2007 BX24 Buying and Pricing Advice

[azorr]

Hello! I have just joined the forum to ask for buying advice - I am looking for my first small tractor to help with the 5 acres of land that I just purchased. I am in rural Northern Arizona, my land is relatively flat, free of rocks and without trees but our dirt has a lot of clay and can be fairly hard. Initially I need a tractor to help with trenching for an irrigation system, planting trees, and building and maintaining a driveway. As I get it developed, I will also want a tiller in the future for a garden plot and possibly a mower for a large field of grass. I will also use the tractor for occasional snow removal, but we don't get a lot and I think just the loader will be sufficient for that.

I have found a 2007 BX24 with loader and backhoe for sale. The gentleman selling it says it has less than 400 hours on it, and that it was parked under a carport and covered with a tarp. He is asking about $15,000. The pictures look good, but it's 3 hours away so I want to be fairly sure its the right tractor before going to look at it. Was this a good model to buy used, and does that sound like a fair price? I know its a very small tractor, but will it be sufficient for 95% of what I need to do? I have a family member with a large backhoe and loader that I can borrow when needed for the other 5%. Should the need arise, would I be able to resell this machine without taking a bath on the price?

Assuming this could be the right one for me, do you have any advice on what to look for when inspecting a used tractor?

Thank you in advance for your help and advice!

 

[85Hokie]

First off - the price is a bit high........ 14 year machine - but with the new machine being reallly hard to come by and everything else hard to find/get - it might be a bargain.

400 hours is a huge plus - ask for ALL the paper work that he has done on the machine - oil/filter changes and all that fun stuff.

Is that the plastic model???? I have a 2006 and it is all plastic and it is banged up real good - so IF plastic, check for that too.

I would offer a good bit less and have cash in hand ready to buy when the time comes.

It is an amazing machine ............ once you get a chance to use it.

 

[azorr]

First off - the price is a bit high........ 14 year machine - but with the new machine being reallly hard to come by and everything else hard to find/get - it might be a bargain.

400 hours is a huge plus - ask for ALL the paper work that he has done on the machine - oil/filter changes and all that fun stuff.

Is that the plastic model???? I have a 2006 and it is all plastic and it is banged up real good - so IF plastic, check for that too.

I would offer a good bit less and have cash in hand ready to buy when the time comes.

It is an amazing machine ............ once you get a chance to use it.

Thank you! Can you give me a ballpark what would be a fair price range?

Regarding the plastic model, I believe it is. I haven't seen it in person, but from the pictures there are no cracks or broken parts. I will check them closely though.

 

[DustyRusty]

There are better buys out there, but they go quickly if they are priced reasonable. I have seen some BX23S in the mid teens selling with under 100 hours on them. Finding on near where you live, is the difficult part.

 

[azorr]

There are better buys out there, but they go quickly if they are priced reasonable. I have seen some BX23S in the mid teens selling with under 100 hours on them. Finding on near where you live, is the difficult part.

Wow, do those BX23S at that price include the backhoe? I have 1 BX23S and 2 John Deere 1025Rs for sale "near" me (within 500 miles) that include backhoes, but they are all $21,000+

 

[Fordtech86]

Wow, do those BX23S at that price include the backhoe? I have 1 BX23S and 2 John Deere 1025Rs for sale "near" me (within 500 miles) that include backhoes, but they are all $21,000+

The BX23S does have the backhoe, its the current BX tlb model ( but has been in production since 2017 or 2018 I believe, I didn’t check for sure). $21k is roughly new price for one depending on dealer/area. I got 3 quotes ranging from $18,500-21,000 for a new one in 2019. I didn’t buy one though.

How soon do you really NEED the tractor? Pricing and availability is crazy right now, new and used. If you absolutely have to have it soon, used will be your best bet, but you will pay top dollar (in most cases). New you will likely have to order and wait, and still likely to pay top dollar currently. You would also have a new machine though and will have a warranty and you will know its history.

