I know, same question. But some specific twists all of my own.
I have a bx2350. It's had a hard life, I picked it up cheap from an auction site, then added a loader, fixed the mower, did a full service. It has busted plastic, no lights and some rough bits, but seems mechanically sound. Having demonstrated uses for a tractor, I now have approval from the budget controller (aka missus) to upgrade.
I have no critical use for a tractor - we have probably half an acre or a bit less of land to mow, I chip garden waste, move mulch with the bucket, and sometimes tow the boat with it. No snow where we live, driveway is sealed, no bush that I can get into with a tractor. But I enjoy it, and a guy's gotta have some toys.
Anyway, I'm tossing up between a new bx80 (when they finally come to NZ), or a B2601. I know the differences according to the specs (size, weight, engine displacement, 3 speed HST, position control, lift capacity at both ends), but interested in some things I can't easily find in the specs.
1. The boat isn't overly heavy (maybe 2 ton on the tandem trailer), but the bx struggles a bit sometimes pulling it out the ramp (unfortunately only when I'm not there to see it - seems to work fine for me). The brother in law who is a proper tractor guy reckons I'm beating the torque convertor too much and will kill it. I know the engine in the small B is reasonably similar to the BX, is the transmission noticeably different? Will a B in low ratio be stronger than a BX in low ratio (noting the 3 speed vs 2 speed may mean a lower ratio, and the B has maybe stronger construction). Is this even a thing - it seems to me that it's in low ratio and it's hydrostatic - it just slips. So long as it doesn't overheat there's no reason it'd hurt it - and we pull the boat about 50 metres from the ramp to the shed, so it's not going to overheat. Should I just go back to pulling the boat with the truck, which worked fine but wasn't as much fun? Should I ignore the complaining from onlookers and just use my tractor how I like?
2. The B is a bit heavier, but also has larger tires. Is the ground pressure actually greater? I'm worried about compacting the lawn when mowing and when wet, but my rough math says that the pressure isn't really much if any higher in the larger tractor. Am I thinking about this wrong?
3. People say the BX mows better. Does that mean the quality of the cut, or just that it's smaller and more nimble? I'm remodelling the lawn anyway, so either tractor will go around the curves I'm laying out. I occasionally mow the public land at the end of the road (maybe 2-3 acres)....a faster / bigger tractor would mow that more quickly. But if the quality of the cut is worse, then probably I'd lean to the BX - mowing is most of what I do
4. I note the increased loader and 3ph capacity, but seem to recall somewhere reading the front axle is actually rated lower in the 2601 than the BX. Is this urban legend, does it even matter given that I've never really heard of anyone breaking a front axle by lifting things with the loader (i.e. the loader will stop lifting long before you break an axle)?
Bottom line, they're similar price and the 2601 is more tractor. I have no real need for that more, but lifting a bit more and going a bit faster is always good. I sometimes have to break things down at the moment to do them with the BX. But if I'm going to end up with a tractor that's too big, mows less well, and still won't really be able to pull the boat, I'm probably better to just go BX again. Maybe the 2680, so at least I have a few more horses to feel good about, as well as having a tractor that isn't all beaten up before I started with it.
Any thoughts or information would be useful.
Edit: just to add something that might be useful for others thinking about these tractors, a table of useful metrics. The B series is basically 10% bigger, but it's capacities are about 20-30% more, other than the 3ph which lifts double as much:
No code has to be inserted here.
Other differences are the pin type sway bars on the 3ph on the B series, screw type on BX, and overall clearance and height.
I note that the B series is only a little heavier (about 10%), the tires are actually narrower, but on a larger rim (12 inch front vs 10 inch, and 16 inch rear vs 12 inch). I think this means a bit more footprint, but not massively so. Probably at least the 10% in weight difference though.
The B series has 2 pumps, a steering pump and an implement pump. It looks like they split 3.6gpm power steering, 4.7gpm implements. I don't often steer and move implements at the same time, when just using the implement looks like the B has lower implement flow, therefore potentially slower cycle times. I need to go sit on one to see for sure.
