Considering a BX1880

[fried1765]

I purchased my BX23S when it was a year old at a substantial savings. I have the balance of the original warranty, and with only 86 hours on it, all that I had to do was the 50-hour service. it hasn't given me any problems whatsoever. I did install a cab and block heater when I got it. A block heater is a definite requirement if you live in New England. If I were you, I would start looking at Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and don't be shy about making an offer if it has been listed for a long while. Some people don't have a clue as to being realistic about the value of a used tractor. I searched for 3 months before I found someone who had an unrealistic price on the machine but accepted my offer. The only caution is to communicate with the owner as to where it was purchased, and then contact the dealer to see if it was financed. Kubota Credit will not give you any information about a machine as to whether it was financed or not.

Yup....
Whatever......make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that their is NO LEIN on the machine!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

dang 32, that's more than 1/2 a lifetime ago for me...sigh...
sounds like you've thought it out pretty good and you KNOW your property

 

[PaulL]

I think an 1880 would fit well. Removing the deck isn't as hard as some make out, I take the deck off my B2601 all the time, and it's easy enough. Depending on your property you can also do a lot of things without taking the deck off.

I'd personally also go the 2380, slightly bigger wheels, and personally I'd want a 60 inch deck. Each to their own though, and saving money is never a bad idea. An 1880 will run rings around an x500, and it will do everything that the 2380 will do, just a bit more slowly. Even then, that's like 5% more slowly, you'll never notice.

 

[js312]

The lien thing wouldn't have occurred to me if I go used. On a tractor, it makes total sense since you don't register it and therefore aren't signing a title over. Thanks to those who mentioned that!

 

[js312]

I think an 1880 would fit well. Removing the deck isn't as hard as some make out, I take the deck off my B2601 all the time, and it's easy enough. Depending on your property you can also do a lot of things without taking the deck off.

I'd personally also go the 2380, slightly bigger wheels, and personally I'd want a 60 inch deck. Each to their own though, and saving money is never a bad idea. An 1880 will run rings around an x500, and it will do everything that the 2380 will do, just a bit more slowly. Even then, that's like 5% more slowly, you'll never notice.

A 2380 with a 54" deck might be doable, but I wouldn't want to go 60 - too many tight areas and more scalping potential. I'll have to compare pricing and size in person.

My property is mostly easy, except for a giant bank I have out back. I cut a more level "road" into it to allow me to get my x500 or ATV down to the lower yard. This tractor won't help me with the bank itself, I'll still have to weedwack that. But, it'll help with everything else.

Given I've got an x500 that does everything I need minus some weight/traction issues, I doubt I'd be working an 1880 too hard even with occasional loader use.

I just watched a video of pulling a deck off a 2380. Looks like about the same difficulty as my x500. Just pulling a driveshaft instead of a belt and a few differences in the mounting.

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

I think you’ll love a bx1880!

If I were you, I’d get it with:
- turf tires (better for your lawn in the summer, and apparently good in snow),
- beet juice in tires for ballast and traction,
- mower deck,
- loader with SSQA (a must in my book),
- bucket with some hooks and a receiver hitch welded or bolted on the top (some dealers will do this, if not I got mine from boltonhooks.com),
- snow pusher with back drag (Land Pride is nice and can be included in a finance deal),
- pallet forks (I was skeptical when I bought my first but the salesman convinced me and boy was he right) (same deal with LP being nice and finance-able in package deal)
- led lights on rops (headlights are useless at night, and the ability to plow at night is great, I got mine from ropslights.com because I don’t know how to wire things),
- something for weight on the hitch, options include back blade which is good for grading and plowing snow, box blade (nice if you have a gravel drive I bet but I don’t have one myself), ballast box (many add nice custom features to theirs you can find on this forum), a carry-all (some on this forum swear by them),
- and if you have the money a cab would sure be nice.

I like to buy new, personally. Great financing if you can qualify, and you pretty much know you won’t have any issues. Plus used ones don’t seem that much cheaper to me, at least when I’ve looked.

I would not get a backhoe. I have one, (it’s much bigger than a bx), and really it is of limited use for the price.

Also, if you finance it will have to be insured. I skipped the KTAC as I thought it was pricey and use my homeowners (needed a rider).

