Volfandt
Veteran Member
Greetings, after running the BX23 approx 12 hrs since delivery, I thought I'd post my assessment of it thus far. Altho it will be somewhat biased I'll try to keep it subjective.
Prelude.
My property is a tale of differing terrains. Approx an acre of flat lawn out front is for appearance while 1/2 acre of the back is also for appearance but both have many obstacles strewn about them. The back 2 acres is former pasture and garden with a pond that I finish mow and the further back 1.5 acres I let a neighbor cut hay for his horses. The entire 3 acres in the back is ringed by old growth trees w/ little pockets of them standing out from the fence rows.
The primary duty of my machine is to finish mow 1st & foremost while being able to manuver around, under & close to many obstacles. It has to shorten my cutting time so a large mower was in order. It also needs to be able to occaisonally dig out sections of the pond, tree stumps, rock outcroppings, plow & disk a garden, carry small to medium sized loads and perform general landscaping chores. After much thought, research & many visits to many different dealers, I narrowed my hunt down to the BX2230, B7510, 2110, 4110 & GC2300. Of these 5 I liked the feel of the B7510 best w/the 4110 a very close 2nd but thought the height and ground contact mower wouldn't fit very well in my particular environment. The 2210 was commanding upto $1000 more than the BX or GC and the GC was higher than the BX. The 4110 was priced way out of my budget! So after more research I decided that the machines were practically identical enough so that I'd base my decison on what positive relationship I could strike up with the dealer as well as the price.
Well, I felt the easiest with the 2 Kubota dealers best and picked the closest one. It also helped that a regional Kubota rep called me during the process when I emailed a question to Kubota about their machines that neither dealer could answer. This impressed me also. These folks wanted my business! Unfortunatly I didn't get this "feel good" attitude from the other dealers.
Anyways, I ended up going with the BX23 over the BX2230 & BX7510 at the 12th hour and heres my 12hr assessment.
*note*
(I know, I didn't even list the BX23 in my top 5 and that was because that was the machine I constantly kept telling myself I didn't need but always commanded the last glance when I left the Kubota dealerships..... Kinda like finally going up and asking the pretty gal for a dance and she accepts /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
Assessment. (OK enough already, on to the meat)
Size;
(all positives here)
I was correct on this (for once anyways /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). The BX23 almost seems to be custom made for my needs. Not too big and not too small, just right /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I've yet to put the deck on but the tractor does clear in between & under the plentiful obstacles I was worried about. You see I don't want to have to increase my weed eating time, I wants more seat time! One place in particular I have 65" of clearance and the deck needs 64" so it'll just do. I'll post on the cutting come spring.
The wide stance coupled with a lower ground clearance is a benefit to driving the several hills I'll have to finish mow. I builtup dirt ramps around these hills back in the day to ease the angle/tilt when I bushhogged w/ the TE20 and the BX w/FEL & BH handled 'em fine. For mowing it should be better as I'll have both dismounted and the approx 300 LB's of the MMM centered low should make it even more stable.
Travel operation;
(again, all positives)
The HST works outstandingly! I thought the treadle pedal was a negative at 1st but now that I'm used to it, I actually like it better than separate pedals! To go from forward to reverse requires moveing my foot approx 2" to 3" back on the same pedal and depressing with my heel or toe or entire foot. If you've ever drove a Harley with a toe & heel shifter the operation is similar but you don't have to lift your foot.
The BX23 comes to a complete stop when the pedal is returned to the neutral position and I've yet to use the brakes for anything other than parking.
Dash/electrics/operator ergonomics;
Positives, all the controls are within easy reach and the seat adj's to give me a very confortable ride. I ran up 4 hrs on Sat and didn't realize I had been working it that long!
Theres plenty of leg room and the steering was practically effortless, much easier than any of my vehicles and this includes having a full FEL.
Negatives,
It needs a tach! A tractor just needs a tach and I don't understand why Kubota omitted it on the BX models. I will probably add a Tiny tach or something similar.
The fuel gauge doesn't seem to be right. After I put approx 7 hrs on the original full tank of fuel the gauge still showed almost full and it wavered back and forth alot. When I checked the fuel level it seemed low so I added almost 2 gallons to it inorder to top it off. I've put another 5 hrs on it and it now shows about 3/4 tank, I'm watching it to see if it's really a problem or if it's like most of my Fords in operation (i.e. it's full forever then starts a fast drop as it gets lower)
The reversable seat. In picking the BX23, I thought having one seat would be best but when engaged in doing alot of BH work where moving the tractor alot is necessary, constantly changing the seat around got to be somewhat of a PITA. I'm hoping that my increased skills in moving the tractor with the BH & loader along with the hope the seat material is heavy duty will not wear the mechanisms out.
