Help me understand the Bs (educate a city boy: what's the diff between 23/26/29 hp)

[Fallon]

HP really won't affect what you can do, weight & traction will. HP just affects how fast you can do it.

Any tractor you can get should be able to spin the tires in low range, even with a good amount of ballast for more traction. More HP means you can go in a higher gear or pump more hydraulic fluid to move hydraulics faster. Hydraulic pressure will be about the same (strength), but flow will be higher on a bigger unit which means things move faster.

Lift capacity is going to be related to weight of the tractor (otherwise it would flip over) & heft of the relevant arms or other components.

Compare lift capacities on the loader or 3pt with what you need to lift. Most manuals should list max compliment specs as well.

A rotary cutter takes 5 HP per foot of width (5ft takes 25 HP) is a good rule of thumb, and is more HP dependant than a lot of other compliments.

Tractors always shrink when you get them home, so if in doubt, go bigger.

 

[HillStreet]

X2 for me Mac. I have the same rig with the 304FEL and turf tires. Did LOTS of grading with the bucket and a rear blade, also dug and hauled rocks with the bucket. It's primary use now is snow removal with a Meteor SB 51 and mulching in the spring. Excellent tractor, never thought I should have gotten a bigger one.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Give the BX25 a second look. For the price of the lowest HP (BX is 23) you get the backhoe. I almost did not get the BH but decided I might as well as I had some excavation and ditching I would have had to rent something. The FEL and 3PT implements do not do well ditching or excavating. In all case compare the specs on what the tractor will do against the projects you plan to do. A BX can probably mow and disc the pasture as fast as any of the Bs. Plowing, then you need to get up in the 30-40 HP range to do a creditable job on that five acres; again the B and BX are probably a match there. I have had my BX less than 3 years and have 1K hrs on it and no problems or cost except maintenance and fuel. I have banged it up some working in the woods. Currently we are making fire wood from 17AC of logging trash in two large piles on slopes. I am amazed at what it has done and the loads lifted with the FEL. It does have low ground clearance but I have not seen that as problem. I did up the HYD pressure to 2K PSI which added a lot. Ask specific questions and I will relate my experience with the BX. On all the CUTS and SCUTS you have to have good situational awareness when working in woods and on slopes. I have not turned it over but been close. The BH has saved the day as I use it as a swing counterbalance to the slope and uneven FEL loads. I always keep it on the uphill or lower weight side and shift it a lot. I can work the lever with out much effort or thought.

Ron

 

[Keadog]

I don't have much to add but I managed 5 acres for 18 years with a B7100 (16 HP)/turf tires and FEL I bought new in 1993 for $14K US with a Gossen chipper and a 60" Kubota mid mount mower. That tiny beast saved me far more in labor than it cost by allowing me to do jobs I could have never done alone otherwise. I traded in the mid mount mower for a separate mower almost immediately because I hated the loss of ground clearance. We moved to 50 acres in 2011 and I now have an L4300 and an L5740 with a grapple (oooooh), but I still miss that B7100. I sold it to a very good friend for $6800 with 700 hrs on it in 2011 and I really wish I would have kept it. It always lived indoors, had great care and looked new.
I guess I'm saying that on only 5 acres, I got A LOT done with 16 HP. and it could go anywhere I needed it to...

 

[TroyR57]

I'm going to jump in and say, either 2620, or 3300. The problem with bigger is control of the FEL while doing finish work. I learned on a BX 23, and when I worked with a L3700, found the FEL bucket a bit much to control for me. It also has took a little time, and getting a smaller bucket for my B3200 to get my actions to following what My brain was telling me I should be able to do. However, I only have 2.5 acres, and I wish I had a L3800 TLB. So buy what you can afford, and the rest will work its shelf out.

 

[Paystar]

Like Tractorchores said.......only reason to go 2620 over 2320 is you get a better loader (well not better, just more capacity.) And the only reason to go 2620 or 2920 is if you need the PTO horsepower for a chipper/shredder or maybe the flail mower like you want? I have no experience with them, so no idea of their power needs.
The 2320 has all the power it needs for ground engaging and loader/snowblowing work.
I went 2620 for the above reasons......dealer told me about the loader and I want to run a chipper.

