1.33 acres, heavily wooded and overgrown... Need advice on a tractor purchase!

[mcmxi]

Does anyone else have a similar experience? Is there a nationwide shortage of front-end loaders??

The dealer near me has 15 or more cab tractors sitting on pallets with probably a similar number of open station models. Everything is there with the exception of the loaders.

 

[PaulL]

If you can't get a loader right now, that sucks. But you can do a lot without. I got 3ph pallet forks, which means I can lift and carry a lot of stuff on the rear. I modified them to also fit the loader - so my pallet forks can go either on the front or the rear. That may be harder with SSQQ, but probably possible. The 3ph lifts quite a bit more, so for lifting heavy pallets of stuff it's much nicer on the rear anyway.

For me, I lifted and relaid a bunch of paving, and I stacked all the pavers onto pallets - then moved them around with the pallet forks as I relaid. The FEL couldn't have lifted them - even the 3ph could only take a handful of courses on the pallet (this was back in the BX days, one of the reasons I went to the B2601 - it lifts a lot more on the 3ph than the BX did).

 

[OrangeKrush]

Even though they may tell you it might be in the Spring could very well be the next Fall. I would definitely look around even if you have to rent a trailer to get it home. Since you've already checked out a BX and it seems small.. you won't be happy, always thinking you should have gone next step up.
They'll have your money for the loader so there is no guarantee someone else won't get your loader when you should have. just saying..

 

[Fordtech86]

In the current market, I wouldn’t accept the tractor without the loader at the time of purchase.

 

[OrangeKrush]

If you can't get a loader right now, that sucks. But you can do a lot without. I got 3ph pallet forks, which means I can lift and carry a lot of stuff on the rear. I modified them to also fit the loader - so my pallet forks can go either on the front or the rear. That may be harder with SSQQ, but probably possible. The 3ph lifts quite a bit more, so for lifting heavy pallets of stuff it's much nicer on the rear anyway.

For me, I lifted and relaid a bunch of paving, and I stacked all the pavers onto pallets - then moved them around with the pallet forks as I relaid. The FEL couldn't have lifted them - even the 3ph could only take a handful of courses on the pallet (this was back in the BX days, one of the reasons I went to the B2601 - it lifts a lot more on the 3ph than the BX did).

I moved a couple hundred of these pavers and there extra thick.. I checked them at one time and I'm pretty sure 20lbs or over. I had three rows that's all that would fit at 420lbs or more, it lifted those easily enough I could have gone with more.

My 3pt lifts my older 60" King Kutter BB 500lbs with ease and that's extended out farther with a QHitch.
I'm not trying to sell OP on the BX anymore since it wasn't comfortable for him but the BX is more capable than suggested.

 

[jkrubi12]

OP has only 1/4 acre to mow? Definitely not MMM territory! I would look for a used rider or even a walk-behind for that piece! FB Marketplace seems to be the go-to place these days for browsing used equipment. Try to get into the habit of looking every day for 15 minutes and you'll be surprised how many used tractors & other equipment is available, especially since it's nearing the end of the season!

Initially I was fixated on an LX2610 and submitted an order with a dealer; fortunately I got the chance to examine an LX2610 and a B2601 side-by-side (bare tractors, no attachments) and that was when I realized the LX was really too big for what I wanted. Changed my order to the B2601 (in stock) and haven't stoped smiling since!

I would strongly suggest scanning the Marketplace for a used BX or B01 (with attachments) b/c the availability of new Kubota / Land Pride stuff seems real thin. The biggest issue I'm seeing with used equipment is the astronomical prices - WOW

 

[Shekkie]

There is quite a size difference between the B and the LX.

 

[Old_Paint]

now we're talking! lol
But really, I will look into hiring someone to do this level of work first, then reassess my needs.

Even then, assuming the dead and fallen trees were gone, the brush was cleared, and the trails were cut... I can still see myself needing more than just a riding mower to do everything I want on my land.