Head lights, they are practically useless w/ the FEL. I did find a spot where they did illuminate the dark for me so I could deposit the load I had in the FEL but barely. Forward & rear facing worklites mounted on the ROPS will be added and doing this will eliminate this negative.
A tellscoping/tilting steering wheel would make the BX23 a 10+ as opposed to a 10.
FEL;
Positives, I filled the FEL full of wet dirt and carried it approx 100yrds to fill in ruts and both the FEL & tractor performed very well. I will guess that I had close to the maximum rated load in it and it didn't seem to faze it. Operating with the single joy stick was easy to get used to and it back dragged fine. I am very glad I now have an FEL.
Negative, It had a hard time digging into a seasoned pile of dirt. Part of the problem is the short rear tires and of course I'm not running the engine at the rated work RPM either so it's not so much an FEL shortcoming as it is a whole tractor shortcoming.
I know that with better tactics (which I'm learning) & higher engine RPM I can work around this.
I have installed 3 chain hooks to it this weekend but haven't used it for lifting as of yet but will be in the future, I'll update when.
BH;
Man, I didn't think I'd need this expensive add-on and always found reasons to discount purchasing one during the shopping process but I went with the ole gut feeling at the 12th hr and am very very glad I've got it now! The bucket measures alittle over 11" wide (inside) so I'm not sure if its a 10" or 12". I'll cross ref the part number to see I rekon but the dealer said it's probably the 12" Well see.
Positives, Even at 3/4 throttle and lower this little BH can dig. Once I got through the top "colder" dirt the bottom scooped out very easily.
Operation is very easy with the two controls. The BH responds instantly and the speed can be regulated depending upon how far in each direction you push the controls. As a rookie, slow is better for me. I did speed it up more as I got used to the controls.
The 6' reach is fine for what I'll use it for.
One operatiion I did was to dig out a hole in the front yard, go to the back and dig out a small tree, carry it to the front, deposit it in the hole and back fill around it all without having to leave the seat (except to turn it around) nor utilizing a shovel /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I likee!
I figured out how to move the tractor with the BH which meant not having to flip the seat to reposition by driving it as often. The BH had no problem moving the tractor (once I put the HST in neutral /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).
Negatives, at 3/4 and less throttle, forget about feathering the BH's controls. It will slow it down to a standstill when trying to do this. Since I am being very careful during the 50 hr breakin, I did not go WOT to see if it got better. Hopefully it does.
Repositoning the tractor can be a PITA. I know that safety features prevent this but, being able to manuver the tractor from the BH position is desireable to me instead of having to dismount, flip the seat then drive it to the next position.
As a comparison, I rented one of those little Tera-Mites a couple yrs ago and I was able to move/drive it from the BH position and this was a benefit in the job I was doing. So on down the road I may modify the BX23 to do this. For now I'll just live with it).
Engine/power;
As I stated, I'm not going WOT when working it for the 1st 50 hrs so this is based on 3/4 throttle and less.
Positives,
The rated 22 seems to be plenty. I drove the BX23 over hill & dale without problem, sometimes with an FEL full of dirt and it hardly missed a beat.
On the coldest mornings thus far it has started right up with approx 5 sec's of glowplug. Granted it's kept inside but non-the-less, it's been in the low 20's inside the shop and it started right on up.
It hasn't used any oil, the anti freeze is at the same level as well as is the hydro fluid so the manufactureing seems A1!
Theres no white/blue smake at all and only a scant amount of black smoke at startup which is normal for a diesel.
Negative,
Well not really a negative to me but may be to some is the engine exhaust is somewhat loud. It's not so loud as to drown out the machinery but it's louder than the 23HP gas engine Kohler on my L130.
Even with this it's sweet music to me as I like to hear my machinery working and I like the sound of a diesel.
I do like to listen to 'em but don't get me wrong, I'm not into open headers or the like as you can't hear the machinery, only the exhaust.
If'n you have to wear earplugs/muffs' when using a std large lawn mower ( such as a 23hp Kohler etc) then your gonna have to on a BX23 also.
MMM;
I haven't used it yet and have only installed it then removed it for GP so thats what I'll comment on.
