Mid-Mount Mower thoughts on kubota bagger for bx24 w/ 60" mmm?

[ampsucker]

i've read the threads i could find on TBN. seems like the consensus is generally:

- good performance of the bagger
- need to empty (too) frequently
- pita to attach and take off

just priced it at the dealer for $1820. he told me there are two different attachment types and i need the type that works with a backhoe mount like the bx24 has. i do not know if this is the "easier" type to attach i've read about. seems like some folks think there was a redesign of the bagger attachment but his book doesn't show that - only with backhoe and without.

i am needing a solution to pick up leaves and grass clippings when it gets too thick to spread evenly over the lawn. normally, i am anti bag and prefer returning the clippings and leaves for the nutrients as they decompose.

but i do garden and orchard, so having my own source of compost in bulk appeals to me.

and, there are times (like right now) when the grass gets so thick in the wet places i just can't get to it to mow it down until it's two feet tall or more. then, when i do cut it, it leaves windrows that mat down and damage the lawn. it may not actually kill the grass under it but it provides a breeding ground for fungus and bacteria and it yellows up in long rows until the next time i can get in to mow and disperse it to a new location.

my long term plan would be to eventually convert the kubota bagger to a glorified blower and fill a tow behind trailer with it so i don't have to dump it as often. that take care of the frequent dumping problem.

i know there are cyclone rakes and dr products etc. but don't want to maintain another engine.

my other option would be to try to fab something up or find a used kubota bagger from someone who didn't like it or is selling their machine, etc.

the dealer also told me their rep keeps mentioning a larger bagger that is currently being built by kubota. i don't know the details, perhaps a clamshell or tow behind type model? he couldn't tell me when it might be available but i would imagine this year sometime if they are starting to discuss it being in production.

any further thoughts, pros and cons, etc. would be appreciated! i've lived with the problem a couple of years now, so i can last a little longer....

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[ampsucker]

oh, did i mention the spiders? our grass is infested with spiders during the dry summer months! when i've bagged with the smaller mower, it gives me the creeps to be dumping all that grass and cleaning out the bags with my bare hands and arms.

hey, i know the spiders are harmless. i like 'em as much as the next guy for keeping the insects down. it just creeps me out, ok?

i would prefer a trailer that dumps so i can just back up, dump, and drive away and keep on mowin'....

is that really asking for too much???

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[ChuckinNH]

Trac Vac makes some pto trailer collectors that might be more like what you are looking for. I do my leaves, and such with a 10 bushel three bag collector, and it has to be emptied too much, but it gets the job done. I have hundreds of bushels that I make great compost with my avtar is piles of the compost I've just turned. All leaves, etc. from the yard.

 

[ampsucker]

thanks a ton, chuckinnh! this is what i was looking for pretty much.

Trac Vac Model 854, 854-BX, 856 Lawn Vac

the 854-bx is the pto version for the BX. i have searched google many times looking for something like this but could never come up with the right product.

now that i know what to look for, i see there are several threads on TBN about this unit.

looks like pricing is in the 2300 range delivered....

amp

 

[ChuckinNH]

Glad I could help a bit. The pricing looks very comparable for what Kubota wants for the 3 bag / 10 bushel system they have, and it's probably easier to hook up too.

 

[CHDinCT]

Glad I could help a bit. The pricing looks very comparable for what Kubota wants for the 3 bag / 10 bushel system they have, and it's probably easier to hook up too.

Chuck, where did you see pricing? Thanks in advance

 

[radioman]

you did see the European model of bagger right from kubota?

 

[ampsucker]

having trouble locating a local dealer. both of the dealers i was referred to (about 20 miles away) didn't think they could get trac vac stuff. both are checking and calling me back.

my nearest confirmed dealer is in st.charles mo - about 6 hour drive from me.

i called the factory in indiana. they are showing a list price on the 2009 854-bx of around $2700. they said prices went up that much in the last year.

as far as the new kubota bagger goes, i don't know if it's the euro model they are considering offering up for sale in the states or something new they are working on.

guess i'm in holding pattern until something new develops with kubota or i can find a decent deal on a pre-owned trac-vac.

amp

 

[ampsucker]

oh, fwiw, the kubota dealer said there was only one kubota bagger in our region when he checked the inventory. it was in a wharehouse in tx.