Good luck, happy shopping. Let us know what you wind up with, and include some photos!

 

[jampy00]

I think you’ll love a bx1880!

If I were you, I’d get it with:
- turf tires (better for your lawn in the summer, and apparently good in snow),
- beet juice in tires for ballast and traction,
- mower deck,
- loader with SSQA (a must in my book),
- bucket with some hooks and a receiver hitch welded or bolted on the top (some dealers will do this, if not I got mine from boltonhooks.com),
- snow pusher with back drag (Land Pride is nice and can be included in a finance deal),
- pallet forks (I was skeptical when I bought my first but the salesman convinced me and boy was he right) (same deal with LP being nice and finance-able in package deal)
- led lights on rops (headlights are useless at night, and the ability to plow at night is great, I got mine from ropslights.com because I don’t know how to wire things),
- something for weight on the hitch, options include back blade which is good for grading and plowing snow, box blade (nice if you have a gravel drive I bet but I don’t have one myself), ballast box (many add nice custom features to theirs you can find on this forum), a carry-all (some on this forum swear by them),
- and if you have the money a cab would sure be nice.

I like to buy new, personally. Great financing if you can qualify, and you pretty much know you won’t have any issues. Plus used ones don’t seem that much cheaper to me, at least when I’ve looked.

I would not get a backhoe. I have one, (it’s much bigger than a bx), and really it is of limited use for the price.

Also, if you finance it will have to be insured. I skipped the KTAC as I thought it was pricey and use my homeowners (needed a rider).

Good luck, happy shopping. Let us know what you wind up with, and include some photos!

All excellent points, I am thinking of getting some tire ballast at some point.
But, you cannot get a backhoe on the BX1880 as far I was told. But agreed it is of very limited use.

 

[PaulL]

All excellent points, I am thinking of getting some tire ballast at some point.
But, you cannot get a backhoe on the BX1880 as far I was told. But agreed it is of very limited use.

I'm not a big fan of tire ballast on a residential machine. It's weight you can never remove. Ballasting is much nicer in terms of being able to use it when you need it, not use it when you don't. But it's personal opinion.

I usually recommend trying without. If you can do everything you need, you don't need ballast. If you have a problem that ballast would solve (in particular if you have stability issues), then add it once you've proven you need it. If you put it in from the shop, you'll never know if you actually needed it.

 

[js312]

I'm not a big fan of tire ballast on a residential machine. It's weight you can never remove. Ballasting is much nicer in terms of being able to use it when you need it, not use it when you don't. But it's personal opinion.

I usually recommend trying without. If you can do everything you need, you don't need ballast. If you have a problem that ballast would solve (in particular if you have stability issues), then add it once you've proven you need it. If you put it in from the shop, you'll never know if you actually needed it.

In researching, I was considering something like this: https://heavyhitch.com/product/cate...r-3-point-hitch-cp/?attribute_pa_color=orange

It would give me a 2" receiver and would allow me to add around 250 lbs in suitcase weights if I needed it.

 

[xrocketengineer]

I have the BX1880 and I am pleased with it. However, the tire choices are limited (at least back then). Only R1's or Turf tires were available. Mine came with R1's that have poor traction on wet and dry and ruined my lawn. Ruts everywhere. They would dig in to get traction. The ride was terrible and it felt like riding on square tires. I had to use 4X4 most of the time just to mow, they did not roll very well, they wanted to "mesh" with the ground. The Turf tires would be a better choice to start with. Keep in mind that the BX1880 is the first generation of the 18 hp model that use the same chassis and mechanicals as the BX2380 and BX2680, so the larger wheels and tires of those will fit with no issues, which is what I did with mine and upgraded to "Off Road" tires that provide the best balance for me of traction, ride and less lawn damage.

 

[fried1765]

All excellent points, I am thinking of getting some tire ballast at some point.
But, you cannot get a backhoe on the BX1880 as far I was told. But agreed it is of very limited use.

A backhoe ...."is of very limited use".....
Yah ....sure !!!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

maybe consider a '3PH carryall',similar to picture. Great to haul skids of stuff, here,there, everywhere. Have a skid of weight for ballast...EASY to put on/off tractor as required..no need for tire ballast.
options, always look at options...

