Opinions and Experiences with BX2230

[lemonsp]

I'm in Alaska and I've got a line on a 2005 BX2230 with 700 hours, FEL, MMM, and box blade. It can also come with a heavy duty trailer made for hauling heavy equipment. From the pics it looks to be in great shape and shows little wear on any of the attachments or the tractor itself. The tractor is 2+ hours away but if this model gets good reviews I plan on driving down this weekend to look at it in person. The tractor by itself with all attachments is $9.5K and the guy's asking $12.5K including the equipment trailer. Keep in mind that everything is much more expensive in Alaska. What I'm looking for in general is something to landscape our new 2 acre lot (i.e. grading and planting), move snow, mow, grade our driveway, and move firewood up to the house from standing dead trees. Our lot is on the side of a mountain so it can be a bit steep and part of the driveway is pretty steep as well.

What do you think about this tractor in general? Is 700hrs a lot of hours? What's the life expectancy of these tractors? Also, any issues with these tractors I should be aware of? It looks to me like it's just an older version of the BX2370. The only real issue I've heard of is over heating and it seems like isolated cases. Is this a big issue with these tractors or is it relatively rare?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[murphy1244]

Welcome! The BX line is bullet proof from what I'm told.

 

[lemonsp]

Thanks Murph. I'm pretty excited to finally have a spot worth getting one for. It's a pretty small market up here so it's slow going to find one. I had a line on a BX2660 with FEL only but they wanted $13K which seemed kind of steep given I'd still need a snow blower and MMM.

 

[murphy1244]

See if he has any paperwork for work done.

 

[Grandad4]

We're at 8 years and about 800 hours on ours... so far not a single repair, although I did fab up a reinforcement for the air cleaner bracket, which has a tendency to vibrate quite a bit at low engine rpm. That would be one of the few deficiencies in these models. The other one common to the Kubota BX line is a plastic cooling fan for the hydrostatic transmission that can snag twigs and saplings and get broken. We've not had a problem with ours, but there seem to be a fair number of owners who have busted up the fan. The part is relatively inexpensive but it's reportedly a pain to replace, and there are some after-market skid plate kits if you think you'd need one. Condition of the fan would be something to check out on a used one, of course.

I think most overheating issues may be from people who've moved up from air-cooled riding lawnmowers and don't know there's a radiator that needs to be kept clean of fine mowing debris.

These are amazingly capable little machines for their size and weight. With good maintenance for fluids and filters, they are rugged and dependable.

I'd want to see a cold engine start, with smooth running and travel, and all functions (pto, 3 point lift, loader, etc.) operational. These things want to run a pretty high rpm... wide-open even for mowing. Also, I'd check out the mower deck to make sure it has been well-lubed at the grease points. All the pulleys, etc. have grease fittings... if they were not regularly lubed, repair would be a big deal at some point.

 

[wpabx2230]

I have had my BX2230 for 9 1/2 years & have about 500 hours on it. I've done nothing to it other than regular maintanence. I love it.
It's great for mowing & blowing snow. I recently bought a used loader for it, but haven't finished adapting the hydraulics yet. You can't
go wrong with a BX.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I've owned several BXs and they are great except the BX2350 has an abrupt stop in reverse so Kubota has a short run for that series. I had a BX2200 FEL MMM. It was my first tractor and it was great. Biggest problem is low ground clearance which is one o the main reasons I moved on to the B7800, for the bit more power, bigger bucket and higher ground clearance. The 30 in the number designates a more deluxe model. Have you checked the price for a new one at the Kubota dealer with 60 months 0% interest or small rebate for cash?
My 2 nieces and their husbands and children live in Anchorage. Great place to visit and watch people leave their offices/jobs during lunch and run to the river to catch those salmon when they are running. Long river but it sometimes look like people are shoulder to shoulder fishing, in the "city".:thumbsup: :cool2:

 

[TripleR]

What they said, we have a 2200 and 2660 and they are great little tractors. We put Bro Tek plates on our and wheels spacers for added stability on an already very stable tractor. We also put fluid or weights on the rear tires and Stabilworks replacements for the turnbuckles on the 3PH.

 

[RaydaKub]

I've had my BX2230 for just shy of 2 years. 720 hours on it, 591 when I got it. It is a wonderful helper for so much stuff I do around the yard. Mine had some dings, but I've made repairs and it is just ready to go whenever I am. I filled the tires with washer fluid for $40 and a $10 valve. I added a Rachet Rake, Ken's bolt on bucket hooks, and some weights for the wheels and 3ph for ballast. This spring I bought a 5 foot rear blade to assist with snow. I also added a rear Bro-Tek plate (the BXpanded version doesn't cover this model last I checked). I did my own front plate out of some old 1/2" plywood that hangs on theGive it some love and it will save your back a lot of work. If you're on a mountain, you might want to add some Bro-Tek wheel spacers as well to add to your stability.

 

[lemonsp]

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to all those that helped. I ended up buying the BX2230 tractor. It came with a 10K pound equipment trailer to haul it, box grader, MMM, FEL and bagger that runs of the rear PTO. I haven't had a chance to play with it much yet as it's been raining non-stop since i brought her home. Once the weather clears I'll get some picks and post up. Thanks again to all those that helped out.