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 | Don N.
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 3 N. E. PA 
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2002-10-21 44055
I recently bought 3 acres and will be building a house next summer. Currently, the land is a cornfield with a slight slope to it. I have shopped around a little and have more or less settled on the BX2200 with a 60" MMM and loader. I plan on doing extensive landscaping and will be putting in a large garden. Have I made the right choice? I have been quoted a price of $12,300 for the tractor, MMM and FEL. I have looked at Cub Cadet and they are about $3,000 more. I have also looked briefly at New Holland, but they seem a little big for what I need. I plan on getting a box scraper and york rake for the tractor, as I will need to smooth out the furrows left on the property. Any advice on equipment I should be looking at? Thanks.
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| TomG2
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-10-22 44071
Most tractors do the same jobs. Little ones take longer for power work and big ones take longer for maneuvering work. I think it's good to choose a tractor with a view of the on-going work, 'cause it's likely to be with you for decades. The heavy building and landscaping generally is done in a couple of years. A person with a big tractor that did the landscaping fast but whose main long-term work is mowing may find themselves lumbering around trees and bushes leaving a lot of hand trimming and worrying about a heavy tractor tearing up the lawn.
I have a 24hp/2500 lbs. tractor for about 4-acres in two properties. I don't use the tractor for finish mowing because it's too big. A smaller one wouldn't do the material handling, digging and landscaping I need over the long haul and would take more time at snow removal than I'd like. The tractor also is too small for heavier work like building demolition we've done, but I don't mind contracting out heavier work. My object is to keep the tractor busy and a medium weight compact the best at what I have to do. My compromise is keeping a beater of a riding mower going.
A lot of people seem to like BX's with MMM's for finish mowing but they'd take longer to do loader and landscaping work than a larger tractor. BX's have fairly narrow 3ph's and people have reported that the lower link arms won't spread wide enough for some implements and standard top-link arms can be too long. I think these problems are manageable though.
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| Patriot
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 7 Fuquay-Varina, NC
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2002-10-22 44084
Don, for your 3 acres and what you want to do I believe the
package you describe is perfect. I have the BX 2200 with the 60" MMM and FEL. It is a workhorse that will serve you well and is comfortable to operate. Recently I used it to "mow" down some very high, thick grass that was unattended to for quite some time and it was not an issue for the BX. I used the FEL to dig out a slope in the back of the yard where I expanded our swingset area, and it worked great. I live on about 4 acres, and I too looked for just the "right" tractor for the property (took 2 years) and I have found that the BX is just the right size, and a great price. I believe your quote is a fair one. I bought a 5 x 8 trailer (about 700 pounds) and have been taking friends/kids for hayrides, no issues there either. In my humble opinion, yes, the BX 2200 is the right choice.... ....
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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee 
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2002-10-22 44085
Kubota makes a good tractor for the money. I may be a bit biased on this but I will pass along my experience. You may rethink going by price and size alone. How will the tractor hold up 10 years from when you buy it? Will the dealer still be in business? In my area 5 Kubota dealers have gone under. The one left, I would not let work on my tractor. (yes I own a Kubota L245TP, bought it from a friend who is the John Deere rep. that took it in trade for a JD 4710) The New Holland dealer has gone under 3 times in the last 7 years and is closed now. If you are going to buy new, I would recomend that you go with a JD 4210 or 4310 with the ehydro. Yes there are cheaper tractors out there. There was a NH TC45 with about 300 hrs. on it parked right beside my Kubota when I bought it. My friend also took that one in trade, said the guy traded it for a JD 4710 because he was fed up with the problems he had with it. I in procurement active duty Army and recently procurred 15 John Deere 4710 tractors for the 101st Airborne. John Deere was the only manufacturer willing to work with us. Kubota, New Holland, Cadet, etc. would not warranty their engines for use with JP-8. John Deere was the only one. JD was the only manufacturer that sent out a Tech. rep to work with us and demo their equipment. I have seen instance after instance of our units returning from Afghanistan and other areas with Gators with over 800 - 900 hours on them and the origninal factor break-in oil and filters still installed. NOT ONE bit of maintenance done and they kept on going. Tire worn down to the cords. The Kubota engines are VERY good, but I look at the whole piece of equipment and the manufacturer support. I will eventually trade my Kubota for a Deere, I traded my Cub 154 Lo Boy for the Kubota. In the mean time it is a great little tractor for the money. Either tractor brand will definitely meet your needs but in the long run I think you will be much happier with the "green paint" instead of orange? Just my opinion. ;)
Randy ....