Positive,
It's well built and very stout. I was going to go with the 54" but upon urging from the BTDT's here on this forum as well as my own 2nd thoughts I went with the 60" and this puppy is big.
It'll barely fit between the wheels but does with some manuvering but hookup is easy. Moreso than the 48" mower on my JDL130 and defintely easier than the 44" mower that was on my old Sears GT6000.
I definitely like that its a full floater as my back yard is rutted and would possibly tear up a ground contact mower. I also highly like being able to adj the cutting height by a simple twist of the knob from the operators seat. You don't have to dismount and adj ground contact wheels with this and along with the floating operation was the ultimate BX selling point for me.
It weighs in at around 300lbs and looks like it will give a great cut and last a long time, I'll report on that come spring.
Negatives,
Mulchng kit, the Kubota mulching kit runs around $250 and should probably be considered a permanent attachment to the MMM. It can be unbolted but it isn't designed for ease of on/off.
I recently got sold on mulching and it's results and will continue to do so with the BX but I will have to fab a plug for it.
I like to mulch the front and part of the back as well as when the leaves fall but generally don't mulch the far back. Dismounting the MMM to remove the mulching kit doesn't turn me on and even if I could remove the bolted on plug portion without R&R'ing the MMM it still would take beaucoup time away from the task at hand which is to quickly and efficently mow all my grass in one fell swoop. Again, I'll have to make a plug and also check to see if there are mulching blades available for the 60"MMM.
3PH;
I've yet to dismount the BH to try it out so I can't comment on what a "limited" 3PH will or will not do for me. I only have 1 implement left over that I didn't sell w/ the TE20 and it's a modified single row horse drawn disk that has a 3PH adapter welded to it. I'm expecting the BX23 to be able to work it as my old TE20 had no problem lifting and working it. I'll comment on this when time comes for disking.
I don't have a need for a 4' boxblade nor 4' bushhog at this time so I can't comment on either but expect they'd do well on it also. I may add them later as situations dictate.
All in all and thus far I am very very pleased with the BX23. I've yet to work it at it's full potential but hope to soon. If I had the chance to do it all over again I wouldn't change to another size nor brand as the BX has done what I've asked thus far. matter of fact, I still smile after working it out.
And, seeing as how orange is one of my favorite colors the asthetics turn me on too /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'll report more, positive and negative as that BX23 and I get more aquainted in our new partnership.
Volfandt
Prelude.
My property is a tale of differing terrains. Approx an acre of flat lawn out front is for appearance while 1/2 acre of the back is also for appearance but both have many obstacles strewn about them. The back 2 acres is former pasture and garden with a pond that I finish mow and the further back 1.5 acres I let a neighbor cut hay for his horses. The entire 3 acres in the back is ringed by old growth trees w/ little pockets of them standing out from the fence rows.
The primary duty of my machine is to finish mow 1st & foremost while being able to manuver around, under & close to many obstacles. It has to shorten my cutting time so a large mower was in order. It also needs to be able to occaisonally dig out sections of the pond, tree stumps, rock outcroppings, plow & disk a garden, carry small to medium sized loads and perform general landscaping chores. After much thought, research & many visits to many different dealers, I narrowed my hunt down to the BX2230, B7510, 2110, 4110 & GC2300. Of these 5 I liked the feel of the B7510 best w/the 4110 a very close 2nd but thought the height and ground contact mower wouldn't fit very well in my particular environment. The 2210 was commanding upto $1000 more than the BX or GC and the GC was higher than the BX. The 4110 was priced way out of my budget! So after more research I decided that the machines were practically identical enough so that I'd base my decison on what positive relationship I could strike up with the dealer as well as the price.
Well, I felt the easiest with the 2 Kubota dealers best and picked the closest one. It also helped that a regional Kubota rep called me during the process when I emailed a question to Kubota about their machines that neither dealer could answer. This impressed me also. These folks wanted my business! Unfortunatly I didn't get this "feel good" attitude from the other dealers.
Anyways, I ended up going with the BX23 over the BX2230 & BX7510 at the 12th hour and heres my 12hr assessment.
*note*
(I know, I didn't even list the BX23 in my top 5 and that was because that was the machine I constantly kept telling myself I didn't need but always commanded the last glance when I left the Kubota dealerships..... Kinda like finally going up and asking the pretty gal for a dance and she accepts /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
Assessment. (OK enough already, on to the meat)
Size;
(all positives here)
I was correct on this (for once anyways /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). The BX23 almost seems to be custom made for my needs. Not too big and not too small, just right /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I've yet to put the deck on but the tractor does clear in between & under the plentiful obstacles I was worried about. You see I don't want to have to increase my weed eating time, I wants more seat time! One place in particular I have 65" of clearance and the deck needs 64" so it'll just do. I'll post on the cutting come spring.
