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

[useraccessdenied]

New member here!
My wife and I are under contract on a property in town, we settle next week!

The property was abandoned for 40 years and is in major need of attention. There is an old 1800s farmhouse that we will be renovating over the next year +, while the contractor is out there working on the structure, I'd like to put some time into reclaiming the lot.

There are a lot of old-growth trees on the property we'd like to preserve: pawpaw, black walnut, persimmon, trifoliate orange, poplar, boxwoods (40+ feet tall!), dogwoods, redbuds, cedar, and many more I have yet to identify. The ivy and vines are strangling the trees though, and there are a lot of small saplings that should be removed as well. I'd like to cut a few trails through the back of the lot too.

I've been looking at the B2601 with the front end loader, rear finish mower, and a rotary cutter. I'd also consider a 3rd function and grapple, a box blade, and a land rake (this is all getting expensive haha)...

Is this tractor overkill for only 1.33 acres?? I am approaching information overload on YouTube, Reddit, Forums, etc. So many people just reference acreage when suggesting tractor models, "B2601 for 5-10 acres, BX for under 3 acres, etc..." - I'm assuming this means overall for fields, pasture, etc. 1 acre of woods can be more work for a tractor than 5 acres of fields, I'd imagine?

I'm going to a dealership next week to see the BX and B side by side. That might help me make a decision, but I would like some opinions to further overload my brain before I go!

The primary uses for the tractor:
Finish mowing the lawn (less than 1/4 acre)
Removing cut trees
Removing brush
Cutting trails
Hauling and spreading gravel for driveway
Occasional snow removal (we get a decent snow fall once every 5 years)
Hauling and spreading mulch
Hualing and spreading compost
Maintaining a vegetable garden
And of course, NOT pulling my nephew around in a wagon

Let me know what you think.
B2601?
BX2680?

Something entirely different??

Also worth noting, I visiting a John Deere and New Holland dealership already. I haven't fully ruled them out yet, but I'm leaning more towards the orange tractor now... I like the size of the B2601, and the BX for the value. I guess the test drive and dealer experience next week will be the deciding factor!

EDIT: adding photos to help visualize the property. It's hard to capture the extent of it, but there is a full acre of this level of growth...

 

[ve9aa]

Welcome !

I am sure you'll get many different opinions. I "maintained" my property here (2.2ac) for 17 yrs with a TG1860, large lawn mower (diesel), mowing and of course, hauling the odd tree around here and there, but no loader or PTO or 3-pt hitch.

I've now "moved up" to a BX2380 and do light loader work, 3-pt blade and it snowblows like a beast ! (front blower). I typically snowblow 30hrs/winter give or take. It'll take whatever I give it. (I am not sure the little JD's do front snowblowers if that's important to you)

For me, a BX is "right sized" for 2.2ac of mostly flat ground, in Canada, lotsa snow and grass. I can mow and blow and do a little loader work too. What I like too, is that it's small, so I can get up walkways, between cars, behind sheds, park in small areas, etc.

Yes, it's pretty small and things sometimes take more time than the guys with "real tractors" would take.

If I owned a 10ac farm, it would probably not work out so well. I doubt I could do much "real" pto work or hauling any kind of large implement out the back.

For 1.33ac, I think the BX is the obvious choice.

Again, just one opinion.

Good Luck...it's gonna get cr@zy !

 

[dirtydeed]

I'm not one to dissuade others from purchasing a tractor, but, my suggestion would be to rent a mini-excavator to do the tough stuff. Then, reevaluate your tractor needs. Once the heavy lifting is done with a mini, I would think that any BX sized machine would be more than adequate for your ongoing tasks. BX's are tough little machines that can accomplish quite a bit of work with one downfall. They have little ground clearance and a soft underbelly when doing woods work. Sticks just love to find the HST fan blades.

The other (typical) things to consider would be if you intend on trailering your tractor and just how much would you use/need a 3 speed gearbox vs the 2 speed of the BX?

Best of luck to you in your decision.


Oh, and welcome aboard.

 

[B737]

I think B2601 would be right fit. or LX (overkill).

I tried a BX on 3 heavily wooded acres, very neglected (surrounded by dozens of additional acres of mature oaks). Grew out of BX in about a year.

Next bought a B2601, was ok, very uncomfortable, sold that in 9 months after putting 250 hours on it and bought LX which I am very happy with for my small property.

