Time to downsize

[isenbed]

The time has come to get a smaller tractor to finish my projects. Current ride is a McCormick CT28 with loader and backhoe. It has been great for building the house and landscaping the upper yard, but now I'm ready to tackle the bottom yard. I'm building a switchback road down to the lake so width and turn radius are very important. The tractor uses will be finishing the road, and moving dirt, rocks,trees, and building supplies. I believe the BX25 size machines are just a little to small so I have narrowed it down to three so far.
1. Kubota B26. Love it except there is no way I will spend close to $40k, plus with the fixed canopy it won't fit in the basement.
2 Kubota B2650 with loader and backhoe. Really nice machine, gonna be around $25k
3. Mahindra Max 26xl with loader and backhoe. Just under $21k, has all the specs. The only thing I don't like is the brakes are on the same side as the hydro foot pedals which makes steering with the brakes pretty much impossible.

Pretty much everything else I see has the backhoe as an afterthought which makes them very long with little ground clearance.

Thoughts?
Thanks,
David

 

[jenkinsph]

I am a little puzzled by your choices the B2650 has the same wheelbase as your CT28 so how much difference can there be in turning radius?

Have you considered renting a mini excavator for a month or less and using it to cut the road down the hill? Seems that would be far better and cheaper than trading.

 

[Coyote machine]

What he said ^^^, and consider Kioti too. They have awesome hoes and tractors in general.

 

[isenbed]

Length and width is the biggest problem. The McCormick is 65" wide with R4 tires and the road is only 60" in some spots with really sharp turns. I have used a mini ex some to build the road, but it doesn't solve being able to get the machine to the bottom of the hill for future use.

 

[isenbed]

The Kioti CK20 and 2510 are very nice, if they had a more compact backhoe option with a swivel seat I would probably own one.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The time has come to get a smaller tractor to finish my projects. Current ride is a McCormick CT28 with loader and backhoe. It has been great for building the house and landscaping the upper yard, but now I'm ready to tackle the bottom yard. I'm building a switchback road down to the lake so width and turn radius are very important. The tractor uses will be finishing the road, and moving dirt, rocks,trees, and building supplies. I believe the BX25 size machines are just a little to small so I have narrowed it down to three so far.
1. Kubota B26. Love it except there is no way I will spend close to $40k, plus with the fixed canopy it won't fit in the basement.
2 Kubota B2650 with loader and backhoe. Really nice machine, gonna be around $25k
3. Mahindra Max 26xl with loader and backhoe. Just under $21k, has all the specs. The only thing I don't like is the brakes are on the same side as the hydro foot pedals which makes steering with the brakes pretty much impossible.

Pretty much everything else I see has the backhoe as an afterthought which makes them very long with little ground clearance.

Thoughts?
Thanks,
David

I have a B26 that I bought used with only 60 hours for a minuscule sum of $20,500. If I were looking at small backhoes, I would look at a slightly used B26 in preference to the 2650 for $25K. There are many out there that can be had in near new condition for the $25K that you are looking at in the 2650 and the performance is going to be much better.

 

[isenbed]

Wow, that was a great deal! The B26 is my first choice except for the fixed canopy. My basement door is only 6'8" tall, so I would have to build a folding ROPS.

 

[isenbed]

Pulled the trigger today. Hopefully I made the right choice, new Mahindra Max 26xl with loader and backhoe. I just couldn't justify the extra $4500 for a Kubota B2650.

 

[looch]

Canadian list pricing from their respective websites:

Max 26XL 4WD Cab: $31710
B2650HSDC: $29332

Makes it a pretty easy decision on this side of the border. I was also dismayed by the apparent nickel and diming by the Mahindra configurator - oh, you want mirrors on your cab? $180. Heat? $760 - and so on.

 

[jenkinsph]

Wow, that was a great deal! The B26 is my first choice except for the fixed canopy. My basement door is only 6'8" tall, so I would have to build a folding ROPS.

I would much prefer a small tlb such as the Kubota for your use. If it does not fit the existing shed I would build a new one. Guess we all approach these problems from different angles but I suspect the B26 would be a better tractor with a better fit for your property imo. Hope the new Max26 works out for you.