Opinions on my BX build

[whobee]

I hate to be the guy with a first post of this type but here goes...

Moved from a tree-less, flat 1 acre lot to a 2 acre lot with at least 20 mature oaks, hills, massive holes from removed stumps in need of filling, need some downed trees cut up and plan to use the FEL as my wheel barrow or to attach my 5x10 trailer to it to get across the property, the lawn has bumps galore from a few years of improper maintenance and a slew of trucks being on it when the entire house was restored, septic is new and needs more fill over the tank and grading, need to move a couple yards of sizable stone that was a patio at one point and will be again, etc and is also in need of minor leveling in several places to put up kids swing-set, build a shed, etc.

I will likely need 15 yards of mulch to cover the landscaping as well.

Lastly, every neighbor has a Cyclone Rack and I now see why after one mow. No way my little lawn tractor (ahem, mower) could pull one of those up the hills on this property. I will be buying one this fall for leaf season.

I built up the package below and went to sign papers today and then got frightened I missed something.

Any glaring items omitted or concerns with the package?

BX2380 on turfs

Quick attach loader with cutting edge and level

RCK60-23BX - Manual 60" mowing deck (not drive over and states it is a self leveling which has my clueless. I believe the other 54" manual deck and both the drive over 54" & 60" are not self leveling...should I be choosing another deck?

Land Pride B2789-51" 3-point rear mount snowblower. I am going rear mount to save me considerably versus the front mount options and since my 300' driveway is new and a straight shot of asphalt. But the land pride site states a minimum of 18 PTO HP needed and the BX2380 lists max of 17.7. Is this a problem? The Kubota site offers this configuration but I will be miserable if this setup only shoots snow 5 feet!

Any other thoughts or suggestions to a first time buyer.

Thank you in advance!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I thought I had issues with 12 1/2 acres and thousands of trees.

If your going to use it to blow snow you want a drive over deck otherwise your going to fight it every fall and spring.

Snowblower is only so good you'll also want a snow blade for the loader.

 

[GaryL]

Greetings. Okay, this is my opinion, so I am going to be honest. Get the Front blower, number one. Get a used PTO driven grass catcher off of craigslist, or if your lot will be without a ton of turns and obstacles, the cyclone rake/DR/lawn vac attachment will suffice. The Kubota catcher is great, but a bear to put on and take off the first few times you try and do it. Those towable ones are hitch and go, but not as slick in my opinion. Back to that blower...The front blowers are so worth the money. Precision placement of snow, looking forward for safety, and comfort! I couldn't drive backwards for one snow storm, forget a whole winter. The rest of your build seems fine. I can remove/replace my mower deck in under two minutes, and attaching the blower is only a five-minute job. My BX2200 has reshaped this property incredibly. 31 trees taken down. BX helped me bucket-lift huge pieces onto the splitter. 17 cords of split hardwood. Helping me this spring to excavate for a sunroom for a hot tub and then pool and deck. Sure, I could have done without the tractor, but what a difference. Enjoy.

 

[08quadram]

Personally, I like the rear blower. I have a Farm King 50" on my bx2350 and it works great. Bbq I prefer the rear so I have my loader to get into areas I cannot otherwise. Ask when it isn't quite enough snow to blow.

By the sounds of it, your ground is hilly. The bx can be tippy. Wheel spacers and/or filled tires will help with that.

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[Charlie5320]

I'm another that wouldn't want a 3 pt blower. I'm old and just couldn't be comfortable using a rear blower very long. I have a front blower and a front 54" blade. They can be changed back and forth in just a few minutes.

 

[flynnglide]

Based on the amount of dirt work, I might recommend r4 tires instead of turfs. Or get 2 sets of wheels/tires if you really want turfs for mowing.

Depending on the amount of snow you get should determine the blower needs. I would agree with most that a front mount snow blower is the easiest to operate, but the rear mount will save you some cash.

I opted for the Kubota Bagger vs pull behind vacuum. On a 2ac lot you will have right turns that a pull behind will be harder to deal with. Agree with others that it is difficult to remove/install, but that is necessary for its compact size.


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[dirtydeed]

Not sure where you're located other than "northeast". If you don't get inundated with snow, I'll be the one that recommends ditching the blower and just getting a decent rear blade. They work well on moderate snows and will be mighty useful in doing your other grading tasks. Perhaps you'll need a box blade for leveling dirt too (also makes a very good rear counter weight for anything you do with the loader). I'd be willing to bet that you can get a box blade and rear blade for less than the cost of any blower.

I had a 60" deck on my old BX23. They aren't that difficult to get connected if you have enough room with a hard surface to work from (concrete floor). I added a chain hook to the side of the garage so I could store the mower deck upright.

 

[flynnglide]

Also, the model number you listed for rear blower is an old model. New one for the bx would be sb1051. And I think 17.7 vs 18 hp is irrelevant and will throw snow as needed.

I don’t think any of the mower decks are self leveling. Unless they mean that the deck stays level at all heights after you set initial level. And I would say stick with the 60” non drive over.


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[Redbusdriver]

I second the R4 tire suggestion. I have them on my BX, live up in the rain forest (PNW) and they never tear up my lawn while giving me better traction when using the FEL and any ground engaging attachments.

We don't have much snow up here in the low lands so no opinion there except looking over my shoulder would be a pain in the neck very quickly in the cold.

I've been doing general land clearing as well, use my backhoe quite a bit. It ain't cheap though, so the other attachments will give you better use for the price.

Happy shopping, you will love your new toy!

