bx 23s

gearjammer

New member

Equipment
2019 bx 23s 2017 road king
Mar 7, 2018
17
0
0
boonville ny
thinking about pulling the trigger on a 23s so many times I needed a backhoe and had to rent one what do u guys think about them ?also I now have a 2010 bx 2360 with just a little over 200 hours on it just has loader on it but in good shape what u guys think its worth for trade in ?thanks
 
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PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
1,106
113
NZ
Are the tasks that you rented a backhoe for tasks that you could have done with a BX23s? The backhoe is reasonably limited, it doesn't do as much as a rented mini excavator could. But if you frequently rent a backhoe for tasks a BX23s could do, then yeah, it's a great idea to buy one.

Just the saving in time in not having to go rent it, drag it home, use it, drag it back, would make it worth while. Plus the benefit of having it right there whenever you want to use it.

The normal objections to a BX backhoe are either that it's too small/slow to use for the jobs people want to do, or that it's too expensive for the few times you use it. If you answer both those objections, then do it.
 

leveraddict

Well-known member

Equipment
2017 BX23S 60" LP BoxBlade 54" mower 60" BackBlade EA 12" 1 bottom plow & Forks
Apr 1, 2019
906
580
93
NEPA
The BX23S is the best thing I have ever purchased. After living in my home 30 years I'm getting things done that have eaten away at me since day one. Every time it rained I got nervous. Previous owners built the house but never did much needed things to the land around it. For me the backhoe was a must! I have mine 1 year so far and have 240 hours on it! I dug a few stumps, ran my rain gutters under ground and put in quite a bit of drainage which solved years of problems. That's just the start of it. I graded my entire property with my box blade and after last years massive downpours we are totally dry! Many more projects still on the list! I priced renting them and having landscapers come to do the work. I will come out ahead and still have the best wheel barrow on the market. I am getting old and have way more metal in me than most! This machine is my helper and a strong back for the years I have left. Even when I'm done I will never get rid of it as long as I own my home! It helps that I have a great dealer also with good prices on extras and maintenance items below interweb prices!
 

js5020

Member

Equipment
BX23S
Jun 27, 2018
75
2
8
PA
I'll put in another positive vote for the 23s. I was just going to buy a BX2380 with a loader to compliment a B2650 sized compact I've had for 35 years which doesn't have a loader, I didn't see the need for the backhoe. However my wife wanted a backhoe so I went with the BX23s. I also got the thumb. I thought it would be the least used 5k I ever spent, how wrong I was! I have used the backhoe for more than digging, the other week I needed to move a sheet of 7ga that was outside laying flat on the ground, hoe and thumb did what I would not have been able to do, picked it up and lifted it onto some stands effortlessly. I use the loader as that, a loader I do no digging into hard material I loosen everything up with the hoe first. So for me the BX23s is better than sliced bread, best thing I ever bought.
 

dirtydeed

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
Dec 8, 2017
2,854
3,102
113
Wind Gap, PA
They are great little machines. When I was looking in 2006, one particular salesman showed me a BX23 when I was there to check out a used B7500 for my part time landscaping business. He told me that "you can make a lot of money with a BX23". I took the BX23 home. He was right.

It was the perfect sized machine for the "small" 1-2 day landscaping jobs that I was interested in doing. It served a real niche in being small enough to go anywhere and not damage clients yards, but had enough juice to do what was needed. I installed a lot of deco stone, mulch, beds and trees with that machine. It easily paid for itself the first summer I had the business. I kept it for 12 years and had very few issues with it...and I used it hard.

So, OP, if you're on the fence...just do it if you can. I'm doubtful that you'll regret it. ;)
 

bosifus

New member

Equipment
BX23S
Apr 11, 2019
9
17
3
Port Orchard, WA, USA
I bought one last year in May and have had no regrets. I only have a few acres but a lot of projects and chores like gardening, brush clearing, driveway maintenance, as well as grading my field and cutting and dragging a log splitter for firewood around and it has been perfect for those tasks. We have a lot of trees up here so the size and maneuverability of the BX has been perfect for clearing undergrowth and our yearly blow down from the winter months.
I love the backhoe attachment and the ease in which both it and the loader are able to be removed for other implements was a major purchasing factor for me due to a disability that severely limits my physical activity.
The only gripe about the BX I have had has been that the loader lift capacity is a bit low with the factory quick attach and the hydraulic speed of the backhoe can seem slow if you have experience running larger equipment. I noticed it after running it for a while but then again it isn't a commercial grade piece of equipment and I am not on a job digging trench for sewer, water or storm either. All in all it gets the job done just fine.
I don't think you will regret it. As far as trade in goes I would try to sell your other tractor first. At least for a few months and this is the right time of year for it too. You are bound to get more money that way that can be used on a down payment.
 

luc.who

Member
Sep 1, 2018
63
7
8
Lewisberry PA
BX 23 S with 26 hours on it. Just used it yesterday to cut my grass for the 1st time. I have been very happy with the 23. The only issue I have had is the FEL capacity. My wife wanted a rock moved, that the FEL would not lift.

Its pushed plenty of snow this year, dug out many tree stumps and is helping me clear some brush.

If you plan to use the FEL for pushing snow, look at the threads on the edge tamers or trex decking.
 

shiraz627

Member

Equipment
BX23S Piranha toothbar, Underarmor, PFL1242 pallet forks, BXpanded thumb, ripper
Aug 1, 2018
206
5
18
Kingsland. GA
Fire away, simply the best thing I ever bought! The perfect landscaping machine for moving soil in tight places plus it does not destroy the lawn. The backhoe comes in handy for planting fruit trees/bushes along with positioning some stumps/logs that were left behind from land clearing. With the Pyranah toothbar I am able to pick up and relocate the undesirable debris left behind.