Just ordered a new BX25, any suggestions?

[CORamos]

The skid plates are a must, I made my own out of an old street sign, brotec thumb is a must i love mine. One thing that also is a must is a tooth bar, mine was put to great use, and is well worth the money. My machine (bx24) with loaded tires would not dig well without the tooth bar. I am out in Woburn got my machine out in harvard ma where did you get your 25?

Where did you get the tooth bar? How does it attach to the bucket?

I got my BX from Ahearn Equipment in Spencer. Hope to have it delivered on Wednesday!

 

[CORamos]

perhaps it was me, that explain why.... I too have a 2 car garage and I stored it in the garage at first. You will find out REAL fast that the rops doesnt fold all the way down due to BH mount. It becomes wings for a serious headbanger. Once you start leaving it up becuase it gives you headaches- you will SMACK your rops into the garage. Most garage doors are 8 by 7 and its NOT high enough for the rops in upright position. I have a few dingers to prove it. :ashamed:
FYI- I noticed that if the BX is heavily loaded in rear, it WILL squat tires enough so it might squeeze/squeak in the standard sized garage door. Taking the FEL, BH off you will put some dingers in your garage header . (at least this is what happened to me)

I ended up building a garage addition just for the BX so I don't have to worry about the darn ROPS!!! Leave it up I say just for safteys sake and no head banging.


Heed my advice-- within a year, you will going to reflect on my statement and smack yourself in the head about it. I was one of those guys who said, never happen to me since I don't forget.

Already measured my garage door... and I will definitely have to fold the ROPS. I just have to teach my wife to do it, as she does most of the mowing.

When my house was built, they framed the garage door openings for a taller door (the header is actually higher up). I didn't notice it until they completed the framing. I suppose that if/when I finally hit the garage door, I might be motivated to put in a bigger door, since it would not require a major structural change.... Hopefully by then I'll be able to build a proper shed, or better yet, a full garage, and won't have to worry about upgrading the doors.

 

[CORamos]

"After "daydreaming" about it for a couple of years, and seriously considering it while I was in Afghanistan most of last year, I finally pulled the trigger on a new BX25. "

Sounds like you were n the military. Thank you for your service.

Enjoy the BX25. I have the BX24. I use Harbor Freight car dollies for the backhoe - a little less money than the sweet BXpanded ones. You can hook them up at the right distance if you want. I have a wish list too for some of their stuff.

Thanks. I'm still in the National Guard, planning on a few more years before I pop smoke.

Do you have more specifics on the Harbor Freight car dolly?

 

[roma3112]

I got the tooth bar off ebay and it was made here in mass i had a buddy pick it up locally down in weymouth. If i can find the seller i will post it. FWIW harbor freight opend up a new store in danvers, although i think you may be closer to the worchester ma store.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

For building the pond, I'd recommend a sub-soiler to rip and then a toothbar to help scoop with the FEL.

Another possibility is a box blade to move the soil and shape it if you are going to use the excavant close to the hole.

Have fun!

Why not just use the BH?

 

[LBrown59]

After "daydreaming" about it for a couple of years, and seriously considering it while I was in Afghanistan most of last year, I finally pulled the trigger on a new BX25. Should be delivered sometime next week.

Welcome Back Home.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Welcome Back Home.

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[ranchonodinero]

I've bought three different sets of quick hitches. Pat's, which I've sold to Milkmans brother and two other different ones from Ebay. The ones from Ebay came from someone that makes them in Indiana or I guess they make them. This set is my favorite since I can stand them up or point them down and they don't extend the reach so my tiller will work with the drive shaft that is on it. With the Pat's and the other copy of Pat's they extended the distance so much that the upper arm and drive shaft wouldn't reach. The upper arms are cheap at TSC but drive shafts are more expensive.
Pictures of all of them and notice the BB attached with QH facing down.

Do you have an eBay ID for the quick attach seller? Tiller was delivered yesterday and the extension to the mount they did looks great.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Do you have an eBay ID for the quick attach seller? Tiller was delivered yesterday and the extension to the mount they did looks great.

I have the two different ones shown here and prefer the ones that let implement sit on top or under the QH.
Tractor Quick Hitch implement FORD, DEERE, KUBOTA, MF - eBay (item 290478331389 end time Mar-20-11 05:49:02 PDT)

QUICK HITCH TRACTOR IMPLEMENT DEERE KUBOTA FORD FAST EZ - eBay (item 290530134564 end time Mar-04-11 08:54:21 PST)

tractor quick hitch items - Get great deals on Business Industrial, Home Garden items on eBay.com!

 

[ejkessler]

I had a BX22 with front mount blower and was nice but a hassle to put on and you lose your bucket for the winter. Put a blade on the front and you have the same problem. A 3pt blower is the way to go. Yes its a hassle to drive in reverse the whole time but not tearing up the landscape with the blade and being able to put it 50' feet away from where you are removing it is great. You also keep the use of your bucket all through the season.

 

[Tom_H]

Why not just use the BH?

Mainly because of time. It certainly is possible, but the bh is primarily designed for digging deep narrow trenches. Ponds are usually at least several times wider than they are deep. With the bh, you have to put down the stabilizers, spin the seat, get off and back on, move a couple of feet, reset everything. With a subsoiler on back and FEL on front, you just go. Rip a few passes, scoop, transport, all the while remaining in the seat and facing forward.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Mainly because of time. It certainly is possible, but the bh is primarily designed for digging deep narrow trenches. Ponds are usually at least several times wider than they are deep. With the bh, you have to put down the stabilizers, spin the seat, get off and back on, move a couple of feet, reset everything. With a subsoiler on back and FEL on front, you just go. Rip a few passes, scoop, transport, all the while remaining in the seat and facing forward.

