Riding mower vs BX

[Idahomestead]

Hello everyone!

Should I sell my riding mower/snow blower and buy the MMM and snow blower for my upcoming BX23s purchase? What are your thoughts on the MMM and the BX2816 snow blower?

I’ve been reading through many posts and have found the forum a very helpful resource so I’m hoping you guys can help me. I live on 3.5 acres in rural Idaho and am hoping to work on improving my property this year as it needs a lot of TLC. About an acre of the land is sloping forest that I do not plan to improve. My needs include tending my garden, light brush removal, moderate snow removal, 300 feet of gravel driveway to maintain and about an acre of mowing. I am also going to be doing light (small) stump removal, putting some fences in, trenching French drains, and trenching electrical and maybe water lines. I’ve decided that a BX23s would be perfect for my needs. There are other brands available but I like the local Kubota dealership and there is very good resale for Orange in my area. I currently own a Husqvarna TS354XD with the 54in deck and a 42in Agrifab front snow blower. I have been very happy with this set up and have found the blower indispensable for my situation. Plowing snow doesn’t work as well for my situation. I wanted the BX previously but was not able to afford it until now. I can cover the cost of the non drive over MMM (RCK54-23BX) and the front mounted snow blower (BX2816) by selling my current setup.
Even though I am happy with the Husky setup, I am not sure that the belt driven snowblower will have quite the longevity of the PTO driven 2816 blower. I also like the idea of only having one engine to store/maintain.

Thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[WVH1977]

My opinion, I would not want to have a mower under my tractor. To me, it will get in your way, especially if you have other work to do with the tractor. I would keep the lawnmower for cutting grass duty and use the tractor for all the other work you plan for.

 

[bcp]

I have a BX and no mid-mower. It would be in the way for almost all the other tractor work. The BX has low clearance already.

Bruce

 

[oldnslo]

I had a BX1850 with MMM and like others have stated basically no ground clearance with the mower deck on. I don’t remember how difficult it was to remove and install the mower but I do remember the drive shaft could be a challenge to connect.

I suspect BX would mow faster than your Husky and snowblower would also be better due to Diesel engine torque but if have to remove and reinstall mower deck every time you need it that will get old.

 

[dodge man]

I had a BX for 10 years and had the 60” mid mount. I liked it but agree, the mower was a pain to take off and put on. It wasn’t hard to do, just a little awkward. It comes off and goes back on in maybe 10 to 15 minutes tops.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

A MMM really can't get 'close' to obstacles... personally, I'd keep the lawn tractor or, if you've got a lot of grass to cut, invest (trade in) in a Z-turn. They're fast and efficient.

Enjoy the site.

 

[jyoutz]

I had a BX for 10 years and had the 60” mid mount. I liked it but agree, the mower was a pain to take off and put on. It wasn’t hard to do, just a little awkward. It comes off and goes back on in maybe 10 to 15 minutes tops.

If you can do this on concrete.

 

[WranglerX]

Personally I have riding mower for all the "cutting" work (48 inch) and my SCUT does everything else.... On my 5 acres its not really practical for MMM as it would only be good for less then half I need to mow and to use rotary on rear its makes tractor awfully long and awkward...And my 75 year young, 95 pound soaking wet wife loves the riding mower so she gets to run it whenever she wants...

 

[stevem5215]

I have Both a Steiner for driveway clearing with a front mounted 54" Rotating RS350 Brush. It's awesome and I have used ZERO salt in 15 years now. The sun melts the blacktop off quickly after brushing 99% of the snow off the driveway. And turn off the brush and it's a plow. And the Steiner is articulating so easy to handle. I also have for grass cutting the 4 acres a Simplicity Citation XL with a 61" deck. What you really want is to have two machines. One for grass cutting (i do have a 48" mower deck to mount on the Steiner for backup duty incase of failure of the Simplicity) and one for other work. Get the Kubota with a loader. I have a full loader for the Steiner and it's great also. I mount it in the spring and use it for my "around the yard" tasks as needed in Spring, Summer and Fall. Having two pieces of equipment is nice for 4 acres here with a 500ft driveway to maintain. I also have a Steiner Leaf blower for blowing leaves into the next county in the fall. I feel for you for the want of having one engine to maintain. But, when it comes to tractors it's easy to want more, more, more!

