Changing it up again - BX23S to B2601HSD

[looch]

Back in 2017, I traded my B7500HSD for a BX23S - thread here: I wish I had a smaller tractor.

It's been a great tractor, but there were some niggles that my childlike, impatient brain couldn't get passed. Succinctly:

- bucket curl speed
- 3 point control
- lack of L/R independent brake pedals
- engine rpm for hydraulic work

I caught myself hurling insults at the bucket on more than one occasion - particularly on cold, windy, weeknights when a quick driveway clearing was necessary.

More practically, I was hitting the relief valves on the loader much too often.

I'll miss the loader removal/installation parlor trick - that was fantastic; and probably the maneuverability.

Its replacement, a B2601HSD/LA434 with BH70/mechanical thumb and 60" belly mower will be delivered in a couple of weeks. My biggest problem now is going to be retrieving the BX's mower deck from winter storage - buried deep in the barn behind the "early spring" implements. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to open the barn doors - we've had quite a few freeze/thaw cycles and the entire property is a block of ice. It will be something to do while I wait, I guess.

 

[jeff9366]

I wish you all the best with your new tractor.

It is difficult for me to imagine the small increment of weight. power and pump capacity between a BX23S and a B2601 making you happy. However, you are YOU and not a tractor neophyte.

In my three tractor experience it takes a 50% increase in bare tractor weight before the operator BEGINS to notice improved capability.

VIDEO: So you want to TRADE UP for a new Tractor? - TMT - YouTube

 

[PA452]

Been thinking about making the same upgrade myself. I have a BX23 and would like to move up to a B2601 or B2650. I don't want to go too big as I want to be able to easily haul it on my trailer.

Moving up to a B2601 would indeed be a nice upgrade for me, despite being only one size larger. I'd like a little more ground clearance. Larger wheels will ride a little smoother. I'd also like a little more of a tractor stance; more space between the rear wheels and the body of the machine. My BX rear wheels tend to pull up mud and pack it in around everything. I've spent 30 minutes or more trying to pull out the worst of it by hand. Happens a lot. And the additional lifting capacity would be nice, as well as the added backhoe reach. Plus I'd like to get something with SSQA and a set of forks.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

There are always reasons to trade. Up or down. One factor/difference over many years can make it worth while to make a trade and the real kicker is one can always trade back if expectations are not met or keep trading back up or down till nirvana is reached.:cool2:
15 years ago I bought my first lifetime tractor with super expensive wheelbarrow on the front knowing it would last my lifetime, it was aBX2200 MMM FEL. The little guy was so much more than I expected but the ground clearance with my property was holding me back on to many projects so enter the B7800 FEL RFM and BX1500 MMM and exit the BX2200. Three years of double/tripling my work projects and reduced time required for said projects pushed me up the a L3250 FEL and exit B7800. Big mistake, big high off the ground scary mistake and shortly thereafter enter the B3200 FEL and exit the L3250 and on and on from there till about 25 visits to Barlows over the past 15 years and several property buys and sells later I've just about quit buying and selling except for implements/attachments. As I said, one can always trade again and agaain and again to keep ones self happy. :cool2:

 

[looch]

My B7500 was about the perfect size for me. I traded in for the BX because I wanted a hoe and did not want to put that kind of money on a 16-year-old tractor. I thought the BX would be a better fit because we have added landscaping/obstacles over the years and thus made the property a bit a tighter to work. For the most part, my thinking was spot on - the machine was a dream to mow with (the B7500 had a rear finish mower); the backhoe made me giggle like a kid; and the tractor was otherwise able to perform similarly to the B7500 in other tasks.

"Bigger tractor" is a bit vague as a descriptor. Is the B3350 bigger than the L2501? My B7500 had less power than the BX23S - was it smaller?** I did not make this trade to get a bigger tractor nor one with significantly more power/capacity/weight - I got it for the bullet points I listed in my original post. Granted, they may seem petty/unwarranted - but this machine is a luxury item for me and if it doesn't make me happy, then what's the point? Yes - the little extra oomph in the loader will be appreciated. But every time I cut the grass or clear snow, I am reminded how inconvenient it would be to have something significantly larger (in wheel base).

Thanks for the replies.

**These questions are rhetorical - please don't use my thread as the spark for the "Great Definition of Tractor Sizing" war.

 

[PaulL2]

I'll miss the loader removal/installation parlor trick - that was fantastic

Are you getting the 2019 model B2601-1, or the older B2601? Because apparently the new model has the same hydraulic block connector as the BX80, so you won't miss that loader removal parlour trick at all. And if you're not getting the B2601-1, perhaps you can afford to wait a month to get one instead......I don't think the price changed.

 

[looch]

Are you getting the 2019 model B2601-1, or the older B2601? Because apparently the new model has the same hydraulic block connector as the BX80, so you won't miss that loader removal parlour trick at all. And if you're not getting the B2601-1, perhaps you can afford to wait a month to get one instead......I don't think the price changed.

Yeah - I had heard something about that. The unit I'm getting is dealer inventory and it has 2 things going for it - a deep discount and that it has spent its entire life indoors on the showroom floor.

 

[Paystar]

As someone who services both a BX and a B2620/B2601 you will also enjoy the way simpler service on the B.
No hydro screen, just spin-on filters. Fuel filter is way easier to service. And you don't have to remove the driveshaft to replace a fan belt if the need ever arises.

 

[check]

Been thinking about making the same upgrade myself. I have a BX23 and would like to move up to a B2601 or B2650. I don't want to go too big as I want to be able to easily haul it on my trailer.

Moving up to a B2601 would indeed be a nice upgrade for me, despite being only one size larger. I'd like a little more ground clearance. Larger wheels will ride a little smoother. I'd also like a little more of a tractor stance; more space between the rear wheels and the body of the machine. My BX rear wheels tend to pull up mud and pack it in around everything. I've spent 30 minutes or more trying to pull out the worst of it by hand. Happens a lot. And the additional lifting capacity would be nice, as well as the added backhoe reach. Plus I'd like to get something with SSQA and a set of forks.

Yup. Thought of a similar upgrade myself, but I just couldn’t justify the added expense of going from a perfectly good used BX25 tractor to a new, bigger one, plus of course the higher cost of the bigger size. And of course, all my fellow TBNers just HAVE to constantly tempt me!

 

[PA452]

The expense is the only thing that gets me. I figure I can sell my BX23 for $13k or so. A new B2601 with FEL, backhoe, mower, and forks will be at least $27k. That's a pretty significant difference to me. Used ones with what I want seem pretty few and far between, and usually when I do find them they're close to the cost of a new one anyway.