b2301 purchase advice. wooded rocky ground long driveway

[top gnome]

Hi I have read several posts on this but still am not sure I am buying the correct tractor. I have put a deposit on a b2301 with fel, bh and 60 inch lp grapple loaded ag tires and studded chains. I have 17 acres with a large part of it overgrown 1-2 inch brush. My objective is to plow snow on a long gravel driveway with ditches on both sides and no turnouts for 500 ft or so. we also get significant drifting. I would also like to create and clear several walking trails. My ground is basically beach rock with just enough dirt so the rocks dont bang together when the wind blows. I cannot see myself mowing with the tractor other than possible brush hog on the trails. I currently use a 1956 farmall 200 with a tube loader for snow removal and moving gravel. I have not had any issues moving snow with the farmall. Reading many of the post I think the L2501 would be the better choice but the dealer cannot get one until next summer. The farmall is at this point in my mind dangerous as the steering arm has broken twice and if it happens when moving like plowing snow the tractor could easily flip. I have been unable to find a replacement steering arm. The primary use for the new tractor is clearing trails and hauling uprooted brush to a burning pile. hauling gravel, transplanting many trees.and snow removal. I am told the b2301 will be here this month which moves it to first place on my list. I do not need to get the work done quickly so if I have to use the fel on the b2301 to move snow I can. I also already purchased a backblade for snow removal and driveway maintenance. I am unable to test drive a tractor as the dealer has none at this time. Is the b2301 too small? will it handle the 0660 grapple alright? will the grapple be able to get under the smaller brush and remove or will I have to use the backhoe? thank you

 

[JimmyJazz]

The B2301 is a compact tractor on the small side. I would look for an older utility tractor in the 40-60 hp range. That's me. Good luck.

 

[PortTackFarm]

Admittedly, I am very new to tractors, but from what I can tell from your posted information and your experience with your current Farmall, I think the B2301 is going to be too small and a disappointment, even if it comes in the next week or two. LX2610 or 3310 or the L01 series is probably going to be a better choice. I started looking at L3301 and ended up with L3560 LE which I absolutely love, but there are times I wish I'd have spent a bit more and gone with the L4060 LE.

 

[top gnome]

thank you for the advice. I have a boatload of work to do that I could be doing right now if I had a tractor I could trust. It does not look like there is a new l2501 available in Canada not until mid summer. Even the b2601 is a May or June tractor and will not help me out this winter. I thought about an older tractor quite a bit. It was actually the way I thought I would go, even looked at some but the prices are crazy a 15 year old tractor is about 1/2 the price of a new one. I guess I would rather use the first 1/2 of the tractors life the part with the warranty. I never felt that way before and spending over 40k ( tax in with implements) on a for the b2301 (which to my mind is basically a large garden tractor) was a absolute shocker for me but when I want to work on something I want to work on it not fix the tractor. I probably lost a third of this summer without a tractor because of having to fix the farmall. The other factor is the tractors must be worth it because the market is bearing the price. That and property, in this area at least, sells in a day if not in hours and many of those people moving from the city are buying the little tractors because they came from riding lawnmowers. I have had many tractors but the farmall is the newest. I am thinking a smaller tractor with the bh and grapple and 4wd will let me move around in the bush, remove brush and make trails with finesse instead of brute force and a running start. My neighbor said something interesting to me that kind of pushed me into the new tractors. He said he bought a new bolens diesel 20hp with a loader for 8500 in the eighties. I paid about 6500 for a new pickup in the eighties. the tractor prices have not gone up faster than other vehicles. It just took me 30 years to accept it. sorry for the long comment I guess I just needed to talk about it and my wife is so tired of hearing about tracttors and I cannot blame her. I have not stopped talking about it for the last month or more. If anyone sees a new L2501 on a lot for sale let me know. I will tell my dealer about it and see if he can get it. Any b2301 owners with a grapple I would like to get your thoughts. thank you again

 

[old and tired]

Just some food for thought... I'm one of the guys that don't think bigger is better. For the most part, a smaller tractor can get lots of work done, just takes a lot longer. Do you have the extra time it might take to handle your jobs? I think that grapple will eat up a lot of your lifting capacity (I would look for a 48") something lighter since the B2301 is pretty light.

