Don’t know much about Kubota but looks like you need a 1025R.

 

You will need so kind of weigths on the back for loader work

 

Trade off the X590 and get a 1025 with loader and mower.

 

Everything that I have ever heard about the BX1880 is that it's basically a good "get your feet wet" tractor but that you will quickly grow beyond its capability. Your use case might apply here depending on your property size but about the only people who I've heard of keeping them are landscapers who need a tiny tractor for working in the suburbs. Almost everyone else has traded up to higher HP machines.

I'd strongly recommend renting a BX1880 if you can before buying one. You'll know pretty quick if it will do what you need or if you'll need to go bigger.

 

You are looking at this as a "short term" project which will have an end. In reality, once you have a machine with FEL / bucket / forks, you will find ways to use it you haven't thought of and that use won't end anytime soon, if at all.

My point is, get a real longer term solution and a step on the ladder which you will get a machine which can add implements and has the power to use them and Keep using them. I don't think the Bx1880 is that step. My neighbor has / had one. I think its still in his barn, but was replaced it with a 2520. He bought the bx1800 used, same machine just older and only used it for a few months before stepping up.

At 13 PTO HP, It couldn't handle many of the things he needed. He found it had

• Limited lift height and capacity in the FEL and 3ph
• It would only handle the smallest implements, which had limited appeal for resale, etc.
• The smaller implements were harder to find and cost just as much as more universal implements
• The BX1880 is 18hp / 13.7 PTO hp and is too small for most property owners

There are used tractors with FEL's only and its costly to add MMM, etc. I would go with a larger HP machine with the FEL before buying the 18hp machine. The limited lift height, limited lift capacity of the small machine is going to be frustrating, almost like you are "almost there" but not quite. You don't want to spend the money and for just a little more, could have gotten something which will serve you long term. I would avoid that possible mistake.

 

Go larger. BX2380 would be a better plan or the 1025R. I would keep the X590 and get one or the other 2 with or without a deck. Sometimes discounts are offered with 2 attachments. You will wonder why you waited so long.

 

Your history suggests you have an acre (that has a pool and a house) and about 1.5 acres of woods. Most people suggest going bigger on your tractor. That can be good advice or it can be really poor advice. It really depends on what all you need (and will discover that you need) to do with your tractor.

2.5 acres is not that much. I have 10, but most of it is woods that is untouched, since it was last clear cut less than a hundred years ago. Getting the right size tractor is hard. There have been MANY words/posts/threads/discussions on it. There are probably as many opinions on it as there are tractors. Luckily, there is a wide overlap in capabilities. Similarly, you can use a machine that was designed for something else for many tasks. Some machines are very specialized and can done one and only one size task really well. Others can do many tasks of different sizes, at least reasonably well, but no task exceptionally well.

The BX (most of them) and the 1 series are both SCUT sized. The 1 series is big for a SCUT. That is an advantage for some things and a disadvantage for others. The BX (especially the 15xx and 18xx ones) are on the small side of SCUT. When I was in your position 15 years ago, I was told don't get one of "those lawnmowers dressed up as a Tractor". I listened and got something the size of a 2 series. Luckily, I looked at how much the mower for that cost and decided that I was better off just keeping my X300 for mowing. That was a VERY wise move as my CUT would be a very poor choice as a mower on my property.

Many years later, I now have:

1. The X300, used only in the fall with my Cyclone Rake.
2. An X534, my mower
3. An X749, my baby tractor
4. My CUT

I got the baby tractor because my CUT is too big and too cumbersome to use some places on my property. But, the baby tractor is way to little for some of the tasks I need a tractor for. A 1 series doesn't have the ground clearance that my CUT does, so it would be even worse off trail in the woods. It also doesn't have the lift capacity and reach that my CUTs loader does, so it would be less effective at those tasks. The X749 is way more agile than even a 1 series would be. So, there are a few driveway maintenance tasks for which it is an excellent tool that anything else would be a compromise. Since I lived here 15 years without it, it is clearly not a need. But it is to do the job at the level I want it done in the time I want to spend doing it, and it actually makes the job fun, instead of a chore.

As far as the advice on the BX goes, if you need PTO powered attachments, it probably isn't that good a choice. Tractor Time with Tim has a set of videos comparing the BX and 1 series they are worth watching. The BX is physically smaller, but it seems the 1 series is more agile. I see the same thing with my X300 and X534.

You could get the LGM for your X590 if you just want to move mulch. A real loader (which is still quite limited) for a super garden tractor is quite expensive. You get that if you don't have the space for multiple machines and your loader needs are minimal. If you don't already have trails and you want to create them, you probably need something bigger. If you make the trails big enough you can use a full size CUT on them. If you want something closer to horse trails, a CUT (and even the 1 series) is too big. Choose wisely, or choose again, frequently.

 

thanks for this input, without a doubt my X590 will stay. I have to be careful with it not to leave ruts, I could only imagine what a scut would do. it gets down in the woods and all no problem. I had purchased some more land last spring which was unforseen when I purchases my mower. I also agree with your input on agility. I've used my dad's bx2370 and the combination of higher turning radius and the loader sticking further can get you in a bind with a rear attachment on. with that said... the prices of BX's are a lot lower here than the green. plus the center of gravity seems a good bit lower.
I think I have definitely ruled out a garden tractor though based on these responses. I guess now it comes down to since this will be a "project work horse" machine, what all kind of things I see myself getting into.

edit: I should mention I've put MANY hours in clearing what once was a solid acre of this brush and trees manually (still brush cutter, chain saws, machetes, you name it). that's the only reason I can get down in there now with the X590. but as it stands I'm still completely overwhelmed with the piles of brush and logs everywhere. lots of burning and splitting in my future.

 

The front wheels on the 1 series will turn at a steeper angle than on the BX. That is good if you have the traction to make use of that, otherwise the front end will just slide the way the rear wheels are pointed. In 4WD neither is particularly agile. This is why I have an X749 with AWD and AWS. I really like it. It allows me to maneuver in ways that are impossible even in a 1 series, let alone be a bigger tractor. I also have a lot of slope. It sounds like you do too. I am looking at getting 3" wheel spacers for my CUT. The extra 6" in width should make it a lot more stable, but it also makes it bigger, which is not good for several things.

If you buy something used, you can do well (or not, if you get a junker). You can try it for ab extended period and see what you like or don't. That is what got me to finally buy something. I figured the only way to really figure out what was going to work was to try something and then figure out what to do next. The X534 works well for mowing. You have the X590 which is similar, but no AWS. The AWS is great for agility, but not everyone likes it. I thought about adding stuff to my X534 for smaller tractor tasks, but the thought of changing things for different tasks got me concerned. I decided I wanted a more dedicated machine for fine driveway maintenance (not repair, which the CUT does well) and snow plowing duty. The X749 showed up and has been great, except for condition issues I still need to address (but it has proven its value already).

So, yes, figure out what tasks you know about now (more will come to you once you see what can be done). That will help determine what capabilities you need and which you just want, and which would be nice to have, and which you really don't need or want. You likely won't find one machine that can do it all well. I guess that is why I have 4 tractor-ish machines. But, my biggest is smaller than some people's smallest and my smallest is bigger than other people's biggest. Despite what some people think there isn't one size that is right for all, just like there isn't one knife that is right for every task.