BX1860 vs. BX2360

[kday64]

Hi all,

I am torn between the 18 and 23 pony options.

I have taken some measurements and the 48" MMM is the right choice for my yard. Can a 48" MMM mount to a BX2360?

I want the BX2360 because it has nearly 30% more HP then its little sister the 1860. More HP = More PTO power for a snow thrower.

Any recommendations?

~Kevin

 

[D902 BX PILOT]

i own a bx2360 w/54" finecut deck. the scapler wheels on the 48" don't rotate out making it a pain to remove the deck . . . you have to horse it around, instead of roll it out. easier to trim with the larger deck also.
one sweet diesel. good luck choosing.

D902 BX PILOT

 

[sbrown]

I was recently facing the same choice a couple of months ago and ended up buying the BX1860 with the FEL. I wanted the 48" deck as I thought it would be a better fit to get around tight corners in the yard. Had the 48" MMM fit on the BX2360 I would have bought the larger machine, just to have more HP (and a bit more capacity on the loader).

While the BX1860 is a fine, well built machine which delivers what it promises, if I were going to make the same choice again I think I would have gone with the 2360, as I do wish for more muscle in clearing ground with the FEL. Also I end up running the 1860 at a pretty high RPM almost all the time and this makes operation noisy, I suspect with the 2360 I would be typically a few hundred RPM lower, although I don't have direct experience. I haven't used the back PTO yet and can't comment about the suitability of the 1860 for implements.

The previous commenter was correct about the anti-scalp wheels on the 48" deck not pivoting, this makes putting on the mower a bit more difficult (although I slide it sideways on a piece of cardboard and this turns out to be a simple 5-10 minute chore once you've done it a few times).

 

[OrangeRidge]

.....I slide it sideways on a piece of cardboard ........

This makes most heavy , non-sharp articles ( SUV tires etc ) much
easier to handle , and one doesn't often need to remove the deck
anyway ......

 

[oldnslo]

for implements.

The previous commenter was correct about the anti-scalp wheels on the 48" deck not pivoting, this makes putting on the mower a bit more difficult (although I slide it sideways on a piece of cardboard and this turns out to be a simple 5-10 minute chore once you've done it a few times).

Does the 48" deck have a round shaft on the wheel adjuster height like the 54" deck does? If so drill a hole perpendicular to the ones in it now and the wheels will then rotate the same as the 54". I had to drill different holes in my 54" deck to use the rotating feature. stock ones either had the deck resting on the ground or raised so high it would not clear the undercarriage.

Roy

 

[TheFlatlander]

Yes, the 48' deck will also fit on the BX2360. Although this is not listed by Kubota for this tractor. I have mounted the 48" deck on my BX2660. The 48" deck doesn't have the rotating wheels but is light enough and will pull out without too much effort.

 

[kday64]

Is it possible to just order 54" wheels and install them on the 48" MMM? I understand this is a weird question since it is unlikely one of you all have both mowers.

 

[leonz]

Hi all,

I am torn between the 18 and 23 pony options.

I have taken some measurements and the 48" MMM is the right choice for my yard. Can a 48" MMM mount to a BX2360?

I want the BX2360 because it has nearly 30% more HP then its little sister the 1860. More HP = More PTO power for a snow thrower.

Any recommendations?

~Kevin

Hello Kevin,


About your searching and decision making; You have to keep a few things in
mind.


The rear PTO is going to deliver 540 R.P.M. at the rated torque when the
engine is at the speed setting for using the rear P.T.O., no matter which
tractor you buy.


The impeller speed is still 540 R.P.M. and the open auger which is driven by shaft that rotates the impeller is using a worm gear to spin a spur gear at slower speed to convey snow to the center of the housing and the actual act of traveling in reverse pushes the snow into the cross auger.


Why these folks have not switched to a solid auger is something I still fail to understand as the snow delivery will become more uniform and the snow will be cast further away as the impeller essentially is taxed to its maximum in work when it can be made easier (the snow floods the impeller and that is the one thing you do not want unless it is a cold powder snow.


The slower the ground speed the faster the snow is removed and the further it is thrown.


The solid auger takes the issue of flooding and overloading out of the way and meters the snow in a limited volume to dispose of it quickly when it enters the impeller at a slower rate of delivery.


