new to this...B2100 or BX2200

[Barkley]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and new to needing/owning a tractor. My husband and I recently bought 5 acres. Only mow about 2 acres and it's hilly...worst spot we measured was 30% grade. Have been using old riding mowers, which are getting the job done. Problem lies with the driveway. Paved, about 1/10th of a mile long with three hills, each about 19% grade at their worst. No 4 WD vehicles, so we've been salting/shoveling the hills each time it snows, which isn't good with our health problems.

Anyway, now looking to buy a used tractor to use for mowing and snow plowing. Only get 3-5 inches at a time here usually but driveway has still been a bear. Local tractor dealer has two used Kubotas we are looking at...B2100 with around 600 hrs with 60 in belly mower for $4500 or BX2200 with about 800 hrs with same belly mower for $3500. I've been doing research and it seems the BX would be sufficient for our needs, but I want to make sure. Price is an issue, so we'd rather not pay an extra $1k if we don't really need the bigger machine, especially if the BX will be better for mowing our hills and mowing around our many trees. Don't plan on using FEL or anything else at this point and don't see where we will need to in the future.

Can anyone tell me if the BX will be sufficient for our needs or if the B is a much better option? Also, those prices seem lower than what I can find online for other used ones, so I don't know yet if something is wrong with them or dealer just wants to get rid of them. Plan on trying them out later this week. Thanks so much!

 

[eserv]

If all you do is cut grass the BX2200 will do the job just as well as the B2100 and is lower so would be better on sidehills. The B2100 however would be a little better for plowing snow due to it's greater weight and ground clearance.
Personally, I'd go with the BX , I love those little buggers! We sell them and hardly ever see them back in the shop!
Ed

 

[stuart]

I like the bigger tires and higher ground clearance on the B series, but I can't do an actual comparison of the two units you mentioned. Someone down the street has a BX with loader, belly mower and backhoe. It works well for him, but it seems like a lot of weight to carry on a mower. I'm sure that the little turf tires would not do well in deeper snow.

On that topic, did you plan to use it for snow removal? If so, what attachments did you have in mind? Back blade - scraper works well but you end up compacting the snow by driving over it before you move it. If you have dry snow that is not an issue, but we get very wet snow much of the time and it can compact to ice with just one or two passes. Then it is much more difficult to move. Trying to push (ie plow in reverse) with a compact 3 point does not give great results as these are designed for pulling.

A loader is nice if you have to actually move the snow rather than just plow it off to the side. If you go for a loader, get one with a 'float' setting so the bucket will slide along the ground. On mine I am constantly adjusting it so it will have a bit of 'bite' but not dig in or end up an inch above the ground.

If you don't get a loader, then a front blade can be rigged up for a few hundred $. For example, you could start with a back blade like mine ( pics in my portfolio), fabricate a simple mount, and use a basic 4x4 auto winch to raise the blade, and gravity down to give a 'float'. Tiny wheels on the blade would keep it from 'scraping' the driveway.

A snow blower is nice but can get very expensive.

3 hills in 500' would make a very interesting driveway. Lots of places to get a car nicely stuck.

 

[Barkley]

Thanks for the replies. Stuart, the snow removal is the only reason we are going with a subcompact or compact tractor. For just grass cutting, we would have gone with a lawn or garden tractor. Being so new to this, we aren't sure if we were going with a blade on the back (and having to drive over the snow, like you mentioned) or trying to rig something up for the front. I think a snow blower and loader will be overkill where we live, as we really didn't even think the driveway would be that bad, but it's been a really bad winter for this part of KY. What's funny is that this driveway is the least steep out of all of the houses we looked at but one. This driveway looked flat compared to some of them and now we're realizing that it's definitely not. Missing the neighborhood streets right now, just not the neighbors. Thanks for your help!

 

[Barkley]

Well, we went back to the dealership last night and the B2100 is already sold (or they are ordering a part first and then the guy plans on buying it), so looks like it will be the BX2200, as long as it checks out ok. Taking a friend back who knows tractors so he can look at it. Thanks for the help!

 

[stuart]

Don't feel pressured to get the one that is left. There are a lot of good little Kubotas out there. And don't be afraid of older models. According to serial numbers, mine was made in 1977, and it still has many years of light service left in it. On average it runs about 5 hours a week.

Once you have a loader, you will be surprised at how many uses you will find for it. I set a few basic requirements when I started looking. These were:
- rototiller for a small vegetable garden
- loader for snow removal and moving all kinds of stuff
- 4wd
- high ground clearance

There was one for sale privately just down the road 3 years ago that had all of these requirements. At the time, I didn't know much about small tractors, or Kubota in particular. Ends up it was a very luck find.

I have a 'green thing' (no name mentioned) to cut the grass, but it is way too light to do anything useful with a blade on the front.

 

[meanjean]

Great advise Stuart.
Especially the part about having patience when buying.
Don't jump on the only machine remaining, something else will show up.

Barkley, don't rule out the loader.
So many different uses for it.

Let us know what you do....and post pics!

 

[jsmootz]

I have a bx2200 and my father has a b2400. I would never trade him.

We have extremely hilly ground and my bx comfortably mows where the b can never go. I have a belly mower, a 42" rear brush cutter, and a front snow plow. The size and maneuverability make it great for plowing snow!

The only advantage the b has is a smoother ride on rough terrain due to the larger wheels.

The b has a high center of gravity and is probably one of Kubota's worst hill tractors.