Mowing BX24 Mower Decks

[The Gardener]

BX24 owners ....

Could you please share some comments regarding the MMM.

[1] How easy it is to remove the MMM for cleaning and blade sharpening.

[2] How well does the mower cut wet grass? With our rather unimpressive riding lawn mower, I can only cut the lawn when it is dry.

[3] Is there a mulching kit option? I do not see one listed on the website.


Regarding the rear mounted mower,

[1] have any of you used one?

[2] how close can you get the rear mower to a garden edge and around a tree?

Many Thanks!!!
Matt


I am desperately seeking to replace our riding mower. I am considering a Kubota zero-turn, a Kubota riding lawn mower, a Kubota BX24, and a Kubota F3680.

Bang for the buck certainly favors the BX24, but I would need to handle cuts along the edges of gardens, around some trees, and etc. I have a weed whacker for trimming so the cut does not need to be perfectly tight to these obstacles. Close would be nice. Mulching is a strong desire, but the BX24 does not appear to have this deck option.

If I went with the BX24, I am trying to decide which option [MMM or rear mounted] would be ideal. We have 4 +/- acres of lawn.

 

[MOPAULY]

To answer your questions -

To remove the deck takes maybe 5 - 7 minutes. Worst part is bending down to reach the PTO release.

I can't say to much on the wet grass, as I don't mow it wet. Any mower is going to have a tendance to clog and collect clippings if it's really wet.

There is a mulching kit option, I have it installed on my 54" fine cut deck. If you search you'll see a thread about if from a week or so ago.

The regular blades for the deck do a very nice job of mowing, better then my old Toro ever did. The mulching kit works well, as long as you don't try to cut to much at once. The only thing I've noticed is the engine temps are slightly higher when using the mulcher.

If you want an all around TLB that will do a **** nice job of mowing as well, then the BX24 is for you.

 

[The Gardener]

Thank You!

You have eliminated my biggest concern: the ease of removing the MMM. I have been told that the backhoe and FEL removals are just as easy.


Do you have these kits?
If so, did you get these kits installed at the time of purchase?


Grip Kit (Kubota part number K2581-9557-0) Contains the plastic handles and lever sleeves for the levers and knobs; they go on much tighter than the old ones.

Cluster kit: This is the dash cluster for all the gauges. The first design could accumulate moisture inside, or the hour meter may not work properly. Part number K2581-6250-2

Fender Kit: Part number K2581-95522

Step stay kit: These are the new brackets that support the floorboard and eliminate floor board flex - BX24 Part number K2592-9554-0

 

[ChuckinNH]

Matt,
This spring I used both my BX22, and Simplicity garden tractor to dethatch, and then pick up the thatch from nearly 4 acres. Going back, and forth between the tractors gave me a pretty good feel for manuverability, etc. The Simplicity is touted to have a 28" turning radius, and the stats for the BX are around 7.5'. In use, they are very similar in their ability to get close to things because the BX turning radius is measured from the outside of the tractor, and the lawn tractors are measured from the inside. Though both tractors have power steering the BX is much more fun to drive around things, and I found myself looking forward to the next task with it while using the rider.
My brochure for the BX says that "our fine cut deck also offers excellent performance with our optional mulching kit" It is my understanding that the 54" fine cut deck has a mulching kit available for it, but the 60" regular deck does not. It's also my understanding that the 60" deck projects about 3" further from the tractor making trimming around things somewhat easier.
The bottom line is that the BX24 is very well suited to just about any task that someone with a larger than normal yard / property might have. Other machines might excell at specific tasks, but none available will do so many so well.........
Chuck

 

[rdsaustintx]

Look at some deck axles. These fit thru the gage wheel mounts and make it EASY to roll your deck around and get underneath. Grinding the blades is a snap with the deck on edge.

Mower Deck Axles,Carrera,Cayman,John Deere,Kubota

Russell in Texas

 

[MOPAULY]

I have all of the kits except for the fender. At the time I bought my BX last fall, the kits did not yet exist to my knowledge. The only thing I have left to put on is the step stay kit. Hopefully that will eliminate the need for a replacement fender down the road.

 

[NJDiverDan]

I have the same set up as M0PAULY, 54" fine cut with mulching kit, but I think I have the older kit. It cuts great. I have cut wet and too long and it still cuts great. Only thing when cutting too long or wet (or both) is I get a small (about 2"wide) swath of clippings coming out from the right side fo the deck. It is at the very edge and just gets picked up on the overlap, but if you like to do alternating striping, you may have it remaining on the lawn. But again, smaller than anything I had before I put the kit on.

I have not noticed the tractor running any hotter, but not really checking either.

The BX24 is a great little tractor and with the MMM makes for an excellent lawn care machine.

-dan

 

[lp333]

... You have eliminated my biggest concern: the ease of removing the MMM... I have been told that the backhoe and FEL removals are just as easy...[/COLOR]

The BX24 FEL and BH are a pleasure to mount or dismount. This is a prime example Kubota engineering brilliance at it's very best.

However, it is not as much fun with the MMM. The hastle results from getting down on you hands and knees to position the mower for the various linkages and to rotate the mower wheels to displace the unit as needed. Reaching and fitting the PTO shaft is never pleasant, but it gets easier with practise. A big plus, is the fact that the BX24 MMM is lighter than the units found on the B7100, BX22 or BX23.