 

[Idahomestead]

I have to remove the mower deck on the Husky in order to place the snow blower so I would be removing a deck regardless. The Husky deck always takes awhile to change and at least appears to be more work than the mower deck on the BX would be according to the videos I have watched.

For those with a BX series mower, how do you like it?

Would I need to be worried about the BX sitting all winter without being used? I think part of me would just be sad to have paid so much money for the thing and not get to go use it for 4 seasons.

 

[BravoXray]

I have a BX with the 60" MMM, and have never taken it off. I use the FEL to remove snow when it's wet and sloppy and the blower on the JD will clog up.
I did adjust the linkage so the deck goes all the way up to the stops, and I've never had a problem with it remaining on the tractor.

 

[Idahomestead]

I have a BX with the 60" MMM, and have never taken it off. I use the FEL to remove snow when it's wet and sloppy and the blower on the JD will clog up.
I did adjust the linkage so the deck goes all the way up to the stops, and I've never had a problem with it remaining on the tractor.

How much ground clearance do you have like that?

 

[Idahomestead]

I have Both a Steiner for driveway clearing with a front mounted 54" Rotating RS350 Brush. It's awesome and I have used ZERO salt in 15 years now. The sun melts the blacktop off quickly after brushing 99% of the snow off the driveway. And turn off the brush and it's a plow. And the Steiner is articulating so easy to handle. I also have for grass cutting the 4 acres a Simplicity Citation XL with a 61" deck. What you really want is to have two machines. One for grass cutting (i do have a 48" mower deck to mount on the Steiner for backup duty incase of failure of the Simplicity) and one for other work. Get the Kubota with a loader. I have a full loader for the Steiner and it's great also. I mount it in the spring and use it for my "around the yard" tasks as needed in Spring, Summer and Fall. Having two pieces of equipment is nice for 4 acres here with a 500ft driveway to maintain. I also have a Steiner Leaf blower for blowing leaves into the next county in the fall. I feel for you for the want of having one engine to maintain. But, when it comes to tractors it's easy to want more, more, more!

I’ve thought about getting some asphalt poured someday…. They sure do look nice when they’re cleared in the winter

 

[jyoutz]

I have to remove the mower deck on the Husky in order to place the snow blower so I would be removing a deck regardless. The Husky deck always takes awhile to change and at least appears to be more work than the mower deck on the BX would be according to the videos I have watched.

For those with a BX series mower, how do you like it?

Would I need to be worried about the BX sitting all winter without being used? I think part of me would just be sad to have paid so much money for the thing and not get to go use it for 4 seasons.

I think you don’t understand what people are saying about deck removal. You currently do that once per year on your lawn tractor. In order to use the BX for other tractor work you’re going to be removing it every time. Then you will want to reinstall it every time you want to mow.

 

[BravoXray]

How much ground clearance do you have like that?

About 6 inches.

 

[Vigo327]

So, did i mess where it was said whether this BX would have an FEL? Or whether there actually were any maneuverability issues on this property? If the mid mount mower seems onerous, would a rear mount finish mower be less so?

Just a week or so ago i was in the middle of mowing when my 50" rider had a problem. I didn't want to deal with it, but i also didn't want to give up using that time to mow so i went and hooked up a 48" 3pt finish mower to my B7100 (both for sale, I had fixed up the mower but only tested it and didn't plan to put any real use on it while i had it) and went back out. I found the 3pt mower slightly faster only because i didn't have to moderate my ground speed over very thick sections as much. But, i was using it in about 2 acres of open field. It would certainly be slower to maneuver in tighter conditions. But if the area you plan to mow is nice and easy, a 3pt mower and a 3pt quick hitch might make all this 'removing the mower deck' stuff a lot less onerous.

