2manyrocks
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,264
440 hours represents a lot of work for you as the operator. I think my zero turn mower has less than 300 hours on it, but riding isn't the same level of work as operating a walk behind.
Zanon ZRF 1000 drum mower
- Thread starter Jens767
- Start date
- Views: 9887
Shrew_Gardens
Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2023
- Messages
- 29
- Tractor
- BCS 749
Jens, thanks for sharing. I consider you the Mayor of this forum.
Hi again Shrew_Gardens 
Thank you very much for your nice words!
Around 2010, when we still had quite a lot of snow here in winter, sometimes up to 30-40 cm (12-16’’), I was looking for some kind of machinery to help me keeping my 250 m² (2700 ft²) driveway clean. I am a regular homeowner with only a garage for our 2 cars as storage place, and a limited budget for „toys“ as well. After having considered the various options thoroughly, I finally decided to get a 2-wheel tractor with a sweeper. Not because that might be the perfect solution, but because it seemed like a good compromise to me. I would be able to park the tractor and the sweeper in my warm and dry garage, and this solution also seemed like good value for money.
Sadly I didn’t know TractorByNet at the time, and I also didn’t have anyone around me with any experience, who I could take hints from.
A year or so after I got my „toys“, I discovered this great forum, and also the homepage from Earth Tools. I read all the posts in the 2-Wheel Tractors forum, and also most of the information that Joel has put forward on his page. All this information was very helpful to me, and I’m very grateful to all members who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience with all of us. I know that Joel is a very busy man, but he still finds the time to keep adding useful information to his homepage - thank you Joel!
All of the above just to say, that I have learned so much from more experienced members in this forum - especially when I was new of course, that I would like to pay back some of it, and offer my thoughts and experience after more than 475 working hours with my 2-wheel tractor. If my input is useful to some of our members, I find it worth to spend my time writing posts. As an extra bonus, I get a chance to practice my English, which is a foreign language to me
Best regards
Jens
Thank you very much for your nice words!
Around 2010, when we still had quite a lot of snow here in winter, sometimes up to 30-40 cm (12-16’’), I was looking for some kind of machinery to help me keeping my 250 m² (2700 ft²) driveway clean. I am a regular homeowner with only a garage for our 2 cars as storage place, and a limited budget for „toys“ as well. After having considered the various options thoroughly, I finally decided to get a 2-wheel tractor with a sweeper. Not because that might be the perfect solution, but because it seemed like a good compromise to me. I would be able to park the tractor and the sweeper in my warm and dry garage, and this solution also seemed like good value for money.
Sadly I didn’t know TractorByNet at the time, and I also didn’t have anyone around me with any experience, who I could take hints from.
A year or so after I got my „toys“, I discovered this great forum, and also the homepage from Earth Tools. I read all the posts in the 2-Wheel Tractors forum, and also most of the information that Joel has put forward on his page. All this information was very helpful to me, and I’m very grateful to all members who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience with all of us. I know that Joel is a very busy man, but he still finds the time to keep adding useful information to his homepage - thank you Joel!
All of the above just to say, that I have learned so much from more experienced members in this forum - especially when I was new of course, that I would like to pay back some of it, and offer my thoughts and experience after more than 475 working hours with my 2-wheel tractor. If my input is useful to some of our members, I find it worth to spend my time writing posts. As an extra bonus, I get a chance to practice my English, which is a foreign language to me
Best regards
Jens
NibbanaFarm
Silver Member
Well Jens, your English is better than mine, and it's my native tongue.
Hi again 2manyrocks
Depending on the job, the terrain and the weather perhaps, working with a 2-wheel tractor is indeed hard work. It’s amazing though, what kind of hard work a small tractor like ours is capable of doing, but you are absolutely right, it surely takes its toll on the operator as well
I’m model year 1958, and as far as school work allowed, I spent most of my spare time in my teens working on the neighboring farms. What I liked the most, was driving tractors, which, in my area in the 1970s, were models like MF 35, MF 165 or the ever present Ferguson TE-20 (the grey „Fergie“), among others
I remember being able to work easily for 8-10 hours on the tractor without any problems, and although I’m of course also 50 years older now, 2½-3 hours is my limit with the 2-wheel tractor
In my dreams, I would love to have a zero turn mower instead of my Zanon lawnmower, and I would also love to have an Antonio Carraro with a flail mower instead of my Berta. Finally it would be great to have a Kubota tractor for my sweeper, my snow thrower and my drum mower also.
Back in the real world though, we all have to make compromises, and this is where I think a 2-wheel tractor with its implements makes sense, and offers good value for the money spent - at least in my situation.
I like to take good care of my tools - especially when I have spent a lot of money getting them. I wouldn’t be able to keep any of the above mentioned tools indoor, except a 2-wheel tractor with its implements, and it would brake my heard to see them sit outside when not in use
As a homeowner with limited storage space, size becomes important, and here the 2-wheel tractors shine. Tax laws - at least here - also doesn’t favor homeowners, as we pay full price for our tools, including 19% sales tax/VAT. On top of that, we can’t deduct a cent on the tax bill, and basically pay all costs with our already taxed pocket money.
