BX24 - Rotary or MMM?

[JWK1]

Hi All,

My wife and I are pretty sure we're going to go with the BX24 for our five acres. I was going to get the MMM, but I'm seriously considering going with the back mount type rotary mower. The reason for this is that I fully anticipate needing the BH and FEL for work in between most mowings. I've got some stumps, ground evening, garden bed digging, driveway trench digging for drainage, etc. The list goes on and on. If I have time I might even put in some fence posts for small livestock.

The point being that I don't want a MMM on while I'm doing all this if nothing more than the lack of ground clearance. It would be a real pain negotiating through the woods or brush with that thing on. I plan on getting a skid plate.

If you worked like this in between most mowings, would you go with a rotary rather than the MMM? Just wondering if you think my reasoning is sound and in perspective.

What is the recommended size rotary for the BX24? Any make recommended other than Kubota? Are used readily available and worth it?

We have somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0 acres of grass to cut and a lot of it is long, open stretches. We'll finish up around trees with the walk behind. Heck, we've been doing the whole thing with the walk behind for the past three years! I can't imaging taking a MMM off and on every week after what I've read here. Sounds to me like it's something you want on most of the time, not the other way around.

Any advice?

Edit to add: I also don't understand the difference between a pull behind and a 3 pt mower. Can someone explain? Thanks.

 

[Just2quickz28]

I have a BX 24 with the MMM to mow about 1 arce of my back yard and 1 arce of feild that still has rocks here and there. I took the MMM over a 3pt mower mostly because I do not have a garage yet to keep the backhoe when its not attached to the tractor and I do not think it will be easy to take it off then move it into my car port. Also I like to be able to mow a bit of the feild and if I hit a rock I can stop mowing pull it out with the backhoe and fill in the hole with the FEL without a hassel.

As far as negotiating trails and woods with the mid mount mower on, ( I do not have a skid plate yet) I dont seem to find it an issue unless I am spending all day out in the woods with the machine.

 

[JWK1]

I have a nice pole barn with three doors. I can fit two small cars deep in one bay. One bay will be for the BX24 and attachments, so that's not a problem.

If I'm out in the woods working, it probably will be all day or at least most of it.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Just2quickz28]

Then I guess a 3pt mower is on your list removing the backhoe is easy as long as you have a concrete slab to put it on. I use a peice of plywood on the ground and it seems to work, many have build dollys for the backhoe to move it around workshops.

 

[Tom_H]

As far as a rotary unit for the rear, an RFM (rear finish mower) is for the lawn and a rotary cutter, aka brush hog, rough cutter is for cutting rough material. This unit comes in light, medium, and heavy duty models. Light is for pasture grass, rough for weeds and up to 2" dia. sapplings; medium is in between those. I am unsure as to whether you are talking about a rear finish mower or a rough cutter when you talk about a unit for the rear.

I have a 40" Heavy Duty Gearmore rough cutter for cutting brush and a 60" MMM for my lawn. I can get either one on or off in 3 minutes. I never leave my MMM on when doing loader or 3ph work. I have a dolly made of 1/2" ply and sixteen 2" swivel casters. I don't change wheel positions. I just drop the MMM on the dolly, unhitch the front & lift arms, lift the arms, & push the dolly with my foot, out she rolls. I can then pull the other end of the mid-PTO receiver. Getting it on is just as easy. The dolly needs a little lip on the sides and holes at the bottom of the spindle points so the blades and PTO receiver can rotate freely when docking.

I think you would prefer the cut and handling of an MMM over an RFM. A good rough cutter for the brush is probably around $800. Skill and experience with a dolly and the MMM makes off/on a snap.

 

[JWK1]

Thanks for the info. I was talking about either a RFM or a light rough cutter. The dolly idea is just the ticket for me with the MMM.

Can someone tell me if the MMM goes on with a skid plate attached? I would think it would be designed so, but you never know.

 

[Volfandt]

Woods has a great rep for RFM's / rotary cutters and King Cutter seems to be popular also. Theres more out there and perhaps more will respond. I've seen both at my local TSC and CoOp.

I have a 60" MMM on my BX23 and it probably takes around 10 - 15 minutes for me to R&R it. I just spin the anti scalp wheels to roll it in and out and the only snag I hit is every now and then when hooking the MMM's drive shaft up. But it's not enough to where I don't mind to R&R the mower. The key is to hook it up before you hook up the mounting pins. Course I have a concrete floor which makes R&R 100% easier than dirt or gravel will provide.

As which is easier to R&R, the RFM/Rotary Cutter is definitely easier but at the price of it not being as manuverable as the MMM and some will argue that the finish cut quality is not as good as a suspended MMM either.
I'm very happy with the finish cut of my MMM but I've never used a RFM on my property so I can't personally comment if one gives a better finish cut or not, I can only repeat what I've read here and on other sites.
I have regularly used a rotary cutter and they are not designed to compete with the finish cut quality of a finish mower but they are what you need to cut seldom cut fields etc. Their cut is acceptable for a field but they are definitely not a finish mower for a lawn.

You definitely want a skid plate on if you don't run a MMM or also in the case where you do run a MMM but dismount it to go into the woods or in other rough terrain.
Bro Tek makes a two piece skid plate. The original rear section protects the HST filter and HST cooling fan and is permanent mount and can remain mounted with the MMM mounted. It even has access holes to service the HST without removeing it.
The front add-on section has to be removed when the MMM is mounted as there is a clearance problem with the MMM's gear box. I believe it's easy on/off and it provides additional protection for the fuel pump and filter and driveshaft. In the OEM configuration these parts are pretty safe but they can be damaged when the BX is operated in heavy debris fields.

In my case I made up a homemade skid plate to protect the filter and fan when I dismount the MMM and it mounts onto the same pins the MMM mounts to. Takes about a minute to mount and it provides me some basic protection. There have been others that made much better plates and a simple search shpuld turn up their plans.

Good luck on your purchase.

 

[sqidget]

I have a Bro-Tek skid plate mounted that fits with the mid mount mower. I prefer the MMM. I can install the MMM in less time than installing the 3 pt assy and then attaching the rfm. I also am very impressed with the clearance the deck has when fully raised.

 

[Jabroni]

Then I guess a 3pt mower is on your list removing the backhoe is easy as long as you have a concrete slab to put it on.......

I was going to say the same thing except I often remove the hoe to install my grass collector, which by the way is an excellent unit! All you need is a reasonable flat section of back yard to leave the hoe on. The FEL though is a dog to put back on unless the surface it sits on is dead level.

 

[lovemytoys]

about how much are these skid plates