If you are OK spending an extra 2k upgrade to LX2610 for more comfortable experience, an incremental increase in capacity, while having nearly same footprint and equal maneuverability.

 

[Bmyers]

https://www.youtube.com/c/GPOutdoors/videos

GP Outdoors use to have a B2601 and now has LX2601.

If you watch a few, it will give you the idea of their capabilities and if you think they will meet your needs. I believe he has about 4 acres, plus he helps out his neighbors.

 

[Henro]

My son in law has 3.3 acres, much hillside and tree covered.

He has a BX23S and uses it A LOT, cutting trails, digging out rocks and some stumps, and so on.

I have a B2910 and a BX2200. From what you described, there is no way I would personally buy a B series if it were me, after having 20 years experience with my B and 19 years with the BX. AND after watching my SIL use his BX23S over the last couple years.

I had a rear finish mower on my B and was cutting a bit over an acre of grass with it. It did a good job, EXCEPT when cutting close to something or when making tight turns. My BX with MMM is superior for my needs, hands down, no question here.

Will you be adding any acreage to the property you are buying now? If so that is a consideration. If you do not expect to, beware of those who may lead you to believe that bigger is ALWAYS better. It isn't always better.

I would go with a BX23S if I were you. I have a mini excavator, so I understand their advantages. But renting one may be inefficient, since you are likely not familiar with using one, and will lose a lot of time just learning the controls and becoming efficient at accomplishing what you want. AND you may not know what you want in the beginning either.

Also, I don't remember if you mentioned slopes, but my BX, and I assume my SIL's BX23S, is more stable on slopes than my B2910 is, by far.

Just food for thought. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

My wife and I are under contract on a property in town, we settle next week!

The property was abandoned for 40 years and is in major need of attention.
...

Is this tractor overkill for only 1.33 acres??

Yes, it's overkill. But maybe that's okay.

I moved into a 1 acre place with the back half completely overgrown. I mean impassable. A dozen full grown trees, lots of saplings, vines, and some trash. I guess most of it had been cleared when the house was built in '73. Nothing since. I cleared it by hand, No tractor. A regular lawn mower, a chainsaw, and the usual hand tools. It took a few years, but it got done.

Now, long after that was done, I bought my BX25D (that's with a backhoe) to do some much needed trenching to deal with a serious drainage problem that was threatening my septic field. The original plan was to complete that job and sell it. I've kept it for other landscaping projects, and now that I've found I can haul IBC totes of firewood with it, using a carryall, I plan to keep it. (I heat entirely with wood.)

So that's my story. You don't need a tractor to do what you want to do. It would be a LOT cheaper to pay someone else to do it. And once it's done, you won't have any reason to have a tractor.

But then, you want a tractor, and the B2601 would do a lot of good work for you. So it's up to you whether it's worth the $$ or not for the play time.

You SURE don't need anything bigger!

But for that work, if you do decide it's worth the $$, get the quick-attach bucket, and make sure you get some pallet forks for it. Somebody on here called them the "poor man's grapple". Of course, if you can afford a grapple, go for it.

A carryall with an IBC tote (cage only) on it would be great for hauling vegetation out of there.


EDIT TO ADD:

If you have lived on city lots all your life, 1.33 acres seems like a LOT of land. I felt that way when I bought my place.

It's not.

Peg away at the growth a bit each weekend, and you'll be surprised at how manageable it is. Pretty soon you'll be scratching your head and wondering where all that "vast expanse" of land went. It will shrink down to "not big enough" before you know it.

 

[D2Cat]

For 1.3 acres with a house on it, which means it also has a drive way, you don't need much of a tractor. You need some leather gloves, chain saw, brush/burn pile and start clean up. When you see the open area buy a nice mower.

Sounds like you just want toys! How much trail cutting will you have? Mowing less then 1/4 acre! I think you're just overwhelmed with the over growth.

If you just want to spend money don't ask us what you need!!

 

[Mark_BX25D]

BX's are tough little machines that can accomplish quite a bit of work with one downfall. They have little ground clearance and a soft underbelly when doing woods work. Sticks just love to find the HST fan blades.

Accurate observation. A definite liability in the woods. Some say it's easily fixed with one of these.

