BCS or DR? Ferrari vs Chevelle?

[nomad289]

Gio: checked the BCS brush mower specs today; it is indeed a 1/4" bush hog type blade. Expect it would be as good or better than DR.

Bill: Thanks for the great link showing the flail mower in action. The terrain and brush being cut along the stream bank is almost exactly the application I would be using. The flail mower also looked less "front heavy" than the "bush-hog" type brush mowers. The steering brakes seem like a really good idea, wish they had them on the smaller models. Good advice, thanks.

 

[Gio]

Bill, Thanks for the link and the sound advice. I am going to give Earth tools a buzz and weigh my options.

Nomad, thanks for the spec check.

 

[Coloradoan]

Hi Gio:

Did you decide what to get? I went with Ferrari after driving a Chevelle.

I was asking similar questions this year. I used a 26" DR Brush Mower with a 17HP Kawasaki for 10 years on our mountain property. Originally I had the same misgivings like Bill in WI about the marketing-driven DR operation but overall I found it a decently designed and built machine. It served me reasonably well but when I lost it in a fire I decided to not replace it and go with the BCS platform instead. Here are my gripes about the DR:

- I did not like it to be "single purpose". At 17hp the DR really is a walk-behind tractor but with a very small number of options. It seems they understand it because they offer a few more implements now than 10 years ago but some of them seem like an afterthought. The belt drive instead of a PTO is a limitation. It's not really a platform like true walk-behind tractors.

- The belt-drive causes power transfer losses. I think that's why the engine has to be so big.

- The big engine sits high above the axle and raises the center of gravity. This doesn't matter if you mow a fairly level property but it's an immediate problem on slopes.

- The mower wants to roll when you mow across the hill and you end up manhandling it to keep the upper wheel on the ground. You don't just "walk behind".

- If you mow up the hill you must pull up on the handlebars to keep the mower deck on the ground and prevent a wheelie; down the hill it's nose-heavy and you must suspend yourself on the handlebars to prevent the mower deck skids from "plowing" the ground (my neighbors like to watch me doing the calisthenics, I think).

- The limited slip differential is truly "limited". It rarely prevents a wheel from slipping. I've heard that some owners retrofitted a real lockable differential.

- The handlebars seem flimsy and too flexible for such a heavy machine.

- There are no steering brakes. When you mow across the hill and the deck tends to pull downhill you must keep it going straight with the handlebars.

- The machine is built more like a motorcycle than like a small tractor; it did not do poorly in 10 years of seasonal use but it would affect longer term or heavier use durability.

All that said I liked the machine well enough to not seriously think about a replacement until the fire. It's not cheap but it's less than a comparable 2-wheel tractor with a mower deck. It has a decent ground clearance and an approach/departure angle with standard wheels. The belt drive allows a single straight heavy blade---no breakaway joints needed. The mower is not light but I was able to manhandle it on the slopes (my wife never tried and I don't think she would have enjoyed it like the ladies in DR advertising but it was not a problem for me---I don't like going to a gym).

After the fire I had to and could start from scratch and I settled on BCS over Grillo but it was a close call. Bill in WI has listed some of the reasons why it's not a slam dunk decision.

I bought the BCS 852 with 6.5x12x23 wheels and a 32" Zanon Brush Mower. It works well and even with the much wider and heavier deck it is quite civilized. I also bought a 40" Grillo snow blade with it but haven't used it yet. Other implements will have to come later but I am lusting after a big front cart (our budget may dictate something like oldmech's solution).

I hope that later I'll be able to report more on using the tractor on our mountain.

 

[First one]

Just my :2cents:
I have a DR Mower 17hp that I used for mowing blueberries and my fields. I've had it for 7 or 8 years now and have a snow blower for the winter . I will say, it does take a bit to handle it , turning it while pushing down on the handles when you want to turn around after a couple of hours gets old .
I've been able to cut what ever I wanted without stalling the motor, and they have a bush blade to be able to cut thicker stuff. It's like anything, you just have to get use to how to work it . I like the idea of the belts , because when you do hit a rock or stump ... whatever it will just slip on the belt for a second and no damage done but to the blade. There one beast of a mower, and I wouldn't part with it . Besides buying a belt for my snow blower and a couple of shear pins and a battery plus changing the oil and filters, I've never had anything go wrong with it , and has always started even on the coldest days.
Never had any power loss even going though thick wet grass . The only time there were any loss of power was when I hit something solid, like a rock.
I would like to see it have a different setting for mowing heights , but it cuts good without much of a mess left behind , if you blow what you just mowed into what your going to cut next.
As far as a snow blower goes , it'll blow dry snow 30ft and wet stuff like 10 or 12ft. I'd like to put chains on it ,just to see what it would do!