Flail Mower Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25

   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #1  

tijbo

New member
Joined
Nov 1, 2008
Messages
5
Location
Kingwood, West Virginia
Tractor
Kubota BX25
I found out about a used Bush Hog that has been sitting unused in a barn for some years. Don't know how old it is and haven't seen it yet. Spare used blade is with it, so thinking they must have busted one at some point and bought a new pair. When I go look at it, I would like to know what to watch out for. Never bought any used tractor stuff before. Seems obvious that the pto connection & the gears to blades are in working order. I assume the only way to really check it will be to attach it to my tractor (BX25) and run it. Guess the FEL should be left on since the rear weight might cause me to do wheelies. Thinking of offering $200 to $300 if nothing is broken; is that a reasonable price? I didn't see any similar threads after a few searches - sorry if this is a repeat to a common question!

Thanks - Todd.
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #2  
Check for gear box play and oil leaks. Look under the mower to see if there is oil on top of the blade holder / stump jumper. This would indicate the bottom seal is leaking.

Blades should swing easily and you should be able to turn the PTO shaft by hand unless there are weeds etc. growing under the deck.

Price depends on condition.
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #3  
Look at the blades that are on it also , they should show about the same wear if not they may be out of balance causing some vibration when in use . If you could try it out that would be of help in making a decision . I would want to check the oil level in the gear box and check all the things mentioned above .
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #4  
In addition to what has been said, check the PTO shaft to make to sure both u-joints are ok, and that it will fit your PTO shaft. Most likely, it will be the standard 6 spline 1 3/8". Slide the shafts in, then back out, they should move in/out freely. If not, they may just need a good shot of grease on them.

For the deck, look for bends, breaks, welds/repairs, and any rust or rust through. Look at the tailwheel, you probably won't be able to pick it up (without hooking the mower up to a tractor) and spin it, but you can probably see if it has any side to side play, which may indicate worn bearings.

Only other thing would be to pull the fill plug on the gearbox and check the oil level. It if it looks pretty low, that could be an indication of a leak. That's about all I can think of.

As for the value, not really enough info to go on.
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Thanks for all three of your replies - it's great to have someone to bounce quesitons off of.

The unit doesn't have any evidence of gearbox leakage, tail wheel is fine and the blades spin by hand. Using the serial number, I know it is older than a 2008 model listed for sale online.

Now for a followup question: the lower control arms for my Kubota Category 1 3-pt hitch are 18 inches apart; would you steer me away from loosening them and spreading them out to approx. 32" to attach to the BH, or look for some other non-Kubota hitch option?
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #6  
You should be able to loosen the turnbuckles on your lower links and hook up to the rotary cutter with no problem.
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #7  
A category 1 hitch on an implement is supposed to have the lower pins 26" apart. 32" is the Category 2 spec. That little 48" cutter should not have lower pins that are 32" apart.

And your BX25's lift arms should be able to accommodate that width. You just don't want to spread them out so much, and leave too much sway in the lower linkage, that the lift arms can hit the inside of the rear tires.
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25 #8  
Make sure the stump jumper isn't bent or loose on the drive spindle.
 
   / Bush Hog 48 - seeking advice from someone familiar with attachment to Kubota BX25
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Make sure the stump jumper isn't bent or loose on the drive spindle.
Hey all, thanks for all your comments! It's taken me 8 years to do replies but I figure my update might help others make a similar decision. I ended up buying that BushHog Squealer in 2014 for $500 and realized over the years that it was a good deal. The thing is a tank. It loses some of the gear lube oil - it's not a fast leak. I regularly check it and grease all the joints. It's about the largest size I would want to put on a little BX25, but the PTO has plenty of power to turn it through some heavy grasses, sometimes 2 - 3 feet tall. The Kubota 3-pt hitch works well with it. Fits easily if you loosen up the turnbuckles, slip the lower links on to the pins, then tighten them up again.
 
 
 
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