snow removal and mowing deck

[smokey_truck]

My bx1860 has mmm, do i really need to remove to use FEL for clearing snow? Any thoughts



Ganesh

 

[srs]

smokey, I remove my belly mower for snow removal. I don't want to take the change of damaging anything with the mower so I take it off. Also the mower deck is much wide than the tractor so it doesn't make sense (to me) to keep it on. When I remove the deck in late fall I scrape the bottom of the deck to remove all traces of grass clippings, pressure wash the deck, grease everything and spray wd-40 on the bottom to keep some areas from rusting. I also "unhook" the mower drive belt and hook it back up in the spring time. I store my deck on a pallet which is then lifted onto a pallet rack for winter storage which is located inside.

 

[devildog1]

Well that depends on a few things, How much snow you are trying to remove? Are you staying on driveway or blacktop? And the other would be how much snow do do receive on an average year? My thoughts would be to remove mmm as it will be a catch for collecting snow and ice, cause rust and unwanted wear and tear on deck.
DevilDog

 

[keyman1808]

I agree with devildog. In deep snow its just something to get caught up on the snow and ice. For the 10 minutes it takes to remove its cheap insurance.

 

[smokey_truck]

Thanks for the reply, I have it in my 10*15 shed so I cannot slide out Drive way is the only place i can do and it is very cold. Last in VA we received like 2 feet or more snow but normally not much

Ganesh

 

[MidgetMaestro]

It's definitely worth taking the MMM off. The clearance is helpful when plowing, and it lightens the load on the hydraulic system.

 

[TripleR]

Not a bad idea, but sometimes you just don't have time or the opportunity.

 

[Thomas]

Not to encourage,but mmm mower do pretty good dusting off on outside skating rink I heard.

 

[thavil]

Thanks for the reply, I have it in my 10*15 shed so I cannot slide out Drive way is the only place i can do and it is very cold. Last in VA we received like 2 feet or more snow but normally not much

Ganesh

If your shed isn't too full, you might be able to try what I do to remove my MMM in my 12'X24' shed. Take your FEL off first and then drive your tractor front first into your shed. Maneuver your tractor at an angle so that the right side of your tractor is facing mostly towards the rear of your shed. This may give you enough clearance to drag the MMM out from under the tractor and not hit a side wall. It works great for me.

If this works for you, I would then suggest purchasing some mower deck axles from Larry at Mower Deck Axles,Carrera,Cayman,John Deere,Kubota. You could then roll your desk to a wall and stand it up for easy storage.

 

[legbuh]

I remove the MMM whenever I'm going to do FEL or BB work. I started out by not doing it (and I was intimidated at removing the MMM) but it got in the way too much. A couple times taking it off and putting it back on it now takes a minute or two.

This winter I mowed one last time, and took it off for good and stored it in the garage in front of my truck (with my tiller and pine straw rake, both on home made dollys of course) The stands I've seen for MMMs also would be a good idea as it's stored vertically taking up less floor space.

So all winter I've got the FEL and BB on. And it's a blast to move snow with!

 

[psvines]

My bx1860 has mmm, do i really need to remove to use FEL for clearing snow? Any thoughts

Ganesh

You don't have to remove it.

I remove my MMM at the end of the mowing season, and like others have stated, take the opportunity to thoroughly clean it, grease it, loosen the belt, and store it away for the winter. I don't see any reason to carry it around the yard for 6 months while moving firewood or snow. Plus, my little BX2660 looks more like a real tractor without it!
(I also use Larry's axle stands).

 

[D33r3 6r33N]

Not a bad idea, but sometimes you just don't have time or the opportunity.

I soon as I saw this thread I knew that pic would be posted.:laughing:

 

[TripleR]

I soon as I saw this thread I knew that pic would be posted.:laughing:

And it won't be the last.:laughing::laughing:

That is/was the last time it will ever be used for snow removal though, so no new pictures.

 

[Grandad4]

Here's another good reason to take it off in the winter: If you hit a curb or a rock or something else buried in the snow, you could bend or break something on the mower deck, maybe even on the tractor itself. Considering how much the deck costs - as much as many "lawn tractors" - why take a chance? Since your storage space is small, you might think about standing it up vertically against one wall for storage.