BX15 vs BX18/23

[frank_miller]

I have a BX1500 and a BX23.
I don't Pitt them against each other as in is one better than the other but use them in such a manner that one complements the other one.

still no pictures yet...Joke

 

[LBrown59]

Traveling fast on a slope is one of the best ways to flip a tractor.
Looks like you have the perfect rig for mowing the slope:
Problem is it don't seem like you know it.

1*I have a 2003 BX1500 w/ 54" MMM 254hrs.
2*It's not overly steep but steep enough that my BX15 has to be put in low range to mow.
3*I have found a couple of BX1830's and one BX23 that have low hours that I am considering.
4*Would the 3 cylinder engines allow me to mow in hi range without stressing the engine/transmission?

1*My 2003 BX1500 has 388 hours on it, but I don't mow with it, but I do have a mower on the new 2005 Bx1500.
2*High range is a travel gear intended for driving the tractor on the road or moving the tractor from one job area to another.
It's not meant to be a work gear for doing chores/jobs with the tractor.
3* I don't think they would help any as I still run my 3 cylinder 22 horse power BX23 in low range when working the tractor.
Like I said high range is a travel gear not a working range.
4*Nope because High is for travel and Low is for working.
It's my opinion you're asking the tractor to do something that it's not designed to do.

 

[David Cockey]

...
2*High range is a travel gear intended for driving the tractor on the road or moving the tractor from one job area to another.
It's not meant to be a work gear for doing chores/jobs with the tractor.
....
4*Nope because High is for travel and Low is for working.
It's my opinion you're asking the tractor to do something that it's not designed to do.

Where did you get this from? I didn't see anything in the BX2350 manual that says high range can't be used for "working".

My understanding is low range should be used if:
1) You want to go slow, perhaps for manuvering in tight quarters
2) You have to creep along with the transmission pedal slightly down or the engine bogs down.
3) It makes you feel better, perhaps because you believe low range should be used for "working".
Otherwise low range is optional.

If the engine isn't bogging down and you don't mind moving at a faster speed I don't know of any reason not to use high range.

 

[LBrown59]

1*The extra torque you will get from the 3 cylinder engines in the larger BX tractors may or may not enable you to mow in high range. Will you step up to the larger 60" deck with the larger tractor? Is the extra weight of the larger tractors enough to prevent mowing in high range? You really need to have one brought out to your property to find out for certain.

2*On another note, would stepping down to the 48" deck enable your 1500 to handle the mowing chores in high range? You're losing some cutting width but potentially picking up mowing speed.

1*I don't see any difference between my BX1500 and my Bx23 in that regard as I still operate both tractors in low range.
The reduction in power in high range is about the same in both of them.

2*Going to a 48 inch mower would increase the number of passes required to mow the slope so even though he's going faster the mowing time may still be about the same.
In that case he is ahead with mowing in low range with the 54'' deck for 2 reasons
a/The slower travel speed is safer on the slope.
b/the lower travel speed makes for a smother less bouncy ride.

I don't know how much time he thinks mowing in high will save; but I do know that I'd rather be comfortable and safe on a tractor for 60 minutes than be unsafe while being jolted and bounced around for 45 minutes on a tractor.

 

[LBrown59]

would stepping down to the 48" deck enable your 1500 to handle the mowing chores in high range?

I have a couple of BX 1500 48'' MMM decks.
Perhaps we could work out a swap on decks as I'd like to have a 54'' deck for my BX1500 instead of the 48'' one that's on it..

 

[LBrown59]

Where did you get this from? I didn't see anything in the BX2350 manual that says high range can't be used for "working".

I don't know unless it's from owning and operating 3 BX tractors.
I've logged 933 hours of seat time on the bx23 since 11/2004 doing all kinds of loader and bh work.

 

[David Cockey]

I don't know unless it's from owning and operating 3 BX tractors.
I've logged 933 hours of seat time on the bx23 since 11/2004 doing all kinds of loader and bh work.

Do you always use Low when "working", or have you experimented with High? Do you normally push the hydro pedal all the way to the floor?

Have all/most of the 933 hours been on you 2 1/3 acres? If so is there any of your lot untouched in the last 3 1/2 years?

 

[jbordwine]

This post has turned rather humorous. First off, I appreciate everyone's concerns about going too fast up & down hills. First off, I'm not an idiot, I've had experience with farm tractors & mowers for nearly 20 years! I used to mow my lot with an 18 hp 2wd Husqvarna and it would pull this slope fine with no loss in speed and no engine bogging. Now that I have purchased the additional land I've stepped up to a BX1500. I called 2 dealers this weekend and both said it was fine to mow in high range other than the obvious safety concerns. You can't tell me that everyone with a BX series mows in low range. Again, I'm not wanting to run 45 mph while mowing, I was just wondering if anyone with 3 cyl Kubota ever runs into engine bogging while mowing slopes in high range. I replace my blades every season and I always keep them sharp. I clean my air filter throughout the season. The 15 hp is plenty strong and has gobs of torque, I'm just looking to save a little time.

 

[Tom_H]

2*High range is a travel gear intended for driving the tractor on the road or moving the tractor from one job area to another.
It's not meant to be a work gear for doing chores/jobs with the tractor.

Mr. Brown, you need to distinguish fact from opinion. You state this like a fact, while it is actually just your opinion. In places where my grass is thin, but there are just a few stalks that need to be taken off, I often mow at full speed in high range on my BX2200. I have even brush hogged at full speed in stuff that wasn't too dense.

 

[Volfandt]

These type of threads normally take all kinds of turns before the OP's original question gets addressed

IMHO if a BX1500 bogs down mowing up an incline the probabilty of the large BX w/6 to 7 more HP bogging down should be diminished. Course without knowing the degree of the incline or how much grass is getting "chopped up" at any given time certainly effects the performance of any machine.....

Oh, and I ALWAYS mow in high. About the only time I use low is when digging into the ground and/or into a pile of solid material w/the FEL. If I were to encounter a steep incline/decline I'd use low just for traversing that particular section just so as to maintain control but, I've yet to encounter such an instance on my rolling property.

Theres no mention in the BX owners manual of high gear being used for transport only.......

There is a big difference between fact and opinion and unfortunately theres some of us that confuse the former w/the latter