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[ChuckinNH]

Chuck, where did you see pricing? Thanks in advance

The pricing on the Kubota 3 bag unit is on the build your tractor part of the Kubota web site under the tractor you have. The pricing for the Trac Vac was something that ampsucker mentioned. Perhaps he found it on the Trac Vac web site?

 

[ChuckinNH]

you did see the European model of bagger right from kubota?

Yes, there are faint rumors of a larger / different collection system here too.

 

[CHDinCT]

The pricing on the Kubota 3 bag unit is on the build your tractor part of the Kubota web site under the tractor you have. The pricing for the Trac Vac was something that ampsucker mentioned. Perhaps he found it on the Trac Vac web site?

Thanks, I was wondering about the Trac Vac PTO version pricing, but now seeing that posted subsequently by Ampsucker, I think I'll be sticking with my separate engine driven cyclone rake version. I bought the CR to use with my Wheel Horse, but having the BX now, I am going round and round on whether and how to hook it to the BX. PTO drive was not an option with the WH, and the BX plus CR makes for a pretty lenghtly set up for my obstacled property. And after 16 years of use, the WH belt driven fan for the bagger is about to die.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I just got the info in the mail from CR, and their stuff looks pretty good. Perhaps they can supply the parts you need to get it on your BX. My Simplicity must be one of the very few left side discharge machines, and that makes it tough to find other solutions. I do like the fan powered "turbo 3 bag collector" on my Legacy very much, but it does fill up very fast in leaf season. It is compact, and very easy to install, and remove though, and I could get a 17 bushel wagon for it that is also pretty compact....... The setup is similar to JD's "powerflo", and uses a fan run by one of the mower spindles for added boost.

 

[ampsucker]

i had another thought that might help out.

the trac-vac website shows they can make custom deck adaptors for different mower models. i have an email into them to see if i can buy just the adaptor and the three point blower and then use my own hoses and trailer.

that might get the price point down and would also be a potential solution to those thinking of trying to adapt pieces from a different bagger system to a new tractor.

will post up the response from trac-vac when it comes. previous posts indicate they are good/easy to work with, so hoping this might pan out.

not luck on finding anything in the usual used market channels.

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[ampsucker]

just got the pricing back from trac-vac.

the 3pt pto blower assembly by itself is $1950. that includes the 8" hoses.

the mower deck attachment is $200.

he said he thought it might cost 145-175 to truck ship the parts to me in kansas. no state tax (yet! - congress is working on this!)

so, for $2300 or so i could have the parts to fire clippings into my own trailer. that is compared to the $2900 a new trac-vac 854-bx costs and the $1850 kubota wants for their current design which everybody pretty much agrees is too small.

i'm thinking pretty hard about it. i could see it saving me a lot in mulch costs over the years (we have a lot of trees and garden space - probably buy 100 bucks worth of hardwood mulch a year) plus will make the yard look nicer and make my job of keeping up with the grass and leaves a lot easier. i don't know though, it is a lot of money for a "toy" when i could spend it on other things.

plus, i'll still have to build a cover for my dump cart. can i do it for less than $600 counting my time? yep, i think i can...

hmmmm..... decisions, decisions....

amp

 

[ChuckinNH]

Well, I don't know that I could function without some kind of collection system. It has made life so much easier come fall leaf time, spring dethatch time, and sometimes when the grass gets a little ahead of me. I do three + acres with a 10 bushel three bag collector, and do make a lot of trips to the compost pile, but it sure beats raking! My avtar shows some of the compost I've made in the last year, or so with leaves mostly, and frequent turning.

 

[pintodeluxe]

Unless you are mowing a huge area, the baggers don't have to be emptied too often. In the peak season I empy my bags 2-3x while mowing 2 acres. I like the exercise.
Installing / removing bagger isn't bad on a level concrete surface.

In the U.S., the only Kubota bagger that dumps from the driver seat is the direct shoot system on their riding mowers.
Or you could do what this goofy SOB does:
YouTube - Lawn Tractor Leaf Bag-Chute Adapter Kit