Sure, it's a small lot compared to many of you. But, right now on only 0.18 acres, I have 250 feet of vegetable gardens and over 11 yards of material I need to move annually for flower beds. Doing this with a push mower, shovel, fork, and dump cart by hand is a real pain in my rear. But, I have been doing it for 6 years now and it works, and it's cheap...

It would be nice to have a riding mower and a front-end loader.
Someone suggested to me the JD X730 with a CTC loader...
That combo comes in around $17,500 though. At that point, wouldn't it just make sense to buy a more capable subcompact?

I'm genuinely looking for all opinions on this topic. From "suck it up and keep doing it by hand" to "buy an MX "

Appreciate everyone's input so far!

My lot isn't much bigger at 2.67 acres, but I've got some serious stormwater issues that I'm trying to deal with along with 50+ years of neglect. Poison Ivy vines bigger than my leg, briars with thorns the size of bowie knives and dead pines out the wazoo. I've finally got it cleared enough to start putting down some of the dead pines. I don't have a brush cutter, but I do have a Swisher brush mower, and using that thing is about like wrestling a 400-pound bear. But for all the stump removal and landscaping, I've got an LX2610SU. It's a beast, but I still run out of horsepower on occasion, and this yard is going to be a long time in recovery efforts. I don't regret spending the money, because I was doing EXACTLY what someone else said do, a riding mower and a good selection of hand tools (plus a chain saw and small chipper). I added a WC-68 chipper to the collection and have made tons of mulch with that thing already. If you're clearing stuff like I am, you'll kill a riding mower trying to use it like a tractor. Trust me, I know. I've killed two. It's going to be a LONG time before you're mowing that with anything that isn't hardened and built for the task. A lawn mower won't hold up.

The LX might be a little bit much for your needs, but certainly a BX23S would be a very useful machine. It comes in a TLB platform and will make stump removal and landscaping a lot easier than a shovel and pickaxe. I'm too old for that kind of manual labor now. It hurts too much.

 

[Trev450r]

I'd go with the B2601, it can lift more little bigger tractor over all. The B2601 has more pto hp then the BX.

 

[top gnome]

I have a b2301 and I am so glad I did not get a smaller tractor and very glad I did not get a bigger tractor.
I would have gotten an L size or a 2601 but they had a 2301 and I needed a tractor the wait for the others was very long. . We had a major Nor-easter 3 days after they delivered the tractor. and 2 more the next two weeks. It can do a ton of work and frankly if you keep the tractor for 10 years or more you will probably get what you paid for it.

I have done a ton of work in the last 8 months
The only thing I regret is not buying a new tractor sooner I had vintage farm tractors for years and get 5 times the work done in the same amount of time with the kubota.


I would look for a honda riding mower from the 80s the decks do not rust and the engines are great and the ride is great. turning radius sucks.

 

[OrangeKrush]

I'd go with the B2601, it can lift more little bigger tractor over all. The B2601 has more pto hp then the BX. View attachment 86072

Same pto hp as my bx2680.. 19.5

 

[minthral]

If you want a B tractor, definitely get the loader. Don't buy it without expecting to install later as it will be very expensive. Make sure it doesn't leave the dealer unless it has a loader on it.

The way it works is dealers can only sell things they actually have and can deliver. They can't finance and insure a loader unless they got it's physical serial number. Basically means they'll sell you a tractor now, stating can buy a loader later after waiting X months. You'd be paying for the tractor without a loader with opportunity to have separate financing/insurance later for the loader. Thus when the tractor leaves the dealer and becomes your problem, you might get screwed so don't fall in that trap. A compact tractor without loader will have almost zero resale value...no one wants one without a loader.

