Another B2601 Thread - They all have different aspects....

[RCW]

My Buddy Skeets recently got a B2601, and kept his BX2360 for now. I can't be left behind. Gotta keep up with coal country.....

I also have a BX2360 with FEL, BX2750 front-mount snowblower, and 54" MMM. Love the thing, but sometimes it doesn't do what I need it to do.

That's joking as far as keeping up...I've been looking at B series for a while...hindsight is I should have bought a B-series in 2013.

I know all the aspects of a BX vs. B. Trust me....damned don't I know the aspects of a BX vs. a B.....

Month ago, I kicked tires on a B2601 TLB. Salesman said about $27k as it sat, about $20k just tractor/loader. I didn't ask him to even give a quote.....just kickin' tires. That tractor still sits at my local dealer.

I've seen the backhoe/no backhoe/rent a mini-ex discussions over time. I've had a contractor with an excavator here each year for several years. Hopefully, that's done...

We've added another 2 acres to make 6 acres at the the house. Almost all of it is steep, and has some water/flooding problems including some diversion ditches.

I could use the longer backhoe on a B.....

Skeets was analyzing whether to keep his BX2360 with FEL and mower. I also have the snowblower. Snowblowers are expensive and handy....I was very popular in my neighborhood when we got 30" of snow a couple weeks ago.

An approximate summary, from "build" part of Kubota website...salesman wasn't far off:

B2601 w/ FEL $20k
B2601 w/ FEl/BH $27k
B2601 w/FEL/BH/MMM/55" commercial snowblower $35k

I didn't add Pallet forks, grapple (plus 3rd function) or rear remotes to the mix....but understood they'd be an addition.

I'm guessing my BX2360 all-equipped would bring ~$8k in trade, or maybe 12k by private sale.

I'd like to keep both tractors. Just get the B2601 in TLB configuration, but not sure that's the way to go.....

 

[UpNorthMI]

RCW,
I'm not sure other members can advise you on the way to go. If you can afford it and enjoy what you have, my advice would be go for it. I have a lot of equipment and enjoy all my time I get to use any of it.

Sometimes it's a lifestyle choice and it's about what makes each one of us happy. The world has been a little tough over the last 12 months, enjoy what you like.

 

[Fordtech86]

Just looking at the TLB option, L2501 with loader and backhoe around $29k on kubota site. Not much more for little bigger tractor and hoe, granted you keep the bx for your other purposes.

 

[RCW]

Storage is also be an issue.

To UpNorthMi....correct, I’m probably more thinking out loud, but sometimes writing it helps. Kind of an unfair scenario. You guys shouldn’t be able to give good advice given my limited information. I still appreciate the response.

Ford - an L isn’t an option. I need to mow and have a front snowblower. Our 30” of snow a few weeks ago reinforced that.

Honestly, I can finance half of any, or pay for all of the lesser options. I just don’t like to spend the dollars.

 

[Fordtech86]

I'd like to keep both tractors. Just get the B2601 in TLB configuration, but not sure that's the way to go.....

But if you keep the BX no need on the L for the mower or blower You been here longer then me that you know y’all like to spend others money

 

[PaulL]

Looks to me like the blower adds $8K to the B2601. And you reckon your BX with a blower on it is worth $8K in trade. Seems obvious to just keep the BX as well, since it's a whole tractor with a snow blower for the same price as just the snow blower on the B2601. Depending on how much mowing you're doing, you could skip the MMM on the B2601 as well, I think that's another $2-3K in saving, so now keeping the BX saves you $11K.

Reasons why you need two tractors:

• Don't have to take the mower on and off
• In winter, can leave the snow blower on
• When you're doing dirt work, one to pull the trailer, one to load it. Much less messing around. Same when doing branches and other things with the grapple
• Wife can drive one while you drive the other
• If it's only worth $8K in trade, seems it's worth more than $8K to you. You'll regret selling a machine like that for $8K

 

[BAP]

RCW, biggest reason I can see to keep both would be in the summer time. Being able to keep the mower set up and have the backhoe setup to use at the same time. I have done projects with my B2920 in the summer and have to plan when to put the backhoe on around needing to mow the grass. It would be handy to have 2 tractors to able to keep the hoe on longer and mow. While swapping between the two is not too bad, it does take time. However, I would by a B series tractor over an L so that if somewhere down the road you decide to downsize to only one tractor you can put a mower deck and snowblower on it.

 

[conropl]

RCW, biggest reason I can see to keep both would be in the summer time. Being able to keep the mower set up and have the backhoe setup to use at the same time. I have done projects with my B2920 in the summer and have to plan when to put the backhoe on around needing to mow the grass. It would be handy to have 2 tractors to able to keep the hoe on longer and mow. While swapping between the two is not too bad, it does take time. However, I would by a B series tractor over an L so that if somewhere down the road you decide to downsize to only one tractor you can put a mower deck and snowblower on it.

My thinking is the opposite... my biggest reason to keep the bx also would be winter time. It would be real handy having the extra tractor with the snowblower. Then you can keep the loader on the B. It is a pain in the rear end having to give up the loader bucket and grapple for 6 months every year when I put the front mount snow blower on. For mine, the blower is a pain to swap out, and it takes a lot of space to store it (the barn has to be rearranged every time I make the swap). For that reason and the cost of a new blower/mmm being simular to what you would get for the bx, it would make me seriously think about keeping the bx.

However, that commercial blower would be nice.

 

[RCW]

I think you're all very helpful for various reasons.

Truthfully, a difficult thing to respond to. We all have a different take on things, and different wants/needs.

Ford's take on an L2501 TLB has merit, if I kept the BX for mowing and blowing.

PaulL, BAP and conropl all pointed out great examples when 2 would be handy, and I can relate to the scenarios.

If my BX value guess is close, you guys validated my idea to just keep it for that....

Funny part is it would be 3 tractors, as I also have the '50's Minneapolis Moline, although it's versatility is pretty limited.