The wide stance coupled with a lower ground clearance is a benefit to driving the several hills I'll have to finish mow. I builtup dirt ramps around these hills back in the day to ease the angle/tilt when I bushhogged w/ the TE20 and the BX w/FEL & BH handled 'em fine. For mowing it should be better as I'll have both dismounted and the approx 300 LB's of the MMM centered low should make it even more stable.
Travel operation;
(again, all positives)
The HST works outstandingly! I thought the treadle pedal was a negative at 1st but now that I'm used to it, I actually like it better than separate pedals! To go from forward to reverse requires moveing my foot approx 2" to 3" back on the same pedal and depressing with my heel or toe or entire foot. If you've ever drove a Harley with a toe & heel shifter the operation is similar but you don't have to lift your foot.
The BX23 comes to a complete stop when the pedal is returned to the neutral position and I've yet to use the brakes for anything other than parking.
Dash/electrics/operator ergonomics;
Positives, all the controls are within easy reach and the seat adj's to give me a very confortable ride. I ran up 4 hrs on Sat and didn't realize I had been working it that long!
Theres plenty of leg room and the steering was practically effortless, much easier than any of my vehicles and this includes having a full FEL.
Negatives,
It needs a tach! A tractor just needs a tach and I don't understand why Kubota omitted it on the BX models. I will probably add a Tiny tach or something similar.
The fuel gauge doesn't seem to be right. After I put approx 7 hrs on the original full tank of fuel the gauge still showed almost full and it wavered back and forth alot. When I checked the fuel level it seemed low so I added almost 2 gallons to it inorder to top it off. I've put another 5 hrs on it and it now shows about 3/4 tank, I'm watching it to see if it's really a problem or if it's like most of my Fords in operation (i.e. it's full forever then starts a fast drop as it gets lower)
The reversable seat. In picking the BX23, I thought having one seat would be best but when engaged in doing alot of BH work where moving the tractor alot is necessary, constantly changing the seat around got to be somewhat of a PITA. I'm hoping that my increased skills in moving the tractor with the BH & loader along with the hope the seat material is heavy duty will not wear the mechanisms out.
Head lights, they are practically useless w/ the FEL. I did find a spot where they did illuminate the dark for me so I could deposit the load I had in the FEL but barely. Forward & rear facing worklites mounted on the ROPS will be added and doing this will eliminate this negative.
A tellscoping/tilting steering wheel would make the BX23 a 10+ as opposed to a 10.
FEL;
Positives, I filled the FEL full of wet dirt and carried it approx 100yrds to fill in ruts and both the FEL & tractor performed very well. I will guess that I had close to the maximum rated load in it and it didn't seem to faze it. Operating with the single joy stick was easy to get used to and it back dragged fine. I am very glad I now have an FEL.
Negative, It had a hard time digging into a seasoned pile of dirt. Part of the problem is the short rear tires and of course I'm not running the engine at the rated work RPM either so it's not so much an FEL shortcoming as it is a whole tractor shortcoming.
I know that with better tactics (which I'm learning) & higher engine RPM I can work around this.
I have installed 3 chain hooks to it this weekend but haven't used it for lifting as of yet but will be in the future, I'll update when.
BH;
Man, I didn't think I'd need this expensive add-on and always found reasons to discount purchasing one during the shopping process but I went with the ole gut feeling at the 12th hr and am very very glad I've got it now! The bucket measures alittle over 11" wide (inside) so I'm not sure if its a 10" or 12". I'll cross ref the part number to see I rekon but the dealer said it's probably the 12" Well see.
Positives, Even at 3/4 throttle and lower this little BH can dig. Once I got through the top "colder" dirt the bottom scooped out very easily.
Operation is very easy with the two controls. The BH responds instantly and the speed can be regulated depending upon how far in each direction you push the controls. As a rookie, slow is better for me. I did speed it up more as I got used to the controls.
The 6' reach is fine for what I'll use it for.
One operatiion I did was to dig out a hole in the front yard, go to the back and dig out a small tree, carry it to the front, deposit it in the hole and back fill around it all without having to leave the seat (except to turn it around) nor utilizing a shovel /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I likee!
