Buying a new subcompact tractor

[Texasmark]

A tractor with a 60" MM would be ideal for your acreage, a riding mower will take all day.

My Ferris IS700Z has the 61" ICD deck and 26 hp BS Vanguard industrial engine for $7200. It will mow anything the MMM will mow and do it just as fast. The other thing it will do is turn you around fast without having to make loops or come back and trim the X you made across the field with your corner leftovers......and when you want to use your tractor in tractor work, it's not in your way.

 

[rngrrymd]

Made the deal on the Kubota BX2380. Should have it soon. Ordered the 60" drive over mower, quick connect bucket with bolt on cutting edge, ballast box, and some extra lights. Looking forward to trying it out on my property.
Thanks everyone for the advice and assistance.

Congratulations kevtjam! Are you willing to share with us what you paid out for the tractor and even how much the mower and loader were? Just asking in case another Canadian poster comes on asking for pricing advice in the future - here in US you just go to the Kubota US website and they give you list price on everything but up there they hide the rest like the mower and loader so it was hard to give you info. Your call on whether to share or not - either way - congratulations again and hope you get a lot of projects done and have fun doing them!

 

[kevtjam]

Congratulations kevtjam! Are you willing to share with us what you paid out for the tractor and even how much the mower and loader were? Just asking in case another Canadian poster comes on asking for pricing advice in the future - here in US you just go to the Kubota US website and they give you list price on everything but up there they hide the rest like the mower and loader so it was hard to give you info. Your call on whether to share or not - either way - congratulations again and hope you get a lot of projects done and have fun doing them!

Sure, happy to share. It does annoy me that they disclose list prices on the .com site but not on the .ca website.

It was not broken out by specific item but here is the grouping I received:

BX2380 tractor delivered with block heater, turf tires, 60" drive over mower and work light kit Cdn $15,560
LA344S Loader w/QC bucket, bolt on cutting edge and ballast box Cdn $3,810

Plus the exorbitant 13% tax. No dealer prep or any extra charges.

Based on earlier quotes I received I would estimate separately:

A 54" drive over mower is Cdn $2,800
A 60" drive over mower is Cdn $3,060
A LA344 loader (non QC) is Cdn $2,960

 

[Milo]

Made the deal on the Kubota BX2380. Should have it soon. Ordered the 60" drive over mower, quick connect bucket with bolt on cutting edge, ballast box, and some extra lights. Looking forward to trying it out on my property.
Thanks everyone for the advice and assistance.

Nice choice and congratulations! Glad you opted for the ballast box rather than filling the tires since you'll be using it to mow. Plus weight behind the rear axle is much more effective. BTW before you fill the box with stone, concrete, or whatever, set four lengths of PVC pipe upright in each corner to have holders so you can carry your rake, shovel, etc.

 

[finn1]

A zero turn is a better mower than a tractor is, and a skid steer and excavator are Superior dirt movers.

A compact or subcompact tractor is, at best , a compromise machine, best suited for three point work or snow blower use. When I bought my compact tractor the dealer recommended a ztr over a mid mount mower, and a different dealer recommended a separate lawn tractor to a friend over buying a mid mount for his subcompact tractor.

I think they were correct.

 

[Milo]

Sure a Zero Turn is a little faster mowing but if you wanted ONE machine to mow, move stuff with a FEL, and blow snow among other tasks, what would you buy?

 

[4570Man]

Sure a Zero Turn is a little faster mowing but if you wanted ONE machine to mow, move stuff with a FEL, and blow snow among other tasks, what would you buy?

Obviously a tractor because any other option is way more expensive. Comparing a tractor to a skid steer and mini excavator is a biased comparison and of course they win at the cost of probably 5x more. A used high end commercial ZTR is similar cost to a new MMM and holds resale a lot better and does the job a lot better. That’s a win in my book. Btw, my CTL is awesome, but I don’t like mini excavators. I’d take a real ( read not tractor attachment ) backhoe any day.

 

[Milo]

....... A used high end commercial ZTR is similar cost to a new MMM and holds resale a lot better and does the job a lot better.

