Hi Everyone, this is my first post to the forum but I have been studying it for a while. I am a campground owner in Nebraska and currently own a well maintained (800 hours) 2007 BX2350 with FEL, belly mower and a small grader. Currently I put about 300 hours a year on my tractor doing everything from mowing, grading RV sites and moving all kinds of stuff with the FEL. The tractor is probably the most valuable piece of equipment I own. My dilemma is that I didn't have the foresight or the budget when I bought the tractor to include a backhoe.
I really need a backhoe which would primarily be used for the following:
1. Repair water / utility power lines when RVs back into them (usually 2 or 3 times a year on a busy holiday)
2. Repair broken sewer lines
3. Run new utility lines throughout the campground as needed
The depths that I would need to operate at will range anywhere from 3 to 5 feet with a 9 or 12" bucket. Since the campground is full of obstacles the BX does a great job of fitting in places where a larger tractor just wouldn't fit. I estimate that I would use the backhoe about 40 hours per year. The soil type is clay/sand mix with a top layer (3 or 4 inches) of gravel.
I have gone to Kubota and they are adamant that I should trade in my BX2350 for a new BX25, telling me that I will be much happier with the unit and that the Woods BH65 is targeted more toward the consumer market and wouldn't really hold up to what would amount to light commercial use. Apparently the BX2350 HP is toward the lower end of the specifications on the Woods BH65. They also told me the BH65 subframe from Woods would not work with the belly mower. The total cost if I traded in my 2350 would run me around 13K.
I have a called around to Woods dealers and can be out the door with a BH65 just under 6K and keep the same tractor, they claim that it should work as well as the BX25 and that it should have enough power to do everything I need. None of the Woods dealers I talked to could tell me if the subframe would interfere with the belly mower.
Is there anyone out there with experience and can advise?
- How solid is the woods unit compared to the one on the BX25? Is it capable of light commercial use?
- Does it interfere with other implements - specifically belly mower and grader?
- Is it capable of handling the type of work I am describing?
The campground business has very tight margins and I really don't want to replace a perfectly working machine unless it is absolutely necessary. Thanks!
I really need a backhoe which would primarily be used for the following:
1. Repair water / utility power lines when RVs back into them (usually 2 or 3 times a year on a busy holiday)
2. Repair broken sewer lines
3. Run new utility lines throughout the campground as needed
The depths that I would need to operate at will range anywhere from 3 to 5 feet with a 9 or 12" bucket. Since the campground is full of obstacles the BX does a great job of fitting in places where a larger tractor just wouldn't fit. I estimate that I would use the backhoe about 40 hours per year. The soil type is clay/sand mix with a top layer (3 or 4 inches) of gravel.
I have gone to Kubota and they are adamant that I should trade in my BX2350 for a new BX25, telling me that I will be much happier with the unit and that the Woods BH65 is targeted more toward the consumer market and wouldn't really hold up to what would amount to light commercial use. Apparently the BX2350 HP is toward the lower end of the specifications on the Woods BH65. They also told me the BH65 subframe from Woods would not work with the belly mower. The total cost if I traded in my 2350 would run me around 13K.
I have a called around to Woods dealers and can be out the door with a BH65 just under 6K and keep the same tractor, they claim that it should work as well as the BX25 and that it should have enough power to do everything I need. None of the Woods dealers I talked to could tell me if the subframe would interfere with the belly mower.
Is there anyone out there with experience and can advise?
- How solid is the woods unit compared to the one on the BX25? Is it capable of light commercial use?
- Does it interfere with other implements - specifically belly mower and grader?
- Is it capable of handling the type of work I am describing?
The campground business has very tight margins and I really don't want to replace a perfectly working machine unless it is absolutely necessary. Thanks!
