Just discovered walk behind tractors

[mtn pete]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I think we're pretty sold on a Grillo or BCS from Earth Tools but don't know whether to spend the extra 600 bucks for a differential. Our primary use will be to keep a 1/2 mile x 10 ft path clear 3-4 times a year. It's a fairly steep hill, maybe 10 degrees at the most. Maybe do a little cutting on saplings, keep a hillside clear of honey suckle and wisteria, also a steep hill. Been looking at DR too but I really don't want to deal with belts, etc.

I did find the right forum, so thanks. I will throw out these questions there too.

 

[looknlearn]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I think we're pretty sold on a Grillo or BCS from Earth Tools but don't know whether to spend the extra 600 bucks for a differential. Our primary use will be to keep a 1/2 mile x 10 ft path clear 3-4 times a year. It's a fairly steep hill, maybe 10 degrees at the most. Maybe do a little cutting on saplings, keep a hillside clear of honey suckle and wisteria, also a steep hill. Been looking at DR too but I really don't want to deal with belts, etc.

I did find the right forum, so thanks. I will throw out these questions there too.

I would highly recommended the differential. We have a troybuilt without a differential and it is a bear to turn with weights and chains. I would go with differential and turning brakes but it does get expensive.

 

[Carl in CT]

Welcome aboard! IMHO I would think for steep hills you would want either some sort of a limited slip or full time power to both wheels if you can get it.

I used to use a DR field and brush mower on very steep hills, both up and down and sideways. The drive belt was never a problem and the belt to the blade probably saved the machine from damage by slipping when I hit some immovable object. It never slipped when mowing grass, brush or small saplings.

I looked at a new DR but got serious sticker shock. Instead I got an old 1960-something Gravley L8 Super Convertable for brush mowing. They are still out there for about $500 with a brush mower deck. It's a beast, virtually indestructable but it is very heavy and can be stubborn. Sometimes it goes the direction it wants and it's tough to wrestle it around, it has no steering or brakes. If you lose your grip on it or trip and fall, it will just keep going without you, mowing whatever is in it's path. If you have it in reverse and trip on a stump, get up quickly because it's coming for you, lol! It will go as fast as I want, I'd have to jog behind it if I have it in high gear. It is also devoid of any safety devices as it was built before the age of frivilous lawsuits, love that!

The Gravely is probably not the ideal solution for you if you can afford a new machine that is easier to use but for anyone else who is looking for a cheap option, look for an old Gravely, they are addicting (get the L8 with the hi/lo tranny). Here's a pic with my old Massey Fergusson T/L/B in the background. Both machines are in really good shape, they just need a little paint.

 

[LBrown59]

Hope I'm in the right place. We're getting ready to buy a walk behind, like a BCS or Grillo.
1*I see there are no forums for them. Anyway, my basic question right now is whether we need to get a unit with a differential.

I should have mentioned that the payoff for all the work I do is to sit around the woodstove in January, eating peach cobbler. It's true that I'm real busy in retirement--I also do some volunteer work--but I like the kisses I get from my boss now.

Welcome! You're in the right church, but the wrong pew Go to Forums, scroll down to Related Equipment, then over to 2 Wheeled Tractors.
Two Wheeled equipment is very big in other parts of the world, not so much here in the USA, where walking is viewed with suspicion, and the smell of diesel in the morning is better than bacon frying:laughing:

1*What he said.