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 | jeff r
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 428 burton. michigan
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2002-10-23 44111
Gee Randy, why does your area have so many business failures?????? I do not think it has anything to do with the tractor brand. JD is A good Tractor no doubt about it, but because JD was willing to work with the U.S. goverment means nothing. In my business, working for goverment business is a GREAT BIG HASSLE. If I was desparate for business then selling through all the red tape with the goverment might be an option. But I'm so busy with the higher profit private sector, I turn down goverment business. I'm just not willing to jump through a ton of hoops for a carrot I will NEVER GET. Some corporations, including the one I work for, realize that goverment work is low profit-high hassle undertaking and shun it whenever possible. The prevailing attitude is, "Good products have good prices, so why do I want to take a price whipping by giving bargain basement prices to the goverment when somebody else will pay me more for the same product"???? ....
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| Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2002-10-23 44115
Jeff, that is what I get from most dealerships. Understandably so. You are right, government sales are a pain if you do not have a government sales account manager and no tractor models listed on the GSA schedule. My point was that for the dollar spent, John Deere had the best customer support,logistics, and price. Are you telling me that if you could move 15 tractors in this class and all the follow on service contracts, parts, and consumables that you would pass on a government sale?
Randy ....
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| jeff r
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 428 burton. michigan
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2002-10-23 44116
Randy,
I sure would pass. Why would I want to sell 15 widgets at LOW mark up. When I could sell 7 at normal mark-up and not be put through a RED TAPE MEAT GRINDER. I Have found the govermental attitude is of Trying to get a seller's product for next to nothing and then nit pick and bother the seller with support questions that the buyer DID NOT PAY FOR. MY attitude is simply a NO-Nonsense approach and it goes something like this. "MR Gverment Purch Agent...This is my price...This is what you get and what you don't get. This is what it will do. This is who we are. This is who we have sold to. This is when and were you can see and demo it. I do not go into the gutter to give a bargain fire sale price. I do NOT pay Bribes, nor do I offer gratuities other than lunch. I never solicit goverment business ( why look for a headache). The goverment knows my company is a major player in the materials testing business and the goverment COMES to Me for a price. Last year they even came to us for our expertise since people in my business NEVER work for the goverment. My time is VERY valuable and I use it to get the highest mark-up and profitability and goverement sales "AINT WHERE ITS AT". PLEASE pass THIS ON to others in your goverement procurement business. LOL. I'm looking to sell my product at 3 -20 times what its worth just like the 800 dollar toilet seats bought by the Air Force. That would get my attention. ....
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| IRTEXN
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 51 Texas
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2002-10-23 44125
Jeff,
You won't be sorry if you go with the 'Bota, it's an escellent machine. I almost bought one myself, but at the last minute went to the JD 4110. It's 21 HP with HST and FEL. I have 4.5 arces that is pretty rough and so far it has handled everything I have asked of it. Yet I think it's manuverable enough to do the finish work when I'm ready. Blue Green or Orange will do the job for you just fine, I agree to shop as much for the dealer as the machine. Good luck ....
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| Billyboy
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-10-23 44127
Getting back to the original question, I am surprised no one suggested the bx-22. Costs a bit more, but you get the backhoe and the added cost for that seems reasonable.