Edit2: included split pump flows, added clearance
I have a bx2350. It's had a hard life, I picked it up cheap from an auction site, then added a loader, fixed the mower, did a full service. It has busted plastic, no lights and some rough bits, but seems mechanically sound. Having demonstrated uses for a tractor, I now have approval from the budget controller (aka missus) to upgrade.
I have no critical use for a tractor - we have probably half an acre or a bit less of land to mow, I chip garden waste, move mulch with the bucket, and sometimes tow the boat with it. No snow where we live, driveway is sealed, no bush that I can get into with a tractor. But I enjoy it, and a guy's gotta have some toys.
Anyway, I'm tossing up between a new bx80 (when they finally come to NZ), or a B2601. I know the differences according to the specs (size, weight, engine displacement, 3 speed HST, position control, lift capacity at both ends), but interested in some things I can't easily find in the specs.
1. The boat isn't overly heavy (maybe 2 ton on the tandem trailer), but the bx struggles a bit sometimes pulling it out the ramp (unfortunately only when I'm not there to see it - seems to work fine for me). The brother in law who is a proper tractor guy reckons I'm beating the torque convertor too much and will kill it. I know the engine in the small B is reasonably similar to the BX, is the transmission noticeably different? Will a B in low ratio be stronger than a BX in low ratio (noting the 3 speed vs 2 speed may mean a lower ratio, and the B has maybe stronger construction). Is this even a thing - it seems to me that it's in low ratio and it's hydrostatic - it just slips. So long as it doesn't overheat there's no reason it'd hurt it - and we pull the boat about 50 metres from the ramp to the shed, so it's not going to overheat. Should I just go back to pulling the boat with the truck, which worked fine but wasn't as much fun? Should I ignore the complaining from onlookers and just use my tractor how I like?
2. The B is a bit heavier, but also has larger tires. Is the ground pressure actually greater? I'm worried about compacting the lawn when mowing and when wet, but my rough math says that the pressure isn't really much if any higher in the larger tractor. Am I thinking about this wrong?
3. People say the BX mows better. Does that mean the quality of the cut, or just that it's smaller and more nimble? I'm remodelling the lawn anyway, so either tractor will go around the curves I'm laying out. I occasionally mow the public land at the end of the road (maybe 2-3 acres)....a faster / bigger tractor would mow that more quickly. But if the quality of the cut is worse, then probably I'd lean to the BX - mowing is most of what I do
4. I note the increased loader and 3ph capacity, but seem to recall somewhere reading the front axle is actually rated lower in the 2601 than the BX. Is this urban legend, does it even matter given that I've never really heard of anyone breaking a front axle by lifting things with the loader (i.e. the loader will stop lifting long before you break an axle)?
Bottom line, they're similar price and the 2601 is more tractor. I have no real need for that more, but lifting a bit more and going a bit faster is always good. I sometimes have to break things down at the moment to do them with the BX. But if I'm going to end up with a tractor that's too big, mows less well, and still won't really be able to pull the boat, I'm probably better to just go BX again. Maybe the 2680, so at least I have a few more horses to feel good about, as well as having a tractor that isn't all beaten up before I started with it.
Any thoughts or information would be useful.
Edit: just to add something that might be useful for others thinking about these tractors, a table of useful metrics. The B series is basically 10% bigger, but it's capacities are about 20-30% more, other than the 3ph which lifts double as much:
No code has to be inserted here.
Other differences are the pin type sway bars on the 3ph on the B series, screw type on BX, and overall clearance and height.
I note that the B series is only a little heavier (about 10%), the tires are actually narrower, but on a larger rim (12 inch front vs 10 inch, and 16 inch rear vs 12 inch). I think this means a bit more footprint, but not massively so. Probably at least the 10% in weight difference though.
The B series has 2 pumps, a steering pump and an implement pump. It looks like they split 3.6gpm power steering, 4.7gpm implements. I don't often steer and move implements at the same time, when just using the implement looks like the B has lower implement flow, therefore potentially slower cycle times. I need to go sit on one to see for sure.
Edit2: included split pump flows, added clearance
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