Tractor suggestion

[Kurt_W]

I am sure that this is a typical first post, but what the heck. I now have 4 acres of a mix of pasture and woods. All of this is pretty steep. What I would like to know is what would be the best tractor for my situation. I would like to be able to cut grass/bush hog as well as maintain a 100 yd gravel driveway (the drive is about the only thing relatively level). The other important thing to me is the ability to excavate. At some time I would like to be able to level an area for a barn or similar out building. Needless to say I may have a horse at some point to take care of as well. I was leaning towards a BX2400. Am I asking too much from a compact tractor? What should I expect from the FEL and Backhoe? Sorry about so many questions, but thanks in advance.

Kurt

 

[SnoFalls]

My 2 pennys ...

The bx2400 should be just about right for the stuff it sounds like you'll be doing ... except for the excavation.

It could get it done depending on the size of the area you wanna cut/fill to get level, it may just take a long time (and depending on the soil might task the bx quite a bit). For that you may wanna just rent a bigger machine to get the majority of the earth work done and then rely upon the bx to smooth/level/etc.

I'm doing quite a bit a "dirt relocation" with my 3130, and it is too small for this job (but right size for everything else I do with it). I don't mind the seat time, and can work it at my leisure, but in reality I'll spend 5x the hours a larger machine would spend moving my dirt.

 

[Kurt_W]

Thank you for the reply. If I went to the L series it sounds like the ability to do what I am looking for increases? Other than the price, do I loose anything else by going to the bigger tractor? Thanks again.

 

[Buster57]

IMHO, moving dirt and making roads are for Cats. I just don't go there. A D-4 will beat a Kubota every time as a bulldozer...Find a friend who owns one and buy him some beer!
I own a L3010 and just love it. But I still am about to buy a BX 1850 as well.
The L3010 is good for a 66" rototiller and a great HD front bucket. A 60" or 72" brush hog is very close to a finish mower if you have a very sharp set of blades. The BX 1850 is good for a 54" finish MMM.
There is no perfect medium. Not as far as I am concerned. Not at least on a very steep hill.
Buy them both and get a bigger garage!

 

[FamilyFarm]

I have a BX22 (older version of BX24) and can add a few thoughts.
It is a great mowing machine, with the 5 ft mid-mount mower. It has a low center of gravity and should be good on the sloped property - assuming it isn't too rough (see below). Maintaining the driveway will be easy, just don't go over 4 ft on the width of your box blade. You will quickly lose traction with anything larger. The size makes it so easy to maneuver in places like horse barns & stalls.
You definitely will not want to excavate large areas with such a small unit. It simply takes too long, puts too many hours on the tractor, and may be pretty rough on it, depending on the soil, rocks, etc. If your ground is rough, the small tires on the BX will fall into every indention or hole, making for a pretty rough ride when trying to bush hog. This also can be very dangerous if you are on a slope and one of the tires suddenly falls into a hole. If you are digging in rocks with the backhoe, you are going to find the light weight of the tractor allows the hoe to move the tractor more than the rocks unless you take it slow.