BX 1860 And Leaf Vacum

[natem]

I was looking at the bx 1860 and was wondering if there was anyone that is using this tractor along with a tow behind leaf vac, Like a DR leaf vac. I have a cub cadet 2544 that I use to vacuum leaves at several properties and really could use the 4x4 at times. I have a 44" deck now and would go with the 48" on the 1860. Just not sure how well it would work and if there is a place on the back to bolt the hitch on. Thanks for the input.

 

[GSmith4965]

I just upgraded my BX1500 for a B2320. When I had my BX I used a Cyclone Rake. I attached it to my three point hitch lift arms via a tow bar. The unit had a 5.5 hp Tecumseh motor. It worked great. The only thing I didnt like was that the unit was approx 6 feet long and rigid attached to the tractor. It had swivel castors on the back but when u turned the tractor the unit would swing a radius from the front tractor tires all the way to the swivel castors. This was probably a total of 14 feet!!!!!! Making maneuvering in close areas difficult. Hope this helps

Given the choice I would likely prefer the PTO driven kubota vac that attaches to the 3pt hitch. Much more compact but u do give up some capacity over the Cyclone Rake

Good luck

 

[tonylumps]

I also have a Cyclone Rake.Did not hook up to my 1860 yet, I bought the 1860 after leaf season last year. There are a couple of post on the CR One shows the unit hooked up to the frame What that does is shorten the combined lenth by about 18" and gets it off of the 3PH Because every time you raise and lower the MMM the 3PH also raises and lowers I made the conversion But the 3PH has to come off to do it

 

[CHDinCT]

Have a BX25 now, but used my Cyclone Rake with my old BX1860 and 54" deck last fall and it worked like a charm. I also hooked it to the 3PH using the CR 3PH draw bar (option costs $36 IIRC), but as tonylumps says, one member posted his hitch setup where he hooked up his CR right to the frame reducing the overall tractor + leaf vac by about 18"+/-.

A couple pic's attached. First is a pic of my old set up; second is a close up of the CR 3PH and the last is from another member showing the hitch he made to attach his CR directly to the frame of the tractor to reduce the overall length.

 

[tonylumps]

I have a lot of trees and I really needed that 18" That was a real good modification posted It did not take me long to copy it.

 

[natem]

That's what i was hoping for is that there was a spot that i could use on the back to mount the hitch with out using the 3pt. Now that that is solved, I was mostly wondering if any one had any problems with clogs in the hose due to the volume of leaves with the 48" deck. But if you are using it with the 54" with no problems that is good to hear. What I have always done is to use a backpack blower to blow all the leaves away from the edges and out of flower beds and then run them over, sometimes good sized piles. I have not really had any problems with clogs with the 44" deck on the cub 2544, so i was a little nervous about spending this money and not having it work as well or better than what it has been in the past. Thanks for the input.
Now the other question what should i expect to pay for this tractor with a 48' deck? plan to go to the dealer on Friday.

 

[tonylumps]

From what I have been reading I think location dictates price a little But all have been very close Numbers. But I will say make a list of what you will need and buy as a package When I bought my 1860 It included MMM,FEL,Ballast Box And a set of AG. Tires and Rims. The tires and rims are gathering dust Have not had a need for them yet. But back to the size of the Kubota and Cyclone Rake Together with the frame mount,it is only 8" longer that my Craftsman hooked up

 

[natem]

I already have a an L-45 that bought last year, so I don't need a loader. Just looking for the tractor and mower deck.

 

[CHDinCT]

That's what i was hoping for is that there was a spot that i could use on the back to mount the hitch with out using the 3pt. Now that that is solved, I was mostly wondering if any one had any problems with clogs in the hose due to the volume of leaves with the 48" deck. But if you are using it with the 54" with no problems that is good to hear. What I have always done is to use a backpack blower to blow all the leaves away from the edges and out of flower beds and then run them over, sometimes good sized piles. I have not really had any problems with clogs with the 44" deck on the cub 2544, so i was a little nervous about spending this money and not having it work as well or better than what it has been in the past. Thanks for the input.
Now the other question what should i expect to pay for this tractor with a 48' deck? plan to go to the dealer on Friday.

The pricing I found in CT was about 7% off of MSRP, so if you want, go to the Kubota web site and use the "Build My Kubota" feature with what you want to get MSRP, then take off 7%. Use that as a guide. In other parts of the country, you can do better at 10%-12% off.

I use the same technique of blowing the leaves from the edge of most beds, etc. to make maneuvering the tractor + vac easier. In that pic I posted, things got a way from me a bit so I blew them into a pile and used the optional 17" suction hose. As far as the leaf vac handling the volume with a 48" deck I guess it depends on what leaf vac you get but almost all should handle it fine. My CR is a 2004 version and it came with 7" hose back then. They now use 8" hose and even 10" on the largest model, so I think any of the CR models would work fine.

If your Cub uses a tractor powered blower it will pale in comparison to any separate leaf vac with it's own engine. My Wheel Horse has a 48" deck with a tractor powered blower unit and there's no comparison to what it picks up vs the tractor (WH or Kubota) with the CR attached.

 

[echoman]

I have a b2920 with a 60mmm . I use DR 8.5 leaf vac which works great .I do sugest Gator mulching blades they help alot .You can get then from Baileys.I mow 5 yards a total of 8 acres weekly.