BX1500 gets Strike One

   / BX1500 gets Strike One #1  

Jammer

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
28
Hi everyone. Been reading all the good forum advice for quite some time. Well it is time to replace the old tractor. I've been leaning towards getting a little Kubota from all of the good reviews you guys are giving them. Well I was 'lucky' enough to rent a little BX1500 with a few attachments for the week so I could put it through its paces and see if it is right for me. Right off the bat I was impressed by the little thing. Build quality is awesome. It had all of the levers and pedals and stuff just like a real bigger tractor. So off to job one, and that was to mow the grass. I thought this machine with the diesel would knock it down to size in no time. I was wrong !! Not only did it bog down severely, but the bagger couldn't suck up the grass, and I had to unclog it a dozen times till I just gave up. I had to creep along real slow. My grass may have been a little long and thick I admit bit It is definitely underpowerd for the task. I took the bagger unit off and things went a little better, but not a lot better. I thought that this little machine would maneuver tight around things, like my little old crafsman , but I had to keep backing up to take a closer cut around the trees. Now my wife is mad because the "turf" tires started tearing up the grass in a few spots. To add to my embarrassment, my neighbor drove over with his big AWS Deere tractor and offered to finish up because it was getting dark and my front yard was half mowed. Hate to say it but he finished my front and back lawns and bagged it as if he wasn't cutting much off at all. Watching that AWS in action was quite a sight I must admit. Maybe if the grass wasn't so long the Kubota might do OK .but Plus I should add that the comfort level on that Kubota left something to be desired. Now my legs aren't long by any means, but the pedal is just too close for me. After an hour and a half of having my knee bent I was getting a cramp. It fit good for my young boy though. Tonight I am giving the tiller a run to see how well it performs So when it comes to cutting my lawn, this little Kubota definitely struck-out! I'll let y'all know how well the tiller and front-loader work out.
 
   / BX1500 gets Strike One #2  
One question! Being a rental, did you check the blades to see if they were sharp. I used a B6100 with a 4' rear finish mower for years and only had that kind of problem when the blades were in bad shape.

Vernon
 
   / BX1500 gets Strike One
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Tex
My thoughts exactly at the time. I drove the machine up the front of a large boulder to take a look under the deck. The blades looked brand new. It didn't look as though the deck had ever been used before except for a few scratches on the outside. I think that running a mower deck with that PTO blower is just way too much for that cute little tractor.
 
   / BX1500 gets Strike One #4  
Running the bagger on a machine with 50% more power, I will say that it can suck up some energy. Combine that with thick grass and I can see a 1500 bogging down.

I will say that the bagger stinks (doesn't suck, if you will) if the grass is even the least bit wet. It just doesn't make it through the tube connecting the deck to the PTO impeller...definitely the weak link in the arrangement. You will notice that many other applications have a blower attached to the discharge side of the mower deck, thereby "re-energizing" the debris to make the trip to the back of the machine.

But if the grass/leaves are dry, there is no stopping the setup (except for a sideways twig in the chute) (or a stick in the impeller that breaks your shear pin) (or running over a big pile of leaves at 8 MPH). If you have 22 hp available, of course.
 
   / BX1500 gets Strike One
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Well the grass was totally dry when I started out with it. Later as it was starting to get dark the dew was starting to settle on everything. Thats when the Deere came over. His machine didn't plug up the least bit. It had a blower on the side of the deck. Maybe that matters. I don't know, the machine looks as though it holds promise to get the job done, but I think right now that looks are deceiving. I'm trying the tiller tonight. Depending on how that goes, maybe I might have to look at a bigger mahine, or at least more powerful one. I like the compact size of the little Kubota though, and the price is right too. I think I'm just a little 'upset' with having to get bailed out by a Deere garden tractor.
 
 
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