I figured out how to move the tractor with the BH which meant not having to flip the seat to reposition by driving it as often. The BH had no problem moving the tractor (once I put the HST in neutral /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).
Negatives, at 3/4 and less throttle, forget about feathering the BH's controls. It will slow it down to a standstill when trying to do this. Since I am being very careful during the 50 hr breakin, I did not go WOT to see if it got better. Hopefully it does.
Repositoning the tractor can be a PITA. I know that safety features prevent this but, being able to manuver the tractor from the BH position is desireable to me instead of having to dismount, flip the seat then drive it to the next position.
As a comparison, I rented one of those little Tera-Mites a couple yrs ago and I was able to move/drive it from the BH position and this was a benefit in the job I was doing. So on down the road I may modify the BX23 to do this. For now I'll just live with it).
Engine/power;
As I stated, I'm not going WOT when working it for the 1st 50 hrs so this is based on 3/4 throttle and less.
Positives,
The rated 22 seems to be plenty. I drove the BX23 over hill & dale without problem, sometimes with an FEL full of dirt and it hardly missed a beat.
On the coldest mornings thus far it has started right up with approx 5 sec's of glowplug. Granted it's kept inside but non-the-less, it's been in the low 20's inside the shop and it started right on up.
It hasn't used any oil, the anti freeze is at the same level as well as is the hydro fluid so the manufactureing seems A1!
Theres no white/blue smake at all and only a scant amount of black smoke at startup which is normal for a diesel.
Negative,
Well not really a negative to me but may be to some is the engine exhaust is somewhat loud. It's not so loud as to drown out the machinery but it's louder than the 23HP gas engine Kohler on my L130.
Even with this it's sweet music to me as I like to hear my machinery working and I like the sound of a diesel.
I do like to listen to 'em but don't get me wrong, I'm not into open headers or the like as you can't hear the machinery, only the exhaust.
If'n you have to wear earplugs/muffs' when using a std large lawn mower ( such as a 23hp Kohler etc) then your gonna have to on a BX23 also.
MMM;
I haven't used it yet and have only installed it then removed it for GP so thats what I'll comment on.
Positive,
It's well built and very stout. I was going to go with the 54" but upon urging from the BTDT's here on this forum as well as my own 2nd thoughts I went with the 60" and this puppy is big.
It'll barely fit between the wheels but does with some manuvering but hookup is easy. Moreso than the 48" mower on my JDL130 and defintely easier than the 44" mower that was on my old Sears GT6000.
I definitely like that its a full floater as my back yard is rutted and would possibly tear up a ground contact mower. I also highly like being able to adj the cutting height by a simple twist of the knob from the operators seat. You don't have to dismount and adj ground contact wheels with this and along with the floating operation was the ultimate BX selling point for me.
It weighs in at around 300lbs and looks like it will give a great cut and last a long time, I'll report on that come spring.
Negatives,
Mulchng kit, the Kubota mulching kit runs around $250 and should probably be considered a permanent attachment to the MMM. It can be unbolted but it isn't designed for ease of on/off.
I recently got sold on mulching and it's results and will continue to do so with the BX but I will have to fab a plug for it.
I like to mulch the front and part of the back as well as when the leaves fall but generally don't mulch the far back. Dismounting the MMM to remove the mulching kit doesn't turn me on and even if I could remove the bolted on plug portion without R&R'ing the MMM it still would take beaucoup time away from the task at hand which is to quickly and efficently mow all my grass in one fell swoop. Again, I'll have to make a plug and also check to see if there are mulching blades available for the 60"MMM.
3PH;
I've yet to dismount the BH to try it out so I can't comment on what a "limited" 3PH will or will not do for me. I only have 1 implement left over that I didn't sell w/ the TE20 and it's a modified single row horse drawn disk that has a 3PH adapter welded to it. I'm expecting the BX23 to be able to work it as my old TE20 had no problem lifting and working it. I'll comment on this when time comes for disking.
I don't have a need for a 4' boxblade nor 4' bushhog at this time so I can't comment on either but expect they'd do well on it also. I may add them later as situations dictate.
All in all and thus far I am very very pleased with the BX23. I've yet to work it at it's full potential but hope to soon. If I had the chance to do it all over again I wouldn't change to another size nor brand as the BX has done what I've asked thus far. matter of fact, I still smile after working it out.
And, seeing as how orange is one of my favorite colors the asthetics turn me on too /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'll report more, positive and negative as that BX23 and I get more aquainted in our new partnership.
Volfandt
