Pointless Upgrade?

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I have alot of seat time on both my B2620 and L3301.

In general I will say the L gets twice the work done in the same amount of time with FL/BH/logging winch/grapple and snow blower. A little less than 2x the work mowing as I use the same mower on both tractors.

A 60" blower on the B2620 seems too big whereas a 66" on the L3301 is hardly noticeable.
A 55" wicked single lid grapple on the B2620 seems to big whereas same grapple on the L3301 seems perfectly sized.

I like the B2620 when in the tighter areas making firewood work when no trails around.

If I had to pick / own only 1 I would take my L3301 over my B2620 for woodlot / brushwork / snow moving / stump pulling and logging. I cut my trees to 20' - 24' and feed through a firewood processor

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Thank you! Yea, that would be a big upgrade for me. Totes are the best but I dont think i could swing getting into that big of a tractor to be able to stack them two high. I will check the specs like you said and explore a little bit cause it never hurts to be informed.

No matter what you decide I’d recommend you price multiple…including even those bigger than you want, especially if financing…per monthly it isn’t that much between models and some models will be real sleepers where it won’t make sense (ie L2501, MX and M ) the price compared to others in terms of what you get between weight and capability and price. It’s pretty simple at 0%. 5000/84 is about $60/mo. Sure it’s a lot over the term and that doesnt include insurance in that swag. But the dollar is devaluing…would you rather have a tractor or watch your money not keep up with inflation in the bank. If you get the green light from the supervisor, get the one you want for the work you want to do. There are a lot less valuable things to collect and waste money on than a tractor IMO.

 

[MOOTS]

This is my garden water setup. 275g tote. MX won’t budge it full, emptied to about 250/top horizontal bar and it will lift it and drive, but feels terrible with 720lb box blade, loaded tires and 3 sets of wheel weights. Never lifted it more than waist high or so.

 

[XSpecBx]

Getting advice from others is always difficult because everyone’s situation is different, even if they are similar. I have an acre and started off with a BX1880. After a year and a half with that, the wife wanted a chipper so we could clean up the wooded area around our house and get rid of the pile of brush we seem to create every year. Seeing that most of the hydraulic feed chippers recommended more PTO power than the 1880 had, I used it as an opportunity to upgrade to a B2601 as we are tying to buy some more land around us as well as I tend to have some lifting tasks that the BX just couldn’t handle (moving large rocks mostly). The B2601 let’s me get my chores done faster, moving dirt, mulch, rocks, gravel, etc while still being small enough for my needs.

My point in all this is that most would, and did say, that a BX was the right machine for me. If I had bought a 2380 from the start I probably wouldn’t have upgraded, but the 2601 has proved to be perfect for my needs. The extra ground clearance let’s me go over stuff without having to worry about clipping stuff on the underside, the extra lift let’s me get stuff done faster (only having to split rocks once instead of 2 or 3 times) and the extra features like position control and the 3 speed HST are appreciated.

Really, only you can decide what is right for you and your needs/desires. If the B2601 does everything you need 90%+ of the time, it is probably good enough, but as others have stated, the larger machines come at the cost of reduced maneuverability. If that is important, and sounds like it is, than I would deal with the minor inconvenience it may create for those few times it’s an issue.

 

[Impala]

Yeah mine was 0 for 72.

Very true. Guess I just got spoiled when I was lucky enough to get 0% for 84.

Didn't we all!

 

[top gnome]

How much firewood per year? I like the fact that my 'grand' L can move the full totes, but in your situation if I had lots of space and could just fill up more totes 3/4 full that would be better than paying for an upgrade. There are times (in the trees) that I'd like a little smaller tractor (my dad and brother both have older JD 790s which are very nimble compared to mine). I went with the larger L since I already had some CAT II implements and wider CAT I implements and didn't want to have to rebuy all of those. I really like the fact that I can lift full totes and overall I'm glad I got the size I did. Recent windstorms have me wiggling it into the shelterbelt to retrieve downed trees and I'm having to clear a little more than I would like, but life is full of compromises. It's also bigger than I could easily trailer, which isn't an issue for me at this point.

Speaking of compromises, the rear forks I got are something like these. I bent them where the pin for the 3-pt attaches, but may have been picking up something too heavy before doing the wood and not noticed the bend until the end of the day. My neighbor/new best friend helped me weld a gusset to brace this part and I think we're good to go. I really expected the bottom to twist from looking at the picture, but that seems to have held up ok (for the few hours I used it). They do not adjust in as far as I might like, but seem to work for regular pallets and the wide side of a tote (just barely). They do not fold for storage, but there's usually a pallet or tote around I can store them under. View attachment 87047

What are the totes? I am looking for a way to move firewood so I dont have t stack it more than once thank you

 

[BobInSD]

What are the totes? I am looking for a way to move firewood so I dont have t stack it more than once thank you

These IBC totes used to be free for the asking (before Covid) around here. Now people are asking anywhere from $5-75 per tote. I just use the metal cage, not the bladder but have cut up some of the bladders to cover the top of the firewood.

