Tractor Sizing BX25D ... Is it the machine I need?

[ultrarunner]

Austria??? Did you recently add a locale to your Bio or did I just miss that?

Nope... and I'm going there next week... I've been away too long!

Back in February I asked to take time off in August that I had coming... boss said it was too far out and we are understaffed... so Tuesday, I take a half day off to take Mom and my brother's family to the airport... when I returned, the boss said I should have gone with them... it was hard not to roll my eyes... so on the way home I'm thinking what if... I have to arrange my own coverage at work and the person that covers for me just got back from vacation... so that was a go... got a ticket... the most I have ever paid... so I'm going.

Back in 1983-85 I built a small timber cabin... and in 2001 added on a master suite with a second bath... in 2007 added a shop/garage... the last time I was there was 2010.

It will be interesting to see if Kubota has gained any market share in Austria... almost zero back in 2010... often though just how handy it would be to have a BX parked in the shop... with snow blower of course!

The downside is whatever it costs here figure on at least double!

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[number two]

The fender seats and the hand crank on the KLI diesel look interesting.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Several years ago when I bought my 2660 I was convinced that I did not need a backhoe. I figured that if I needed one I could hire it out or rent one. I bought the 2660 and it has been great for the MMM, tiller, box blade, ratchet rake, brush bull jobs. My daughter ran across a guy who was in a rush to pull out of the area and I ended up with a 240 hr BX23 for $3500. It is a great machine. No it does not have enormous power, but for everything I have needed over the past couple years during the construction it has proven to be the ideal piece of equipment for me to get into the ground. Also comparing the 23 to the 2660 I almost prefer to run the 23. It is so much smoother than the 2660. Net/net, if buying today I would definitely buy the backhoe and would buy a BX. I sometimes play the, " I could sell both and buy a....B", but then I come around and decide to stand pat.

It's interesting that you have both a BX23 and a BX2660, which is the same combination I've got.

I paid a LOT more for my BX23 than you did. I bought mine used a couple of years ago to help with land clearing. I have hundreds of cedar trees to remove. I use the BX23 backhoe to dig up the lateral roots on the bigger ones so I can push them over with my Kioti DK50SE and haul them off with the grapple.

My original plan was to sell the BX23 when I was done with it. I'm not anywhere close to being finished with it. But when I do finish with it, I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to sell it. I just love the little bugger.

 

[ultrarunner]

The fender seats and the hand crank on the KLI diesel look interesting.
Thanks for sharing!

Those are the tractors I remember as a kid... it was a real workout for a kid to hand crank a diesel cold... there was a work around for really cold starts and that was lighting a bunt and screwing it back into the cylinder head... a true glow plug...

As a kid... some of my fondest memories are of sitting on that fender seat and opening and closing gates moving from field to field...

What could be more fun than really driving the tractor and not even 5 years old... my job was to steer the tractor up and down the windrows and walking pace... after that I was hooked.

Those 1950's era diesel tractors just keep plugging away...

I do plan to visit a Kubota Dealer in Austria time permitting... I think it would be interesting to see what they have to offer and at what price...

 

[dragoneggs]

It's interesting that you have both a BX23 and a BX2660, which is the same combination I've got.

My original plan was to sell the BX23 when I was done with it. I'm not anywhere close to being finished with it. But when I do finish with it, I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to sell it. I just love the little bugger.

When I bought my BX I thought it would be a 3 year and sell kind of thing. No way... I will die with this thing by my side. Actually I bet it will still be kicking when I am not. Maybe it will bury me?

 

[ultrarunner]

Feel the same about my bx23... the bx really are the Swiss Army Knives of the tractor world.

Did notice the BX series in other parts of the world is available with a full cab... as is most of the Kubota line.

 

[dragoneggs]

Feel the same about my bx23... the bx really are the Swiss Army Knives of the tractor world.

Did notice the BX series in other parts of the world is available with a full cab... as is most of the Kubota line.

Today was the first day I really thought about a cab with A/C. 100degF in western WA? WTH? I could've had music too. Oh well, was sweating like a pig... and lovin' it! Oh and did I say I am a proponent of global warming? The last few summers here in the great PNW have been glorious.

 

[bcp]

105 yesterday, 101 today. No outside work after noon for me.

Bruce

 

[dragoneggs]

105 yesterday, 101 today. No outside work after noon for me.

Bruce

Sounds good to me... a little lemonade after lunch and contemplate the next day? Not the 10 hr days but maybe we will live longer?

