Fate of G vs BX?

glennmac · Jul 1, 2001

If all you want to do is mow 2 acres and money is an issue, forget both of these fancy choices and just buy a decent lawn tractor.

If you can afford the BX or the G, buy the BX with a 60" deck. It is an unsurpassed lawn machine, it will give you the option to add on real tractor implements if you want to, and because it is so popular it will hold a very good resale value in case you decide to downsize. I know nothing about the G market, but you seem to be getting vibes that the machine isnt selling well. In that case, you wont have a good resale market if you want to downsize. Think about that.

Heres my answer: buy a reasonable lawn tractor with a 54" deck or the BX with a 60" deck, depending on you finances.

Anonymous Poster · Jul 4, 2001

TresCrows, Hi. Just wondering how the 48" boxscraper works with your BX? It looks quite large for a small rig like that. I'm thinking about getting one for mine, but not sure if it can handle it.....tell me more...thanks, Jim

Bird · Jul 4, 2001

Jim, I'll beat TresCrows to answering./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif The BX should handle the 48" boxblade just fine. I sure did a lot of work with a 48" one and a B7100 and the BX has more power than the B7100. Of course a lot depends on the kind of dirt and terrain you're working with; power should be no problem if you can get enough traction, and you can always take smaller bites.

Bird

Anonymous Poster · Jul 5, 2001

Bird,
Thanks for the speedy reply. It's interesting because I recently spoke with a "tech" at Woods Corp. and he told me the BX would have a really hard time with a 48" boxscraper......He probably has never actually worked with one. He honestly didn't think it could handle it. He also said that it can barely handle a 48" brushhog (Woods).
You're right about taking smaller slices if it bogs and I suppose I could raise the teeth as well. It looks like a fantastic tool to redo my loooooong, fairly loose gravel driveway. I also want to redistribute some "dirt" on my new building site and it looks great for that.
I think I'll pick it up tomorrow. Can't wait for the BX to arrive on Friday!

TresCrows · Jul 5, 2001

Jim, I agree with Bird, I also answered your question at the Lawn site since I lost your e-mail. Well, there are box blades and there are BOXBLADES. I do not know how big or heavy the Woods brand is but mine is the Kubota unit that weighs I think 295 lbs. My 'bota handles it fine within limits, I imagine as well as a 7100 Bird mentions. Traction has not been a problem in 4WD low range as the blade will cause the BX engine to attempt to stall before the tires break loose. You will have to learn how to set the blade angle to meet the conditions. I would not worry about that jackarse salesman and beside he may be right if it is like a 48 inch blade I saw that weighed about 500 lbs--it won't handle it! Also tell the saleman that you will just shop elsewhere till Woods decides to take the BX serious and offer appropriate implemnts to match it. If you are going to cut a redwood forest down with the 48 inch rotary cutter--it will not handle that either--better get something bigger--lot's bigger. J

Charliebrn · Jul 5, 2001

Jim,

I have a Woods GB48 for my BX-2200, and it works just fine in my hard clay. On occasion i have to raise it a bit, more so when the clay is a bit wet and traction gets iffy. Actually, Iit seems that the scarifiers help break it up more easily than without....I put them down when I want to dig deeper. I used the scraper last weekend to completely redo my brothers drive. First few swipes to remove the stone, then more to level the clay out. Worked just great!

Anonymous Poster · Jul 5, 2001

Tres,

I guess we've strayed from the "Fate of G vs BX?" topic ehhh?
Thanks for the response. The Woods Boxscraper is about 395 lbs? or so. Man, is it heavy. I tried to move it by myself on the dealer's lot today and could just about get it to move. It's a beast! It's got large scarifiers on it too that look like it could stall the poor thing out if you are not careful. I'm sure it all depends on what you are moving and how you have it set up.

I'll look for a Kabota brand "boxbade". Does yours have scarifiers on it or is it just a box with a blade?

--Jim

Bird · Jul 5, 2001

Jim, the 4' box blade that I used with my B7100 was a Monroe Tufline. I don't know what it weighed, but it really was a tough, well built one and worked well. And I think they all come with the scarifiers, usually one per foot of length, and you definitely want them unless all you intend to do is spread loose material.

Bird

TresCrows · Jul 6, 2001

Jim, yes my blade has 4 scartifiers and I think the weight is about 300 lbs. I think a 400 lb unit may be pushing it for the BX. I know there are several brands of blades including Kubotas that are suitable for the BX. Maybe try that Kingcutter outfit. I saw another unit someplace around here that was about 250 lbs and looked nice--painted red but cannot remember brand. The Kubota stuff is pricey and has a hinged rear blade which I probably at this point would prefer not to have. Anyway, my Kubota blade works just fine with the BX, just takes practice setting it up. If the BX had position control it would work much better of course. I have used the scarifiers down as rippers with the blade set so as not to dig to tear up ground like a poor man's tiller. I like using the blade in reverse tilted approx level were it is an excellent dozer blade and peels of about 1 to 1/2 inch of soil per pass. I can peel up to about 3 or 4 inches but it is easy to gouge a hole that way of course which you must then fix (more fun). Let us know when you get the BX and your box blade. J

Anonymous Poster · Jul 6, 2001

Interesting question: Why a G over a BX? I bought a G2460G over the superb BX because: 1) Each offered a 60 inch mowing deck which was my primary consideration. But: 2) The G was much lower priced at $7500. 3) The G did not have the 4 wheel drive which is not needed for our work. 4) The GT offered equally tight steering radius, which is important to us.

If I were buying again, I would still choose the G2460G over The BX, but might opt for the ZD-21 over either the G or the BX. Do any owners of the ZD-21 wish to comment?