I am pretty sure you can get a bx-22 with MMM for about $16,000 give or take a couple hundred. But this would only work if you can cover the extra cost...
Having a backhoe is really handy sometimes...and you can't easily or safely add one to the bx2200.
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| Don N.
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 3 N. E. PA
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2002-10-24 44139
I briefly considered the BX22 TLB, and the dealer quoted me a price of $16,000 without the mower. It appears that the rear of the machine is dedicated to the backhoe, and has no 3ph, thus precluding the use of many of the implements I'd need to use. On top of that, I just can't justify the purchase of the backhoe, no matter how much fun I'd have with it! Thanks for all the input, though! ....
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2002-10-24 44140
Let me assure you that the BX22 has a fully functioning 3-point hitch. It installs without tools after the backhoe is removed. Once you get the hang of it, you can go from backhoe to 3 point ready to go in under five minutes.
$16K is a little high for a 22, that should be real close to the price with a mower thrown in. In terms of price, the BH will add $4k to the price, or about the same as 13 days rental charges for a BH from a rental yard. If you shop around, no one but Kubota will add a BH to a tractor for so little money. So if you can figure out where you might need a small hoe 3 times a year for the next five years, it is easy to justify the cost.
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| RichT
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 33 SOCAL
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2002-10-25 44180
I'll chime in here on top of Mark. I've owned a BX22 now for a couple months and love it. It works perfectly for maintaining my 1 acre horse arena and in/around my enclosed backyard. The width and weight are such that I can move around the backyard without tearing everything up, yet still do some productive tractor work. I bought mine, without mower, for 14.7K. Most other dealers here in SOCAL asking between 15-16K, if you can find one in stock.
As Mark says, the 3ph comes with the BX22 and is easy to interchange with the backhoe after a little practice. It is slightly narrower than category 1 std. I discovered this when I was shopping for a drawbar as a frame for building a 3ph/box hitch coupler. Discussions with several implement makers verified this, but many said they make implements to fit the Kubota subs.
My neighbor, who has a commercial JD410E backhoe loader, borrowed my BX to do some closein work around his house. He was so impressed he's decided to buy one (I wouldn't sell mine) for his landscaping business. ....
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| Don N.
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 3 N. E. PA
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2002-10-25 44190
A couple of questions. First, How severely will a narrower 3ph limit my implement choice? Second, What are the dangers, if any, associated with running a backhoe on the BX2200. I know Kubota does not recommend this, but I'm not a commercial user. My primary uses of the machine will involve the loader and 3ph, as well as the mower so limiting my implement choice in favor of a backhoe may not be best. There is a rental place only a couple of miles away, and they rent small New Holland backhoes; I'm thinking it may be better to rent on the rare occasion I need a hoe. I sure would like to justify the add'l cost for this toy, but after building the new house, it'll be tough to say the least! ....
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| DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2002-10-25 44199
I have had no problems with the width of the lift arms. I have 5 or 6 different implements that fit just fine. I did have to shorten the top link about 1.5 inches to get everything to work right, but that is no big deal to do.
In order for the BX22 to handle a backhoe, Kubota added 220 pounds of extra steel to the frame of the tractor. The frame on the rear end of the tractor where the hoe attaches is made out of slabs of steel that is one inch thick in most places. The frame is double thickness as compared to the 2200; all the way forward to the FEL mounts. It is one stout machine. Despite its smaller size it is heavier than the B2410.
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| Patriot
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 7 Fuquay-Varina, NC
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2002-10-28 44294
Don, I understand what you are saying with the new house cost and then adding the tractor. That is why I think the FEL and MMM on the BX 2200 will suffice and if on rare occasion you need a backhoe, rent one. I have not even added a rear implement yet since I have been so productive with the FEL. Relatively speaking alot of rear implements seem to be fairly inexpensive. Someone like Mark H. seems to really be putting his backhoe to good use, sizing up my acreage/land type and future projects (which was heavily influenced by the wife!), the backhoe was not justified... ....
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