You sound like a school teacher or something? LOL Anyways how do you like the B2601? I'll be glad when I get mine, originally was going to get a BX2680 but this one was supposed to come in first and I said I would take it... I really like the LX2610 but don't think I need that much tractor....
Nah, not a school teacher. I am just very careful on giving people advice on things like insurance because I know my situation is very different than other people's. I don't have insurance on my tractor because I don't use it to make a living, it's more a hobby/toy. And if I break my toys I go without until I can afford a new one, or I fix it myself. And in NZ we really don't have the concept of public liability that you have in the US.
I like my B2601 a lot, and I had a BX before the B2601. You made the right choice - I believe that there are relatively few situations where a BX is better than a B2601. They're basically the same footprint on the ground, but the B is quite a bit taller and quite a bit more capable. The BX is the gateway drug for people who were getting a ride on - it's kind of ride on sized, and your wife isn't going to look at you sideways when you bring it home and say "hey honey, I bought a ride on." But other than that, it's compromised in lots of ways.
For me the LX would have been too big. It's at the point where the neighbours would be whispering about me as I mow my 1 acre with it. (If they're not already whispering about my B2601). Having said that, I do pull the boat with it, and mow the local community land, so that justifies it a bit more. Also, the LX would have been a 72 inch deck, and when I built my shed I built it with a B in mind - a 72 inch deck won't go through the door without substantial remodelling.
The B is far easier to get the mower deck off than the BX. The mechanism is basically the same, but the extra height makes it massively easier. I was really surprised at that improvement. I have the pin on bucket (that's all you can get in NZ), and swapping bucket for forks is a pain in the rear. I have a pin-on quick attach on order to fix that, but in the US you'd obviously get the SSQA. You also get the flat face couplers/single lever hydraulic detach. I really really wanted that, but you can't get it in NZ. Taking the pioneers on and off is fiddly and annoying. I always take the loader off when mowing (ever since I put a hole in the side of the house with the BX when mowing - but it also makes it a lot more comfortable to ride - less pitching over bumps), and I usually take the mower off when doing loader work (so I'm not dragging it through the mud, and makes it easier to get around the back of the house - it's a tight space and the mower is wide enough to make it annoying).
The other really big difference is the 3 speed transmission. I drive to the community land I mow, and the B2601 goes nearly twice as fast as the BX. It matters - it feels like the difference between a fast walk and faster than I could run. Driving anywhere on the BX was painful. Lots of people feel that way on the position control on the 3pt, personally that's not a big deal for me, but I don't do a lot of ground engaging work - with a box blade the position control would matter.
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