 

[oldballs]

Like Tractorchores said.......only reason to go 2620 over 2320 is you get a better loader (well not better, just more capacity.) And the only reason to go 2620 or 2920 is if you need the PTO horsepower for a chipper/shredder or maybe the flail mower like you want? I have no experience with them, so no idea of their power needs.
The 2320 has all the power it needs for ground engaging and loader/snowblowing work.
I went 2620 for the above reasons......dealer told me about the loader and I want to run a chipper.

Same here. On 3 acres, using a FEL, MMM 60 inch, 12" moldboard plow, 50" tiller, 60" rear blade and 54" box blade and chains in the winter gets all my work done without problems...(B2620). With more ground clearance, my small body can get under there for maintenance quite easily also. Although I've lived in a rural area the past forty years, I'm still a dislocated city boy.

 

[TripleR]

Are you committed to the Bxx20, B32/3300. my preference is for the Bxx30 and later versions with position control 3PH. The cost increase will be significant though.

 

[GPintheMitten]

The B2620 and B2920 have larger tires and higher ground clearance. I have the B2620 with a fel (a must in my opinion). I have the mid-mount mower (about $2000 I think) that you don't need. I have a 5 foot back blade, a 48" rototiller, 5' brush hog, and a 5' rear snowblower. The snowblower takes the most HP of any of my implements. The tiller runs like a dream. Oh, and I have the R4 tires, filled the rears with Rimguard.

I think it is the happy medium of the three and is worth it to me to have the larger tires and extra HP.

I also have a couple of tools for the fel that you should consider. They are the Ratchet Rake and the Ripper/Digger. Ive used the Ripper/Digger on the fel to dig a trench for buried electrical and to plant trees in a 4' circle hole 24 inches deep. The ratchet rake is great for clearing brush/vines and for grading the gravel drive.

Search my posts for seeing the Ripper Digger in action.

 

[dochockin]

Thanks for all the replies and info! I've been well schooled!

The fact that small tractors will lose traction before HP was news to me. I'm still not convinced that a BH is really all that useful for me (though I'm sure I'd use it if I had one). They add $6k-$8k to the price and I can rent a mini excavator for at least 20 days for that price... Same goes for the Bxx30s... Not really in the market for a 'luxury' tractor (or are they 'deluxe'?). That extra money for a BH or deluxe features will buy a lot of implements.

I'm leaning towards the 2620 at this point. I actually stopped in at a local feed store that had a couple of Kubotas on display. As I walked up, one of the two tractors was pretty small, and I thought to myself "great! A BX I can look at"... turned out to be a B2320. I sat on it, and I couldn't get my leg under the steering wheel trying to get off the tractor (I'm 6'2"). The other one was an L3800 (I think...). Pretty awesome, but more tractor than I can afford or need.

In any case, I'm tempted by the larger FEL, and the 26 doesn't seem too much bigger than the 23. I've also been researching flail mowers. It seems there is an Italian brand, Caroni, that makes 36", 48" and 59" flail mowers that should work with the 19 HP PTO of the 26.

I'm also pretty excited by the Ripper/Digger! GPintheMitten, I actually stumbled across your thread the other day. I figure between the Ripper/Digger and a Middle Buster, I can do a lot of trenching and post hole and tree hole digging. At least a **** of a lot more than I can do with a shovel and a digging bar...

Now as for PTO chippers, I assume these are brilliant if you have lots of woodland, but I have few trees, and like the BH, I can rent a chipper for $50/day... that's a lot of days (and no maintenance costs) to pay for an owned chipper.

So, given that I don't have real snow issues where I live (we do get some, but the house is 20 feet from a main road, I can park and walk, or just use the FEL) here are the implements I'm starting to plan for:

- FEL
- Digger/Ripper/FEL shovel
- Middle Buster plow
- Flail mower
- Back Blade/Box Blade (are these that different?)
- FEL tooth bars/Ratchet Rake
- DIY pallet forks ( Homemade pallet forks for tractor on BX25 Kubota - YouTube )

Added implements (due to suggestions):

- Carry all/ 3 pt forks

Is there any other 'must have' implements I've missed?