New guy, looking at B-series (advice welcome)

[felix]

Hey everybody,

I'm new here, and new to the world of tractors. I'm in the process of purchasing a house on 13 acres of land - 10 wooded, 1 garden, 2 grass. Along with it comes a .15 mile gravel driveway and another mile of gravel road that I'll be maintaining initially, though that road will probably only require snow removal, as it's in great shape.

I'm thinking a small tractor would be really helpful to have; I see myself using it for road maintenance, mowing, moving wood, trenching, and some heavy gardening/light farming.

I'm thinking the B-series is where I want to be...I have a relatively small budget ($6-8k or so initially), so I'm thinking something used, but with relatively low hours, as I don't know much about engine repair (yet).

I'm sure I'll be reading these forums a great deal in the coming year, so I thought I'd say hi. Feel free to tell me if I've missed the mark on the B-series.

Thanks,
Felix

 

[asbug]

I have 5.5 acres all woods with a .25 mile paved drive. My 1977 B7001 has been a great help in cleaning out approx 2 acres of underbrush in the woods around my house, a splitter, shreader, rear drag scoop, and a scrape blade are all I have now, but the smallness of the tractor allows me to get into the woods to drag out dead falls and brush that a larger tractor could not do. Now, my tractor is light (1100 lbs or so) so sometimes I'll ask it to do a little more than I should with the pulling, but it has never let me down.
Make sure you get a FEL. that is the next great purchase I need to make and it is expensive and hard to come up with that much coin at one time.
Bottom line, make sure it has a FEL and a ROPS, and you'll be happy and safe.
I think for what you want, a B series would be ideal.
-they seem to hold their value as well. My B is worth as much now as when it was new.
Good luck,
KC

 

[hodge]

At this point, as you look, you need to saturate yourself with information. No doubt that used Kubota's are a wise investment and will give you plenty of service. But, you do need to know what you need, what is out there in your general price range, and what to look for as far as condition.
I bought a low hour, one owner, excellent condition B7100 hydrostatic 4WD, with a really nice Woods 5' rear finish mower, for $3000. There are some great deals out there, like mine, and some bad ones. You need to know what they are, so that you can get the best value for your money.
Have fun- the search is half of the adventure!

 

[felix]

Thanks for the input, KC and Hodge. You both confirmed what I was thinking, but you give me hope I might actually be able to pull it off. I'm not seeing a lot of tractor availability locally, and largely what's out there is too new or too big for me, but I'm optimistic if I wait long enough the right one will come along.

Thanks for the advice about an FEL. I have ROPS on my radar, but hadn't considered the FEL and the costs associated with adding it later...

 

[Hook]

I agree with KC. Get a front end loader if at all possible and 4WD. I never thought I needed a FEL. Now, after having one I don't know how I got along without it. If you haven't looked online you may want to consider looking on Craigslist under farm&garden. Craigslist can be searched easier if you will go to Google and type in Search Tempest. From Tempest you can modify your search to suit your needs. Welcome to OTT and good luck.

 

[cmorningstar01]

I'm thinking the B-series is where I want to be...I have a relatively small budget ($6-8k or so initially),

For the money you are budgeting you could probably get yourself a mid 2000's(2001-2005) B7400,B7500 machine with a FEL.

I purchased my 2003 B7500HSD with 834 hours on it in 2008 for $6K



Things I would want would be 4x4 and FEL which can be used for a multitude of chores from grading to snow removal to hauling firewoord to landscaping mulch and stone, The FEL can also help you unstuck yourself under certain conditions by dropping the bucket and lifting the front end and curling the bucket while backing up

I would also want a HSD as this make things so much easier when using a rear finish mower/bush hog, The rear mower is always running and you simply use the shuttle to move forward or reverse. I mow around several large ponds and I can simply back the mower up to the edge and it keeps turning and no worries about pushing the clutch in to avoid driving in the ponds.

ROPS with seatbelt, a no brainer for safety and the ROPS provides a place to hang a canopy for shade /snow rain

Power steering once you have it you will understand why

 

[Machold]

The B7400 will be underpowered for your needs (16HP, 12 pto), which is why I have a B3030 as well. The B7400 mows the grass around the house (2 acres), that's it; the B3030 (with FEL) mows grass between trees on another 4 acres, moves dirt, splits&chips wood, grades the lane, blows snow, pushes, pulls, hauls. If you're looking at older B series, make sure you have the HP (at least 20) and a FEL. Before the B3030 arrived, the B7400 had to struggle to blow snow, and to mow the rest of the grass and was hampered at the rear PTO and the hydraulic pump. It had no FEL. A good tractor, just undersized.

