Buying Advice Your Advice & Inspiration, Does 12K for BX1850 get it done?

[shrekbelly]

esteemed forum fellows,
this is my week to committ to a new bx 1850 w/ loader valve, 54" fine cut mid mount mower and the heavy duty front blade w/ squeeegee and shoes.
am guessing at the 12k purchase price, because i've gotten coflicting numbers.
i believe i can purchase the machine in pa for 9,415 plus snow dozer blade & shoe , squeegee kit. are package deals a rarity, if not, what numbers should i look for?
would like to have them deliver with a christmas bow or order from kubota and deliver after xmas . . . . holding the deck until i redo my grass areas (summer/fall).
what does the first 50 hour service run? can any body give me an estimate on the length of the bx with the heavy duty blade attached and angled so i can try and sneak it into our garage?
long live this forum and the wisdom of the people who subscribe to it.
i am grateful for any and all replies, especially those cocerning puechase price guidelines. shrekbelly

 

[ByronBob]

Welcome,

Your price looks high to me. If I were you I'd

1) Get the 2350 because the power and price are worth it.
2) Scrap the front blade and pony up for the FEL instead.
3) Get the 60" MMM if you can
4) Buy a weight box for the rear as ballast
5) Do the 50hr yourself. It's fairly easy and learning the stuff will allow you to know your machine better.
6) Get a block heater for the winter use

Plan on 10 feet or more for the set up in your gargage.

 

[ChuckinNH]

You could go to the Kubota web site ( kubota.com) and configure your proposed BX 1850 with the attachments you like, and find out what the retail price is. That way you can tell how good a deal is being offered by your dealers.

 

[KeithInSpace]

Concur with several of Mr. ByronBob's points, but there are some other considerations as well.

I've never met horsepower I didn't like, but if it was between 5 hp and a FEL, I'd probably get the FEL. I don't think I've ever made a dent in the 22 hp I have on tap, so 18 hp would probably be OK in 97% of the situations you'd face. I was faced with a financial "limit" and made the best choices I could accordingly.

The FEL is absolutely indispensible, especially in a tractor this size. If you absolutely must get a front blade, get a feel for the tractor, then decide. Go with the FEL first.

I run rear weights and a box blade instead of a weight box (when I don't have the BH attached). Works perfect 95% of the time. For the other 5%, I just go a little slower. The box blade has 1,001 uses and takes up about the same real estate in the garage as a weight box.

I have just been faced with having to boot a vehicle outside to make room for some stuff while the basement is being finished. The wife DEMANDS in indoor spot...and so does the Corvette. So in deciding between my tractor or my '05 Expedition, the tractor stays inside. If you have 14' clear length and 7' clear width, you should get your tractor, FEL, box blade, and a couple of other goodies in that space. Just the tractor and FEL alone is every inch of 10 feet long. The 60" deck has the chute and everything, so it is a solid 6 feet wide in the end.

Hope that adds to the other folks' input. Hope you get it soon. I use mine for EVERYTHING.

All that said, $12,000 seems a little heavy for that simple setup...it is $12,000 retail according to the Kubota site (thanks for the tip Mr. ChuckinNH). My dealer would probably be in the low/mid $10,000 range.

 

[charliepff]

It definately sounds like your quote was a little high. I would definately price around. As for the size of the machine; I would definately look into the 2350. I bought one about six months ago. I looked at all different types and sizes. I decided since I take care of a half mile drive way I could use the extra horse dragging a box blade and digging dranege ditches. It has paid off. The 60" mmm has definately saved alot of time although is a little rough taking off sometimes. The loader has been used on everything from moving burn piles around to ripping down a shed and digging drainage ditches. Oh I forgot too mention stripping out overgrown wooded areas behind the house. I bought a tooth bar for the bucket, 48" box blade, a 60" rear blade and I have no problem working any of the implements and definately give me alot of fun projects to do. Like I said you wont be dissapointed.

 

[rpoage]

Your getting some good advice from some the vets around here. I just did pretty close to what ByronBob and KeithInSpace suggested. HP is your friend and it's short money now.

I would go with a FEL because you have no idea how much you will use it until you have it.

I was going to go with a 54" mower but the only time I regretted the 60" was when I had to lift it up. The 60" allows you to mow closer to objects and when you make corners it allows you to overlap the edges so the mower police don't harass you. (go with the 60" is advice I got here)

I do disagree with ByronBob on the 50hr service as I want the dealer to handle that so that "they" are on the hook during the warrantee period. After that I'll take over. My deal gave me a free 50.

The suggestion about room is also true as the following picture shows my BX2350 at home in the garage and I'm either going to have to stop buying attachments or add on.

