BCS Bush mower questions

[ottawarob]

I've seen around the forum you are very passionate about your flails!

I don't think any of the BX line will run a flail mower.

I'm pretty happy to walk behind the BCS or sulky it, I'm just concerned about my time.

Hello ottowarob,

The BX1870 is an option but the belly mower will plug up as sure as sin with tall brush and
lawn mower spindles are very expensive to replace.

If your time is an issue then the BX1870 is a better fit. Using an entry level flail mower like the three point hitch mounted Caroni 48 inch finish mower with 4 rows of side slicer knives would work well and cost less than a Kubota belly mower.

I am unsure how much a quick hitch front mount Kubota flail mower would cost but they are available in your part of Canada as well but you may need to move up one power class to a B series to own one.

I candidly do not like my rotary mower as it is more trouble than its worth(like most of them) and the Kubota belly mowers use the mid mount PTO with a center gearbox and belt drive for the outside spindles so keep that in mind when you go shopping.

A rear mounted flail mower has a belt drive that is easier to service and repair just like a towed motorized flail mower has.

When I took care of my fathers place it required mowing six acres of good sod grass at least once a week and the six foot belly mower was an energy hog and left lots of grass to pick up too. A flail mower will shred and recut the brush and grass
a rotary mower will not and if you expect to turn it into lawn your going to have to do a lot of raking unless you buy a lawn sweeper.

It tool four hours to mow six acres with the towed flail mower and I burned a gallon and a half of gasoline in the flail mower and the same amount in the wheel horse tractor when I used the wheel horse to just tow the pick up flail mower.

I used double the gas or more when I used the wheel horse tractor alone and I still had to pick up the clippings if they were heavy anyway.

Just go in with your eyes open and do not commit to anything until you talk to a BCS owner with a Berta flail mower attachment if you are really set on owning one.

You can also talk to Joel at Earth Tools also about this and if you decide to pursue it you can buy a BCS or a Grillo from him ready to work as he always runs the machines for a few hours on his truck farm before he sells them or ships them to the new owners to make sure there are no problems with it.

 

[leonz]

Any of the BX series mules will run a three point hitch mounted 4 foot flail mower whether its a finish flail
or a rough cut flail with the cup/scoop/duckfoot knives.

 

[CodeMonkey]

I use a 28" Berta on a Grillo 107 (gas) and if my land were flat/level (which it most certainly is not) then I would get a sulky and mow in second gear instead of first. Yes, it will be slower than a sickle, but as mentioned it will also chop up what you are mowing a lot better than anything else.

I am thinking I am going to put my sickle mower back on for this spring to get the bulk of stuff and then go back to the flail for the tight spots, then leave the flail on for the rest of the summer.

My flail doesn't clog unless I get into saplings over 1" thick and some of my grass is higher than my waist.

 

[joecoin]

I've got a Del Morino 26” Brush Mower on a Grillo 107d gas tractor. I mow for hours with it, no problem. It will cut much thicker brush than a flail mower. I am clearing around 15 acres with it. Yes it is taking a long time. I'm not in a hurry. If you don't have to cut anything over an inch or so I'd say go with the flail, but if you have thicker stuff you should use the brush hog.

Since you are in Ontario you probably can get away with mowing the rough twice or maybe three times a season. Unless you want to keep it short.

When I'm going to mow somewhere I have not yet mowed,I run the mower through without the blades engaged (if it's not too thick of brush) That way I can find any surprises before they find me.

 

[jeepcoma]

I'll throw in another vote for the flair for your purposes. I think it does a great combination of

• clearing land for the first time
• maintaining "clean" land that's overgrown or not mowed regularly
• decently fast mowing short grass

There are more special purpose tools that do any one of those better, but compromise on the other two.

If I was only interested in clearing land, and maybe mowing thicker stuff once or so a year, I would consider a brush hog style implement. I haven't used one personally, but I suspect it's a bit better at whacking down the heavier woody shrubs and small trees. The results won't look pretty though and I have no idea what it would look like as a lawn mower, though I'd guess it would leave the grass windrowed to one side in a clump (at best).

