BCS or Gravely mower

[Eric_Phillips]

What I need is a brush mower to maintain some drainage ditches so it will be used on a slope. What I have aquired is a BCS 715 with a tiller. It doesn't run but I bet a carb cleaning and some new gas will take care of that. I then have some Gravely attachments, 30" mower, rotary plow, blade and sulky. As for the gravely motor I have a cylinder, head, part of the trasmission, bell housing, air cleaner and gas tank all in a bucket with some bolts. I also have the wheels but no handles, carb, differential etc.

From the information I have dug up it seems the Gravely L's had oil pumps so would be the best Gravelys to use vs the convertables. I have also found gravelys resonably priced and most also come with a mower. I am not sure if the BCS has an oil pump or not. But looking around I find BCS with a tiller and sometimes a sickle bar mower. I have yet to see a used BCS with a brush mower.

So my thoughts are to get the BCS running and sell it for some money. Then buy a Gravely L and probably get a second mower out of the deal. Does this sound like the best way to go or do you think I should sell the Gravely stuff to get a probaly new BCS mower attachment? I guess I should add that the BCS cosmetically looks nice, the gravely implements have been well used over the last 30 yrs.

 

[farmerboybill]

Hi Eric,

As I mentioned before, that 715 is gonna be awful slow and hard to maneuver for mowing. You'd be better off with a 735, 737, 830, or 850 for mowing or any other front mount attachments. That 715 is best suited for tilling and running a chipper. You should get the BCS running, put it in front mount operation, and drive it around for 20 minutes while trying to turn and such. That'll give you an idea on if you wanna try mowing with it.

One thing that MIGHT make the 715 better at mowing is bigger tires than the stock 8 inch rim, 16 inch tall ones. I just bought a set of 12 inch rim, 22 inch tall tires at a garage sale to mount on my 715. One tire is junk and the bolt holes have to be adjusted, but they were 5 bucks. Give me a week or two to get them modified and I'll let you know it that's an option for you.

I don't have any experiance with gravely, but read the gravely group on yahoo and it seems the guys there like them best for mowing. Sounds like you'd be better off buying a running gravely and using the one you have for parts.

I don't know if it's always true, but most pressurized oil systems have an oil filter. If your BCS has an oil filter, it's probably pressurized. If not, it's probably not.

As long as the ditches don't have a lot of brush and are relatively smooth, you could use a sickle mower. It would cut a much wider path, but can't cut trees bigger'n 1.5 inches and would have a hard time with big multiflora rose. It also wouldn't be good if the ground is really rough and uneven, but I don't know if a brush mower would be either. A sickle mower requires less hp because doesn't chop up the cut stuff, it just lays it down. There is a used 20 inch rotary mower on ebay under buy-it-now right now for $475.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

Bill,
Thanks for the reply. Since I will be mowing a slope that is pretty rough slow would be a good thing. I have heard the regular Gravely L models are almost too fast but the 8 speed are supposed to be better.

 

[oldmech]

Hi! They are Four L models. The Strait L is too fast for the most jobs. LS and L8 on low range have the best speeds for everything. LI is intermediare between L model and LS. Look for L8 Because 8 speeds a better engine New cams ,carb. More high oil pressure more power more rpm up to 2800 vs 1460. The best L model. Gravely with 30 in rotary mower is a very good and powerfull machine. With snowblower inbeatable . Good luck ! Oldmech

 

[Charlesaf3]

yep, L8 is key. Standard gravely speeds are too fast - they think you are mowing a golf course or some such

 

[Eric_Phillips]

I have found a 1958 L8. I am hoping I can convince the wife to get this one. It comes with a tiller and snow blower. I could use the snow blower this winter to see how I like it compared to my TroyBuilt.