Go BottomIs the BX1500 for me
 | John
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2005-10-13 117853
I am hoping to get some advice on whether the BX1500 would a good choice for me. I live on 6.5 acres of hillside with a little over an acre of it in lawn. Because of the slop I am not considering anything without a ROPS and 4wd. This combined with a budget has me turned on too the BX1500.
For the most part the tractor will be used for mowing but I have some hauling in mind also. We had the lower lot logged a year ago an I want to get down there (and back!) for firewood. Would the 1500 be able to handle a logging road, especially on the way back up pulling a cart of wood?
I also wouldn't mind adding a blade to smooth out the ruffer spots in the lawn.
Thanks in advance.
John in PA.
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 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon 
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2005-10-13 117854
It would be frightening to drive on the clay logging roads around here without R1 Ag tires, wet OR dry. But they will tear up your lawn. How steep is the slope? ....
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 | jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-10-13 117856
My lot is quite hilly and the BX1500 with bar tires handles it well. The BX's bar tires are not really any worse on the lawn than the turfs. Engine power is not a problem. It will pull a lot more weight than it can realistically stop, but that is true for virtually any tractor. Stay within the guidelines set forth in the operator's manual, exercise a little commmon sense, and you'll be fine. A BX sounds like a great match for your needs, but you might try a B7510 just for comparison. ....
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-10-13 117859
Depends on the soil and moisture level. See my pics 5 & 6 for how badly R4s plug in our semi-moist clay. The R1's are far superior in our soil. If I still had R4's the tractor would be almost unusable in the winter months. ....
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| 12251hd
Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 37 VA & OH
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2005-10-13 117862
We have a BX1500 with Ag tires that work fine on lawn and rough roads. It is light enough to traverse wet areas without ruts and heavy enough to not experience wheel spin. The tractor has plenty of power for the rolling hills we mow, and the ROPS are relatively low enough to get under branches. We only use for mowing, but I wouldn't hesitate to hitch a trailer for general use. ....
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| John
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2005-10-13 117863
Thanks for the input.
I was thinking that I would need Ag tires on the rear at the very least. The logging road was seeded and filled in nicely so it's not bare earth. Since one section gets pretty steep I figured that I would need the the extra traction. Would Ag's up front affect manuverablity at all?
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-10-13 117864
I think you'll find it's not recommended to mix tire types on 4WD. This is because the front and rear tire sizes are matched sets. You're unlikely to find front R4s or turfs that are the same O.D. as R1s, and that will mess up your axle lead ratio and could cause damage. ....
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| hwlewis
Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 13 Arkansas
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2005-10-14 117874
I have the BX2230, but want to respond to you regarding traction. You don't need the bar tread! I have very steep areas I mow and the turf tread works like a charm. The bar tread would be better in very few applications, and on balance the turf tread overall is a better choice for what you will be doing. By the way, I pulled a 16 foot walnut log up the hill with my tractor for a mill to pick up to make lumber -- they were amazed I was able to do that. I also have a box blade and filled in 300 feet of utility line trench for a neighbor -- the turf tread would loose traction with a exra full load, but the unit performed great given the size of the tractor! Unless you are always working on unfinished pasture and soils, go with the turf tread.
Harley ....
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-10-14 117875
I have watched this thread for a couple of days and I will jump in here. The only thing that alerts me to problems is the term "logging road".
All tractors ride rough due to the fact there is no suspension. The smaller the tires, the rougher they ride. The BX1500 has the smallest tires of any sub-CUT.
I have a rocky, lumpy lot and my BX22 was very, very uncomfortable to drive here. I was forced to crawl around at a snails pace and sometimes even slower. It was very tiring to put in even a couple of hours on it.
If your terrain is even a little bit rough I think you will be miles ahead of the game with a tractor equipped with larger tires.
My current machine came with R-4's designed for a 9000 pound skid steer, which did nothing to help the ride.
In order to make the ride manageable I replaced the rear tires with a similar size radial mud and snow SUV tire. Even then it beat the heck out of me until I reduced the pressure to 10 PSI.
The BX series is a marvelous machine for more civilized environs like extensive lawns and rolling pasture lands. For rough country I would want at least a 33 inch tall rear tire.
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 | DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2005-10-14 117877
On the tires when Ken talks about Ag tires on his much larger Deere tractor these look like traditional ag farm tires. When you are talking about Ag tires on a BX I think you are actually talking about Bar Turf tires that have about the same tread width as the the BX turfs. Both of the BX tires are low profile wide tread tires. Traditional ag tires have a narrow tread. I say this because there is a reason farm tractors have those huge rear tires, "traction". If you are looking for traction look for bigger tires. But as in most things there are work arounds. I don't think there is much difference between either of the BX tires Bar or Turf. I would think on snow the wide tread bar tires would be less useful.
If what you call a logging road is more like a smooth grassy lane, and you are not pulling whole logs, but rather just putting split stuff or small pieces in a small trailer, my advice then would be to get the turfs on the BX, then add rear tire chains if needed. If you only go down there when the grass is dry, don't overload the trailer, and use 4WD you probably won't need chains at all.
If you are going over anything that has say 6" or so modulations in it then forget the BX and get a Kubota B or Deere 41XX series.
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-10-14 117883
The pics on my profile with the clay plugged tread are R4 industrial tires. The R1 ag tires are narrower and taller with much deeper tread. The traction you get depends a LOT on the type of soil you have. If you have wet, sticky clay the best you can do is probably R1 ag tires. This is because of the deeper lugs and the ability to "self-clean", where the lugs will twist and flex and shake off the mud. If you have well drained sandy soil it doesn't matter as much. I've always found the term "bar tires" confusing. R1s and R4s both have bars but they are entirely different beasts. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2005-10-15 117910
The BX's is a ag tire of sorts but not a bar turf. They are a low profile bar ag type that doesn't tear turf that much. ....
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| John
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2005-10-15 117911
Well stopped at the Kubota dealer. They gave me a price of $7650 for a BX1500 with at 48" deck. That's after the $500 rebate that Kubota is running right now. Sound reasonable? That's set up and delivered to my door.
Very nice guys at the very least. They said that the promotion was running through December so need to decide then and there. They also let me drive a BX2300 around to get a feel for it.
To answer some previous questions. The logging road could pass as pretty 'civilized'. Its' not rutted or choppy. It was dozed pretty smooth and added water breaks before we seeded it. Like I mentioned before this tractor will be used mainly for mowing and hauling. I just wanted the added protection and traction that the BX line has to offer (4wd & ROPS).
From all indications it looks like the 1500 would fit the bill. It's still a lot of money for a 'mower' but you usually get what you pay for. ....
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| jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-10-17 117995
Get the 54" deck. It sticks out further which makes it easier to edge, not to mention adding another 1/2ft to your swath. If I recall correctly it also has better anti-scalp rollers and a better deflector than the 48".
As long as you don't use 4WD when you don't need it, the BX bar tires will not hurt your lawn. Trust me, I have experience with both! This is NOT true for a tractor with larger tires. The BX bar tires DO provide extra grip in mud and rough terrain. IMO, the best feature of the R1's is the self-cleaning ability. Turfs are horrible about packing full of mud, gravel and other debris (like grass clippings).
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