 

[minthral]

About riding mowers... A good 'garden tractor' with a nice motor, trans, and heavy duty frame will cost you 5-9k, however you don't really need that if you just want to mow grass. An entry level riding mower from John Deere, Cub Cadet etc will do. Some examples + or minus 2k:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/cub-cadet-new-enduro-series-xt1-lt42-13aka9tsa10?store=1248&cid=Shopping-Google-Local_Feed&utm_medium=Google&utm_source=Shopping&utm_campaign=&utm_content=Local_Feed&gclid=CjwKCAjwgaeYBhBAEiwAvMgp2hmBvpva_gkHin-1ijZeJGNM51_7TVswPrlato7XwKN-vHCGv0VKlRoCOTUQAvD_BwE

https://www.lowes.com/pd/John-Deere-S110-19-HP-Side-By-Side-Hydrostatic-42-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower-with-Mulching-Capability-Kit-Sold-Separately/5001418907?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-sol-_-ggl-_-LIA_SOL_146_Riders-Powersports-Chore-_-5001418907-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclid=CjwKCAjwgaeYBhBAEiwAvMgp2i-VzFCBk0Wdkk_FFqsywcN07s5gCSW2Az5jh0xS60GGOF7ufFM0rRoC3f8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-T100-11-5-HP-Manual-Gear-36-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower-with-Mulching-Capability-Included/1001449960?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-sol-_-ggl-_-LIA_SOL_146_Riders-Powersports-Chore-_-1001449960-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclid=CjwKCAjwgaeYBhBAEiwAvMgp2hUshPv396YN7USMH2JtCnY-g00z8DftRmRdTN9TVccW8RSamPH5ExoCX0UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Same thing used you could probably find for under 1k. They'll work fine for many years.

I'd buy one those over a mid mount or rear mower any day because they'll be more convenient to use, reduce tractor hours, more maneuverable + much more. You wont be getting that response from many here because they own a BX or B with a mower as it's a kubota forum.

1/4 acre to mow is tiny. I would push mow it honestly. Even maneuvering a riding mower would be tough in such a small area and I'd want a zero turn. We're talking about a small suburban lot at that point...

 

[minthral]

About poison ivy...

To kill it, I use a pole saw to cut the vine about 6-8 feet from the bottom. It's preferable to leave some bottom leaves and cut it high enough where no one will accidently bump into it while walking at the tree or riding equipment. I make sure the chainsaw clippings shoot away from me as the vine has just as much if not more oil and will cause a rash. You don't want to 'shake' the tree or vine too much as that will drop oil on you as you're standing under it. Put some round up on the remaining bottom vine and leaves.

After a few weeks the leaves going up the tree will dry out and die. They will eventually fall...and yes those dead leaves will also give you a rash. I'll use my backhoe to pry remaining bottom of the vine off the tree and try to pull it out with the roots. Basically position the vine between the bucket teeth and swing boom sideways, then once it's on the ground, grab it with thumb or grapple to move it somewhere far away (preferably a burn pile).

After a few years, what will remain is a vine stuck to a tree without leaves or branches. It will stay like this for a very long time (as in 10+ years) till eventually a storm will knock it down (or pieces of it).

I've used my backhoe to reach up try grab and pull down the whole vine. Sometimes they are as large as 6 inch wide at the bottom. Trying to pull the whole vine off the tree doesn't work well because the vine shakes, spreads it's oil (even after 10 years it will still give you a rash), and possibly falls on you. The vines are some thick hardwood that doesn't seem to rot, but the fuzzy part on the outside eventually rots so the vine doesn't hold too firmly to the tree, but still the vine snakes going up the tree so it acts like a rope. Basically after messing with it, I always conclude I'm just wasting time and it's best to just leave it and let nature do it's thing.

The best way to avoid getting poison ivy rash is to take some disposable tows, get them damp, and then rub your skin. This will 'soak up' and 'friction remove' most of the oil (think of it as tractor zerk grease). The way it works is if you let the oil sit on your skin for a few days, that's when you get the rash. If the oil sits on your skin for a few (or 6 hours) and then you remove it, you don't get (much) of a rash. You don't want to 'take a quick shower' and 'use the same bath sponge' after dealing with poison ivy or just in generally walking around the woods. You can wear pants and long sleeve shirt to avoid getting the oil on your skin, however the problem with that is that clothing will have the oil even after a heavy duty wash cycle...then when you handle it (aka put it on), you'll get the oil on your skin. I got some dedicated pants for this type of thing, but end up wearing shorts in the summer as it's hot and humid.