 

[Rdrcr]

Dirtydeed has is right. At this point, it’s not the size of the property but, the work that needs to be done, should drive your decision.

My main concern with your intended tasks is “removing cut trees “. To remove trees/stumps you need weight. How big are these trees?

Part of the work I do on my property is removing stumps. I started with a B2601 and it couldn’t do it. I needed more tractor weight and purchased an L2501 which has been able to manage 90% of my stump removal. I could have purchased bigger (Grand L or MX) and accomplished more. But, there’s trade-offs….costs and tractor size once all the heavy lifting is done.

Your property size indicates a BX or ‘maybe’ B. Your listed tasks indicate a much larger machine. I, like dirtydeed, would recommend hiring out for the heavy lifting and purchase the right tractor for long term maintenance.

Nothing wrong with JD (though they’re plastic, light and over priced) and New Holland. One thing to keep in mind with the alternative brands is resale value. JD and Kubota rule. If you happen to make the wrong decision now, you’re gonna want good resale value.

Mike

 

[B737]

BX lacks ground clearance, but excels in mowing. B2601 is BX with more ground clearance.

OP mentioned his property is totally neglected. My biggest hang up with the BX was getting the thing into the neglected woods, it didnt have ground clearance.

 

[Henro]

Accurate observation. A definite liability in the woods. Some say it's easily fixed with one of these.

Yes, a necessity for sure. My SIL installed one at my suggestion, after understanding the reason...which is not often apparent to new owners.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

This will probably go 10-12 pages of opinions...
so here's mine.
1.33 ac is what I used to have so I KNOW how big it is and used my BX23S to maintain it for 4 years. That included digging out tree trunks,moving 500+ tandem loads of compost,ponypoop, etc.,grading of lot,brush removal, etc.

1) don't bother with any 'mower' to cut the '<1/4ac of lawn'. Any cheapy rider will do that chore. I use a 20 yr old Cub Cadet. SInce most of the tractor work will be 'in the bush', you don't need the PITA of getting MMM on and off EVERY time you go do 'bush work'... You'll save at least $2500 by NOT getting the deck.
well 'saved' then spent on pallet forks or ?? !

2) for 'trail blazing' I'd use a good chainsaw ,making trails 10' wide,laying brush across the path. You can use either $$$$ grapple or $ pallet forks to move the brush/debris to a 'burn pile'. To maintain the trails a simple bar and chains/frost fence will keep it pretty clean. 'mowers' generally don't like saplings, old tree trunks or rocks.....,so it's best to SEE what's really there BEFORE ka-bang....occours.

 

[Daferris]

Just my $0.02.... drive both the BX and the B2601 around the dealer lot. Biggest thing I would consider if me. Is the maneuverability on you lot. I have 10 acres and 1/2 of it is an overgrown apple orchard. I got an LX2610 because I needed move fel capacity than my old B7510 but the woods are too tight to get a Std L to maneuver in. For mowing get a used commercial grade Zero turn. I use my 2020 Scag Tiger Cat 2 for anything up to 12-15" y'all grass without a problem. Consider renting a rotary cutter for the initial clearing as you probably will not need it much after that and then you don't have to store it. A rear finish mower or a mid mount mower are not well suited for 1/4 acre of grass. Put the money you would pay for the 3pt mowers to a zero turn.

 

[useraccessdenied]

Wow, I was not expecting this level of response! I'll try to reply overall:

I have thought about hiring out the initial clearing, perhaps this is the best path forward. After that, see what I need to maintain the lot. Perhaps a BX would be sufficient at that point!
A good note about the soft underbelly of the low clearance BX! I will look at the skid plate options out there...

I currently live on a 0.18-acre lot and have a large (relative) garden and a few mulched flower beds. Every year I do it by hand and wagon (8 yards of mulch, 3 yards of compost) and always say halfway through, "a tractor would be nice"...
I can only imagine with an additional 1.15 acres, these words will echo in my head even louder!

The neighbor said he has been maintaining his property by hand for years with just a chainsaw and some wagons. He said the soil must be rich because, by the time he makes it around the property, the spots he just cleared are growing back again! His property looks good, but it's half the size of our lot, and that is what he does all day... I have to maintain my job and life outside of yard work, so the idea would be to invest in equipment that saves my back, and saves my time, while also enjoying the process

The property is very flat, and if I were to hire out the initial clearing of brush and downed trees, I could (should) be able to get a BX around the back of the property with relative ease and minimal ground clearance concerns.

