Breaking in New BX2370

[Tractor MD]

Hi Everyone
Just wanted to start by saying how useful this sight was in deciding which scut to buy . So a brief report on on my new mount and what I think of it .

So far it rocks, I love it and its going to get the *** worked off it over the next year or so because I am building a house with it . It will earn its keep.

I looked at all the different major brands ,JD,Kioti,Mahindra,Yanmar etc . But coming from an engineering family I have a pretty good idea what to look for when it comes to the fundamentals and in the end Kubota is IMHO the best engineered and designed rig of the lot . Sorry if that offends some .
I have acreage in Dairy country. Good soil for growing . Grass grows real quick here and my old ride on went up in a ball of flame after the fuel line ruptured with me on it . It was one of those 'F@#$ that' moments where I said no more crappy little petrol powered ride on's for me and did what I had to do . I drove tractors on farms a lot when I was young so I know how incredibly useful they are and managed to persuade the ministry of the treasury that it was time to get serious .

We have three acres and everything on it grows fast so the BX has already saved me so much time and sweat . Mowing takes just over an hour now instead of four . That would be enough for some , but I have plans for this machine . Ordering a front end loader soon so I can get started on leveling, grading and making foundations . I will use a single tine ripper to break the soil up first .

Overall impressions. Great economy from engine , tons of power compared to my old 13hp briggs powered ride on . This thing does not even blink through longer grass where the old ride on was tapped out and gasping .Fantastic Traction on the slopes, so much safer , comfortable and power steering is just such a luxury after the old one. The only very slight disappointment is the grease nipples in the deck rollers keep pulling out when I pump grease . I can fix that though myself.
I have absolutely no regrets buying the BX though , its a really well engineered good value machine that I cant imagine life without now. I got my weekends back . Cutting and stacking firewood is so much quicker and easier, mowing is a doddle . Plenty of clearance , no punctures , never have managed to get stuck yet .

Now I will tell you why I did not get the other brands.

JD .Overpriced, poorly engineered ,gimicky and to much plastic . Way to much plastic for the money .
Yanmar , Good engine but sloppy engineering and overall finish. I dont like that dog leg transmission case either . That's a serious weakness in my view.
Kioti . Cheaper knock off of kubota . The cop out choice , for guys that like to score cheap points on discerning kubota owners . Not a credible contender for Kubota's crown though.
Mahindra . Well less said the better . Sorry but I hate sloppy engineering .It makes me nervous .

If there was a Massey Ferguson dealer nearby I may have checked it out but there wasnt and Kubota has such a well deserved reputation for quality and reliability down here that its pretty much a no brainer choice as far as I am concerned.

 

[big bubba]

welcome to the forum from down under!! sounds like you're off to an exciting start. plenty of bx owners here to offer you ideas on your new machine. btw is it acres or hectares? enjoy & never look back :welcome:

 

[Tractor MD]

I prefer acres and yes it is acres not hectares . I cant visualize hectares somehow but somehow I can see the approximate acreage fairly easily . Its like metric . I use it all the time at work but I prefer to see sizes in feet and inches . Thanks for the welcome . There are all sorts of implements I will probably be getting down the track . Rototiller , carry all , wood splitter,water pump . Right now I need that loader but the bummer is you cant get the quick detach system down here .

Cheers !

 

[CHDinCT]

Weclome to TBN from the Northeast USA. Congrat's on your new ride. But, we can't be sure the purchase really happened without pic's. It's a TBN rule - And what did you get with it? Just the mower deck? Which size? Again, welcome aboard.

 

[ShowroomShine]

Welcome to TBN. Its nice that with your first post you've pissed off John Deere, Yanmar, Kioti and Mahindra owners.

Some of us owners of the "other" brands (I own the "cheaper knockoff of Kubota") would be happy to point out that while the Kubota is well built, its lack of ability to operate its hydraulics at lower rpms and low breakout and lift capacities are more of a hinderance than some plastic parts and "sloppy engineering".

 

[Tractor MD]

Fair enough . I dont have any pics on my new lap top yet but I will get to it . Then I have to figure out how to put them up. I can fix anything around the house ,under the hood or whatever but I HATE COMPUTERS. Just hate them and really cant be bothered with anything as basic as copy and paste even ! My daughter keep showing me how and I keep forgetting .

The mower deck is 54" , I did get the dealer to throw in the front guard which on our block has already saved front end damage from occurring . Aussie bush is unforgiving. Fallen branches can puncture tires and frequently did with my old ride on. All I know is im bloody glad I have one . I am a machinery nut ,got a shed full of industrial machinery that I rebuilt .
Now that turns me on . Computers ? Meh . I just loose my patience with them really quickly and since I usually get my wife and daughters hand me downs that does not help .