I dunno, possibly I guess. A 60" MMM for the OP's BX adds what.... $2,000? Commercial ZTR's are around $7,500 and up (I paid $9K for my 60" Ferris). The used commercial ZTR's I found were pretty much spent and they still wanted $3,000+ for them and a used commercial one with hours will be soon be needing repairs while a new MMM should be trouble free for years. With what all I have to mow I was able to justify a new ZTR but if I had a couple acres to mow I'd prefer having only one machine to do it all.

Will my Ferris mow better than a BX? Probably not, a little faster yes but that just means less tractor time!

 

[4570Man]

I dunno, possibly I guess. A 60" MMM for the OP's BX adds what.... $2,000? Commercial ZTR's are around $7,500 and up (I paid $9K for my 60" Ferris). The used commercial ZTR's I found were pretty much spent and they still wanted $3,000+ for them and a used commercial one with hours will be soon be needing repairs while a new MMM should be trouble free for years. With what all I have to mow I was able to justify a new ZTR but if I had a couple acres to mow I'd prefer having only one machine to do it all.

Will my Ferris mow better than a BX? Probably not, a little faster yes but that just means less tractor time!

I’ve never personally priced one but I think closer to 3k. 3k will buy a used commercial machine.

 

[kevtjam]

Nice choice and congratulations! Glad you opted for the ballast box rather than filling the tires since you'll be using it to mow. Plus weight behind the rear axle is much more effective. BTW before you fill the box with stone, concrete, or whatever, set four lengths of PVC pipe upright in each corner to have holders so you can carry your rake, shovel, etc.

Great tip on the PVC. Thanks!

 

[tiktock]

Made the deal on the Kubota BX2380. Should have it soon. Ordered the 60" drive over mower, quick connect bucket with bolt on cutting edge, ballast box, and some extra lights. Looking forward to trying it out on my property.
Thanks everyone for the advice and assistance.

I've been following this and will be interested to see how you like it. I just got a BX1880 and got it without the MMM because my little JD Home depot special seems to do the job and I have some slopes. I'm liking the BX so much that if i can prove to myself I can mow the whole property with it, I'll dump the JD lawn tractor and use the sale to buy the MMM.

 

[TheMan419]

A zero turn is a better mower than a tractor is, and a skid steer and excavator are Superior dirt movers.

A compact or subcompact tractor is, at best , a compromise machine, best suited for three point work or snow blower use. When I bought my compact tractor the dealer recommended a ztr over a mid mount mower, and a different dealer recommended a separate lawn tractor to a friend over buying a mid mount for his subcompact tractor.

I think they were correct.

I think the separate mower vs a MMM is pretty accurate. However if you have space for storage considerations you might go MMM. Also there is some convenience in maintaining ONE engine not two.

The SCUT is, in my mind, not a compromise machine. I need to move some dirt, do some 3 point work, do some snow removal etc. None of those are sufficient for a dedicated machine and leaving the rest out. So the SCUT is the perfect machine for that situation.

If I were moving nothing but dirt all day every day of course I would want a skid steer.

 

[4570Man]

I think the separate mower vs a MMM is pretty accurate. However if you have space for storage considerations you might go MMM. Also there is some convenience in maintaining ONE engine not two.
.

How much does it cost to full service a HST tractor vs a ZTR lawnmower? My ZTR mower holds 2 gallons of hydraulic oil and has one filter and says change every 1000 hours. That’s less than $100 a change using a OEM filter and Kubota SUD2 fluid. An engine oil and filter change cost me about $30 and that’s buying 2 gallons of oil. This maintenance argument is stupid as far as I’m concerned. It’s mostly use based so the more you use a machine the more often it needs serviced. There’s no free lunch involved and you spend more time using a multipurpose machine.

 

[Milo]

While some services are hour based others are based on time so having two machines requires more. Batteries for example, also coolant changes, and sometimes engine and transmission oil are all spec'd to be changed annually regardless of hours. Then there's the additional storage space required for two machines.

On the other hand having a dedicated mower and tractor (rather than a tractor that has to do the mowing too) saves hours on the tractor and saves buying either a mmm or finish mower.... though you do have to buy the ZTR, lawn mower,......

 

[dodge man]

Good choice, you are going to like it. Ignore all the arguments on a dedicated mower or ZTR. The BX makes a pretty good mower.