Check out the new BCS models available from Earth Tools.

[Bentleg]

739, 740, 750 now available from Earth Tools. Hydraulic clutches and no transport speed.

Walk-Behind Tractors

Wonder how long the older models will be available.

[Ford850]

hmmm. So 750 is at the top of the heap and no more diesels.

[farmerboybill]

No diesels on the hydraulic clutch models. You can still get diesels on the 852 and 853, as well as the Grillo models. As long as Joel can get the 852/3, he will sell them. Not only will he sell them, but he will sell them over and above the hydraulic clutch models.

What I want to know is how much the 740 will be after they stop offering the 853. They were initially going to be $800 more then an 853, but BCS America swallowed nearly the entire increase, along with increasing the price of the 853. You can be sure that BCS America will not continue to swallow the increase for long.

I'm pretty excited to see the BCS lineup at the MOSES organic conference the last weekend in February. They didn't have a hydro clutch model on display last year. You can bet I'll be asking them some questions about them.

[Bentleg]

Looking forward to your report.

[rrp5064]

Speaking of the new models; is there any word of the easydrive models coming to the states some time soon? I have a BCS 853 and am thinking about buying a 740 demo unit if I can get it for the right price. If the BCS easydrive is coming soon I may be tempted to wait and see what they are like. Thanks

[TimberXX]

I am all about wheel tractors, but for $4800, I could pick up a used 4 wheel tractor.

Do you think BCS will price itself our of the market?

Will Grillo follow with the hydro clutch?

[farmerboybill]

No, they will not. UN rules had to be followed by last year. Grillo came up with a different configuration to meet the rules. Joel simply orders them without the "upgrade".

Don't get me wrong, BCS does make a good machine. What I have against BCS is they have decided to cram this technology down our throats simply because they had to comply with the UN safety rules and this is what they come up with. Spread the costs, so to speak. BCS seems like they're starting to lose their way. Have you seen the 739? They put forth the effort to cram in a third gear and install brakes, BUT then put the brakes on a common cable and made them a PARKING BRAKE!?! Who wants a parking brake on a two wheel tractor over steering brakes?? Frankly, I think they see that thing as a competitor to the 107d, but it isn't.

This more expensive machine will not necessarily price them out of the market, but it will make the Grillo an even more attractive alternative. The 107d costs $2800 in gasoline and $4000 in diesel. It's slightly smaller than an 853 or 740 (more useful than a 739), but it'll handle any attachment they will, though maybe with a smaller working width on some. Coupled with the fact that a Grillo dealer can get twice as many attachments as a BCS dealer, it sure opens the door wider for Grillo.

Now, if we had a slightly larger model that competed directly with the 853/740 (and 749 that will replace the 740) that would accept the same sized attachments, but cost around $3000-$3500.......... Stay tuned.

[farmerboybill]

BTW, if you wanna see Grillo's answer to the UN rules, check out this video. It shows him taking off at about 1 min 30.

[Bentleg]

I think I read somewhere that BCS had to instal a parking brake since the hydraulic clutch releases when the motor stops. Its to keep the tractor from rolling around in a truck or trailer when being hauled or parked on a hill. Still kind of silly...

[rrp5064]

How did Grillo meet the UN requirements? The video does not really show anything that I could tell. The Grillo is a good value, but their web page shows about the same amount of attachments as the BCS page. I know that Joel can get alot of attachments not available directly from either company.

When I saw the 739 I assumed that it had the same transmission as a 740, just a smaller engine and no steering brakes. Is it completely new transmission?

Russ