Always willing to help a future tractor freek spend his hard earned money.

 

[KeithInSpace]

Mr. Rpoage, I can keep talking myself out of it, but that front blade sure is pretty. If I got more snow, perhaps I could justify it, but I'm just not there.

I like the 'nesting' of the deck and FEL. I have some 2' deep garage cabinets that I can kinda hide mine under, but I'm definitely short on space. The bagger is what kills me. I'd love to hang my deck on the wall when season is "over", but with all the leaves, I'll mow (suck, really) at least once a month to keep things looking pretty. With as heavy as the deck is, keeping it anything but accessible is a real PITA.

Regarding service, I view my time as being worth $100 per hour. For doing it only once a year, I just spring for the dealer to do it. My machine purrs like a kitten every time I get it back and they go through it MUCH more thoroughly than I could in a few hours, making the $300 to $350 worth it to me.

I need to shine mine up to get it as nice as yours. Is that light reflecting off the ArmorAll on the deck chute?

Kidding.

FYI, Mr. Shreckbelly, the rig as pictured in Mr. Rpoage's garage is 16 or so feet long. Just to give you an idea of the space necessary for storage. You MAY be able to shrink that down to 14 or so feet (mounting the deck and nesting the front blade under the unmounted FEL like where the deck is now), but you'd be losing some utility by forcing yourself to dismount the deck to do "real" work. Dismounting the FEL takes about 30 easy seconds. Dismounting the deck takes 7 to 10 minutes, half of which is contorted on the ground trying to mesh the spline of the driveshaft. It isn't "hard", but you won't want to do it more than once a week if you can possibly avoid it.

 

[LBrown59]

1*new BX 1850
2*54" mid mount mower
3*heavy duty front blade
4*Blade shoes.
5*blade squeegee
6*loader valve
*i am grateful for any and all replies, especially those concerning purchase price guidelines.
shrek belly************

******
1*Local dealer is running a special on the BX1850 $6925. Great price.
2*See below.
3*See below.
4*$90
5*Make your own or slip a piece of plastic pipe over the edge for next to nothing.
6*The prices I show below for the blades include the loader valve.
They are a part of the price of the blade not an added on cost of the tractor.
`````````````
* Here are Prices for tractors and attachments I got from 2 different dealers recently while shopping for my 2 BX1500s.
used BX1500 $4525 from dealer where I purchased.
New-BX1500 $6300 dealer I bought from.
new-BX1830 $6925 local Kubota dealer. Great buy for a BX1850.
NEW 48'' rear tiller $1100 dealer where I got it.
New 48'' rear tiller $1450 local dealer.
New 48" MMM $1450 from either dealer.
New 54''mmm $1650 local dealer.
New 54'' front blade with Manual angle $1400 either dealer.
New 60'' front blade with hydraulic lift and angle $1900 but the dealer gave me a break on it for $1500.

 

[LBrown59]

1* heavy duty front blade
2*i believe I can purchase the machine in pa for 9,415 plus snow dozer blade
***********

********
1*Is this a 54 or 60 inch wide blade?
Is the blade hydraulic or manual angle?
2*Does the $9415 include the snow blade or do you pay extra on top of the $9415 to get the blade?
I just bought a new BX1500 with a 60'' hydraulic lift and angle front blade and a 48'' mmm for $9250.
I can run over to my local Kubota dealer tomorrow and buy a new BX 1850 with a 54'' mmm for $8575. I can get the 60'' hydraulic lift and angle front blade on it too for a total of $10475 for the tractor blade and 54'' MMM.
== L B .

 

[LBrown59]

Welcome,
*Your price looks high to me.
1) Get the 2350 because the power and price are worth it.
2) Scrap the front blade and pony up for the FEL instead.
5) Do the 50hr yourself. It's fairly easy and learning the stuff will allow you to know your machine better.

*$12000 is very high considering i can get a bx1850 60'' Front blade and 54"" MMM from my local dealer for $10475.
I'd go get one tomorrow from him if it weren't for the fact that i just bought a new BX1500 with a 60'' front blade and a 48'' MMM on it for $9250.
1*I have a BX 23 and the surprising thing to me is I didn't have and use the BX1500 very long before I realized that 95 to 99 percent of everything I have done around here with the BX 23 I could have done just as easily with the bx1500.
The only exception is the back hoe work done with the BX23.
That little BX1500 sure surprised the heck out of me.
I really underestimated the BX1500.
I figured it was a lot less tractor than the BX23 or 2230 or 2350 but found out it was only a little less tractor.
Just like the BX 23 the BX1500 constantly amazes me.
2*good idea.
5*While it's not a piece of cake like a car it's not sour grapes either.