If you don’t need it right now, waiting out the market would be my best advise. But who knows how long that will take.

 

[azorr]

The BX23S does have the backhoe, its the current BX tlb model ( but has been in production since 2017 or 2018 I believe, I didn’t check for sure). $21k is roughly new price for one depending on dealer/area. I got 3 quotes ranging from $18,500-21,000 for a new one in 2019. I didn’t buy one though.

How soon do you really NEED the tractor? Pricing and availability is crazy right now, new and used. If you absolutely have to have it soon, used will be your best bet, but you will pay top dollar (in most cases). New you will likely have to order and wait, and still likely to pay top dollar currently. You would also have a new machine though and will have a warranty and you will know its history.

If you don’t need it right now, waiting out the market would be my best advise. But who knows how long that will take.

That is the rub, isn't it - how long will the market be like this. I contacted the nearest Kubota dealer and they said they don't have any BX23S in stock nor do they have a timeframe to getting any. However, I don't really need a new machine, a nice used machine would be preferable for me. I just want to make sure I get a good one for a fair price.

 

[PaulL]

I personally think used prices have gone up more new prices have. And supply seems to be coming back into the market - you might not wait that long for a new one, and the financing makes it less painful. A 14 year old machine is quite old, once the current shortage goes away it might devalue quite a bit.

Having said that, the BX hasn't really changed mechanically in a long time. A BX24 will do the same as a BX23, it just might not be as pretty as it does it.

I have a few questions/comments though.

1. I put in an irrigation system at my place. I think a chain style digger is way more effective, you can probably rent a machine for a day for way less than the backhoe equipped machine will cost extra. It'll make irrigation ditches far quicker and better than a backhoe. Then you can look at machines with a loader, but no backhoe - lots more options

2. Mowing a field - how big a field, what sort of mowing? That'll tell you whether you're looking at a rotary cutter or a rear flail or just using a mid-mount mower. Whilst you can do it, I probably wouldn't run a rotary cutter on a BX (I did it once on my old BX2350. It wasn't good - it's too much weight out behind and the BX doesn't have much 3pt hitch lift capacity nor lift range). A B2601 or LX2610 would be better for a rotary cutter

3. Nothing you've mentioned really needs a mid-PTO, and you don't mention transporting your tractor anywhere. An L2501 is a really good buy if you don't need a mid-PTO. It's quite a bit more tractor. Again, assuming you don't need a backhoe - with a backhoe they're a lot more money than a BX or B

4. Planting trees. Would you use an auger or a backhoe for that? How big are these trees? In my experience if you're planting a lot of trees you're planting small trees (because they're cheap when they're only seedlings). Planting seedlings is done with a spade, not with a machine - you don't need a big hole. If they're bigger than that, then an auger can be very useful, but some people say they glaze the sides of the hole and then the tree roots cannot easily grow out of that hole. I don't know if that's true or not. A BX doesn't run an auger very well - the 3ph doesn't lift very high. You could dig with a backhoe.

5. Driveway something like a B or an L would do quite a bit better than a BX.

6. All the machines mentioned would run a tiller. Size the tiller to the machine.

If you don't need a backhoe there's a lot of machines you could look at - B7100 and the like. Or a new machine with financing.

 

[Fordtech86]

That is the rub, isn't it - how long will the market be like this. I contacted the nearest Kubota dealer and they said they don't have any BX23S in stock nor do they have a timeframe to getting any. However, I don't really need a new machine, a nice used machine would be preferable for me. I just want to make sure I get a good one for a fair price.

But how soon do you absolutely need it? And the new market isn’t looking promising anytime soon. That drives the used market up as well.

 

[azorr]

All good points, thanks! I will make some answers inline:

I personally think used prices have gone up more new prices have. And supply seems to be coming back into the market - you might not wait that long for a new one, and the financing makes it less painful. A 14 year old machine is quite old, once the current shortage goes away it might devalue quite a bit.