 

[majorwager]

Not a fan of rear mount snow blower unless it is mounted on cab model. You will often wear much of the snow depending upon wind conditions. In confined areas there is often no place to discharge snow. They are a lifesaver for deep snow and drifts. I have 22 hp powering a 62" blower for drifts, works fine, consistency of snow determines throwing distance. If possible, plow often during a storm, blade will be fast and efficient. Also not a fan of mmm. Narrow wheels rut lawn in spring wet conditions. Am converting my 6' ford mmm to a FEL mount. Better control and reach under trees.
Blower design has much to do w/ performance. The fan is especially critical. Look at woodmax design, then compare to your choice. I use a FEL snow pusher most of the time, works well.

As for turf vs R4 tires. The turfs on my little ford are better than R4 on kubota. The R4 are not loaded,extra weight mowing is a detriment. But R4 W/O lots of rear weight, just sit on top of snow and spin. My experience, others surely won't agree. Have R4 on two 50 hp tractors, snow performance is dismal. R4 tires are usually a wide profile for flotation purposes, NOT optimal snow and ice results.
EDIT:
There was a question posed concerning hanging a mower deck vertically against a wall. Speculation was gear oil would leak from a vented plug? Never saw the reply? Curious. Also my rear blade mold board is too short or low to be effestive for snow. Skid shoes a must or driveway damage will occur, even on asphalt.

 

[jhschlak]

I hate to be the guy with a first post of this type but here goes...

Moved from a tree-less, flat 1 acre lot to a 2 acre lot with at least 20 mature oaks, hills, massive holes from removed stumps in need of filling, need some downed trees cut up and plan to use the FEL as my wheel barrow or to attach my 5x10 trailer to it to get across the property, the lawn has bumps galore from a few years of improper maintenance and a slew of trucks being on it when the entire house was restored, septic is new and needs more fill over the tank and grading, need to move a couple yards of sizable stone that was a patio at one point and will be again, etc and is also in need of minor leveling in several places to put up kids swing-set, build a shed, etc.

I will likely need 15 yards of mulch to cover the landscaping as well.

Lastly, every neighbor has a Cyclone Rack and I now see why after one mow. No way my little lawn tractor (ahem, mower) could pull one of those up the hills on this property. I will be buying one this fall for leaf season.

I built up the package below and went to sign papers today and then got frightened I missed something.

Any glaring items omitted or concerns with the package?

BX2380 on turfs

Quick attach loader with cutting edge and level

RCK60-23BX - Manual 60" mowing deck (not drive over and states it is a self leveling which has my clueless. I believe the other 54" manual deck and both the drive over 54" & 60" are not self leveling...should I be choosing another deck?

Land Pride B2789-51" 3-point rear mount snowblower. I am going rear mount to save me considerably versus the front mount options and since my 300' driveway is new and a straight shot of asphalt. But the land pride site states a minimum of 18 PTO HP needed and the BX2380 lists max of 17.7. Is this a problem? The Kubota site offers this configuration but I will be miserable if this setup only shoots snow 5 feet!

Any other thoughts or suggestions to a first time buyer.

Thank you in advance!

I bought a BX 1880 last year with FEL, 54" MMM and front snow blower. I also have the smallest cyclone rake since my yard has lots of turns and tight areas. Attaching and unattaching the CR is easy, less than a 5 minute job. Holds way more leaves than the bagger. And the bagger costs a lot for what you get. I would definitely go CR if I were you. Get a used one on craigslist. I got mine for about $500.

Jeff

 

[whobee]

Double post

 

[whobee]

Thank you all for the help. I appreciate it.

In the final stages of negotiation with my 2 local dealers. (Just need to force myself to STOP trying to find the need for a 23S instead of the 2380 lol).

Also - any harm in requesting the unit not be a floor model or are they "all" floor models?

 

[DanR]

What did you end up with?

I just ordered my package on Monday and it's very similar to yours. BX2380, 54" mmm, 51" rear blower, SSQA loader with level rod and turfs. I hummed and hawed and was torn between front and rear blower.... my reasons:

54" mmm: I found the ramps really hokey on the "drive-over" and the mower will be attached in Spring and removed in Fall.... I can live with one mount/unmount activity per year. ;-)

Rear Blower: This was a tough one. I really was leaning on a front blower. But then I couldn't justify spending double the cost of the rear mount. And the rear mount is more sturdy and a bit larger than the front. Also, I can mount a snow blade on the front at the same time.

Turfs: Main function of this tractor will be mowing and blowing. Even loader work will mostly be on grass. So everything I've read and two different dealers told me turfs will give the best grip in winter and not tear up the lawn in summer. R4 is for mud/dirt as they clean out better. No cost difference here, so whatever works for your application.

Side note.... I was agonizing over "did I get the right this or that".... at the end of the day (at least in my region) these tractors and their implements are very sought after. So I'm not worried about switching things up down the road if I find they don't meet my needs.

 

[DanR]

Oh, also Kubota now has 0% financing on implements as a stand-alone purchase (at least in my area). Yeah, there's probably an "admin" fee.... but it was nice not to feel too pressured to "buy everything you need NOW to get the financing deal".

 

[PaulL]

I've seen mention before that the in stock models often sit out in the rain. If it's going to sit out in the rain when you get it home, then no harm. But if you're planning to keep it looking schmick, then yeah the paint might have faded and it might have a bit of corrosion. No harm in asking them for a new off shipping one, even if you have to wait a few weeks for the next shipment.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

Whobee should step up in tractor size imo. I owned a B2920 TLB with 60" MMM and used that for 3 years clearing my 1 acre and putting in a lawn. Then downsized to B2380 this year.