By all means, the ROPS (foldable if you are going under a lot of trees), 4WD and HST.

 

[rednecklimo85]

The B7400 will be underpowered for your needs (16HP, 12 pto), which is why I have a B3030 as well. The B7400 mows the grass around the house (2 acres), that's it; the B3030 (with FEL) mows grass between trees on another 4 acres, moves dirt, splits&chips wood, grades the lane, blows snow, pushes, pulls, hauls. If you're looking at older B series, make sure you have the HP (at least 20) and a FEL. Before the B3030 arrived, the B7400 had to struggle to blow snow, and to mow the rest of the grass and was hampered at the rear PTO and the hydraulic pump. It had no FEL. A good tractor, just undersized.

By all means, the ROPS (foldable if you are going under a lot of trees), 4WD and HST.

I agree 100 percent, a B3030 would be minimum size. you said your looking to plow a mile long road?? I wouldn't do it with a tractor, unless you had a blower, or a bigger tractor, it will take for ever. honestly I would take some of your budget and invest in an old plow truck just for that. then you can get away with a smaller tractor for yard work.

 

[cmorningstar01]

I agree 100 percent, a B3030 would be minimum size. you said your looking to plow a mile long road?? I wouldn't do it with a tractor, unless you had a blower, or a bigger tractor, it will take for ever. honestly I would take some of your budget and invest in an old plow truck just for that. then you can get away with a smaller tractor for yard work.

The B3030 would be ideal but the budget stated was $6000 -$8000 and I think the B3030 would be a bit more money than that, The smaller tractor with a front end loader and a pickup truck with a plow for the mile long road would be a workable combination, Considering that you need a vehicle and a truck with a plow can both clear the mile long road and trailer the tractor when needed and also serve as basic transportation then that would be a servable combination at a reasonable cost.

 

[Machold]

My lane is about 1/2 a Km; I blow it in quick time with 2 passes. You need 4WD to blow snow.

 

[felix]

Thanks for all of the information - so helpful!

I agree that a pickup with a plow blade is ideal...I'm already working on that. My suspicion was that it would take too long to plow that road with a tractor, and you've confirmed that, so I'll move my timeline up on a truck/blade setup.

4WD is essential, I agree.

If I'm not looking to blow snow on that lengthy road, do you think the B3030 is still the smallest I should go? Primary tasks will be grading the driveway, landscaping and gardening, and moving snow on the driveway. The more I read about mowing on here, the more I think a majority of my clear acreage is too hilly (hilly being an understatement) to mow with a tractor.

Thanks again.

 

[bbbobbb]

I live in eastern PA and I've been looking foe 2 years for a used tractor, Never found one at a decent price. I broke down and bought a B3300su with a hoe, 25K at zero finance. Love it, I would go no smaller.

 

[KenB2920]

I have a B2920.... This tractor is a little monster....

Point 1) you will always want a bigger / newer tractor / more implements

A BX series tractor will do everything an L series will do ( a little stretch Guys don't beat me up here). The difference is the time savings of the larger tractor. As you see everything is bigger. Bigger mower, larger implements bigger bucket, more lifting. However a BX can still use a FEL, mow, grade, snow blow, trench, plow and just at a slower pace.

Example: I moved a mound of dirt yesterday. It took 10 trips. If I had a larger tractor it could have been done in 5 trips or with a BX it would be 15 trips.

The "B" series sounds great for you. A B3030 would be great but again price and I think you would enjoy larger than a BX.

Now I am new to the tractor world as well but the B2920 has been a real workhorse in my short experience. The mower deck and FEL are both very easy to remove and re-attatch. I have tore down a garage with it, move dirt, used a 72" brush hog ( because it was all I had access to), grade my driveway, landscape rake is a great all around tool, drug out trees, soon to dig a trench and it will be used to do my snow.

Whatever you get, I recommend 4wd, FEL and ROPs. Sorry so long winded. I could chat for hours on tractors.

