MauiHoss
New member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2013
- Messages
- 7
- Location
- Wailuku, HI
- Tractor
- Kioti DK35, Kubota ZD21, BCS 852, Troybilt Horse
We are the proud owners of a new BCS852 with quick-coupling to a BCS/Del Morino 26 brush mower from Earth Tools Earth Tools - Walk-Behind Tractors - (502) 484-3988 (see photos)
We bought this to replace a DR Brush Mower we bought used about 10 years ago. I'll never forget the guy we bought it from who asked if he could mow just a couple more passes before we loaded it up on the truck. We'd made the deal and he was already missing his mower it was a good sign. The DR was a trooper but not without her issues. By the time we retired it, the deck was falling apart due to the rust from the salt/sea environment here. Yeah, nobody's crying about "poor us" living on Maui. The idler pulley mount was held on with coat hanger wire and we'd haphazardly welded up the deck over time to squeak a little more life from the old gal. IIRC we had to change the blade drive v-belt once, repair the differential and only recently broke one blade in all those years.
Back to the new BCS Our first impressions of the new machine are quite positive. Buying sight unseen over the internet gives one pause but reading reviews on TractorByNet and a dearth of information on the Earth Tools site was quite convincing. Joel was very helpful on the phone to make sure that we were getting the correct tool for the job mowing down cane grass. Since the primary function of this tractor will be powering a front-mounted mower, the BCS852 seemed the best choice. That gives us fourth gear with the handlebars over the engine. The BCS 853 is just the opposite having high gear only with the handlebars over the implement.
Earth Tools worked up a shipping quote and made all the arrangements which can be daunting when shipping to the islands. Within a few weeks everything arrived well packed and easily set up. Fluids all topped up (I double checked) and fittings greased.
To my surprise, there was a spare set of blades and a spare rubber deflector for the mower deck included. It was super easy to un-box and hook up the mower with the quick-connect. I can see why this is such an important accessory if you plan to swap implements. Perhaps a tiller is in our future. Our old Troy Horse roto-tiller is OK but well worn.
Since we have a harsh sea-salt climate to deal with we're building the new tractor a shed. Before using the new BCS we waxed everything we could get at. That probably sounds crazy considering how it will be thrashed but a little extra protection will buy some time. Unlike most equipment sold these days, the Honda engine has many steel parts so seeing a metal fuel tank and lid was a mild shock. The rest of the tractor seems sturdy and built to last as well. Earth Tools recommended the debris guard for the air intake. Seeing how the engine is situated on the tractor with the intake somewhat near to the ground this was good advice and worth the investment.
In terms of prep work, the only thing I found to do was tighten a couple cable nuts on the handlebars. I sprayed some corrosion block on the battery terminals and some dry moly on the pivot bolts of the mower blades. All-in-all, Earth Tools did a great job making sure everything was working, safely packed for a Pacific voyage and communicated well throughout the process.
Mower Del Morino Brush vs. Flail: we choose the brush mower because of our experience using a flail mower on our big tractor. The flail mower on the big tractor tends to wrap the tall grasses around the mower. Perhaps this wouldn't be the case with the little flail mower on a walk-behind. The old DR Brush Mower seemed to handle these woody grasses pretty well. There are also rock walls around the patches we're planning to keep tamed so flipper blades on the brush hog style mower seemed a better choice. Time will tell assuming it stops raining long enough for us to find out.
Thank you to all who've contributed here on TractorByNet. I hope that this write-up will help the next newb like me.
MauiHoss
We bought this to replace a DR Brush Mower we bought used about 10 years ago. I'll never forget the guy we bought it from who asked if he could mow just a couple more passes before we loaded it up on the truck. We'd made the deal and he was already missing his mower it was a good sign. The DR was a trooper but not without her issues. By the time we retired it, the deck was falling apart due to the rust from the salt/sea environment here. Yeah, nobody's crying about "poor us" living on Maui. The idler pulley mount was held on with coat hanger wire and we'd haphazardly welded up the deck over time to squeak a little more life from the old gal. IIRC we had to change the blade drive v-belt once, repair the differential and only recently broke one blade in all those years.
Back to the new BCS Our first impressions of the new machine are quite positive. Buying sight unseen over the internet gives one pause but reading reviews on TractorByNet and a dearth of information on the Earth Tools site was quite convincing. Joel was very helpful on the phone to make sure that we were getting the correct tool for the job mowing down cane grass. Since the primary function of this tractor will be powering a front-mounted mower, the BCS852 seemed the best choice. That gives us fourth gear with the handlebars over the engine. The BCS 853 is just the opposite having high gear only with the handlebars over the implement.
Earth Tools worked up a shipping quote and made all the arrangements which can be daunting when shipping to the islands. Within a few weeks everything arrived well packed and easily set up. Fluids all topped up (I double checked) and fittings greased.
To my surprise, there was a spare set of blades and a spare rubber deflector for the mower deck included. It was super easy to un-box and hook up the mower with the quick-connect. I can see why this is such an important accessory if you plan to swap implements. Perhaps a tiller is in our future. Our old Troy Horse roto-tiller is OK but well worn.
Since we have a harsh sea-salt climate to deal with we're building the new tractor a shed. Before using the new BCS we waxed everything we could get at. That probably sounds crazy considering how it will be thrashed but a little extra protection will buy some time. Unlike most equipment sold these days, the Honda engine has many steel parts so seeing a metal fuel tank and lid was a mild shock. The rest of the tractor seems sturdy and built to last as well. Earth Tools recommended the debris guard for the air intake. Seeing how the engine is situated on the tractor with the intake somewhat near to the ground this was good advice and worth the investment.
In terms of prep work, the only thing I found to do was tighten a couple cable nuts on the handlebars. I sprayed some corrosion block on the battery terminals and some dry moly on the pivot bolts of the mower blades. All-in-all, Earth Tools did a great job making sure everything was working, safely packed for a Pacific voyage and communicated well throughout the process.
Mower Del Morino Brush vs. Flail: we choose the brush mower because of our experience using a flail mower on our big tractor. The flail mower on the big tractor tends to wrap the tall grasses around the mower. Perhaps this wouldn't be the case with the little flail mower on a walk-behind. The old DR Brush Mower seemed to handle these woody grasses pretty well. There are also rock walls around the patches we're planning to keep tamed so flipper blades on the brush hog style mower seemed a better choice. Time will tell assuming it stops raining long enough for us to find out.
Thank you to all who've contributed here on TractorByNet. I hope that this write-up will help the next newb like me.
MauiHoss
