Buying Advice Got the itch for a new mower

[dragoneggs]

Anyway, each to their own, it's the internet, people can do what they like. Just my $0.05 worth.

5 cents... wow! :laughing: I'm not a big fan of thread drift either, unless it has run its course and participating folk especially the OP are good with it. Lots can be learned with the good conversation even if it started on something else. Preferably this occurs after the OP et.al. conquered the original quest! My $0.10

 

[ZTMAN]

Since you already have an L3130, there is really no practical reason to get rid of your x700 for a BX. As you said, you have the itch. Don't try rationalize scratching the itch, just go get your BX because you seem to want one.

The BX is a great machine. (But once again, I use a ZT to mow, which hold slopes better than a BX)

 

[SDT]

Lets see a picture of the hills. I have a F series Kubota and my Grasshopper beats it. The back wheel on the Grasshopper are foot or more wider and the engine is 6 lower and the 200 pound operator sits lower. The Grasshopper stability is much better. I致e nearly tipped the F-series and chickened out on the hills my Grasshopper mows. The Grasshopper also has nearly all the weight on the back drive tires so despite not being 4wd it has great traction. I can push mud with the deck and when that happens youæ±*e pretty much done 4x4 or not. Like I said earlier I had a B7200 and itç—´ not as good on hills as my Grasshopper. I don稚 care that the op wants a BX. I don稚 care that you want a B. I don稚 care that anyone else wants a tractor mower. Making a blanket statement that ZTRs suck on hills is WRONG. And I知 using a midmount Grasshopper. The front deck grasshoppers are supposed to be the real king of the hill.

Sorry, no cameras or cell phones, so no pictures.

I've never owned an F series so my comments regarding same were clearly couched as estimates, e.g., "might."

Regarding stability: I do not recall questioning stability. On the steepest (Note: I said steepest, not all.) slopes, I mow up and down. Usually I mow upward but do mow some steep slopes downward only.

Regarding traction: I sometimes use front weights to improve front wheel traction when mowing steep slopes. You will note that you or another posted qualified his ZTR claims with "properly set up." As stated above, I mow some slopes up and down and some downward only. I would love to see you do that with any ZT. I also have a set of loaded R-1s for it but rarely use them as I have other tractors more well suited for pulling tasks, and the Z bars are better in snow and do not damage turf much. I'm, bettin' that my ("properly set up") 1750 would drag your Grasshopper into the next county, wet, dry, or snow.

You will need to show me where I said that "ZTRs suck on hills." I only said that I mow some slopes with my ("properly set up") 1750 that cannot be mowed with a ZT (up, down, or sideways). Can everyone do this with a B or BX? No doubt not.

I also plow snow and pull a trailer in the off season.

If you really want a dedicated hillside mower, get a Ventrac.

Enough said.

SDT

 

[4570Man]

Mowing down a hill isn’t a ZTRs strong point. I can descend 20 degrease in a controllable manor and much steeper that that not so much. I can go up as steep of a hill as I want but I don’t like to do that. I usually just mow sideways because I can and it’s easier on the machine. If I wanted to have a tug a war I wouldn’t use my Grasshopper so not sure why that matters. My Grasshopper will eat a Ventrac on all the flat ground I mow so I’m way time ahead just using weed wacker on the very rare hill I can’t mow. Here’s the 30 degree hill I mow sideways

 

[dragoneggs]

The BX is a great machine. (But once again, I use a ZT to mow, which hold slopes better than a BX)

I have a BX and Kubota 42in ZT... absolutely love them both. But no way I can hold a slope with my ZT better than my BX, up/down or traversing. It really depends on your particular ZT as to how well it performs on slopes.

 

[ning]

Mowing down a hill isn稚 a ZTRs strong point. I can descend 20 degrease in a controllable manor and much steeper that that not so much. I can go up as steep of a hill as I want but I don稚 like to do that. I usually just mow sideways because I can and it痴 easier on the machine. If I wanted to have a tug a war I wouldn稚 use my Grasshopper so not sure why that matters. My Grasshopper will eat a Ventrac on all the flat ground I mow so I知 way time ahead just using weed wacker on the very rare hill I can稚 mow. Here痴 the 30 degree hill I mow sideways View attachment 586680

I'd love to see an inclinometer showing 30 degrees on that slope.



I can see 35 percent, which is about 19 degrees - hard to really tell by a picture, could easily be off by a few in either direction.
Put a board on the slope, and put your phone on it with an app showing the gradient.

 

[4570Man]

I'd love to see an inclinometer showing 30 degrees on that slope.

View attachment 586699

I can see 35 percent, which is about 19 degrees - hard to really tell by a picture, could easily be off by a few in either direction.
Put a board on the slope, and put your phone on it with an app showing the gradient.

I’ve measured the slope at 28 degrease in the middle. Your line representing level is wrong.

 

[Tomtint]

I’ve measured the slope at 28 degrease in the middle. Your line representing level is wrong.

I think the level line he drew may be close..The best reference point in that pic is the house in the back grand his line looks pretty close to the soffit line ..

 

[4570Man]

Here’s a picture I took from the downhill side. In either case I never felt safe to drive the B7200 across it and the Grasshopper does. The F-series Kubota probably would handle it but it started crabbing down the hill so I decided that wasn’t a good option either.

 

[ZTMAN]

I have a BX and Kubota 42in ZT... absolutely love them both. But no way I can hold a slope with my ZT better than my BX, up/down or traversing. It really depends on your particular ZT as to how well it performs on slopes.

I agree Dragon. The smaller frame ZTs may not do the job, commercial grade or not. One of the other fellows pointed out he had a commercial mower that cost umpteen thousand dollars, but it was a small framed mower. I have a larger ZT and my rears are 24-12-12.

Bottom line, I hope the OP picks up a BX so he can scratch that itch.