New Guy With BX1500 Questions

[LBrown59]

Yes my driveway is gravel. I was planning on using the FEL and a Back Blade for snow removal. I'm not sure where the Snowblower thing came from. I think maybe the other guys were just trying to be helpful and give me suggestions. I have a snowblower now on my Bolens and it's CRAZY when you chuck some rocks. Scary actually. That's one of the reasons I would like to move up to 4wd. I have a Back Blade for the Bolens, but 2wd doesn't cut it in deep snow. Thanks again guys for the help.

What Bolens model do you have>?
I have 2 850s

 

[BKMAN]

My Bolens is a 1600H Eliminator Medium Frame. I thinks it's a 1984. It has a Snow Thrower, Snow Cab, Mower and Sleeve Hitch. It's a good heavy duty little tractor. I really like it. It's just getting harder and harder to find parts for it. Good thing I have friends that are pretty resourceful. Since I bought it I have had to have a Front PTO Sheeve and a Driveshaft fabricated for it. A NOS driveshaft was $700...CRAZY!! I think I got mine fabricated for something like $170 which is still expensive. Still all-in-all it's been a pretty good little tractor. I like it alot. I'm just ready to move up to something a little bigger. Thanks

 

[LBrown59]

My Bolens is a 1600H Eliminator Medium Frame. I thinks it's a 1984. It has a Snow Thrower, Snow Cab, Mower and Sleeve Hitch. It's a good heavy duty little tractor. I really like it. It's just getting harder and harder to find parts for it. Good thing I have friends that are pretty resourceful. Since I bought it I have had to have a Front PTO Sheeve and a Driveshaft fabricated for it. A NOS driveshaft was $700...CRAZY!! I think I got mine fabricated for something like $170 which is still expensive. Still all-in-all it's been a pretty good little tractor. I like it alot. I'm just ready to move up to something a little bigger. Thanks

I bought the 1966 new in 1966.
the 1967 is for sale.

 

[Tom_H]

Use the search function to search in the 2 Kubota forums for all threads started by blackmajicwoman. He has numerous photos of his BX 1500 doing all kinds of work, including trenches he's dug, stumps and rocks he's dug up with the Woods backhoe on the back of his BX 1500. While you did not inquire about backhoe capability, this should give you an idea of how powerful this little machine actually is.

 

[SPYDERLK]

My 1830 runs a snowblower and I am sure that 1500 will run one also just a little smaller like a 48"
They are surpisingly powerful machines
Good luck
DGS

I concur. The statement about them not running snowblowers doesn't seem quite right to me. If a Crapsman can run a snowblower, a diesel Kubota can too...it has much more torque than a "normal" gas powered mower.

The problem is that it takes nearly 4HP per foot of width to throw snow well. Regardless of strategies to use less power [go slow, take smaller bites,etc.], doing so impairs the effectiveness of operation. To throw the snow well the thrower has to be working hard so that a good stream of re-consolidated snow exits the chute. The only way to ensure this is to crowd the snow, bulling thru it at a speed that causes around 4HP to be used per foot of thrower width. A BX1500 has about 9PTO HP, Ample for 2', borderline for 3'. With the ~50" Kubota thrower that covers the full width of the tractor the performance is anemic. Optimizing travel speed or bite width for HP available gives about a 15' throw. This is better than a shovel, but inadequate in terms of the flexibility in use offered by a suitably powered unit that will be capable of throwing 40' or more.
larry

 

[BXRICK]

I have used a BX1500 with a ~43" PTO snow blower in Massachusetts for several years now.
It works great. And, I agree you have to keep feeding it snow, but with most snows, I go backwards at a fast walk, slow trot - almost as fast as I can comfortably go and still maintain control. At the width it is, it takes three passes (out, back, and out again to clear the width of my driveway.