 

[ultrarunner]

Today was the first day I really thought about a cab with A/C. 100degF in western WA? WTH? I could've had music too. Oh well, was sweating like a pig... and lovin' it! Oh and did I say I am a proponent of global warming? The last few summers here in the great PNW have been glorious.

Brother is friends with a winery owner in Washington that has been in the business for 30 years... he says every year just keeps getting better!

My guess is the cab is a popular option for winter snow work.

 

[dragoneggs]

Brother is friends with a winery owner in Washington that has been in the business for 30 years... he says every year just keeps getting better!

My guess is the cab is a popular option for winter snow work.

Funny you should mention wine grapes (which winery?)... I just returned home yesterday after doing some business at Bonneville Power at the Dalles. I detoured through the columbia valley and stopped at a few wineries. Wow the grapes are already purple! Earliest I have ever seen them to this point.

 

[ultrarunner]

Funny you should mention wine grapes (which winery?)... I just returned home yesterday after doing some business at Bonneville Power at the Dalles. I detoured through the columbia valley and stopped at a few wineries. Wow the grapes are already purple! Earliest I have ever seen them to this point.

I know one is Barnard Griffin - Home


"Against the advice of his professors at U.C. Davis, who determined that Washington had too cool a climate to sustain wine grapes, Rob Griffin came to Washington in April 1977 to become Preston Winery's first winemaker. He quickly established himself as an accomplished artist by winning the first Best of Show at the Seattle Enological society's Northwest Wine Festival with his 1977 Chardonnay."


Climate change has winners and losers to cut to the chase... parts of England in Roman times were known for grapes... then the climate cooled.

All that I heard when going to school was the coming Ice Age and how food production would plummet and there was nothing we could do... go figure.

Hard for me to imagine 100 degree Olympia Washington weather... then again... a few days I can deal with.

Lots of Kubota Dealers in Western WA... some move a lot of smaller estate type tractors... even Home Depot rents BX25 in Lacey last I checked... it's a good way to get some seat time in contemplation of purchase...

My place in Olympia is he only place I have ever lived/owned with A/C... never had it in California... the Olympia home came with it and has a Heat Pump... when Mom visited... she let it me known she is not a fan of heat pumps... she likes to feel the heat come on... always complained of a draft with the heat pump... yet the air temp was exactly as set...

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I know one is Barnard Griffin - Home



My place in Olympia is he only place I have ever lived/owned with A/C... never had it in California... the Olympia home came with it and has a Heat Pump... when Mom visited... she let it me known she is not a fan of heat pumps... she likes to feel the heat come on... always complained of a draft with the heat pump... yet the air temp was exactly as set...

We have heat pumps in Ky. Most women complain about the heat coming out of the register, unless the emergency strip heater has kicked in, since the temperature is way below the temperature of the body so it feels "cold". Most other blowing heaters (electric/natural gas/propane gas/ coal) put out temps much higher than body temp thus feeling and actually being warm to hot.
I had a friend years ago told me his heat pump would heat up the house a lot quicker and feel hot if he rolled the temp way up or flipped the lever over to 80 degrees. Not knowing much about heat pumps 41 years ago I told him it was all in his mind that as all heaters worked the thermostat was an on or off switch and it was either on or off and putting out heat or not. Well, one day I tried it and he was right :shocked::confused3:. I then noticed a light had came on at the thermostat when I flipped the lever way over. I started asking about this phenomenon till I found someone who knew something about heat pumps. Most HPs have an electric strip heater in the blower unit which kicks on the high priced electric heat to supplement the HP process if it can't keep up or turning the thermostat way up or a few degrees over room temp kicks in the strip heater until the room temp is closer to the thermostat called for temp and this heat coming out will be warm/hot to the feel. I had an early HP in one home and a severe winter and the red/blue light stayed on all the time and the heat never kicked off and the temp would get lower by a few degrees every day intil I put in a wood burning fireplace insert with wood inside of it burning. That was over 30 years ago and HPs have come a long way since plus they usually have bigger emergency strip heaters in them now.
When your Mom visits now roll the thermostat way up and then when it gets warm enough roll it back down or keep her away from the vents where the below body temp air is blowing out.:cool2:

 

[ultrarunner]

Yes... I did do this... had to go to emergency heat for her to feel comfortable... I never tried to actually heat it several degrees higher say 74 all day.

Thing is she would never let us turn the thermostat above 68 growing up... most of the time it was off except when family came to stay during the Christmas... my brother said it was the only time the house ever got warm!

Mom loves emergency heat when visiting Olympia... told me now the furnace is working... what are you going to do?

I'm kind of the opposite... if I'm working outside all day and come in and the house is 68 it feels too warm!