gc 2310 tires, bh bucket size, draw spread

Tompet · Oct 15, 2004

Anyone have an opinion on Massey gc 2310 with turf tires vs ag tires since it will be used with mmm (Massey does not offer bar tires)? Also, opinion on 10" or 12" bucket on compact bh? One last thing...someone mentioned with bh off there is limited spread of draw bars due to subframe mounts on gc 2310...anyone know if Kubota 23 also has this limitation

8561 · Oct 15, 2004

It's a little hard to help without your profile filled out. The only part I can help with is the backhoe bucket. The 10 inch will dig a little better, because it is trying to move less volume at one time but the 12 inch will do the job slightly quicker, because it moves more volume. The answer lies in the type of soil you have and the jobs you're trying to complete. If the soil is rocky and hard, I'd go 10 inch. If it's sandy and soft, I'd go with the 12. My brother in law has a GC 2300 and it's a nice little tractor.

The only other thing I'd mention is some have complained of low lift height and limited spread on the BX's 3 point hitch. Others find it adequate. The GC's seem to not have this issue, although I don't know if the set-up on the GC2300 is different than the 2310. You might also want to check out New Holland's new TZ24.

jim_wilson · Oct 15, 2004

Back a few months ago when I was looking for a CUT with backhoe I looked at the GC2310 very closely and compared it to the BX23 ( which I eventually bought). On my BX23 I ended up getting the 12" bucket for the slight increase in digging capacity. I have used it extensively for digging in rocky New England soil and have ripped out a lot of stumps and big tree roots with it. I don't think I have yet run into a situation where the slight extra digging power the 10" would give was worth the loss of bucket capacity. One thing I did notice in comparing the BX23 to the GC2310 was the bucket on the BX seemed slightly beefier and also had replaceable teeth where the GC teeth were welded on. If you are going to be doing a lot of excavation definitely go with the ag tires - the extra traction will be needed using the FEL. There have been a lot of postings about people with BX's using their tractors with ag tires to mow - they are careful to not do it on wet days and they run in 2WD so as not to tear up the lawn on corners. If you want to put industrial tires on a GC it is possible - check out this posting putting industrial tires on CUT's

Tompet · Oct 16, 2004

Jim (thanks for link to tire discussion) and 8561, thanks for posts and your input. I'm just a little leery of GC 2310 with ag tires for mowing. I'm familiar with what our old Ferguson TO20 with filled tires does if you drive across lawn...I would think GC2310 would do a LOT less damage with it's ag tires. Anyway, are there aftermarket places you can order small buckets. I think if I go with the 12" bucket...I'd like to check into an 8" bucket for trenching. I know I've seen small (8") buckets listed somewhere.

Henro · Oct 16, 2004

<font color="blue">I'd like to check into an 8" bucket for trenching. I know I've seen small (8") buckets listed somewhere.
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Keep in mind that the narrower the bucket the harder it is for dirt to fall back out. It is no fun using the backhoe if you have to keep getting off the tractor and using a bar to clean out the bucket.

I have 10" and 16" buckets for my backhoe (not a bx) and sometimes the 10" is impossible to use when our clay soil is wet/pretty damp. I doubt I would want an 8" bucket now that I have some experience with my backhoe, but when shopping I did and the dealer talked me out of it (or told me I would not want one if one was available, or something like that...).