BX2200 Mower and Blower

[glennmac]

A rotary cutter uses two heavy blunt blades. It can cut brush and very tall grasses (15'), or it could cut shorter grass. But you will not get a manicured lawn look when cutting grass with a rotary cutter. On meadows or pasture it is fine, but most people would not be satisfied with the look for their lawn. Not sure exactly what your situation is.

A finish mower, whether mid or rear, uses six sharp overlapping blades. It cant cut brush or really high grass. It could knock down waist high grass if you go very slowly, and after that you can keep it short with frequent finish mowings.

 

[PatnJ]

Well, for 4-5 acres, I dont expect the manicured look. For around the house, I will probably use a walkbehind( I hate to say it...but with all the landscaping by the house a tractor will not make it through.

I think the "look" of the brush hogger will be OK for the rest of it. Dont know if I should get the 4' or 5' though.

Thx
Pat


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by PatnJ on 07/30/01 09:35 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[glennmac]

The BX manual recommends a 42" rotary cutter, but many people here and dealers report good results with a light duty 48". That would be the max size, in my experience.

 

[Bird]

Pat, generally speaking, the 4' rotary cutter (or even a 42") is the one I believe is recommended for the BX; however, you've said "grass and weeds" only; no small trees or brush? If that's the case, you'll be happier with a light duty 5' rotary cutter.

Bird

 

[toddler]

I don't know Bird, I wouldn't put a 60" cutter behind a BX. I probably wouldn't put it behind anything smaller than my 2710. I know the BX could lift it, but the static weight is going to be a lot less than the hitch is loaded with every time you hit a bump transporting it. You'd also have to leave the FEL on or get front weights, and now we've eliminated what makes the BX great, it's size.

Pat, where in VT are you. I'm in Williston. I realistically only take care of 5 of my 10 acres, and got a 2710. The BX might be strong enough, but if you plan on brush cutting 5 acres, you need to consider how smooth is the ground. I couldn't rotary cut my property with a BX at any speed simply because the ruts would eat the wheels. It's bouncy enough on my larger tractor.

I'm also pro 3pt hitch blower, because I use the bucket a lot to dig things out.

Todd

 

[Bird]

Todd, I can't say for absolutely sure, since I've not used a BX, but I used to use a 4' brush hog on a B7100 (16 hp and only 13 PTO hp). It worked very well, even on some pretty tough brush, although I did have to slow down at times and heavy stuff would sometimes pull my RPM down. On the other hand, when I mowed my own pasture, I often wished I had a 5' brush hog - weeds and grass only. The BX has more hp than the 7100 had. Of course, I said a light duty because the BX would be a bit small for the 3-point to pick up a heavy one for transporting - would sure make the front end light. Now with the B2710, I'm using a 5' brush hog and it's the right size for this tractor; however, for 75% of what I do, wish I had a 6' one.

Bird

 

[toddler]

Bird,
Have you ever considered getting a 6' cutter, and just changing to shorter blades for very heavy work?? Wouldn't be as maneuverable as a 60", but wouldn't require the HP either with shorter blades in heavy brush. Changing blades isn't too hard, just two BIG bolts.

Me, I've just got a 48". Bought it because I can back it between my trees, and it was what Kubota rec'd. Turns out I do the tree area so seldom that I shoulda gone with a light duty 60". Clearly could spin one.

Anyway, the 7100/BX question makes me think of basketball centers and guards. A lot of guards could out squat the centers, but they couldn't play center. The BX can probably out power the 7100, but I don't know if HP is the only issue here. Those BX's are tiny, and even though they're solid, I can't see them pulling a 60" cutter well.

Still curious as to Pat's field condition. If he's not going to use this tractor around the house or for finish mowing, he might do better with a 7500 or 2410. Is the cost difference a lot??

Todd

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Have you ever considered getting a 6' cutter, and just changing to shorter blades for very heavy work??</font color=blue>

No, I don't think I'd like that. And of course on my Howse, I have to drop the stump jumper to get to the two BIG bolts (I may cut an access hole someday like the Bush Hog had). But I'd rather stay with the longer blades and just go slower in heavy work than change the blades.

Bird

 

[PatnJ]

Toddler,

I am in Shelburne (right next to the Hinesburg line). My 10 acres is mostly flat and somewhat smooth with no real ruts or bumps. I will be maintaining about 5-6 acres of it with the brush hog.

I have been told by CT Farm and Country (they sell 5' King Kutters), that a 5 foot would be OK as long as I dont have any difficult terrain, or rough stuff to cut like rose bushes and thick underbrush. And I have a FEL for weight in the front. All I have is tall grass (like hay...sometimes fairly thick),.

Pat

 

[huckflynn]

Pat,

I have the BX2200 with 60" MMM and the front snowblower (also the FEL). I'm mowing 5.5 acres like it was lawn -- although only about 1 acre is truly lawn, the rest is recaptured pasture. I'm very pleased with the mowing performance of the 60" MMM.

I've got a 420' driveway on a hillside in upstate NY. This past winter I actually looked forward to snowstorms. Invariably, I'd have to do the job 2 or 3 times because of the drifting on the hillside (and no snowfence) but being able to knock it off in 20 minutes gave me such a kick I never thought about putting in the snowfence.

I can't speak for the rear pto snowblowers but I can say that I like rolling up and down the hill of my driveway with my head on straight.

As for the changeover from snowblower to FEL, the dealer did it with me this spring, but it was a relatively simple task. I recall reading elsewhere in this forum that another BX owner didn't bother removing the quick hitch (used with the blower, sweeper and front blade) when mounting his FEL. He left the quick hitch in place which would further simplify the move from blower to FEL. I was anxious to see his hookup but he never posted any pictures. I do think that leaving the quick hitch in place together with the FEL would have an adverse affect on ground clearance. The BX only has about 6" of ground clearance to begin with -- the quick hitch eats in to that clearance.

Hope this helps.

Huck