Good machinery is my livelihood , my money makers . So I know from rebuilding quality gear what to look for . I used to live and work in the US for many years . Tell you what , The US used to make awesome industrial machinery and you could pick up seriously high Q gear for almost nothing at auction and with a bit of work end up with some excellent Kit. How you guys doing back there in the US ? Man I miss the US sometimes. Happy days , so many good friends and great times . Never did get to the east coast though and I regret that . Totally off topic, sorry .

I will try and persuade my daughter to show me how to put pics up here but she is packing a major teeny tantrum right now and Im staying low till that storm passes. Cheers :drink:

 

[Tractor MD]

Ha ha . Yes I know it. Look , if I had the budget and the space and the need I would have bought something bigger and maybe a different brand . But in the fit for function bracket , the BX ticked my boxes best . Its the same with say power tools . Some makita kit is excellent . Other stuff I would look elsewhere .
I have used tractors where failure to regulate break out pressure realistically to the hydraulic pump lead to expensive pump/valve failure down the track and or hydraulic leeks . Sure you can increase break out to get more lift but there's always a cost to running outside the safer engineering limits . Sentimentally I am a huge fan of the old school Massey Ferguson's and those bullet proof three cylinder Perkins engines BUT right now its more than I need and it would rip the lawn up.

The Kubota is conservative yes , but I find its often better to use a bit of finesse rather than brute force . I have seen nasty accidents from guys who push the limits on machinery . To many JD's around here are rattling, burning and rusting while Kubota's just keep on trucking . I know a guy with 2000 hrs on his Kub and that little engine(722 I think ) just hums like a sewing machine still. I helped him clean it up when he got it for a steal because the owner failed to keep the rad clean. Just needed blowing out.

I blew a hydraulic FEL motor on an IH once . Good tractor , really good but we worked the Butt off that thing as a silage fork and poof ! Its that combination of high loads and the jerking of the fel that did it im sure but what the F***. Its scarey when you really think of the loads and pressures that hydraulic systems have to cope with . Anyway I learned the hard way that its better to take a bit more time than drive a machine at the high end of its capacity and shorten its life as a result.

To many guys down here save a few thousand only to loose the rest just outside the warranty period . Not a risk Im prepared to take . The stories I could tell........
Reliability gives a better net return over the long haul than short term higher specs . And often those specs are exaggerated anyway . Kubota is just very honest about their operating parameters and I think that's far better for their reputation which down under is excellent . Used Kubs get snapped up real quick and hold their value way better than any other brand . Says it all right there.

 

[chucky79]

Took on my new bx2370 this past summer and I have to agree with you that it is leaps and bounds better than the craftsman/cub cadet I was using. Don't get me wrong, I still have my cub GT and it carries its weight around here but the Kubota is a real tractor. Ive gotten 50 hours on her in less than 8 months and have loved every minute of it. I have gotten mine stuck once but that was my fault as it high centered the mower deck front frame on a stump in high grass on a downward slope and couldn't back off it. Quick work for the atv hooked to a chain on the other end and I was free and able to back up with the diff lock. Ive added a few nice additions that make it even more useful. Bought an aftermarket front bumper with Reece hitch, a Reece hitch to rear drawbar, mounted a toolbox made out of an old ammo can to keep pins and a few tools, and made a hanger that holds my trimmer/brushcutter that hangs off the ROPS. I bought a carryall platform, pond scoop and rear blade (until I can afford the loader), and built a heavy duty trailer mover for the 3PH. This machine has a place in all 4 seasons and in most jobs. I can honestly say I will never be with out a SCUT again if I can help it. They really all wonders in engineering. Enjoy your machine and we want pictures!