True. I wish it had a creep feature...

 

[Tom_H]

True. I wish it had a creep feature...

I do too. That is easier to do, however, with straight mechanical gearing than with a hydro. All in all, I love hydro, but creep really would be nice for ground engagement work: low speed but high torque. I could really pull that subsoiler ripper tooth through the hardpan then.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I do too. That is easier to do, however, with straight mechanical gearing than with a hydro. All in all, I love hydro, but creep really would be nice for ground engagement work: low speed but high torque. I could really pull that subsoiler ripper tooth through the hardpan then.

I'm talking about creep to reposition while using the BH.

 

[BXpanded]

I'm talking about creep to reposition while using the BH.

Put the HST range selector in neutral. Raise the loader bucket and outriggers slightly and push the machine along with the BH. Lower the bucket set the outriggers and dig. Repeat.

 

[Tom_H]

I'm talking about creep to reposition while using the BH.

Gotcha, sorry for misunderstanding you. I've heard some use "creep feature" in the same way as "pulling gear."

Put the HST range selector in neutral. Raise the loader bucket and outriggers slightly and push the machine along with the BH. Lower the bucket set the outriggers and dig. Repeat.

That method wouldn't offer enough resistance in my soil. When I use the bh in this tough clay, I have to put the toothbar on the FEL, impale the teeth and lift the front end off the ground before lifting the rear with the outriggers. If I left the front wheels on the ground (even in gear, but especially in neutral), the whole tractor would slide more than it already does. My clay is hard enough, but the Duripan below is about the hardness of a two year old bag of mortar that's been sitting in a damp basement. When the bh bucket teeth are pulling in that stuff, the tractor is being dragged toward the bh and so I have to have as much steel planted in the ground as possible for resistance. First I lift the bh and outriggers, then get off the seat, but rather than spin it, I stand on the ground, lift the FEL, hold the wheel with one hand, press the pedal with the other hand, all the time looking at my feet :shocked: in relation to the location of the wheels. I then hop back on the rear facing seat.

This being said, I realize not all soil is as bad as mine and your technique likely works fine for many people.

 

[CHDinCT]

Whether the BX25 had creep ability was one of my first question to which the "TBN Board" answer was "no." But, I just read a thread here on B26 mod's where one poster outlined a safety switch on the seat that provides continuity when in the forward position but no continuity when rotated for BH duty and that's what prevents you from moving the tractor with the seat reversed. Apparently, he taped the switch to be closed all the time which allows him to creep the machine for BH work. I'm going to look for that switch on mine and give overriding it some thought. This would be just so I could delicately move the machine for BH work, and I would leave the operator presence switch in tact to keep a measure of safety in place.

Heck, here's the post I'm referring to - better than my synopsis which is probably longer than his post..:laughing:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/.../165639-custom-options-b26-3.html#post2279800

 

[BXpanded]

Gotcha, sorry for misunderstanding you. I've heard some use "creep feature" in the same way as "pulling gear."



That method wouldn't offer enough resistance in my soil. When I use the bh in this tough clay, I have to put the toothbar on the FEL, impale the teeth and lift the front end off the ground before lifting the rear with the outriggers. If I left the front wheels on the ground (even in gear, but especially in neutral), the whole tractor would slide more than it already does. My clay is hard enough, but the Duripan below is about the hardness of a two year old bag of mortar that's been sitting in a damp basement. When the bh bucket teeth are pulling in that stuff, the tractor is being dragged toward the bh and so I have to have as much steel planted in the ground as possible for resistance. First I lift the bh and outriggers, then get off the seat, but rather than spin it, I stand on the ground, lift the FEL, hold the wheel with one hand, press the pedal with the other hand, all the time looking at my feet :shocked: in relation to the location of the wheels. I then hop back on the rear facing seat.

This being said, I realize not all soil is as bad as mine and your technique likely works fine for many people.

To clarify, I'm talking about moving the machine progressively forward when digging a trench with the backhoe. You've dug to the depth you want and you've dug as close to the back of the tractor as possible. You need to move the machine forward a few feet to a new "set" to continue the trench.

Make sure the transmission is in neutral and the brakes are off.
Put the BH bucket in the trench as close to the tractor as possible. The bucket should be uncurled. Push the teeth down into the dirt at the bottom of the trench. Without leaving your seat, reach toward the front of the tractor with your left hand and raise the loader bucket slightly above the ground. Raise the outriggers slightly above the ground. Using the backhoe "dipperstick" out and "Boom" down, push the tractor forward. When you've moved far enough, lower the loader bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground as high as you like. Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get. Then dig. Go watch a pro. You won't see him drivin' forward.:thumbsup:

 

[CORamos]

Make sure the transmission is in neutral and the brakes are off.
Put the BH bucket in the trench as close to the tractor as possible. The bucket should be uncurled. Push the teeth down into the dirt at the bottom of the trench. Without leaving your seat, reach toward the front of the tractor with your left hand and raise the loader bucket slightly above the ground. Raise the outriggers slightly above the ground. Using the backhoe "dipperstick" out and "Boom" down, push the tractor forward. When you've moved far enough, lower the loader bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground as high as you like. Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get. Then dig. Go watch a pro. You won't see him drivin' forward.:thumbsup:

:thumbsup:
This is why I like these forums. I can't wait to practice this on my new BX25.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Gotcha, sorry for misunderstanding you. I've heard some use "creep feature" in the same way as "pulling gear."

That's OK...