Questions about BCS 38" mower?

[CENT PA]

First let me thank everyone for all of the great information on this site on 2-Wheeled Tractors. I've learned a lot and it's been real helpful in shopping for one.

I started to look for a 2-Wheeled Tractor when my wife and I decided to get a wood chipper and not have another engine to maintain. I'm figuring with a wood chipper attachment, 38" mower and tiller I would only have one engine and less hastle (after I get rid of our walk behind lawn mower and Cub Cadet rear tine tiller).

We live on a 6 acre wooded lot and only have about 1/3 acre to cut. I am hoping a BCS 740 with the 38" finish mower can replace my lawn mower. The only reservation I have is the transmission PTO on the BCS. How much of a pain is it to cut grass around obstacles with the mower deck shutting off every time you have to stop and back up? How about slowing down when you get near someplace you want to be more careful (stop, change gears, start again)? In an open field I'm sure it will work fine but how tedious is it to mow around things? Will I realistically be able to get rid of my 22" walk behind lawn mower or will I still need it to trim?

Thanks in advance

 

[Buckgnarly]

I don't own the finish mower, only the brush hog attachment, but NO WAY would I want to manuever around things/reverse with it. Great for LONG straight maybe, but I'm sure it would get tedious otherwise!

First let me thank everyone for all of the great information on this site on 2-Wheeled Tractors. I've learned a lot and it's been real helpful in shopping for one.

I started to look for a 2-Wheeled Tractor when my wife and I decided to get a wood chipper and not have another engine to maintain. I'm figuring with a wood chipper attachment, 38" mower and tiller I would only have one engine and less hastle (after I get rid of our walk behind lawn mower and Cub Cadet rear tine tiller).

We live on a 6 acre wooded lot and only have about 1/3 acre to cut. I am hoping a BCS 740 with the 38" finish mower can replace my lawn mower. The only reservation I have is the transmission PTO on the BCS. How much of a pain is it to cut grass around obstacles with the mower deck shutting off every time you have to stop and back up? How about slowing down when you get near someplace you want to be more careful (stop, change gears, start again)? In an open field I'm sure it will work fine but how tedious is it to mow around things? Will I realistically be able to get rid of my 22" walk behind lawn mower or will I still need it to trim?

Thanks in advance

 

[CENT PA]

I don't own the finish mower, only the brush hog attachment, but NO WAY would I want to manuever around things/reverse with it. Great for LONG straight maybe, but I'm sure it would get tedious otherwise!

Buckgnarly, Thanks for the reply.

That's what I'm thinking. I know the finish mower has caster wheels in front so it might be a little better to manuever but the transmission/pto issues will be the same. For my situation the 38" mower will save me time with most of the lawn (38" wide as apposed to 22") but I was hoping to get rid of the lawnmower entirely.

Anyone with the finish mower have isses with trimming/tigher areas?

Thanks!

 

[wstr75]

I have a 38" finish mower. The blades keep twirling when backing up and then immediately go back to full speed when the PTO is engaged. The 38" provides a beautiful cut and the cutting height is easy to set. I like catching the clippings in the bagger, driving over to the garden area and using the clippings as weed control (and future plant fuel!). I also have a 34" flail mower and it leaves an acceptable looking cut. Maybe not as good looking a cut as a finish mower, but if one were living out in the country and easy about yard appearance, the flail would be the ticket.

 

[farmerboybill]

Hey Cent PA,

First off, I'd recommend an 853 over the 740. The powersafe clutch is not worth the extra cost. It was only brought to the US to offset the cost of R&D for the EU standards in the European market

Second, the newer mowers no longer spin after disengaging the PTO. They are required by law to stop within something like 1.5 seconds. That is why their cost shot up dramatically 3 or 4 years ago.

The 38 inch mower is a good unit. I used to mow a 1/4 acre lot with both an 850 and a 735 (depending on which was available) and 38 inch mower. Basically, I modified the yard to fit the mower. Mulch and stone borders were added to the base of trees and around yard obstacles, corners were further curved to accommodate the arc needed to mow to the edge and not have to stop, and I learned how to mow in a pattern that was most efficient for the mower. Once I minimized the need to stop and back up the machine, it got a lot better. I would mow in second for the obstacles and third in the open areas. I've since bought my farm with a bigger lawn, and sold the BCS mower to buy a Grasshopper 718 front deck zero turn.