The issue of power and more power is missleading as a belly mower uses a lot of power to mow grass and is very low in efficiency.

The snow blowers final drive gearing never changes at the 540 R.P.M. engine operating speed.









The tractors speed in reverse is what you need to worry about more than the

power issue simply because the snow blower is a ground engaging implement.


You can flood the auger housing and simply overload the impeller with snow

if you travel in reverse fast enough and stall the blower or shear pins.

 

[legbuh]

I purchased a BX1860 this spring. If all you're doing is mowing with a 48mm and throwing snow, it will do the job quite nicely.

As for removing the deck, it's not THAT big of a pain. You can't put the round front wheels on it because the 48" wheel stem is flat.

As long as you remove it on a flat surface, like a garage floor, it's really not that hard. First time you do it maybe 5 minutes, after that a couple at most.

The 1860 will do the job, but if you want more FEL power, get the bigger one. I love my 1860 and am slowly running out of jobs I got so much done this summer!

 

[Kevinc2004]

I am waiting on my FEL to come in as I ordered an 1860, fine cut MMM, Loader, box scrape, and disc harrow in a single package. Space and wanting the 48 inch Fine Cut Mower chose the tractor for me, as the dealership said that the 48 mower would not cut out the tracks of the 2360!

 

[TheFlatlander]

I am waiting on my FEL to come in as I ordered an 1860, fine cut MMM, Loader, box scrape, and disc harrow in a single package. Space and wanting the 48 inch Fine Cut Mower chose the tractor for me, as the dealership said that the 48 mower would not cut out the tracks of the 2360!

He lied or is uneducated on the subject as I posted earlier that I have the same combination and it works just fine. Still the same, I still feel and hope that you will enjoy your new tractor.

 

[sbrown]

I heard essentially the same thing from the dealer when I bought my 1860 - in order to get the 48" deck I would need the 1860 as the deck wheels would interfere with the tractor tires on the 2360.

 

[kday64]

Hi all,

I made recent contact with the dealership nearest to my house and Bill told me that the 48" MMM can fit on the larger BX's.

Unfortunatly, after considering and examining the wheel designs of both mowers and after following the "bigger is better" motto. I have decided the 54" mower is sexy!

It also helps that I took out a tape measure and measured some choke points in my back yard.

~Kevin

 

[leonz]

The biggest problem with belly mowers(which I absolutely hate anyway) is the fact that the mower discharge guard is not your or yours shrubs freind and the guage wheels will cause you many problems(especially in our case of mowing 5+ acres every week.

The poor quality of cut and turf condition after mowing versus the flail mower with good grass knives and tires if it is trailed unit (like ours) is another huge issue with me especially with good turf.

I would strongly suggest that you invest in a rear mount 48 inch Caroni finish mower for your tractor IMO, and you will never want a belly mower after you see how nice the lawn looks after you mow with it, and it is a much safer mower to use and you never have to clean it after every mowing as the flail mower does not muck up like a belly mower.

The hydrostatic transmission will allow you to easily trim with the rear mounted flail mower with some practice, and it will become second nature to you(mowing wet grass is breeze too) and you have little to no clippings to deal with, and if the lawn gets a bit long you can simply go over it again and shred them some more and they will be gone, this never happens with a belly mower unless the grass is powder dry and a flail mower will shred the leaves rather than blow them around like belly mower does.

The flail mower will not scalp like a belly mower either as the rear roller is the height gauge on the caroni and other brands of flail mowers.

The flail mower is better as it does not tear the grass blade like the rotary belly mower and the grass is much less stressed than when using a belly mower as the amount of grass blade sliced at each mowing is tiny compared to a rotary mower blade and the flail mower will not turn anything the knives hit into missiles injuring or killing a pedestrian or a pet in the yard.

The folks at Agri Supply - Farm Supplies, Tools, Lawn Mower Blades, Cast Iron Cookware have a Caroni flail mower internet sale price with shipping to your door included in the price.


I neglected to add that you can purchase a Hydraulic shift kit for the flail mower to allow you to mow closely to many areas without smacking the flail mower or the tractor-very handy with the R.O.P.S. as tree branches are very nasty when bent back and you forget to duck or move away when pre occupied with watching the mower guard of a belly mower.