I have 10 acres, about 4 wooded, large garden, maybe 4-5 mowed, 150' gravel driveway but I maintain about 400' or so of asphalt road for snow, pond cleaning with rake and other misc household chores.

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much in agreement with KenB2920 and others. We love the BX2660 we bought in lieu of the planned for B2920, but we have other tractors up to a M8540 HDC with FEL. If we didn't, we would have definitely gone with a B Series.

 

[mwcougar]

hi am new also

big decision i know. i just ordered a b3300su fel ,bh ag tires. thumb.. been
in your shoes... bought a massey ferguson to-35 15 years ago... front loader
backhoe... she was tired when i bought her...but 4500 dollars....and of course i got to rebuild everything on her at anyone one time... not complaining though.. she worked hard....
after owning a tractor my advice and of many others is buy the biggest tractor you can afford that you can take anywhere on your property. my limit was i could not get a L3240 or a massey 1533 series in my back yard in town where i need one this spring . also would not fit safetly on section of my abandone elevated railroad grade... and needed as much clearance under as possible.. creek work at our cabin. last thing.. my girlfriend really really liked the b3300....lol
good luck happy shopping !!!!!

 

[felix]

Thanks for the additional opinions; it's all really helpful.

Since I last posted, I've done a lot of reading here and elsewhere, and talked to several dealers and friends who are more versed in tractor than I am. And the result is that I am both more and less confused about how to proceed.

As I started looking in my area at used machines, I got concerned about the state of machines in my price range. I am prepared to get my hands dirty and service a tractor, but I also have a lot of work to do on this property and want a relatively reliable machine.

So I've increased my budget a bit, and I've started considering using my initial budget as a down payment and financing a new machine at 0% interest. This is totally not my style, but I'm trying to balance my aversion to debt with my need for a dependable tractor.

I've also spent more time on my property. One concern I have about the B-series is stability - the property is quite sloped. Based on what I've read, the BX-series may be a better way to go with regard to it staying upright while tackling the hills. At this stage, I really am not as concerned about time saving with regard to jobs...This tractor will be a learning experience all around, and I'm confident that a small machine will get me through the next few years easily.

So realistically, having spent time on the land, this machine will do the following:

Mow, some of it sloped. Some of it will be too sloped to mow on a tractor, but much of it looks doable with a machine that is low to the ground.
Grade the drive with a box blade.
Remove small amounts of snow (we're talking western NC - it's mountainous, but even our biggest snows aren't big) with the FEL several times a winter on the gravel drive (the road will be handled by a pickup).
Grade the gravel drive.
Move gravel and landscaping materials.
Carry small amounts of split wood and debris during property cleanup. Large quantities of split wood will be carried by a pickup.
Light landscaping tasks as needed.

Based on this new assessment, again, I ask for comments. I do understand that it's better to buy too big. I'm also trying to make a reasonable, realistic purchase on a tight budget. My logic most recently while considering a BX1860 is that it will do everything I need for the next few years, during which I can pay it off in full. From there, I expect it will retain its value so well that I'll be able to replace it with something larger if I'm finding it's too small, and given what I've seen others do with those machines, I'm not sure it will be.

Again, thanks for all of your opinions. They have been so helpful.

 

[skeets]

If your going to go with the BX, go for the larger motor as the BX 2360 or even the 2660, While the 18 will work very well I have a bud with one and he says he wishes he had gone to the 23 or 26. My little BX 2360 will do everything I ask and trust me you will loose traction before you loose power. As far as mowing goes Im from SW Pa and we know something about hill around here,, Mow UP and DOWN also fill the tires with either anit freeze like I did or some other filler to put weight onthe ground. I have nothing bad to say about the orange beast ( just wished I had moved up a size or 3) not like the green one or the yellow one sitting inthe barn. Just remember this, from now on you will be looking at stuff you never knew existed and in a lot of cases say,,, damn I wish I had gone just a tad bit bigger,, And spending a couple hours out plowing snow on the BX, welll trust me its a lot more fun than work!
Peace
Skeets

 

[BIGRlilw]

I was buying a b3200 and changed to the l3200. Its alot of tractor for the money. I am from the nc mountains too. Check out the prices at Rogers outdoor equipment in piedmont SC