is a bx1800 a good mower?

Anonymous Poster · May 14, 2001

I have 55 acres of steep hilly woods, with about 2.5 acres of lawn. The lawn is all hillside (as is most of VT). I currently have a 430 Gravely (rear engine) with tire chains. There are four passes I have to make going up, because when I go downhill the tires slide. When going up I have to lean forward to keep the front on the ground. I am considering a 4 WD, with differential lock to minimize the sliding. Has anyone had experience with the BX1800 in this situaiton?

I have a MF175 with a construction bucket so don't need the FEL, a 7' snowblower for the 1/4 mile driveway, and a 8000# winch for skidding logs. So I am looking for a lawnmower, with the agility of a mountian goat.

Question 2: What is the concensus on front vs. mid mount vs. 3 pt mowers?

Anonymous Poster · May 14, 2001

I bought a BX2200 this winter and have mowed our 3 acres 3 times. Half of our land is on a steep hillside. The BX has been phenominal as a mower. It has far exceeded my expectations. Previously it took 3 hours to mow with a 48 inch rider and now it takes less than 1.5 hours. With the four wheel drive hills are no problem. The tractor is also wide enough to provide good stability.

GlueGuy · May 14, 2001

Any idea of the slope/grade? The BX is about the best in the tractor department for mowing on slopes. If there is a possibility, you may ask to demo a unit on your land.

The GlueGuy

cup149 · May 14, 2001

In front of my house is a 20 degree+ slope. My Cub Cadet 149 would spin going up, slide going down, and would slip down hill when trying to go across. My BX2200 with mid mower goes up, down, swideways with no problems. Cut my tractor mowing time from 4 hours to 3.
Mike

Anonymous Poster · May 15, 2001

The steepest is about 5 foot rise in a 10 foot run. I figured, when I was doing the landscaping with the JD2010 crawler, that if I could work the sidehill going across, I could mow it. Guess I got real comfortable on sidehills...