 

[js312]

I have the BX1880 and I am pleased with it. However, the tire choices are limited (at least back then). Only R1's or Turf tires were available. Mine came with R1's that have poor traction on wet and dry and ruined my lawn. Ruts everywhere. They would dig in to get traction. The ride was terrible and it felt like riding on square tires. I had to use 4X4 most of the time just to mow, they did not roll very well, they wanted to "mesh" with the ground. The Turf tires would be a better choice to start with. Keep in mind that the BX1880 is the first generation of the 18 hp model that use the same chassis and mechanicals as the BX2380 and BX2680, so the larger wheels and tires of those will fit with no issues, which is what I did with mine and upgraded to "Off Road" tires that provide the best balance for me of traction, ride and less lawn damage.

Yeah I was disappointed that they don't offer something similar to the stock tires on the x700s. I'd like something a little more aggressive than turf tires, but not that'll destroy the lawn. I plan to start with turf tires and see how they do. On my x500, I don't think they're a big limitation honestly. Most of the times I get stuck with it snowblowing are because all the weight is on the front end.

 

[PaulL]

Yeah I was disappointed that they don't offer something similar to the stock tires on the x700s. I'd like something a little more aggressive than turf tires, but not that'll destroy the lawn. I plan to start with turf tires and see how they do. On my x500, I don't think they're a big limitation honestly. Most of the times I get stuck with it snowblowing are because all the weight is on the front end.

Are R14s an option on BX yet? That seems to be a good compromise often. But turfs would be normally fit your use case - lawn definitely needs turfs, and snow apparently is good with turfs. What other use do you have that needs something more aggressive?

 

[Bearcatrp]

I picked up a ballast box on eBay. Does what I need it to do. Can put a hitch on the back if I need to move a trailer.

Ballast Box 3 Point Category 1 Tractor Loader 2" Hitches Quick Tach Attachment | eBay

This tractor ballast box is mainly used to stabilizer your tractor to prevent your tractor from tipping over. When you need to do heavy lift or tow works,your tractor may tip over.In order to improve this situation,you can install a ballast box at the end of your tractor and fill it with sand...

www.ebay.com

I put larger tires on mine too. Had turf tires. Gained about 2 inch lift. Another note on the BX series. Front lift pounds are the same across the BX series. The 3 point lift pounds are different. For what your describing on use, the 1880 will work well for you. Use the extra money from not going bigger to buy attachments. Also, before buying new attachments, check Craigslist or other places in your area that sells used equipment. Be surprised what you save going used. Good luck on your decision.

 

[nono50]

My BX1880 actually came with the larger BX series R14 Goodyears on it, which was a plus because if it had the stock tires, I wanted to upgrade it to the larger rims and tires from the other BX series.

 

[js312]

My BX1880 actually came with the larger BX series R14 Goodyears on it, which was a plus because if it had the stock tires, I wanted to upgrade it to the larger rims and tires from the other BX series.

I saw a YouTube review where the owner had these. He didn't mention anything about them. I thought it was odd because it didn't look like you could order them that way.

 

[jampy00]

A backhoe ...."is of very limited use".....
Yah ....sure !!!

Well, unless you have use for a backhoe. I think for most residential uses a backhoe is the least required attachment. I need a backhoe to do some work on my property this spring, but with the costs I'm better off to rent one for the day...

 

[jampy00]

Yeah I was disappointed that they don't offer something similar to the stock tires on the x700s. I'd like something a little more aggressive than turf tires, but not that'll destroy the lawn. I plan to start with turf tires and see how they do. On my x500, I don't think they're a big limitation honestly. Most of the times I get stuck with it snowblowing are because all the weight is on the front end.

I currently use a ballast box when I snow blow, filled it with old patio stones etc. (maybe 200 pounds in total) and works very well, but I'd prefer something that had more uses..

 

[fried1765]

Well, unless you have use for a backhoe. I think for most residential uses a backhoe is the least required attachment. I need a backhoe to do some work on my property this spring, but with the costs I'm better off to rent one for the day...

All true.......
If you KNOW will only need a backhoe...ONCE....for ONE day......and NEVER AGAIN!