Buying Advice BX22 upgrade to B2920 Advise

[tpflyer]

I am looking to upgrade my BX22 to a B2920 and I am looking for a little advise. The B2920 comes with a 16" bucket and I am thinking of downsizing to a 12" for the added breakout force. I use the bucket for small digging projects so I'm not sure I need a 16" bucket. Do you think the difference is enough to warrant downsizing the bucket to a 12"? Also I am considering adding the thumb. Anyone have one and care to comment on its usefulness?
Lastly my BX had a grass catcher (bagger) it was a huge pain in my back to get on and off. I never did find a handy way to do it. I am considering getting a Cyclone Rake instead of the bagger. Its a little cheaper than the Kubota grass catcher and has a larger capacity. Not to mention that it looks a lot easier to get on and off. Any thoughts?
Last question I promise....60" MMM or 54" MMM? Right now I have a 54". I am mowing 1.5 Acres.

Thanks in advance
Tom

 

[devildog1]

Hey tpflyer,
Welcome, my opinion on tthe 12" to the 16" bucket would be do the 16". Now here's why. When I had my BX23 TLB I had to change a drain tile that stopped taking water from around my foundation, causing seepage in family room.I dug up old drain tile,about 5' deep with 12" bucket, no problem digging but---I needed to widen trench for me to get in and set new drain. Now with the 16" It gives you more capacity in bucket==== less work.The 16" bucket, I do not feel any difference in breakout force, but the 16" is on my new B3200 TLB, so the extra power may be the difference, oh reason why drain tile stopped working, roots grew into drain and blocked it off.Now for the mmm, I had the 60" and It's the ticket for mowing in a shorter time period. I need to purchace a new mmm for the B3200, I can buy a 72" for the mmm or go for a rear finishing mower. For me ,and I mow about 2 acres the wider the better if your tractor can handle the extra width, and yours can.About the the grass catcher, i can't help as I never had one or the need for one. My lawn is a re-claimed cow field, looks good, It's green and uneven but It's my lawn. Good luck with your up-grade.
DevilDog

 

[dodge man]

I have never and will never bag grass. I have always used a mulching kit. It doesn't do as good a job as a bagger, but its also very low effort.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Only reason I could see to not get the 60" over the 54" would be to save a few dollars but if you can afford the difference go for the 60" and save some time.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I have only seen the 16" buckets on the BH65's around here so far. Can your dealer tell you how much more the 12" bucket holds than the one that came with your BX22? I had the 12" bucket on mine too, and it was a problem in clay sometimes. ( the clay would pack into it) but I did like it for digging stumps. I think I would go with the 16" bucket myself.

 

[TroyR57]

go with the 16, if not bigger. 12 is just to small on that machine. Its even small on my BX23.

 

[J0be269]

I have the 16" bucket on my BH65 (mounted to B2620). I have never had a problem with force from the backhoe. If you stall the hydraulics on the BH65 it isn't going to matter what size bucket you have, and trust me you'll enjoy the extra capacity.

The thumb, yep I have that too and I would never own another BH without one. The great thing about the way kubota designed it is that you could very easily replace the mechanical positioner with a cylinder and have a hdryo thumb.

As for the MMM I opted not to buy one, as you can get a very very nice dedicated machine for the cost of the MMM deck and then you don't have to mount and unmount the mower from the tractor all the time.

Also as far as digging you can save a little by going with the 2620, those 3 HP won't make a difference in the world and everything else is the same between the 26 and 29. Only reason to go with the 29 would be for PTO work.

 

[tpflyer]

Great advise from everyone. Thank You

Sounds like the 60"MMM, 16" bucket on the BH, and add the thumb. Someone mentioned a mulching kit...do they make one for the 60"MMM?

 

[robertm]

Get the 60" deck. You will be alot happier getting close to stuf when trimming because the deck sticks out farther from the wheels of the tractor than the 54". Sometimes the 54" can be a pain cutting in on tight turns because the tractor turn radius overruns the deck width.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

Yes, if you are getting the MMM go with the 60 as the others have said. You might get a more even cut with the smaller deck in certain spots, but cutting around stuff will be more difficult and therefore not worth it.