Mowing Need a mower and some persuasion.

[LBrown59]

Wish I knew where to buy one for around 800.00 or so..

It's in my garage.

 

[LBrown59]

1.) Time and effort spent removing loader and backhoe (and/or 3PH implement). I laugh when I see people here say that they can do it fast and it is no bother. It is actually a tremendous bother. Even 15-20 minutes each way is 40 minutes for a full change back and forth. I could have most of my mowing done by then. Not to mention that other jobs get interrupted for mowing duty. Having to change-out the tractor seriously discouraged me from mowing on a regular basis.

2.) The deck is heavy and difficult to maneuver. Prepare to bust knuckles and break your back pushing it under the tractor and hooking up the PTO, changing wheel heights, changing blades, etc. I can't tell you how many times I was on my back in a wet garage, drenched in sweat and covered with bugs and grease practicing the "F" word while trying to line up splines.

3.) Servicing the deck is painful - draining the gear oil in particular which requires standing it up on one end and is easily a 2-3 man job.

4.) Set up and leveling of the deck is difficult - the manual may as well be written in Chinese. I was never able to get it set up right for a level cut after multiple attempts.

5.) Poor turning radius (compared to lawn tractors).

6.) Lots of extra hours on the tractor doing something a cheap mower does better.

7.) The heavy tractor mashes down the grass leaving two uncut strips consistently unless you mow very frequently with short, dry grass.

1*I handled this 2 ways:
A* Leave 60'' MMM on the BX23.
B* Bought a BX1500 with 48'' MMM that I leave on it also.
It's the best of both worlds for me.
2*See 1*.
3*N/C
4*See1*
5*Not a problem for me.
6*The mowing hours are split between the BX23 and the BX1500 resulting in fewer hours on each tractor.
Splitting the operating hours between 3 tractors results in less frequent oil and transmission fluid changes.
7*Not a problem that bothers me with either of the BXs.

 

[txkevin]

I think that you are getting a lot of biased opinions here. People have a tendency to justify a purchase, particularly an expensive one. .

Its a type of cognitive dissonance called choice supportive behavior If I recall correctly. So simply spend a lot of money on one of the choices and you will have a natural tendency to justify the choice and view it positively. In short, do what you want and you will likely be ok with your choice.

Personally, it all came down to storage (and maintenance) of 2 different machines for me.

As far as raising the MMM needing 2-3 people, that is why I got a tractor with an FEL. Its my other 2 or 3 lift hands when I am alone.

 

[LBrown59]

I mowed with the BX24 and 54" deck for over a year before I gave up.
1*I have bought a Husqvarna 24HP with 54" deck
2* U just can't beat jump-on-and-mow as opposed to 20+ minutes of torture before and after mowing.
3* Also I use the mower for other duties like towing a trailer, thatching, spreading -
```````````````````

`````````````````````````````1*I bought 2 Kubota BX1500s.
2*Nor can you beat just jump on and mow till grade Dig with the BH grade and haul with a FEL.
3*I use one of the BX1500s for things like that Plus it's nice to have an extra 3 point hitch free for other rear attachments.

 

[acohen100]

Volf,

As Rayco so astutely pointed out, all opinions are biased. I just thought that I would offer the opposite bias

 

[rdsaustintx]

Its a type of cognitive dissonance called choice supportive behavior If I recall correctly. So simply spend a lot of money on one of the choices and you will have a natural tendency to justify the choice and view it positively. In short, do what you want and you will likely be ok with your choice.

Wow, that is the pithiest response to a silly tractor thread EVER.

Welcome to TBN, neighbor!!

Russell (baking here in BubbaLand)

 

[slewisma]

As far as raising the MMM needing 2-3 people, that is why I got a tractor with an FEL. Its my other 2 or 3 lift hands when I am alone.

Get a pair of axles like the ones here: http://moweraxle.com/tractorpricelist.html and storing, moving and keeping the mower deck upright to change the gear oil will be easy. Saves storage space too.

 

[NuBota]

FWIW - when I bought the BX I already had a 20HP 42" el cheapo Murray. I bought the 54" standard cut MMM figuring when the Murray died (it's now 7 years old) I would just use the BX - until then I could have some versatility. That said I hardly ever mow with the BX. I mow about an acre - lots of steep hills - I can get most with the BX (albeit moving a bit slower), but can't mow across the hill like with the LT. Changing out the MMM is not an issue as much as the BH and FEL. And I have loaded tires. I'm not maintaining a golf course lawn, so the weight doesn't bother me much - but might for you if your planning a manicured lawn. And no way I would let the DW or teenagers mow the hills with the BX - just an accident waiting to happen (only let them do the gentler slopes on the LT)

So now I am thinking - even if the Murray dies (it is still running strong and cuts fine for my needs) I would probably buy another entry level LT.

If/when I get to a point where the dirt projects become less frequent than the mowing then I would consider full time mowing with the BX. But I perform both tasks on a weekly basis and the "swap out" just doesn't seem worth the extra effort.

Also consider other tasks - aeration, seeding, fertilizing, thatching, etc. Attachments are much cheaper for an LT (although you could use them on a BX - again with some swap out). And there are times I have one of the kids running the LT with a trailer that I load up with the BX FEL - or mowing while I play in the dirt.

Anyway, guess my point is there are many things to consider other than just the time/aggravation factor of the "mode swap". $2000 may be your limit at the moment, but consider how it would be best spent over the long haul based on future projects you have planned.

Either way - I don't think you can go wrong - all the opinions thus far are dead on - even if they contradict. As has been said before - we ALL like to help you spend your money.....

 

[Sniggle]

Look for a used Kubota G1900 with a 60 inch deck...should be able to get one for around $2500. Great little cutting machine.

I have a 60 MMM for my B7800, but the only time I have touched it is when I removed it when my new-to-me machine was delivered. That being said, I do like having it available in case my G1900 has an issue.

 

[acohen100]

One additional note. The smaller LT implements such as spreaders and thatchers are too low to reach from the seat of the BX. This meant that I was constantly getting on and off while doing these tasks to adjust and or clean out whereas on a LT it was just a matter of swiveling on the seat and reaching back.

Also, Nubota makes a good point. Most of the time when I am working on the BX I need the LT pulling a trailer to either load up or chip into, etc. I never thought I'd say this but two tractors is almost a necessity if you have any property and having an LT as the second for smaller chores and mowing is quite economical. Not all of us can afford several BXs like LBrown.