Mowing BX1800 Mowing Issues

[tbr701]

I have had a BX1800 with a 54" mowing deck for about four years. I mow a little over 2 acres of lawn. I love the tractor but have always been disappointed in the quality of mowing it performed. In the spring and fall I have to rake the lawn after mowing. The blades do not cut the grass up very well. I try to mow often, but usually get the same results. I talked to my Kubota dealer about a mulching blade. He advised Kubota's mulching blades did not work very well. I talked to two Kubota dealers about the GCK60-BX grass catcher and both discouraged me from buying it. I have several questions that maybe someone can answer for me.

One dealer advised that I need to mow in low speed. I tried this and I did not see much difference. Maybe a little better but not worth the extra time it would take to mow. Do most people mow in low speed (turtle)?

I see gator blades mentioned on this site. Do they work a lot better then OEM blades? Are there other blades that work better?

Any suggestions on how to get a better cut? One Kubota dealer wanted to sell me a new tractor, zero clearance but I can not afford to have two mowers and I don't want to get rid of the BX. I would consider another BX model if it mowed better. I have the discharge on the deck lifted up to help throw the grass better.

Tedd

 

[pdowling1]

You have a great mowing machine there! Keep it at full throttle when mowing, and cut more often if the cuttings are too long. The Gator blades work great for me, I haven't put the OEM blades back on since buying them. Make sure you aren't cutting too short - I run my deck at 3-1/2 or 4, never any lower.

 

[Volfandt]

a few recommendations:
1) make sure the mower is level side to side (measureing at the blade tips) and the front should be upto 1/4" lower than the rear (also measured at the blade tips).

2) make sure the tires are equally air'ed up. I purposely run mine about 4 lbs lower in the rears to soften the ride alittle more but run the fronts at spec.

Kubota makes a high lift blade for the 60" MMM's so they should also make them for the 54". You can go that route or try to find a set of gatorblades. Either are better than the OEM std blades.
I have the 60" MMM and had to adapt a set of gatorblades for it. You may have to measure the blade length and width and also the hole size then contact Oregon for a best match. They have an 800 # listed on their web site.
They may have an exact fit but if not they may recommend a spacer. I made a spacer to fit my 60" by cutting down a Cat 1 to Cat2 bushing adapter which is commonly found at TSC and other tractor parts suppliers.

The finish cut from my BX23 w/a 60" MMM and gatorblades is as good or better than any cut I've ever had from any of my previous lawn & garden tractors.

I also use a cyclone rack to pick up the clippings about every 3rd mowing. Usually the gatorblades do a good enough job of cutting that I don't need to bag on every mowing which is good since I finish mow 2 acres every week and alittle over 4 acres every other week.
I also mow insuch a way to either mulch or bag. When mulching I mow each subsequent row in alternating directions which keeps the clippings down and gives a nice pattern and when I want to bag I mow in such a manner that I side discharge into the next row I'm about to mow next. This way I build up several long windrows which I then go back and pick up with the cyclone rake when I've finished mowing. In this way it cuts down the trips to the compost pile immencely and also keeps the BX23 more nimble as I don't have to haul the cyclone rake for the entire mowing session.
Hook up of the cyclone rake is tooless and tales approx 5 minutes.

Good luck

 

[t niss]

Do you have a pic of your cyclone rake and a link?

 

[Volfandt]

Try here. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...af-pickup-what-do.html?highlight=cyclone+rake

 

[tbr701]

Thanks for your replies. I mow at 3 1/2" and usually move up to 4" in the summer. Engine is at full throttle when I mow. I am trying to find gator blades that will fit my deck. I hope that the gator blades will improve the look of the yard after the mowing is done.

 

[hazmat]

Is the cut good, but dispersal of clippings bad?

If yes - a few solutions -

1- a mulching kit may be available from Kubota - not sure - like all mulching kits will work best in dry conditions and not with tall grass.

2- cut more often

3- fertilize and/or water less

4- you can try gator blades, but my experience is that they don't make grass clippings any smaller, but do pulverize leaves.\

5- bag the clippings (don't have any experience with the Kubota bagger, but others here seem to have had success). Possible downside is time to setup/remove if you want to use the three point hitch.