For land that's already known to be "clean" (no rocks, obstacles, fallen down t-posts, etc), the dual action cutter bars work very well and get the job done fast. I don't use mine to do first-time cutting (or even medium duty cutting) - they just aren't as durable as the other implements, and the wider bars when hitting an obstacles at higher speeds will put a LOT of stress on the PTO and mounting areas. They do OK at lawn mowing too, as long as you don't let the grass get too high so you don't have big material left behind. With the faster cutting speed it allows you may cut twice as often and still spend less time mowing.

I never looked much at the lawn mower implements, they might produce a neater cut than the flail but I don't think any will be faster in operation. With my G110d, for heavy grass I'm in 2nd gear usually close to max throttle. This moves you along at about 1.8-2.0 MPH. The type of "heavy grass" I'm thinking of is already too thick for a riding mower with a cutting deck (and I know this because my neighbor has one and asked me to cut some sections for him that he couldn't do). For thinner grass, it's possible to be in 3rd gear at lower throttle for a pretty quick walking speed of about 3.0-3-5 MPH, which is about as fast as I can comfortably go for extended periods. You get a good workout for sure in 3rd gear. At higher speeds it doesn't cut as nice though, as it tends to bounce around more and lift the front end of the mower a bit. Only for the heaviest grass do I ever need 1st gear, and sometimes have to shift out of gear to finish mulching what's already been cut so the engine doesn't stall.

If you really want a sulky or golf course perfect lawns, I don't think a 2-wheel is your best choice. Get a dedicated ZTR mower instead. A sulky does NOT let you mow faster, except maybe under perfect conditions. In any case, I wouldn't want to be riding behind one of these things any faster than I can walk, and you're going to have to stop and slow to turn around anyway so your actual time savings might be a wash.

 

[ottawarob]

I ended up getting a BCS 853 with the rotary bush mower. So far it's been performing admirably, the brush is really high here, here's a photo of it chomping up 6 foot tall stinging nettle. Can confirm this thing blows through small trees.

Ideally I would have the BCS bush mower, sickle, flail and finish mower for this property... but between this and my lawn tractor I can cover most of my bases.

 

[joecoin]

That's a beautiful sight. If you keep whacking away on a regular basis those weeds will give way to grass down the road. Then you could get a finish mower for places your lawn tractor can't get to. (If you have any such spots.)

 

[ottawarob]

That's a beautiful sight. If you keep whacking away on a regular basis those weeds will give way to grass down the road. Then you could get a finish mower for places your lawn tractor can't get to. (If you have any such spots.)

I do indeed! I hope to get the finish mower + wheel extensions for some steep spots on my long driveway that are unsafe on the lawn tractor.

I hope to put a big garden here someday, or at least convert it to anything other than a huge nettle patch. :laughing:

 

[NGOG NRYTHRNG]

ottawarob:
Looks a bit like mine.

Hoping you can answer a few questions.

1. Can you attach a photo of the gear oil dipstick? I have a lonely thread here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/2-wheeled-tractors/382066-bcs-853-gear-dipstick.html

2. How easy is it for you to get the mower started? Do you bump the clutch, if so how many times at what RPM? Another thread with questions here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/2-wheeled-tractors/380825-bought-used-bcs-853-need.html

3. Any experience with using a stationary attachment, like a chipper, and keeping the operator presence control engaged? Yet another thread here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/2-wheeled-tractors/382067-bcs-853-operator-presence-control.html#post4808708. At this point it really looks like a rubber band or hook and loop strap is the answer. Pretty cheesy for the cost of these machines...

 

[ottawarob]

Hey Ngog, I'll add what info I can to your threads! I'll let you know about the dipstick soon, gotta do the first oil change soon...

ottawarob:
Looks a bit like mine.

Hoping you can answer a few questions.

1. Can you attach a photo of the gear oil dipstick? I have a lonely thread here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/2-wheeled-tractors/382066-bcs-853-gear-dipstick.html

2. How easy is it for you to get the mower started? Do you bump the clutch, if so how many times at what RPM? Another thread with questions here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/2-wheeled-tractors/380825-bought-used-bcs-853-need.html

3. Any experience with using a stationary attachment, like a chipper, and keeping the operator presence control engaged? Yet another thread here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/2-wheeled-tractors/382067-bcs-853-operator-presence-control.html#post4808708. At this point it really looks like a rubber band or hook and loop strap is the answer. Pretty cheesy for the cost of these machines...