 

[lp333]

What makes the deck lighter? Has the durability of the deck been sacrificed?

The heaviest MMM I had was the one for my B7100. I required assistance to stand it up, and it appeared to be of commercial grade. In contrast, the mowers for my BX22 and BX23 were much lighter, and seemed to have thinner metal. The BX24 mower is a tiny bit lighter still, given that it now uses a plastic discharge chute instead of metal.

I do not yet know from experience if the quality of the BX mowers has been compromised because of lightness; however, there have been occasions when I have been tempted to identify weight with durability.

 

[MOPAULY]

Based on lifting my deck up alone, and working on it, there is nothing lightweight about it. I think it's a very solid piece for what it is.

 

[lp333]

Based on lifting my deck up alone, and working on it, there is nothing lightweight about it. I think it's a very solid piece for what it is.

Kubota claims that the RCK60B-23BX weighs 250 lbs, but it feels lighter than that. By contrast, the RC60-71B MMM on a B7100 feels about twice as heavy.

 

[pintodeluxe]

You don't have to remove the deck for cleaning or blade changes. Just pull the blades off and take them to the grinder. Easy to take off if you need to do heavy landscaping though, just make sure you are on hard, level ground like concrete. Cuts wet grass beautifully. Mulcher only worthwhile in the late fall / winter. Bagger works any season.
Best Regards

BX24 owners ....

Could you please share some comments regarding the MMM.

[1] How easy it is to remove the MMM for cleaning and blade sharpening.

[2] How well does the mower cut wet grass? With our rather unimpressive riding lawn mower, I can only cut the lawn when it is dry.

[3] Is there a mulching kit option? I do not see one listed on the website.


Regarding the rear mounted mower,

[1] have any of you used one?

[2] how close can you get the rear mower to a garden edge and around a tree?

Many Thanks!!!
Matt


I am desperately seeking to replace our riding mower. I am considering a Kubota zero-turn, a Kubota riding lawn mower, a Kubota BX24, and a Kubota F3680.

Bang for the buck certainly favors the BX24, but I would need to handle cuts along the edges of gardens, around some trees, and etc. I have a weed whacker for trimming so the cut does not need to be perfectly tight to these obstacles. Close would be nice. Mulching is a strong desire, but the BX24 does not appear to have this deck option.

If I went with the BX24, I am trying to decide which option [MMM or rear mounted] would be ideal. We have 4 +/- acres of lawn.

 

[bigdad]

If I had to remove the MMM on my B7510 every time I sharpened the blades, they wouldn't get sharpened as much. Get some cheapo ramps or drive it up on a trailer ramp, use some wood blocking to block the blades and remove them. The guys here at TBN turned me on to just using an angle grinder. Works the best for me.

 

[richardbro]

I have a hard time removing/unhooking the front attach brackets - seems there's a special angle to be used when unhooking the bracket from the front end of the MMM - sometimes I get it in 5 seconds and other times it take me 10 minute to figure it out...

 

[Dataway]

Anybody using Gator blades on their BX series decks? I'm wondering if I should go that route. I don't want to mulch really, but I want the clippings finer, and I like to use the deck to grind leaves rather than pick them up in the fall.
JohnnyB

 

[Crumbumb]

I got my BX 24 in July with the mid mount mower I would suggest you get one also It mow's great and once you have taken the deck off once it is easyier every time after.

 

[sqidget]

Anybody using Gator blades on their BX series decks? I'm wondering if I should go that route. I don't want to mulch really, but I want the clippings finer, and I like to use the deck to grind leaves rather than pick them up in the fall.
JohnnyB

I use the gator blades, While they do cut up leaves and tall grass better, They are not as durable as the oem blades. I have actual chunks missing from rocks etc. The old blades were on for 2 years and are still sharper and straighter than the gator blades I instaled this spring. Also you have to make bushings for the gatorblades for the bx deck spindles.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

I use the gator blades, While they do cut up leaves and tall grass better, They are not as durable as the oem blades. I have actual chunks missing from rocks etc. The old blades were on for 2 years and are still sharper and straighter than the gator blades I instaled this spring. Also you have to make bushings for the gatorblades for the bx deck spindles.

My experience as been the opposite with Gator blades. They wear better then the original OEM blades. Plus they provide better uplift so I do not get the pushed over look from the tires. I believe they have now have blades that fit the BX without the bushings. If you search "Gator Blades" you will find many threads. I find the blades stay sharp longer and I do not need to sharpen them more then once a season. I have been using Gator blades for 3 years now and would not go back to the old blades. Matter of fact I have 3 sets of the old blades in the shed anyone want them???

 

[art]

The heaviest MMM I had was the one for my B7100. I required assistance to stand it up, and it appeared to be of commercial grade. In contrast, the mowers for my BX22 and BX23 were much lighter, and seemed to have thinner metal. The BX24 mower is a tiny bit lighter still, given that it now uses a plastic discharge chute instead of metal.

I do not yet know from experience if the quality of the BX mowers has been compromised because of lightness; however, there have been occasions when I have been tempted to identify weight with durability.

Kubota has not lightened it's decks at all. The decks you talk about are two different style decks and yes there would be a weight difference. The BX decks as well as many of the newer decks are suspened decks not needing the heavy wheels and the supports for them to carry the deck. The suspended decks use the tractor to carry them!