If I was going to just lay sod after the clearing I would be looking at a lawnmower, but I do a lot of gardening and think the tractor would be very useful for that, and lawncare, and overall property maintenance.

And sure, in the end, part of me just wants a tractor too

 

[B737]

I would always encourage someone to get a machine, but I can't fault the point above about no machine (@D2Cat).

Could use a pickup truck or 1990s vintage JD gator, plus chain saw. Then rent a walk behind brush hog, rent a stump grinder or mini ex. prob save a bunch of cash.

BX indoctrination after venturing into brush for the first time.

 

[D2Cat]

It's all relative. My neighbor had 3 acres with house and driveway, worked a full time job and mowed his yard for a couple of years with a LawnBoy push mower. He even mowed further out around his property to keep rodents further back. He was about 45 years old at that time. He had a garden that was about 200' x 100' all worked by him and his tiller. He also had a separate area with strawberrys. He eventually purchased an IH with 5' belly mower. I'd go with him every Saturday in the fall to cut firewood because we both heated with wood.

There is a difference today in the ability of folks to do physical work.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I have thought about hiring out the initial clearing, perhaps this is the best path forward. After that, see what I need to maintain the lot. Perhaps a BX would be sufficient at that point!

A decent riding mower would be sufficient at that point.

A good note about the soft underbelly of the low clearance BX! I will look at the skid plate options out there...

The one I linked is the only one I know of. There might be others, but that one is very highly regarded.

I have to maintain my job and life outside of yard work, so the idea would be to invest in equipment that saves my back, and saves my time, while also enjoying the process

That is a very valid point. Or, at least, it seems that way at first glance. The reality is, if you have that tractor, you will find projects for it that you don't think of now.

(No, really, it is a valid point.)

The property is very flat, and if I were to hire out the initial clearing of brush and downed trees, I could (should) be able to get a BX around the back of the property with relative ease and minimal ground clearance concerns.

Yeah, but where's the fun in that?

If I was going to just lay sod after the clearing I would be looking at a lawnmower, but I do a lot of gardening and think the tractor would be very useful for that, and lawncare, and overall property maintenance.

Could be very handy, but take GreensvilleJay's advice and get a simple riding mower for the lawn. You really do not want the hassle of the MMM unless that's almost all you are going to do, and if it is, forget the tractor and get a riding mower.

I just used my backhoe and bucket to empty and move a bunch of IBC tote bottles (which had been cut in half) which were being used for raised beds. It was a whole lot less work than shoveling each one out into a wheelbarrow! If you are ground planting, a tiller would be nice. Carrying garden tools to the back? A carryall is your friend. Need to spray? Buy a dedicated 3PH sprayer or get a standalone and rig an attachment to your carryall. And on and on the list goes.

And sure, in the end, part of me just wants a tractor too

Ah, see? Now the truth is coming out, and I don't think anybody here is going to say you nay on that point!


One thing to look at with the BX vs. the B series - how much can it lift? Both 3PH and the bucket. I don't know the difference off the top of my head, but take a good hard look at it. I know that last week when I was moving IBC totes with dirt in them that I sure wanted a few hundred pounds more lift capacity. I had to use the backhoe to mostly empty the totes before I could lift them with the pallet forks.

 

[useraccessdenied]

It's all relative. My neighbor had 3 acres with house and driveway, worked a full time job and mowed his yard for a couple of years with a LawnBoy push mower. He even mowed further out around his property to keep rodents further back. He was about 45 years old at that time. He had a garden that was about 200' x 100' all worked by him and his tiller. He also had a separate area with strawberrys. He eventually purchased an IH with 5' belly mower. I'd go with him every Saturday in the fall to cut firewood because we both heated with wood.

There is a difference today in the ability of folks to do physical work.

I don't know if it's the ability to do physical work, but rather the desire to make work easier.
I admit I fall in that category. I'm physically capable of maintaining the property with an axe and a good pair of gloves. Does that mean I want to? Not really.
I have too many other hobbies that are important to me.

 

[B737]

I have thought about hiring out the initial clearing, perhaps this is the best path forward. After that, see what I need to maintain the lot. Perhaps a BX would be sufficient at that point!

100% agree ^^