With that said, could you get some more or better welding done on the old Farmall steering to buy you some time??? The L2501 is a very nice tractor and very capable (mainly because it over a 1000 pounds heavier). The heavier the tractor, the more power to the ground... but the mid-pto and a front mounted snow blower would be sweet on the B (for your location).

Good luck with what you end up doing, B2301 and the L2501 both would be a great upgrade. If time is not important, the B should work out fine.

 

[RalphVa]

I've a JD 2025R and looking at a B2301 or LX2601SU to replace it. If you look at the comparison attached, these are very close to the 2025R.

I've done essentially all what you want to do with the 2025R. Don't have a grapple, but I've hauled GOBS of tree pieces in the FEL jammed full by the wife.

The L2501 is too heavy and has the brakes on the wrong side. It was designed as a gear tractor apparently but had HST added later.

 

[JimmyJazz]

thank you for the advice. I have a boatload of work to do that I could be doing right now if I had a tractor I could trust. It does not look like there is a new l2501 available in Canada not until mid summer. Even the b2601 is a May or June tractor and will not help me out this winter. I thought about an older tractor quite a bit. It was actually the way I thought I would go, even looked at some but the prices are crazy a 15 year old tractor is about 1/2 the price of a new one. I guess I would rather use the first 1/2 of the tractors life the part with the warranty. I never felt that way before and spending over 40k ( tax in with implements) on a for the b2301 (which to my mind is basically a large garden tractor) was a absolute shocker for me but when I want to work on something I want to work on it not fix the tractor. I probably lost a third of this summer without a tractor because of having to fix the farmall. The other factor is the tractors must be worth it because the market is bearing the price. That and property, in this area at least, sells in a day if not in hours and many of those people moving from the city are buying the little tractors because they came from riding lawnmowers. I have had many tractors but the farmall is the newest. I am thinking a smaller tractor with the bh and grapple and 4wd will let me move around in the bush, remove brush and make trails with finesse instead of brute force and a running start. My neighbor said something interesting to me that kind of pushed me into the new tractors. He said he bought a new bolens diesel 20hp with a loader for 8500 in the eighties. I paid about 6500 for a new pickup in the eighties. the tractor prices have not gone up faster than other vehicles. It just took me 30 years to accept it. sorry for the long comment I guess I just needed to talk about it and my wife is so tired of hearing about tracttors and I cannot blame her. I have not stopped talking about it for the last month or more. If anyone sees a new L2501 on a lot for sale let me know. I will tell my dealer about it and see if he can get it. Any b2301 owners with a grapple I would like to get your thoughts. thank you again

Go to Tractorhouse.com and see what comes up based on your parameters. I have an Allis Chalmers built in about 1982 that I bought 8 years ago. 40 HP. I paid $5,000 and might be able to sell it today for what I paid for it. Runs great. I bought it off of craigslist. When I showed up to look at it I told the seller I knew nothing about tractors and was at his mercy. I was there I told him because orange was my favorite color. No lie. As long as there are not a lot of potentially troublesome electronics I wouldn't hesitate buying used.Good luck.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Depends on your expectations…I have a b and an mx. Very different machines. I also started with an Bx. For your size property the only advantage of a b is the use of a belly mower. In that case the b is the jack of all trades(may take longer to do though) and master of none, except maybe belly mower. Tractor really can offer way more than a belly mower. If you want to use a grappl or forks then footprint(stability) and weight and lift capacity are very important. As soon as I hear woods…I think ability to lift logs for ease of moving and cutting. Really depends on your long term objectives. As an owner of a small rural property less than 5 acres and a rural property of more 20* acres, the B may be on the small side of things for potential jobs in a 5+ acre property that has some trees on it. How much would you like to lift with loader? Do you/will you need PTO power? Lift capability? How long will you likely keep the property. Tractor most likely will not wear out anytime soon. Think about uou work over long term and how much size and capability you may need. Over long term price from a b to l to Mx really isn’t that much. With inflation it’s hard to not justify a bigger machine and only pay for it once. L has a huge range of potential for most peoples wallet. The B has a belly mower though. Good luck.

