Moving to dedicated mowing machine

Tdog · Jun 21, 2015

I've been toying with this for a while. I really like to mow with the BX 60" MMM. It does a great job. However, if it is going to be my primary mowing machine, that means that I've got to 'dress & undress' the BX every time I switch between mowing & tractoring. The FEL & BH need to come off for the machine to be an efficient mower. I know, you can cut with them on, but the ride is very bouncy. And, they get in the way - - I've got lots of obstacles to mow around. And, on the other hand, when I have FEL or BH or 3ph work to do, the mower deck can be a hindrance. Yes, I know it can come off too, but removing & reinstalling the MMM is a chore for me. I can get it off fairly easily, but I've never been able to reattach the mid PTO with one hand when reinstalling the deck. I have to raise the rear wheels & crawl underneath. Not a chore I enjoy.

So, last week I took the plunge & purchased a dedicated mowing machine - - a Kubota zero turn mower, z121s. It's a 48" deck, 21 hp Kohler engine. I've got a total of 3 hours on it so far. I will say that my 1st time out on it would have been pretty funny - - just driving a straight line was a real challenge. After driving for 60+ years with a steering wheel, moving to levers has been a challenge. I'm no expert yet, but I'm getting the hang of it. I cut down our driveway yesterday without taking out any of our azaleas. The ride is better than I expected. The agility in cutting around trees and other obstacles and the speed it moves makes me believe it will significantly reduce the time to cut my yard & pasture.

Jack

Scooby074 · Jun 21, 2015

^Yup.

I agree. The BX is never in the configuration I need, when I need it. Thats why I got the ZD which, frankly, is a 10x better mower as a pure mowing machine, better cut, and faster. Its also one of the reasons why I recommend that people look at the B or L's as opposed to the jack of all trade BXs. A B or L is a much better tractor, as a "tractor", while the BX tries to be everything to everyone, and many times comes up short.

Knowing what I know now, Id have a L tractor for tractor stuff and the ZD for the lawns.

zmansmac · Jun 21, 2015

Good for you Jack. I moved last August and bought a place that unfortunately had about 30 broken/dead birch trees that I needed to take care of. After owning my Kubota B7500 with FEL and 60 inch MMM for about 13 years I now had an excuse to buy a backhoe for stump removal. But this spring I came to the same conclusion as you. The FEL is easy to remove but the backhoe takes a bit of time. And the MMM seems to be harder to remove/attach ever since I retired. I bought a Ferris zero turn because it has a coil/shock suspension and my "lawn" is very bumpy. I was leery about controlling this thing with 2 levers instead of a steering wheel but after cutting the lawn twice it's like a switch got flipped and it's easy now. There is a new dent in one of the pole barn corners but I have to say it's one of the best things I've ever purchased. And, yes, my mowing time has been cut in half.

John

Jay4200 · Jun 22, 2015

Scooby074 said:
^Yup.

I agree. The BX is never in the configuration I need, when I need it. Thats why I got the ZD which, frankly, is a 10x better mower as a pure mowing machine, better cut, and faster. Its also one of the reasons why I recommend that people look at the B or L's as opposed to the jack of all trade BXs. A B or L is a much better tractor, as a "tractor", while the BX tries to be everything to everyone, and many times comes up short.

Knowing what I know now, Id have a L tractor for tractor stuff and the ZD for the lawns.

Agreed - I bought my BX specifically to mow, and I hate it. A real POS as far as being a tractor is concerned, among other things. Should've bought a dedicated mower.

AStanton · Jun 22, 2015

I too mow with a dedicated mower other than my Kubota. The deciding factors for me were the Kubota's weigh, expensive bagging system, and lack of maneuverability. My dedicated mower is also orange, so I feel like I have a mini-Kubota in some way. Plus the mini-Kubota has an automatic locking differential and handles like it's' in 4-way drive.
(Tdog, I hope your Kohler engine isn't labeled the "Courage" model. Some people have written in reviews that you need "courage" to buy one!)

sandyc · Jun 22, 2015

Ditto for me. When I traded off my b2200 for a 2920 tbl I went with a kubota lawn tractor. I now have a b3350 without a mmm and still use the little tractor.

ShowroomShine · Jun 22, 2015

I wish I could afford to have this epiphany as well. My CS2410 is just not a great mower, ok but not great. Hard to do stripes in the yard when you have to make a 4 point turn at the end of a cut. Always in the wrong configuration for what I need.

I should have gotten a B or CK, and a walk behind mower.

dodge man · Jun 22, 2015

The truth is the BX is great at being an all around little machine, but its not really great at doing any one thing. I find I put off putting on my FEL unless I have several jobs for it. I've gotten good at taking it off and on but still delay when possible. The mower deck stays on until winter unless I'm doing a lot of FEL work.

Gary Fowler · Jun 22, 2015

I have two tractors and two zero turn mowers. I never remove the backhoe from my B26, it is strictly a TLB. My LS is usually just used for soil tillage, bush hogging duties but occasionally gets to move some heavy loads with the FEL. The FEL has never been off as it is just too handy to have in place. I don't have any tight spots to worry about clearances so it isn't an issue to have it on even with the extra weight. My mowers are a Ferris IS700Z which is my dry land mower. I get out my Craftsman 6000 with the bar lug tires to mow around my ponds and any other slippery areas. The only issue with a ZTR is that if you get into a slippery area especially on a slope, you are not getting out as you will just slide deeper into it. This spring has been the worst for mowing because of all the rain, but with the bar lug tires, I have only been stuck about half a dozen times trying to mow my swamp area. My Kubota RTV 900 gets them out really easy though.

My only issue is that the Craftsman goes into the garage first so I have to move the Ferris out first in order to use it. One never has enough storage space or large enough buildings.

Tdog · Jun 22, 2015

Just a couple more observations - - the mower deck throws out a ton of debris. It really sends leaves & grass & whatever else flying. When I'm ready to stop, I have to use the leaf blower on me 1st, all over. Then the mower.

Also, running at full rpm, it's pretty dang loud! I've got an old pair of Worktunes that i've been wearing for hearing protection. The downside of the headphones is I can't wear them when I use a straw hat. But a ball cap works.

I don't have a handle on fuel consumption yet, but it's got to me fairly high.

I'm supposed to change the oil after 5 hours - - I'm currently at 4.4. We'll see how easy it is to service soon.

Oh, did I mention that it was fast?