2850 since 1985... and had been used in and around the chicken houses... mowing, moving firewood .. dirt, stones, dead chickens... manure... ect...

 

[DSS]

Ours is probably ten years old. The guys use it for landscaping, moving pallets of sod, rototilling, scraper blade etc. It has not had an easy life, multiple operators, nobody really looking after it. In the winter we put a blower on it.

No major problems at all, yet.

 

[blackdogon57]

I would go bigger. I say that because the lifting capacity goes away very quick. Then you end up with a toy. Nice tractor but go as big as you can afford.

Scott

Read STL's post again. You don't have to spend much more $$ to get a real tractor. Kubota/JD/Massey all make way better machines 30-40hp that are way betterthan that one for not much more cash.

 

[ericjeeper]

Buy a lawn mower or buy a tractor.. No machine does both well.

 

[Walt41]

Buy a lawn mower or buy a tractor.. No machine does both well.

I mow with my 45 hp Mahindra, I use a 6ft rear finish mower, just go backwards with the bucket all the way up, turns on a dime with 4wd off and A/C in the cab is wonderful on 90+ days.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

That is prolly 745 lbs at the end of the boom. Now what does the bucket weigh? Or the forks? How much leverage do they gain on you the farther they stick out. I would be very impressed if it will lift a 500 lb properly centered load with the forks.

Looking back, yes, that is at the pivot. For comparison, I looked at the JD2305 and their bucket is rated for 562lbs at the pin.

I'm still waffling. It won't see any serious farm work. General garden chores will be what it does. It also has to be small and maneuverable enough to mow around trees and such in the yard, so upgrading to a real "tractor" vs an overgrown mower won't be ideal or affordable. I think it would be plenty of tractor for my wants. Problem is just that. They're wants, and I'm coherent enough to realize it. I also can't find the spec for it's rated towing capacity. That's something I'll have to ask.

The JD LT-180 I have now is eating it's transaxle and I'm either going to have to buy a new mower or put $800 in a 6 year old 2wd mower that isn't heavy duty enough for my lot. Too hilly. It'll just eat another transaxle given a few years.

I've got 2 more Kubota dealers within driving distance, I'll get quotes from them and see what they can do. This one quoted me $15,100 out the door, after tax. That's a hard chunk to swallow for a mower with a bucket.

Ian

 

[some zilch]

Play the game, get a quote from Kubota then run to the Mahindra dealer and make him beat it, I have both and can honestly say the Mahindra will outlift the orange guy any day of the week and both sets of hydro's are turned up all the way to stupid. Don't skimp on the bucket either, the quick attach will allow you to run all skidsteer attachments.

your not going to be attaching any skid steer attachments to a bx tractor. the option isnt even there; the loader is too narrow, too light-weight, the weight of the quick-tach would take up alot of its lift capacity. my bobcat skid steer forks weigh over 400lbs alone, almost all of a bx's lift capacity. the bx bucket is only like 4ft wide.

bx tractor, or any other tractor that size, is really just a big lawn mower that can do some "big tractor" stuff. that bucket is way too far in front of the machine to be very useful, other than transporting mulch. its three point hitch may be too small for standard attachments. they are also outrageously priced, electrically complicated, and not *that* heavy duty.

my L4400, new, only cost $1800 more than a BX25. it has 3x the front loader lift, accepts skid steer attachments, can lift 3000+lbs on the three point, and can push a 7ft snow plow blade

 

[rottiman]

I can tell you that you will not be using pallet forks and moving big loads of wood with that loader/tractor combo. The loader is probably designed for about a 400lb. load limit in the bucket. As well you will need to hang at least 300 pds off to back of it for counter weight. I have basically the same tractor, size and configuration, in a Case/Farmall. For moving/lifting any kind of bucket weight you will need to get above the 35 hp class. I have had for three years and really like it, but it has its limitations