Tractor Sizing enough power for the job

[HammA5690]

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Im considering buying a bx25 for my 10 acre plot. about 7 Acres of this land is field and or lawn which would be mowed on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The tractor would be needed for mowing (probably a 60" MMM), plowing snow (about a 60 yard driveway) Ocassional digging and trenching, carrying buckets of Stone/Soil and towing a trailer full of firewood through mild to rough terrain. Any thoughts or input you might have would be great.

Basically my questions are :
- Does the tractor have the power/wieght for the needs listed above?
- Will R4's leave the grass intact or should I get turf tires?
- Can the 60" MMM cut grass while traveling at a moderate to fast speed?
- Im 6'3 and 275, Will this tractor just look like a lawn mower under me?

Thanks again for any input.

 

[towlesj]

You need to go drive one to determine if size is an issue. I have never had a mmm so I can not answer that. I looked at that model but wanted something little big larger that I think ill actually need. So I do not outgrow it so to speak.

 

[TripleR]

JOHNTHOMAS, CompactTractorFan and some others own BX25's, so if they don't show up, you might PM them.

We own a BX2660 with a 60" MMM and 48" rotary cutter. While we love this machine, we have mowed that much acreage and won't do it again. My preference for this would be a B2630/3030.

Yes, the MMM will mow about as fast as you can stand to go.

We have no problems tearing up our yard with R4.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Had to really ponder this awhile. I've had/have BX's, B's and an L.
Sounds like alot of mowing but the BX is the Queen of mowing after the F which is King.
For ocassional light BH work the BX25 is great.
Something with a 6' RFM would save a bit of time but......This one is hard to determine.
Again 7 acres mowing with a BX is going to take some time. If the 60" mowing deck is the deck of choice then the BX will be OK. Brain keeps hollering B size but same size deck on level ground I think I'd do the BX or the B. Not sure. Still confused. Sorry, I don't have a solid answer on this one and can't find a way to squirm out of making a solid recommendation.
I guess price would have to be the determining factor if a bigger deck isn't bought which will require a F or B or ZTR and two of those aren't tractors with BH's.
Is that vague enough?

 

[radioman]

finish mow 7 acres with bx ? hmmm, the top speed at 8mph WOT is gonna be a long day with a screaming engine. figure about an hour per acre with 60 inch with small amount of obstruction like trees, etc. I am thinking you need at least a B series with 3 range gears, or an L. This way you can run at a lower engine speed and still have power to mow that much without lugging engine. If I were you I would think about getting a RFM that is at least 7-8 feet wide.

 

[jonyyuma]

If you have a doubt, after testing, then Buy Bigger, you won't be sorry. Just not so big, it is a problem climbing up on it.Jy.

 

[PHILIP8N]

How much time do you have? I mow 2.5 acres every other week with a 6' rfm. Parts are a little bumpy, so I set my cruise at 4.5 tp 5.0 mph. With warm up, obsticles, and such, takes me about an hour. Personally, I prefer turfs. Philip.

 

[dodge man]

I have turfs on mine, a BX2350, and a 60" deck. I am not sure how much I mow, maybe 2 acres or a little less. On flat open ground, I think a BX would mow a little more than a acre per hour. Don't worry about the engine screaming, its built to mow at full throttle. If you have a really smooth lawn, it will fly right along, but most of the time what limits the speed is how rough the yard is.

The problem with a B is, you have to step up a little in size to get a 72" deck. A ZTR would be the way to go for just mowing, but thats all its good for.

 

[HammA5690]

If you have a doubt, after testing, then Buy Bigger, you won't be sorry. Just not so big, it is a problem climbing up on it.Jy.

How big can I go while still not tearing or sinking in semi wet turf?

 

[MikeInEburg]

If few obstructions, I'd get a B3300 and 7-foot rear finish mower. It would save a fair amount of time. Also gives you three-range speed control.
Mike

 

[Grandad4]

​

Im considering buying a bx25 for my 10 acre plot. about 7 Acres of this land is field and or lawn which would be mowed on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The tractor would be needed for mowing (probably a 60" MMM), plowing snow (about a 60 yard driveway) Ocassional digging and trenching, carrying buckets of Stone/Soil and towing a trailer full of firewood through mild to rough terrain. Any thoughts or input you might have would be great.

