BX23 Rotary mower match?

[nasdaqsam]

Is a 5' Woods rotary mower to big for the BX23? Or would I be better off with a 4'?

Intended uses:

Right now is to cut down high weeds and over growth of several building lots. These lots have been cut 2 to 3 times a year for the past three years so nothing real bad here.

I buy and sell property all the time so would like something a little tougher in case I need to knock down something larger. Although I can not see myself knocking down a small forest.

Also I get into lots that can have hidden things to hit so I need to be prepared for that. Most lots will be under 1 acre.

Thanks

 

[Jinma354]

If its a finish mower you may be ok with a 5 foot but if its a rough cut mower or brush hog its way too big. In a rough cut a 48" is as big as I'd want to pull around on my BX23.

 

[nasdaqsam]

That is what I thought. Thank you for the input.

 

[HomeBrew2]

I'm pretty comfortable with my 48" but it's possible you could run a 60" if you're just doing rough cutting with the back raised well above the front in tall stuff. I try to get a finish cut on my weeds so I set the rear a 1/2" or less higher than the front which puts quite a bit more drag on it. Also, the BX pto engagement is quite abrupt and feathering engagement seems tough to do for me and the 4'er is a lot of mass to get spinning. They say you need 5hp/ft of hog and that seems to work in my situation. As a note, I opted to get an over running clutch for mine just to make it easier on the pto brake when disengaging.

 

[nasdaqsam]

Thanks for the reply.

I just ordered the Woods 48" with slip clutch. $ 1,250 delivered and installed at my home. I'm not sure if that is a good price or not.

I went 48" because I do not have that big an area to begin with and some of the spots I go to are tight.

Is an over run clutch the same as a slip clutch?

 

[HomeBrew2]

That should work good for you!
A slip clutch goes on the implement end of the pto shaft and is a fuse just like a shear pin. I just have a shear pin.
The over running clutch goes on the tractor end of the pto and only allows rotation in one direction ... like a ratchet. The tractor end stops when the pto is disengaged but the pto driveshaft end free wheels and lets the hog wind down.

 

[nasdaqsam]

Homebrew,

Is it advantagous to get one of these for my set-up?

It sounds like it would easier on the tractor.

Thanks

 

[HomeBrew2]

I'm glad I got the ORC. I think it saves the pto brake some wear ... I can't quantify it though and it's probably not worth the $80 it cost me to some folks. Some folks have had probs with ORC quality (I have not).
Did you get front and rear guards and a gauge wheel(s)?

 

[nasdaqsam]

I guess I will wait and see if I think I need it.

The unit came standard with the front rubber guard and he is ordering and throwing in the front one. (I mentioned if I got hit with a stone I wouldn't be able to go spend more money with him /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

It has the guage wheel, I am not sure if that was standard or if he just puts them on all of them or not and he options in the slip clutch on all the units he sells.

This a very large (at least for our area) tractor dealer. My parents families (both sides) have been farmers in the area for many many years so they treat me pretty good. Especially since the Kubota and related accessory's are my first purchase from them. They have bent over backwards for me.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Sounds like you're in a great situation there. Enjoy!

 

[nasdaqsam]

Thanks it does have its advantages.

My father broke away from the farming years ago to go into housing, which I do now but...........I just can't stay off that tractor.

Must be in the blood. LOL

 

[milkman]

I use a 5' IMC on my BX 2200, I have mostly level ground where I use it, it does fine unless it's tractor high fescue, then I just slow down. On the BX, I didn't know that it has a PTO brake, when I take the PTO out of gear, it just coasts to a stop, haven't seen a PTO brake in the parts manual either, maybe I missed it. I know the ORC was almost a necessity with the old trans powered PTO, a Bush Hog would sure push you through a fence.

 

[HomeBrew2]

I don't happen to see the pto brake in the BX23 parts manual either. It's in the shop manual under: Transaxle/PTO System/PTO Clutch Disengaged.

 

[Tom_H]

The manual says 42" max. for a rough cutter on all the 22 hp BXs. The manuals also say 42" on all 18 and 15 hp models as well. On my BX2200 I use a 40" heavy duty Gearmore rotary cutter. I am able to cut thick stands of 2" sapplings with no loss of rpm. The only thing that slows it is some type of grass that has many hundreds of round straw shaped blades. The plant looks like an upside down head of a huge round broom.

It seems that if 42" is recommended for BX 1800, 1830, and even 1500, that the 22 hp models should be able to handle larger than 42". I have heard of others who run a 48" heavy duty rough cutter on a BX 2200, 2230, 22, or 23 and cut sapplings just fine. I have never seen it, nor heard others say they have successfully done it, however it would not at all surprise me to learn that the larger BXs could successfully drive a light duty 60" brush hog in vegitation that was all grass and no rough material or sapplings.

 

[nasdaqsam]

Thanks to everyone for the advise. I have attached some pictures of her and some of the recent work I did with it.

I am very glad I went with the Woods unit. This thing is built like a tank. I did not see it when I bought it I just called up my dealer and had him deliver it. Was I ever surprised when it came and it was Orange, it had the better trailing wheel than showed in the literature and on their web site not to mention the qulaity of this unit. They set it all up for me. I loaded it that night and off to work with it the next morning. Oh did I mention it was orange?

After using it I can say I am very happy to have gone with the 48". It is just the right size for the BX23.

1st Pic. Loaded and ready to go. Yes, I know I have to figure out a better way to transport it as my trailer is just long anough but puts to much load on the tongue.

 

[nasdaqsam]

OK, unloaded and ready to go! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[nasdaqsam]

One more ready to go and if I would stop taking pictures I could actually get some work done.

 

[nasdaqsam]

One of the Cutter itself.

 

[nasdaqsam]

One of the finished job. It didn't look that high in the previous photos but I was cutting down weeds and grass over my head while sitting on the tractor.

That is three building lots of 1/2 acre each. It took me 5 hours. Not sure if that is good or not but I made $ 300 to do it. They are part of my partnerships inventory but we pay each other for extra work we do. I thought it to be a fair price as that is what we always got charged to do it.