Oh no! Another which should I get post...

[shaltac]

Hello from Rochester NY. I have a 9 acre parcel with woods and hills. I've managed to be completely dissatisfied with the 2 "Craftsman - Poulan - Electrolux" 20+hp Hydro mowers I've tried (54"cut). I need a bit more mower as one was showing signs of wear on some of the deck pins after 3 mos / 25 hours. I'm cutting 3 acres weekly some of it on decent slope. I'm also looking to bush hog (or at least lift the deck and mow it tall) another 2-3 acres every other week or so. I have 800 feet of asphault driveway that needs some mending, brush that needs to be cleared, barn that needs to be cleaned out / repaired / walls shored up. I have wood / trees that need to be felled / moved / split. Snow removal is nice but not a primary concern. Typical not really a farm "farm work". I'm looking at the following tractors, partially because the Kubota dealer is really close by, and they treated me well when I purchased my Husky saw from them.

Hydro 4x4
1) BX1850 Loader, 54" MMM, Turf tires - $11,911 +tax
2) BX2230 60" MMM, Ag tires - $10,600 +tax add FEL = $2912 includes weight box etc.
3) B7510 60"MMM, FEL - $14,885
4) B7610 " " " " ~$16,000
5) B7800 " " " " ~$18,000 - told him I didn't need exact prices on these yet... Getting to the end of the budget, and I favor a NH TC30 when we start to get up here...

I want to make sure I get something big enough to do some of the other work I have, but still be a good lawn mower. When I use the loader I plan to run it at capacity from time to time. I also want to be able to plow / till a garden next year. My wife doesn't really want to spend this much for a mower, and we do have the option of trying a gear drive sears mower with a 54"deck, and getting the tractor at a later date. I feel that we will most likely wear the sears mower out in a couple of years, and be throwing $2300 away. I also feel that spending $4000 - $8000 for a "good quality" mower makes little sense when a tractor is so (reletively) close in price.

Looking for your thoughts - any screaming deals here? How much do I need?
Thanks
Rusty

 

[DVR]

i just got a b7510. i considered the bx series as well. the bx was not well suited for the bush hog work i had planned. the underside has a few items that were of concern to me. when i asked the dealer he told me it was not a good chioce for my intended use.

i have helped friends with mid mount mowers and i would get a rear mount finish mower. they are cheaper, easy to move to another tractor and alot easier (in my experience) to mount/unmount. the mid mount has advantages but if a rear mount will work you can save alot of money.

get a b7510 and you will be impressed. several of my friends have 40hp+ tractors. we have all been amazed at the capability of this machine.

the b 7510/7610/7800 take several different loaders. make sure you get the largest offered for your model. my 7510 will take a la272 or a la302 fel. i think the b series offers more loader capacity which may be a consideration.

i bought mine used with 37 hours for $11k. mine included a la302 loader, hst transmission, loaded r4 tires, folding rops, fluid filled rear tires, all fluids and filters for the 50 hour service and a 4ft bush hog squeeler. i intended to buy a new b7610 and was concerned about what i considered a lack of hp in the b7510. i am no longer concerned.

the b series is much easier to service. one of my friends has a bx and we did our 50 hour service together recently.

good luck, i am sure you will be happy with any of them.

don't overlook the bx1500. there are still new ones out there. it would much better than the mowers you described.

 

[Carl Bill]

I have had great luck with a BX1500. I am selling it soon to upgrade for 50 acres. NE Oklahoma...

 

[Egon]

For mowing the 7510 would be the best choice. For the other jobs the 7800 would be the choice.

The 7510 would do all the jobs you have indicated.

 

[Bob_Young]

Greetings Rusty,
I'm about 40 miles east of you in Wayne Co. In May I bought a new B7610 with LA352 FEL and 60" MMM to mow 2.5 acres that is heavily studded with trees. Like, you I had to move up from a pair of old (JD210/214) tractors and wanted something that would both last and be useful for work other than mowing. Power steering was also a big requirement due to some problems with tendonitis. Much of the thinking in your post is familiar to me as I went through the same process.

The B7610 has proven to be an excellent choice as, I'm sure, a B7510 would've been had one been available. I looked hard at the BX series and came very close to buying first a BX1500 and, when that became unavailable, a BX2350 and a BX24. However, the low ground clearance of the BX series scared me off. I really like the B7800 and B3030 machines, but realized they were too big for my property when I considered all the trees.

My grounds are rather rough in places and one of the goals was to use the new machine to clean up the rough spots. The low BX ground clearance implied that the mower, when fully raised, would be much closer to the ground than it would on a B-series. This meant that the mower would have to come off for much of the grading and FEL work I have planned. The B-series, by carrying its mower higher, was more amenable to doing this kind of work without going through the hassle of R&R-ing the mower. Since mowing is a weekly proposition here and time for other work is lacking, I didn't want to waste it struggling with the mower.

Since acquiring the B7610, I've found that, with the right technique, R&R-ing the mower is not such a big deal. By disconnecting the mower and then using the FEL to raise the front wheels, you can roll the mower forward to where it contacts the back of the FEL bucket, then lower the front wheels, raise the FEL, and roll the mower deck away to storage....all without changing the gauge wheel settings. There's barely enough FEL reach to do this, but it can be done. It's definitely alot easier than trying to do it without the FEL. (BTW thanks to whoever it was on this board that suggested this in a post....it's a real backsaver) With a BX, I'm not sure it could be done this way.

Some things I particularly like about the B7610 are the following:
1) HST, it's my first and I love it. Very precise and easy to use.
2) Very tight turn radius; works well around trees.
3) Good ride on rough ground thanks to larger diameter tires and longer wheelbase
4) Excellent visibility when using the FEL
5) Large (compared to BX) slow turning engine delivers good torque at low speeds...might last longer too.
6) Real Tachometer
7) Strong FEL easily capable of lifting the rear wheels off the ground even with the rears filled.

There are a couple of things I don't care for:
1) quarter-inching control valve for the 3 pt. hitch. Much less flexible than position control. In my mind this is a bug that's being sold as a feature. If you can still find a B2410, it would be a better tractor thanks to its position control.
2) the max lift height of the FEL isn't very great. It's less than 6 ft. The FEL on the BX2350/24 beats it by over an inch. The FELs on the B7800/B3030 beat it by over a FOOT! Still, for most work its lift height is adequate.
3) mounting for the rear remote is kludgy

Mine was quoted at $15750 with FEL, MMM and ballast box. By the time I had the rears filled and added the rear remote/bucket hooks/block heater it came to $17,100. Not a particularly good deal, in my mind, but not bad. Hopefully it'll be the last mower I have to buy.
FWIW
Bob

P.S. Sorry this is so long, but once I get started.....well, you know.

 

[FamilyFarm]

Getting a "one tractor fits all uses" for 9 acres - I'd go for the B7800. FEL capacity will be much greater and a real benefit to save some time. It's not that the smaller tractors won't move lots of stuff - I only had the BX22 for 4 years and it did some amazing things. But I also remember times I just needed to get the work done quicker and didn't have a choice.
You could probably get a nice rear finish mower that could be adjusted for both your primary mowing and your 2-3 acres to cut higher. That's only one implement purchase rather than two (rotary cutter plus finish mower).
Just my humble thoughts on how to spend YOUR money!
Terry

 

[shaltac]

Thanks everyone! That helps...