 

[top gnome]

These IBC totes used to be free for the asking (before Covid) around here. Now people are asking anywhere from $5-75 per tote. I just use the metal cage, not the bladder but have cut up some of the bladders to cover the top of the firewood.

thank you I will look for them

 

[Grindstone]

What are the totes? I am looking for a way to move firewood so I dont have t stack it more than once thank you

They make my life so much easier.

 

[Cathy Liebchen]

Asking for a little advice and to either be talked off a ledge or over one. Recently I have been wondering if I should upgrade to a L2501. Working with my B2601 has been great but when moving around IBC cages of green oak it has had me wondering if I should have gone a little bigger. The tractor will pick up a 275 gallon cage 3/4 full of green oak but when transporting it the front axle does not seem too happy (moving on flat level paved driveway). I do not know if its due to the near max weight or because I have turf tires and they aren't stiff enough for the heavy load.
My main purposes for the tractor are grapple work, firewood production (full dump loads of 10-14" lengths), trail making/maintenance on 6.5 acres, mowing/brush hogging, mulch/dirt work, and snow removal.

Question is do I try to sell the B and upgrade to the L or am I being stupid and be happy with what I have?

Standard L is still a baby tractor get the MX

 

[top gnome]

They make my life so much easier.

thank you I will look for them it looks like they are 200 each here with a tank but I will keep an eye open for them

 

[fried1765]

Yeah mine was 0 for 72.

Didn't we all!

And......"that was 72 months free use of money".......right?
I asked at bank!
They told me....."nobody offers/gives, even one month, free use of money".

 

[Runs With Scissors]

thank you I will look for them

Check E-bay

I found mine on E-bay about 1 year ago. Guy had them for sale at $30 bucks a piece. I asked if he would take $20 if I picked up 18 of them. He agreed.

He was a super nice guy, but was located in an area of Detroit where I .....ummm ....wellll.......shall we say I "stuck out like a sore thumb".

Had them loaded in record time. Been there twice since.

Edit: He agreed that I could leave the bladders with him, but he was getting reluctant to separate them the last time I was there. Those things can hold some pretty nasty sh!t, unless they are used for food grade stuff.

 

[Grindstone]

$200 is STEEP for a tote and bladder unless you are getting food grade for water collection or something you don't want the nasty residual residue contaminating. When I filled all mine I started making some out of scrap pallets I had laying around. You have to take a little more care when stacking, depending on how you make them, but it sure beats shelling out $200 a pop.

 

[jimh406]

@Grindstone, since this old thread is back active, did you change tractors?

 

[Grindstone]

Not at the moment, I still have the B2601. Since it was doing 90% of the other work I had for it adequately I decided to keep it for the time being and change up how I do my firewood processing (which would be the remaining 10%). It wasn't/isn't in the cards for me financially to take on a higher payment.

I was able to talk the wife into a bike upgrade though.

 

[BobInSD]

Check E-bay

I found mine on E-bay about 1 year ago. Guy had them for sale at $30 bucks a piece. I asked if he would take $20 if I picked up 18 of them. He agreed.

I was kicking myself for not loading up on the free ones in the fall of 2019--they were about 30 minutes away and I knew I could get them free from the coop (10 miles away) if I waited till spring. Oops. I broke down and paid $20 for some that year.

This spring a guy an hour away was selling them for $5. I hauled a load and told him I'd hustle to get back before 5 (selling them from his coop, I believe. I doubt the company saw any of the cash). I called as I was leaving my house and left a message I'd make 4:30 easy. He called back about 10 minutes later--he'd sold over 200 in 8 hours and was pretty much out. Oh well, I haven't filled them all up yet, maybe they'll be cheap in the spring.

Facebook marketplace was where I found him

 

[ve9aa]

Not at the moment, I still have the B2601. Since it was doing 90% of the other work I had for it adequately I decided to keep it for the time being and change up how I do my firewood processing (which would be the remaining 10%). It wasn't/isn't in the cards for me financially to take on a higher payment.

I was able to talk the wife into a bike upgrade though.

Love the bike ! ! ! It's a beaut !

 

[Grindstone]

Love the bike ! ! ! It's a beaut !

Thanks, I like yours as well! I have to get me some bags like yours for some long distance rides. I was looking at viking. What are yours?

 

[ve9aa]

Thanks, I like yours as well! I have to get me some bags like yours for some long distance rides. I was looking at viking. What are yours?

It's 100% Harley stuff. Mine's old...2004 Road King Classic. That's the way it came and the original owner added the trunk (Harley tourpac)