I recall some years back, I wore an old hoodie 'work sweatshirt' that I pulled out of storage... I was doing some work not related to being the woods at all, but the new few days got poison ivy rash on my ears and other parts. I didn't know why and continued to use the same sweatshirt for a few days getting more rash, till it clicked that I must have used the sweatshirt at one point in the woods. Even though it was washed and I'm guessing sitting in storage for years, it STILL had the oil on it and caused a reaction.

Hate poison ivy and I wish there was some vaccine against it. I notice that over the years, I get less of a reaction to it as it keep getting exposed. What also helps is if you put some oily lotion or spray (sunscreen or bug) on your skin. It acts like a slight barrier to prevent the oil from sticking.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

sounds like ordering a napam strike might be the ONLY way to get rid of it ??

 

[D2Cat]

Here's a professional telling how to NOT get poison ivy rash. The urushiol is the problem!

 

[B737]

Several posts above saying how much 'bigger' LX is vs B2601... This really isnt the case.

The LX isnt that much bigger, it's equally maneuverable in the same space. We are talking about inches here. 7" in length, and 4" much needed inches in width, B2601 super tippy compared to LX and BX. (owned all 3, used all 3 on slopes, stored all 3 in same space, used all 3 in woods)

Also, BX and B2601 HP are essentially identical, within ~1 HP. not going to see any gains there. All the BX and B2601 did for me was waste a bunch of money on the journey to the correctly sized machine

 

[minthral]

My 2 cents for all it's worth, is L series and larger is a 'real tractor.' 20k for a basic B series or 25k for a basic L series. LX in my mind is a basically an L as well. BX goal is to see as small as possible for small tight spaces in cities. B is more or less the same idea. Both sacrifice a lot of the smaller size. Many first time buyers will start out with this size as the others 'feel too big' (due to inexperience) and upgrade later.

30k/32k for an L3301/L3901 (or now 02) will give you a very capable tractor that will only have you wanting more if you do lots of heavy duty dirt work. As far as standard tractor stuff, it will run all the needed attachments. There is a reason it is the best selling tractor <period>.

Save 10k to buy small today will mean nothing once you upgrade and lose 5k+ on trade (plus more since sales tax is lost). Assuming you got a decent amount of land, I'd recommend to jump into an L first. However a BX or B might make sense for someone who wants a toy and only has 1-3 acres.

 

[useraccessdenied]

It’s pretty much the norm these days on anything with a hydraulic cylinder. There has been unprecedented demand all while dealing with supply and material shortages.

I would call around, even if you need to look at dealers not local to you and ship/go pick it up. Some of the larger dealers have inventory.

I called Messick's, probably the largest dealership within 400 miles of me. They have something like 11 B2601 on the lot, not a single loader and no idea when the next one will come in. He said they are still waiting on loaders that were ordered in 2021, so going back 8+ months on some models.
I appreciated the honesty rather than just throwing out a number like "90 days!", with nothing to justify it.

He cautioned me of the local dealer who said 4-6 months even. If Messick's isn't getting an expected delivery date, why would a smaller dealer?

I'll keep calling though. What I've found from my photography business is that the smaller retailers sometimes have inventory because "everyone shops at the known big stores". Makes sense.

The next challenge is getting it home. I don't have a trailer, and my truck (4cy 2015 tacoma) likely couldn't tow it even if I did have one.

 

[useraccessdenied]

Yea, it’s been a mess for sure. Is used out of the question? May pay a small premium, but you’ll have it now.

Lots of guys, myself included, bought a bit too small. Sold and upgraded. May find something like that near you.

I've been looking. Nothing used around me, at least not that I have found yet...