This might be a fair system, but it also means that the cost of buying and operating becomes very important, and perhaps more so compared to operators who are able to skip sales tax and afterwards deduct some of the costs on their tax bill.
All of the above just to try to say, that depending on ones own situation, one choice might seem obvious to one person, but for someone else it might not be a feasible solution. A farmer for instance, might have barns and sheds and therefore fewer problems in bringing his equipment indoor. On top he might be able to avoid paying sales tax when buying equipment, and afterwards deduct some of the costs of operating it. For a homeowner this is not possible, and therefore space and costs becomes very important.
Or put another way: One size doesn’t always fit all
Best regards
Jens
Depending on the job, the terrain and the weather perhaps, working with a 2-wheel tractor is indeed hard work. It’s amazing though, what kind of hard work a small tractor like ours is capable of doing, but you are absolutely right, it surely takes its toll on the operator as well
I’m model year 1958, and as far as school work allowed, I spent most of my spare time in my teens working on the neighboring farms. What I liked the most, was driving tractors, which, in my area in the 1970s, were models like MF 35, MF 165 or the ever present Ferguson TE-20 (the grey „Fergie“), among others
I remember being able to work easily for 8-10 hours on the tractor without any problems, and although I’m of course also 50 years older now, 2½-3 hours is my limit with the 2-wheel tractor
In my dreams, I would love to have a zero turn mower instead of my Zanon lawnmower, and I would also love to have an Antonio Carraro with a flail mower instead of my Berta. Finally it would be great to have a Kubota tractor for my sweeper, my snow thrower and my drum mower also.
Back in the real world though, we all have to make compromises, and this is where I think a 2-wheel tractor with its implements makes sense, and offers good value for the money spent - at least in my situation.
I like to take good care of my tools - especially when I have spent a lot of money getting them. I wouldn’t be able to keep any of the above mentioned tools indoor, except a 2-wheel tractor with its implements, and it would brake my heard to see them sit outside when not in use
As a homeowner with limited storage space, size becomes important, and here the 2-wheel tractors shine. Tax laws - at least here - also doesn’t favor homeowners, as we pay full price for our tools, including 19% sales tax/VAT. On top of that, we can’t deduct a cent on the tax bill, and basically pay all costs with our already taxed pocket money.
This might be a fair system, but it also means that the cost of buying and operating becomes very important, and perhaps more so compared to operators who are able to skip sales tax and afterwards deduct some of the costs on their tax bill.
All of the above just to try to say, that depending on ones own situation, one choice might seem obvious to one person, but for someone else it might not be a feasible solution. A farmer for instance, might have barns and sheds and therefore fewer problems in bringing his equipment indoor. On top he might be able to avoid paying sales tax when buying equipment, and afterwards deduct some of the costs of operating it. For a homeowner this is not possible, and therefore space and costs becomes very important.
Or put another way: One size doesn’t always fit all
Best regards
Jens
NibbanaFarm
Silver Member
Agree with Jens. Besides pulling a wagon around, I use my BCS primarily for gardening. Soil working, cultivating. I have a 32x60 foot garden. Way too small for a 4 wheel tractor but way too big to work by hand. And the snow moving attachments I have bought and built are icing on the cake. All the different functionality with one platform. I have built so many different attachment that I've run out of indoor storage for them. But no big deal as they are pretty much indestructible. I wouldn't want to keep the tractor outside though.
Hi
My 2025 season with the Zanon drum mower is coming to an end, and on the last job, I again got the chance to run my BCS 740 in 2nd gear, while mowing
As I have stated before, the 100 cm (40’’) working width of my drum mower, rarely allows me to run my tractor in 2nd gear, and by far most jobs are done in 1st gear. The load on the mower/engine of course depends a lot on how dense the crop is, but also on how fibrous it is. In pure grass that is not too dense, I might work close to full width in 2nd gear, but if the grass is dense, it has to be 1st gear. The same goes for fibrous or woody material, where I often have to reduce the working width even when running in 1st gear.
As can be seen on the fotos from my last job, the grass grows rather sparse here, and it was really a joy just to stroll along in 2nd gear:
In crops like these, the Honda GX 390 engine easily stays on top of things, and the wider 100 cm (40’’) working width is just right. In tougher crops, I sometimes would prefer the smaller 80 cm (32’’) working width.
Best regards
Jens
My 2025 season with the Zanon drum mower is coming to an end, and on the last job, I again got the chance to run my BCS 740 in 2nd gear, while mowing
As I have stated before, the 100 cm (40’’) working width of my drum mower, rarely allows me to run my tractor in 2nd gear, and by far most jobs are done in 1st gear. The load on the mower/engine of course depends a lot on how dense the crop is, but also on how fibrous it is. In pure grass that is not too dense, I might work close to full width in 2nd gear, but if the grass is dense, it has to be 1st gear. The same goes for fibrous or woody material, where I often have to reduce the working width even when running in 1st gear.
As can be seen on the fotos from my last job, the grass grows rather sparse here, and it was really a joy just to stroll along in 2nd gear:
In crops like these, the Honda GX 390 engine easily stays on top of things, and the wider 100 cm (40’’) working width is just right. In tougher crops, I sometimes would prefer the smaller 80 cm (32’’) working width.
Best regards
Jens