Having said that, the BX hasn't really changed mechanically in a long time. A BX24 will do the same as a BX23, it just might not be as pretty as it does it.

I have a few questions/comments though.

1. I put in an irrigation system at my place. I think a chain style digger is way more effective, you can probably rent a machine for a day for way less than the backhoe equipped machine will cost extra. It'll make irrigation ditches far quicker and better than a backhoe. Then you can look at machines with a loader, but no backhoe - lots more options
i agree, a trencher is more convenient and quicker if the works is done all at once. It has a couple of downsides for me - first is that the nearest rental location to me is 45 minutes each way. Also, I rarely have a full day to dedicate to this project. It's going to be a long term on and off type of thing. I agree that the trencher would likely still be cheaper, but it's more of a convenience for me to have the backhoe there ready to go whenever i want and have a few extra hours.

2. Mowing a field - how big a field, what sort of mowing? That'll tell you whether you're looking at a rotary cutter or a rear flail or just using a mid-mount mower. Whilst you can do it, I probably wouldn't run a rotary cutter on a BX (I did it once on my old BX2350. It wasn't good - it's too much weight out behind and the BX doesn't have much 3pt hitch lift capacity nor lift range). A B2601 or LX2610 would be better for a rotary cutter
The mower would either be a mid mount mower, or a finish mower. Most likely though, I would just get a seperate riding mower, so we can ignore the mower for now

3. Nothing you've mentioned really needs a mid-PTO, and you don't mention transporting your tractor anywhere. An L2501 is a really good buy if you don't need a mid-PTO. It's quite a bit more tractor. Again, assuming you don't need a backhoe - with a backhoe they're a lot more money than a BX or B
Good idea - I would certainly consider the larger tractor. For transporting, I have a 16' double axle trailer that will hold 4000lb so as long as the tractor fits on there, I would consider it.

4. Planting trees. Would you use an auger or a backhoe for that? How big are these trees? In my experience if you're planting a lot of trees you're planting small trees (because they're cheap when they're only seedlings). Planting seedlings is done with a spade, not with a machine - you don't need a big hole. If they're bigger than that, then an auger can be very useful, but some people say they glaze the sides of the hole and then the tree roots cannot easily grow out of that hole. I don't know if that's true or not. A BX doesn't run an auger very well - the 3ph doesn't lift very high. You could dig with a backhoe.
I would use the backhoe - not only for trees (larger than seedlings) but also for general digging around the property. I don't plan to purchase an auger.

5. Driveway something like a B or an L would do quite a bit better than a BX.

6. All the machines mentioned would run a tiller. Size the tiller to the machine.

If you don't need a backhoe there's a lot of machines you could look at - B7100 and the like. Or a new machine with financing.
I would certainly consider other machines. Could I get by without the backhoe, yes. But I want one. Honestly I could get by without a tractor, I could rent or borrow when I need one, but I want one. I don't plan to finance.

 

[azorr]

But how soon do you absolutely need it? And the new market isn’t looking promising anytime soon. That drives the used market up as well.

I don't ever absolutely need it . It's not something i need for my job and there is no time limit on when these projects need to be done. The sooner the better just because I want to get them done.

 

[azorr]

For my context, if this were 2019 or whenever these machines were readily available, what would a reasonable offer for this machine be? Maybe I will offer that plus a little bit and just see if he bites, if not, I can try and wait for a better market.

 

[PaulL]

For my context, if this were 2019 or whenever these machines were readily available, what would a reasonable offer for this machine be? Maybe I will offer that plus a little bit and just see if he bites, if not, I can try and wait for a better market.

In general a lightly used machine used to sell for RRP less about 30%. This one probably less 40-50% given it's quite an old model. I'm not across what a BX23S goes for these days, but I'd say $10-12K would in the past have been a fair price for that machine. My BX2350 was the plastic model, I really didn't like the plastic, personally I'd pay less for that model. But green tractors have been plastic for years and people seem to like that.