 

[CENT PA]

wstr75 and farmerboybill,

Thansks for the responce. It sounds like you are both happy with your BCS 38" mower. That make me a little more comfortable in getting one (I haven't seen one in person yet). I hope to take one for a test drive soon.

Our lawn is about 1/3 acre and about half of that is on slopes. Combine that with the fact we live in the woods and will have to do some leaf collection I'm thinking this mower might be a good fit.

I think your comment is right on about making the yard fit the mower. That's good advice for any mower but maybe this one more so. I think I can fix about half of my mowing obstacles and stream-line things a bit. I'm not sure I'll be able to get away without the lawnmower (a big selling point for the BCS and one engine idea).

As for the 853 vs the 740 question it sounds like they are phasing out the 853. I realize the 740 is a bit more complicated but it dose have a lighter clutch pull (better for the wife's small hands) and the wet clutch should be able to take a little more abuse (with starting and stopping the mower deck). I'm waiting to get a final quote for each but the fist quote I got the price difference isn't all that great (~$200 I thought).

 

[mpapiary]

I use the 38" mower with my 735 to cut our 3/4 acre lawn and it does a fantastic job. Our grass (more weeds than grass) has never looked better than this year when I picked up a spline drive 38" mower NOS from a former BCS dealer. It turns very easy around obstacles, although most of my yard is straight cutting. I have retired my Kubota B5100 and Woods deck (which never really did that great of a job even with new blades) from mowing duties permanently. The only drawback I see with this mower is the price - kind'a steep for what it is.

 

[CENT PA]

mpapiary,

Thanks for the feedback on the mower. I agree it's kind of expensive. If it works as well as most people say it may be worth it in the long run. One of my hang-ups is I was hoping to get rid of the lawnmower and cut the whole lawn with a BCS and weed-wacker (and have one less engine to maintain). I think if I "streamline" my yard I may be able to get pretty close to that goal.

My other hang-up is being able to test drive a tractor mower combo first to see how it handles on hills. I've been asking the dealer and distributer in my area since early summer about this but keep getting the same answer ("we'll try to make that happen"). I have now doubt that the mower cuts grass, I just want to make sure that the tractor/mower isn't too much work to keep stright on slopes. I told both the dealer and distributer that I don't even need to turn the blades, I just want to walk behind one to get the feel of it. I'm going to try one more time this week to see if I can make that happen.

I'll let everyone know how it goes.

 

[farmerboybill]

Hey Cent PA,

The machine you're considering has steering brakes. As you go along the hillside, you can "ride" the uphill brake to keep you on track. I help a friend cut his 13 acre hay field on occasion and find myself riding the brake often. It helps to keep a straight line.

Since the handlebars can be swung around, the brake levers will be right (left handle actuates left brake) going one direction and wrong (left handle actuates right brake) going the other. I'd make sure the dealer has it set right for mowing. The brakes are far less important in tiller mode.

 

[CENT PA]

farmerboybill,

I took a look at both a BCS 853 and 740 at Ag Progress Days in State College PA. I was checking out the brakes for just the purpose you discribed. The ones I looked at had the brake cables set up right for the tractor in the "mowing" mode. I also spoke with one of the BCS company reps and he said another trick is to engage the differntal lock when making long cuts on a cross slope. Since most of my steep slopes (~40%) are on my sand-mound septic field (and only about 60 feet long) I see me using your brake method most.

I called the dealer this moring and spoke with someone (his wife I think) and she suggested trying out a 732 they have with an old finish mower. He is suppose to call me back later today to discuss it (along with a quote). I think this should be close enough for me to get the "feel" of how it handles.

Quick question about tillers: Are the 20" and 26" BCS tillers basically the same tiller. The reason I ask is I don't want to short change myself if I decide to get the smaller tiller. At this point we only have a small garden (30' x 15') so the 20" tiller should be plenty. Am I giving up anything by going with the 20" over the 26"?

Thanks!