 

[Tractor MD]

Hi Chucky
I got my BX about the same time.Already up to 80hrs and expecting to put on a lot more very soon . My ride on was a greenfield (aussie brand) Good little machine but I was working it at its limit and beyond. Aussie hardwood is very heavy to cut haul and stack . I was dragging logs with it too sometimes . If I was just mowing the lawn it may still have been alive today but it was never designed to do what I put it through (I got 14 years out of it though) . I knew it and my neighbor frowned on it but his acreage is much more level and he does not have big trees to manage, prune,etc . Gum trees can drop huge branches for no reason and clearing up after they do is a big job . I lived in rural woodland in the US and it was much easier than here .
The ladies love to tease us about our 'toys' But they dont complain about us getting all the yard work done in all weathers while they gas on line !:laughing:

There have been times in my life when I could not afford quality gear and made do . But I dont like it . I have seen serious accidents occur from using crap tools. My ride on dropped its drive chain on the slope one day and I ended up hitting a tree and breaking the steering wheel . A stick caught in the sprocket and broke the chain .The emergency hand brake ? doesnt work worth s@#$ on a serious slope.
So I tend to be pretty blunt these days about quality because its a safety issue . Tractors are dangerous ,even ride on's can get you in serious trouble. So I think anyone considering buying one really needs to do their homework and not get blinded by the stats on the sales brochure . I never read that stuff until I have looked at the machine first . Build quality is something you have to inspect personally.
Its like chainsaws . You get what you pay for and down here you gotta have at least one ,preferably two ,to keep on top of the Bush. My first two were Huskies cos I fell for the 'more power' Hype. Both crapped out within warranty and still they did not cover it . Now I have two Stihls and they just go and go . No worries . Why ? Better engineering ,better design , Better quality control. To many people fall for the stats rather than the facts.

So if someone comes to me and says 'I cant believe you bought that cheap knock off !' I dont defend it . I say 'yeah I know its a piece of crap but its all I could afford'. I dont buy crap often but occasionally if its just a one off fix I will get a cheapy tool to straighten up a wall frame instead of buying a good name brand power planer that I will never use again. You know? That's my philosophy anyway. I will gladly sacrifice a months beer money to get the tool I really want rather than save a few hundred $'s. Now that's the definition of pain.

 

[Tractor MD]

Bit of a postscript for anyone thinking I believe my BX is the be all and end all, my answer would be no way . I had rather thought about the B range but our garden has to many small trees and stuff to maneuver around and it would just rip up the grass and take to long. I also thought to go with the 2670 for the extra power but could not quite see enough advantage . I am still looking out for an old massey to do the heavy grunt work , if one shows up at the right price . I used to get my neighbor to slash the grass .It did the job but it was a bit rough . I did not even know scuts existed until I went to the show room and looked at ride on's . Good used Kubs are hard to find and if they are available ,overpriced . But for what I need the BX is big enough to mow without straining ,small enough to manouver quickly around our property which is quite awkward in places . Steep grade towards a gully , gnarly driveway, lots of trees to get around with low branches . lots of big native gums too . hard to describe but its not your average easy clear rural block. But good soil ,good rain fall , nice and sheltered . Truthfully the block chose the machine as much as me.
I did consider an f series Kub with the front mower deck but then I only get a mower. The bx gives me a great mower plus PTO and three point . With the global economy still in free fall I figure if things get much worse my BX will become even more useful.

What is funny is when you mention you are looking for a tractor everyone asks what you think you want to get so they can shoot your choice down in flames . Lots of guys said Kioti was a Kubota made in Korea and is an exact clone. Well that's not what I saw. Once you get in to proper farm tractors JD are a great company with a great product.
But in this market I think they should ignore the marketing guru's and lay off the styling/feature rich points and stick to making a mini tractor , not a fancy ego rig to impress the neighbors. Then there were the experts who reckon chinese/indian is 'good enough for what you need'. yea ,well I never found that 'good enough' ever was good or enough. Those chinese tractors are just scarey to look at . I had a bad experience with an eastern european tractor years back (belarus ?) and that thing d#$% nearly killed me once . I was towing a milk tanker full of whey on the highway and nearly jack knifed the thing because the steering was so sloppy and wobbly.
so I figure for anyone in the market and asking what will work best , go with a good name , dont be swayed by experts who dont back up their opinions with real experience and focus on core quality not marketing hype.

Oh yes and one last thing . I really like how well this BX cuts grass . It mulches it up so fine so it does not leave long clippings browning the lawn. In fact im still trying to figure out how so little grass comes out of the chute.
My old ride on was always clogging at the chute and leaving swathes . I used to hold my foot over the deflector to stop that a bit but then your posture humped over a small seat and low steering wheel left you tired ,aching back ,stinking of petrol fumes and hating the prospect of mowing the lawn. Now i enjoy it with a beer in my hand .
And did I mention the drink holder ? God bless America for specking that one necessary 'Gimmick'.
Like everyone else I learned the hard way but maybe for those who are completely in the dark on this my observations will help . Its a lot of money for a mower but if you have acreage and dont want to waste your whole weekend on a cheap nasty petrol powered snail you will thank yourself.