Basically my questions are :
- Does the tractor have the power/wieght for the needs listed above?
- Will R4's leave the grass intact or should I get turf tires?
- Can the 60" MMM cut grass while traveling at a moderate to fast speed?
- Im 6'3 and 275, Will this tractor just look like a lawn mower under me?

Thanks again for any input.

The BX is a really good mowing machine with a surplus of power, built like a brick outhouse, but if you are mowing 7 acres every 1-2 weeks... that's a lot of mowing for such a small machine. The tractor will stand up to it better than your hind end will, but you really need something larger just so you can get through the job faster. However if you only mow 2 acres of it regularly and do the rest 3-4 times a year, the BX will do fine for you.

As for appearances, don't worry about it. It outweighs you by a factor of 7 times, so from a performance standpoint, it will be completely happy dragging you anywhere you need to go. Besides, most guys aren't going to be looking at you anyways... they're checking out the tractor! And if you're trolling for hot babes, you might cover more territory using the car or the truck. :laughing:

 

[dodge man]

I should add, I'm 6'-1" and weigh 250, so it fits me fine.

 

[PHILIP8N]

How big can I go while still not tearing or sinking in semi wet turf?

That is part of the reason for the existance of turf tires. I use mine in snow with excellant results. They also perform well in dirt. There are better choices for mud, but it still gets through. Philip.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Im considering buying a bx25 for my 10 acre plot. about 7 Acres of this land is field and or lawn which would be mowed on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The tractor would be needed for mowing (probably a 60" MMM), plowing snow (about a 60 yard driveway) Ocassional digging and trenching, carrying buckets of Stone/Soil and towing a trailer full of firewood through mild to rough terrain. Any thoughts or input you might have would be great.

Basically my questions are :
- Does the tractor have the power/wieght for the needs listed above?
- Will R4's leave the grass intact or should I get turf tires?
- Can the 60" MMM cut grass while traveling at a moderate to fast speed?
- Im 6'3 and 275, Will this tractor just look like a lawn mower under me?

Thanks again for any input.

OK, I'm here! In my opinion, I would go with something along the lines of a B3200. The BX25 will get it done it will just take longer. The R4 tires don't tear up the lawn unless it's pretty wet or you make a sharp turn at high speed. The BX25 can mow very fast. If your 7 acres is open and does not have a lot of obstacles, I think you could get it done in about 3 hours with some practice. I'm a little over 6' and the BX seems a lot bigger than our old riding mower. If you have any more questions just ask!!! :thumbsup:

 

[HammA5690]

Thanks for your input that actually helped out alot. about 2 acres is all lawn with a house, a couple sheds and a small barn. the other 5 acres is all field with just a few stand alone tree's. Everyones ideas have been great and I am about 85% sure I will be going with a Bx25 because you cant beat the price and versitility.

 

[bp fick]

My only question is to ask what you meant by "rough". How rough?

The small BX wheels aren't going to take humps and bumps like an L with larger wheels and tires, with the large 2630 B series being almost as rugged.

 

[Renob]

Hey Hamm,

I have a very similar situation to what you have. I have a BX24. I mow 2 acres of lawn weekly and bush hog 5-6 acres of field 2-3 times per year. The 24 handles this very well.
If you have a smooth field, you will be happy. If your field areas are rutted and bumpy, you will be wishing for a larger machine.

To be honest, I am looking at the B2620 right now. I don't need it, but I want it.

 

[crazyal]

I'm with BP, how rough is rough? Is going into the woods something you would like to do but if was a little more than the tractor could handle something you could live without? I don't own either but I would think the BX may be a little small. If you do choose to go with a BX then I would look into getting a skid plate for the HST fan (others can tell you more).

 

[Robb71]

With ten acres I would consider stepping up to the B or L series, especially if you ever plan to do anything with the land.

 

[HammA5690]

With ten acres I would consider stepping up to the B or L series, especially if you ever plan to do anything with the land.

Other than having a bigger frame what are the differences of the smaller B's and the bx series. I noticed they have around the same hp but just don't come with a loader and backhoe. You also can't get any larger of a mmm than with the bx.

Ps. The owner of the property previously mowed the entire 7 acres with a 46 inch jd lawn mower which took him days. But he did it which shows land is not rough enough to really be a issue just an irritation. And the woods are not bad but do have a few dips and rocks throughout.