• By Byte Market Editorial

Kubota BX23S Specs: Weight with Loader and Backhoe Explained

About 2,700 lb is a useful first estimate for a Kubota BX23S with a front loader and backhoe. Kubota Canada lists 2,689 lb (1,220 kg) for its open-station BX23S and describes the loader and backhoe as standard equipment. The weight line gives no separate allowance for liquid ballast, wheel weights or the attachments on your particular tractor. Use the figure to start a transport enquiry, then confirm the complete load. Kubota Canada BX23S specifications.

What is included in that weight?

An older operator manual gives a much smaller figure when you open the tractor specifications. That page describes the tractor with its rollover protective structure (ROPS). Farther on, the loader has its own weight entry. Looking at those entries separately helps explain how two people can quote very different weights for a BX23S.

The tractor and loader entries come from printed pages 32 and 34 of the operator manual. The backhoe entry comes from the BT603 table in the U.S. brochure and uses a shipping-weight definition. That difference matters. The sum gives you a cross-check on the size of the complete outfit. Only a scale ticket for your loaded machine records its actual weight. Kubota BX23S operator manual, tractor and loader specifications · U.S. BX brochure, BT603 specifications.

A common double count happens at the front bucket. The manual includes the quick bucket in the approximately 478 lb loader figure. Adding that same bucket again makes the estimate heavier on paper without changing anything on the trailer. A spare bucket travelling alongside the tractor, on the other hand, adds its full weight. The same distinction applies to a backhoe bucket you exchange for a different width.

Make a transport record for the machine in front of you

Walk around the tractor as it will travel. Record the loader model and bucket, the backhoe and its bucket, any mechanical thumb, the mower deck if it is still mounted, and any wheel weights or filled tires. Ask the owner about liquid ballast. A quick look at the rims tells you little about the amount inside. Mark any unknown weight as unknown until you can confirm it.

Measure from the foremost edge of the carried attachment to the rearmost point of the secured backhoe in its specified transport position. A tractor-only length can miss both ends. The bucket can also be the widest part of the load. The operator manual lists a 48 in. (1,219 mm) square front bucket, while Kubota Canada lists 45.1 in. (1,145 mm) overall width in its tractor table. Measure the widest fitted part when checking clearance between trailer fenders. BX23S bucket specifications, printed p. 34 · Kubota Canada dimensions.

For a hauling quote, provide the complete machine weight, extra implements and actual dimensions. For your own trailer, compare the loaded trailer weight and measured axle and hitch loads with the ratings for that equipment and tow vehicle. A tractor brochure cannot establish which trailer is suitable.

How much can the BX23S loader lift?

Look for LA340 or LA340S on the loader. In the operator manual the LA340 uses a rigid bucket connection and the LA340S uses a quick hitch. Kubota gives four distinct values at maximum height because the load can be evaluated at the bucket pivot or farther forward.

You may also see 820 lb for the LA340. That figure has a legitimate place in the same table, at the pivot pin at a height of 1,500 mm. The maximum-height pivot entry is 739 lb. Write down the height and load point before comparing machines. For pallet work, the fork frame and the actual load centre both matter. Use the applicable attachment instructions and capacities. Kubota loader performance table, printed p. 36.

What do the other BX23S figures describe?

Kubota Canada gives 21.6 gross engine hp and 17.7 PTO hp. Use the PTO figure when an implement specifies a PTO power requirement. The 680 lb entry measured 24 in. behind the hitch belongs to the optional three-point hitch. For a backhoe job, the BT603 brochure gives a maximum digging depth of 1,842 mm and a reach of 2,612 mm from the swing pivot. Those dimensions describe how far the tool can work. Bucket digging force is a different measurement again. BX23S engine and hitch figures · BT603 working dimensions.

Match the documentation to the attachments

For a demonstration or routine operation, the BX23S/LA340/BT603 operator manual is a good place to check how each attachment is carried and secured. If you are inspecting the loader mountings or repairing the backhoe, photograph the tractor, loader and backhoe identification plates. The Byte Market workshop listing names each of those units, so you can check the relevant repair section before ordering. BX23S, LA340 and BT603 workshop manual 9Y111-16500.

For a machine marked BX23S-AU or LA340AU, check the Australian listing against the markings on your equipment. If the question is how to follow a surface with the bucket, the float function has its own operating guide. BX23S-AU and LA340AU workshop manual · How Kubota loader float works.