 

[NCL4701]

I don’t have, nor have I ever had, a B. I have used a Farmall H (the predecessor to the 200 and quite similar) a good bit. HP on the B is about the same but, as Old and Tired accurately stated, weight is very important in the machine’s ability to push, pull, and lift. The bare weight of the B is about half the weight of the 200. Granted, 4WD on the B gives it an advantage over the 2WD 200 but I strongly suspect that’s not nearly enough to overcome the lack of weight. I would agree with others if the 200 has been adequate for your tasks but has become an antique in need of replacement, you are quite likely to be disappointed in the comparative performance of the much lighter B. The trip bucket loader on our H will lift nearly as much as the LA765 loader on my L4701. Sure, the L4701 has more drawbar pull but it also weighs more, is more HP and is WAY bigger than the B you’re contemplating.

To say the Farmall 200 is a “more capable” tractor than the B is a bit of a stretch as there are some things you can do with a 4WD B you simply can’t do at all with the Farmall. In jobs either can perform that involve pushing, pulling, or lifting, I don’t believe the B is going to compare favorably to the MUCH heavier Farmall.

You’re probably going to have to move to something at least in the L01 series to achieve the performance you need (or comparable to the Farmall).

 

[top gnome]

thank you all for your response. I have a lot to think about. The steering arm has been welded once and brazed twice the first braze only lasted a week the second is reinforced and on the tractor now. I did rebuild the tie rods today as they were very very stiff from what I assume is old grease that may help ease the strain on the brazed steering arm. I have time to make the improvements to the property and using even a small back hoe has to be better than a shovel. I am suprised that the farmall can lift more with the tube loader than the B2301 can. I would think the hydraulics would be far superior on the B. If used tractor prices were even remotely reasonable I would prefer that route. I appreciate all the advice. I already put a nonrefundable deposit on the B I suspect the dealer will let me upgrade but that means losing 6-9 months of property improvement. This will be my last tractor and we a staying on the property as long as we are able hopefully until the end. At the end of the day plowing snow, putting in hiking trails, transplanting trees and building a tractor garage will be the purpose of the tractor. Once the trails and trees are done. snow plowing and trail maintenance firewood will be the primary chores of the tractor. I have a 1980s honda riding lawn mower that I really like I hope it will last many more years. I guess I could see adding a mower once the Honda stops working . Outside of chickens and a couple of goats. I am not going to farm the property. I could see using a bush hog rear mower to define hiking trails and keep the ticks down but have no current plans to do that. So I think the B will work. I have time to do the work and do not need to get in a hurry. With studded chains and ballast in the tires with a back blade on I think i can manage the snow. I would rather have the L but waiting has its own punishment losing a year on trees and 6-9 months on trails. thank you again for all the help. I will keep thinking about it.

 

[top gnome]

My neighbor has a ford 1210 he has done a tremendous amount of work with it and only a front end loader. and I always thought that was the perfect size tractor for this type of property. I looked it up and the b2301 is about the same size. So I think it will be ok for my needs thank you all again for your help and advice.

 

[Mossy dell]

I got a B2601, so same size as the 2301, and am happy. I think small is beautiful. I would have the dealer put on 3" rear wheel extensions. That has made mine feel stable. Also I'd load the rear tires. Use an implement or weights on the three point when doing front end work.

 

[top gnome]

Thank you for all of the help. I think the B2301 will work out ok. As was stated earlier
a Jack of all trades master of none fits perfectly with me. The trails and using a tractor in dense wooded areas I think small is beautiful. The farmall with the loader is terrible in the bush. I have asked for loaded ag tires and aggressive studded chains. I have all the time in the world to do the projects so I do not have to hurry. I can forsee the possiblity of adding a mower deck eventually if the honda rider dies. My neighbours Ford 1210 is almost exactly the same size and weight and I do not think he would have any problems moving snow, He is in his 90s and 2 years ago he was hauling saw logs with his little tractor. He had far better ablility in the bush than I would with the farmall. I do appreciate the comments on the used and larger tractors and understand that things may take longer. All things being equal I would rather have a little larger frame like the 12501 but I really think the B2301 will work out great. I also appreciate the used tractor idea as this is the most expensive thing I every purchased that did not have real estate involved. The used market is insane like the auto market. I actually saw a tv commercial where a wagonner is selling for $108,000.00 not an BMW or even a Caddy a Jeep. whats happening?

 

[lynnmor]

[The used market is insane like the auto market. I actually saw a tv commercial where a wagonner is selling for $108,000.00 not an BMW or even a Caddy a Jeep. whats happening?
[/QUOTE]

Massive inflation, buy before it really kicks in.