I have a 54" mid mount Continental deck that runs and lifts off rear pto and 3pt that i intend to try on a Kubota L210. I'm curious to find out how high it will pick up. Ground clearance is certainly not an issue on that tractor..

 

[Idahomestead]

So, did i mess where it was said whether this BX would have an FEL? Or whether there actually were any maneuverability issues on this property? If the mid mount mower seems onerous, would a rear mount finish mower be less so?

Just a week or so ago i was in the middle of mowing when my 50" rider had a problem. I didn't want to deal with it, but i also didn't want to give up using that time to mow so i went and hooked up a 48" 3pt finish mower to my B7100 (both for sale, I had fixed up the mower but only tested it and didn't plan to put any real use on it while i had it) and went back out. I found the 3pt mower slightly faster only because i didn't have to moderate my ground speed over very thick sections as much. But, i was using it in about 2 acres of open field. It would certainly be slower to maneuver in tighter conditions. But if the area you plan to mow is nice and easy, a 3pt mower and a 3pt quick hitch might make all this 'removing the mower deck' stuff a lot less onerous.

I have a 54" mid mount Continental deck that runs and lifts off rear pto and 3pt that i intend to try on a Kubota L210. I'm curious to find out how high it will pick up. Ground clearance is certainly not an issue on that tractor..

I would have the quick detach FEL and BH.
Part of my mowing needs includes a few tightish areas near the house but nothing too bad. I don’t think a 3pt would work though I like the idea.

 

[Rock Crawler]

A BX mows flat out in low range at 3.5 MPH. A garden tractor with the Hydrogear G730 mows at 8 MPH and a Garden tractor with a Tuff Torq K66 mows at 6.5 MPH according to GPS. I own both. The BX would be a horrible mower in that it is slow, heavy and costly. A Husqvarna 354DX with a Kawasaki FR730 engine and Tuff Torq K66 is the value leader in garden tractors at $4,499 currently. At that price point, I do not know of another brand that competes.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Hello everyone!

Should I sell my riding mower/snow blower and buy the MMM and snow blower for my upcoming BX23s purchase? What are your thoughts on the MMM and the BX2816 snow blower?

I’ve been reading through many posts and have found the forum a very helpful resource so I’m hoping you guys can help me. I live on 3.5 acres in rural Idaho and am hoping to work on improving my property this year as it needs a lot of TLC. About an acre of the land is sloping forest that I do not plan to improve. My needs include tending my garden, light brush removal, moderate snow removal, 300 feet of gravel driveway to maintain and about an acre of mowing. I am also going to be doing light (small) stump removal, putting some fences in, trenching French drains, and trenching electrical and maybe water lines. I’ve decided that a BX23s would be perfect for my needs. There are other brands available but I like the local Kubota dealership and there is very good resale for Orange in my area. I currently own a Husqvarna TS354XD with the 54in deck and a 42in Agrifab front snow blower. I have been very happy with this set up and have found the blower indispensable for my situation. Plowing snow doesn’t work as well for my situation. I wanted the BX previously but was not able to afford it until now. I can cover the cost of the non drive over MMM (RCK54-23BX) and the front mounted snow blower (BX2816) by selling my current setup.
Even though I am happy with the Husky setup, I am not sure that the belt driven snowblower will have quite the longevity of the PTO driven 2816 blower. I also like the idea of only having one engine to store/maintain.

Thoughts?

Thank you.

I like to have my mower be a separate piece of equipment. It would not be practical (or fun) to have to use the tractor to mow around the house and gardens, especially with the loader attached. I also would not want to have to drag around a MMM all the time or have to take it off and put it on every week.

 

[dodge man]

When I had my BX I thought it was a good mower. I had the mulch kit also. I would often leave my mower on when doing FEL work, it just depended on what I was doing. I had to take it off for snow removal. I didn’t have a blower but used the rear blade and end loader. If there was just a couple inches of snow it was ok but if there was much snow it would get hung up on the snow.