Front-End Loader Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie)

   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #1  

jtg3i

New member
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
2
Location
Harvard, MA
Tractor
Kubota G2160DS
Hi,
I'm a newbie soon to be owner of a BX25 TLB with snowblower and possibly mower...therein lies my question, whether to keep my current mowing machine and get the BX without mower, or trade my current mower in and use the BX as an all-in-one machine with mower. I've read that removal /re-attach of the FEL and BH are easy and quick, so I'd plan to remove them while mowing...But the opposite...the mower can be more tricky and time-consuming to remove and re-attach, so...frequent removing and re-attaching of the mower might become a pain in the butt, if I'm doing that whenever i'm using the BX for other than mowing (spring-summer-fall).

I'm on 10 acres of hilly, fairly rugged land with rocks, trees / branches down, stumps, etc. all over the place...which I hope to clean up over time with help from the BX. Would you suggest i'd definitely want the mower removed during any of that activity, to avoid damaging it and to give me clearance to work? If i had a few projects on a weekend, start by removing the mower to do some digging / loading, then re-attach to do some mowing, then remove again to do some more digging / loading...that could be a pain.

A simple but expensive solution is to not trade in my current mowing machine, keep it around just for mowing (will cost me around $3-4k in trade value), which is hard to justify. So if that's not an option, what's your normal practice as far as removing the mower when working in rugged terrain?

Tom
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #2  
:welcome: Be a fleet owner
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #3  
I'm not sure what you are doing with the BH, but I would worry about damage to the expen$ive mower deck from falling rocks, stumps, going over mounds of stuff, etc etc when using the bh.
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #4  
I'm with john_bud... if your land is hilly, rugged with rocks and stumps, you don't want to be running thru that with your mower deck on.
don't know what your current mowing machine is, but will selling it off pay for the BX deck ?
I got my BX24 used, it came with a 54" deck and I considered selling my TG1860... until I used the BX to mow my lawn and ran the ROPs(folded) into many low hanging branches. haven't used it to mow since.
I would say with practice you could remove FEL & BH and mount the mower deck in 30 minutes.
Maybe others will chime in with opinions.

Pete
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #5  
If your mower is good then keep it and get the BX less the mower deck. You will thank all of us who suggest building your fleet later. It is so handy to be able to switch between the two separate machines on a weekend without having to R/R the mower deck. You will have more time to get things done.
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie)
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks guys for the input. Pete, sounds like you kept your old mower. i might do the same. Certainly don't want to shorten the life of the BX mower by bumping it on rocks and such. Sounds like the skid plate would be a good idea too. OK i'm leaning in that direction now, to keep the mower. You guys are great!

Tom
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #7  
I firmly believe that mid mount mowers are successful when used as a dedicated mowing machine, not as a multipurpose item.
Not all will agree.
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #8  
Jeepers! What a shock! :eek: The guys on the forum willing to spend someone else's money on tractors....




Just kidding. Always remember, when you have to choose between 2 tractors the best advice is to buy both!
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #9  
If your mower is in good condition, keep it and get the BX without the deck for now. After you have cleared and leveled most of the land you can re-evaluate your mowing needs. May find that neither the mid-mount or current mower are enough and have to go to someting different. Without a trade in you might be able to negogiate a better out righ price on the BX.
 
   / Loader / Backhoe work with or without Mower attached (newbie) #10  
If you get the BX, the first thing you should do is put the skid-plates on it to protect the hydro fan. If things are as ruff as you say, it will save your *****. There are a couple available aftermarket. You will love the BX25.
 
 
 
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