 

[azorr]

In general a lightly used machine used to sell for RRP less about 30%. This one probably less 40-50% given it's quite an old model. I'm not across what a BX23S goes for these days, but I'd say $10-12K would in the past have been a fair price for that machine. My BX2350 was the plastic model, I really didn't like the plastic, personally I'd pay less for that model. But green tractors have been plastic for years and people seem to like that.

Thank you very much!

 

[PaulL]

Check what others say too - I'm not close to the US market, and the backhoe does make it more desirable.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Consider it a 'lifetime' purchase that you'll be able to recove a good chunk of the investment either in doing work on your property or when (if ?) you resell in the future.
I've got 600+ hrs on my 3 yr old BX23S, so 400 is NOTHING for an '07...

 

[JimmyJazz]

I personally think used prices have gone up more new prices have. And supply seems to be coming back into the market - you might not wait that long for a new one, and the financing makes it less painful. A 14 year old machine is quite old, once the current shortage goes away it might devalue quite a bit.

Having said that, the BX hasn't really changed mechanically in a long time. A BX24 will do the same as a BX23, it just might not be as pretty as it does it.

I have a few questions/comments though.

1. I put in an irrigation system at my place. I think a chain style digger is way more effective, you can probably rent a machine for a day for way less than the backhoe equipped machine will cost extra. It'll make irrigation ditches far quicker and better than a backhoe. Then you can look at machines with a loader, but no backhoe - lots more options

2. Mowing a field - how big a field, what sort of mowing? That'll tell you whether you're looking at a rotary cutter or a rear flail or just using a mid-mount mower. Whilst you can do it, I probably wouldn't run a rotary cutter on a BX (I did it once on my old BX2350. It wasn't good - it's too much weight out behind and the BX doesn't have much 3pt hitch lift capacity nor lift range). A B2601 or LX2610 would be better for a rotary cutter

3. Nothing you've mentioned really needs a mid-PTO, and you don't mention transporting your tractor anywhere. An L2501 is a really good buy if you don't need a mid-PTO. It's quite a bit more tractor. Again, assuming you don't need a backhoe - with a backhoe they're a lot more money than a BX or B

4. Planting trees. Would you use an auger or a backhoe for that? How big are these trees? In my experience if you're planting a lot of trees you're planting small trees (because they're cheap when they're only seedlings). Planting seedlings is done with a spade, not with a machine - you don't need a big hole. If they're bigger than that, then an auger can be very useful, but some people say they glaze the sides of the hole and then the tree roots cannot easily grow out of that hole. I don't know if that's true or not. A BX doesn't run an auger very well - the 3ph doesn't lift very high. You could dig with a backhoe.

5. Driveway something like a B or an L would do quite a bit better than a BX.

6. All the machines mentioned would run a tiller. Size the tiller to the machine.

If you don't need a backhoe there's a lot of machines you could look at - B7100 and the like. Or a new machine with financing.

Regarding point 4 and the glazing of the hole I have read that welding a bolt to the outer edge of the auger bit will eliminate that issue at the cost of a somewhat sloppier hole I suppose.

 

[azorr]

Well I was too slow deciding. I offered $13,200 this morning hoping he would counter $13,500, but it already sold yesterday afternoon for $13,400 . Oh well, now I know better the price range I should be in, thank you for your help folks!

 

[DustyRusty]

You have to be ready to buy when you see it. I saw a new style Kubota BX snow blower last winter, and told a friend that it was a steal at 1900, but he procrastinated, and it sold quickly. I found another for him for 2450, and he groaned and moaned, but in the end, he bought it, and had to buy some maintenance parts also for another 150. I bought mine this past spring for 2200, and the blower looks like it was used once or twice. The deals are out there, but you have to be quick to jump on them once you find them. I am searching Facebook marketplace every day when I wanted a used item at a good deal.