skid plate for bx2370-1

[curiousj]

Hi everybody, my first post ever. I’m in the process of buying a bx2370-1, my very first tractor after being on the planet for almost 67 years. My ride for the last 19 years has been a JD345 lawn tractor with an 18 hp Kawasaki gas engine. I’ve been lurking on this website for well over a year and would like to say thanks for all the great information contributed by the guys and ladies who post here.

When I first went to the local Kubota dealer I got down on all fours and took a look at the undercarriage of a bx2370-1 and noticed that the fan was protected by a skid plate (factory-installed I guess), although the rest of the undercarriage was wide open. Thus I felt additional protective plates would be necessary. I’ve checked websites like Bro-Tek and Bxpanded and both list the bx2370 as a model they cover for skid plates. The bx2370-1, is not specifically listed on either site that I can see, however.

The following text appeared on one of the websites - - “Just as important, it protects that fragile plastic fan that provides ALL the cooling for that high dollar transmission/transaxle.” Since I already know the bx2370-1 has a plate over the fan, the text appears to contradict what I’ve seen. At the very least I’m kind of confused (not unusual for me). The point here is I don’t want to blindly assume that the bx2370-1 is the same as the bx2370 and that a skid plate purchased for one will work equally well for the other.

So, my questions are (1) are there any folks out there who own a bx2370-1 (2) when purchased, did it have a skid plate covering only the plastic fan (rest of the undercarriage left open) (3) did you purchase additional skid plates to cover the remainder of the open undercarriage and (4) if so, from where and for what model?

Thanks in advance for your comments. Apologies in advance as well if this topic has already been covered.

Oh yeah, I know the rules. I’ll be posting lots of pics when the tractor gets here, likely in about 2-4 weeks.

Jim

 

[Grouse Feathers]

I have read the differences in the BX2370 and BX2370-1 are the ROPS and the floor mat. The need for additional protection probably depends on your planned use for the tractor. I am in the woods and brush and don't have enough lawn for a mmm. I believe the skid plate on the BX2370 may be better than previous models; BX2360, BX2350..... I am still concerned a stick from ground cover on my property could get to the fan and I will be building my own skid plate. If you are using a mmm it may provide the all the protection you need and the bxpanded under armor has to come off for a mmm anyway. The bro-tek system appears to have an opening for the pto shaft and you might be able to leave it on with the mmm.
You might get additional information by doing searches on bro-tek and bxpanded.

 

[skeets]

I made my skid plate out of an old run over laying by the side of the road street sign. Its not as pretty as wildfires or as easily put on but it works well enough. Also the Bio -tek does in fact have a swing away cover where you can connect the coupling for the MMM,,, The MMM will give you a good coverage of protection for the fan. I wouldn't worry to much about anything else , yes you can rip stuff off under there, but it only takes a little stick to destroy the fan

 

[Grouse Feathers]

You should do a search for threads on bxpanded and bro-tek and you will get more information on the protection provided and the need. It is not just because the fan is somewhat exposed, it is also because it is expensive to replace. The fan is mounted on the propeller shaft between the engine and the hst. To get enough clearance for a new fan to go on the shaft the engine must be moved forward.

 

[cerlawson]

Like mentioned above, what you plan to do will control the need for another plate. For this small a tractor, I'd bet you will not spend a lot of time in vicious situations. Remember all that stuff has to come off when changing fuel filters, which likely will be often. for mowing and snow plowing, I doubt that you need to worry. My BX has seen a lot or varied places, but I don't worry about added plates. I have another 20 years on you.

 

[TripleR]

We put Bro Tek on both of ours, the fan on our BX2200 got taken out with MMM attached. The newer models do have better protection, but I personally wouldn't risk it with the cost of replacement being so expensive on the newer models.

 

[ipz2222]

The 2670 has a minimal fan protection. I added another one to the factory one.

 

[chucky79]

I have a bx2370-1 as well and actually waited for it to come in last summer when first released. I did a comparison post with pictures back then and can confirm that its the floor mats and narrower folding ROPS as the changes between the models. Anything that fits a bx2370 will will fir the 2370-1 including the floor mats and ROPS as some people have actually posted about upgrading those items on their older series tractor. If you plan to run the tractor without a MMM then additional protection is definitely recommended.

 

[curiousj]

Thanks to everybody for your responses and advice. The tractor was delivered two nights ago and I’ve attached pics to show my new orange baby. This being my first genuine tractor, I’ve got a lot of learning to do. You can hopefully see from the photos that the tractor was delivered along with FEL, bagger, 54” mmm, ROPS and fender lights, and grill guard. I also got a block heater, and a front-mount snow blower has been reserved for pickup in October. Also, there’s a Piranha tooth bar on the FEL which figures to be useful (mandatory?) for some projects in the real near future.

Based on all of the comments, I’m gonna pass on the skid plate for now and limit excursions into the woods to dumping leaves in the fall and maybe trips to turn leaf and compost piles, while also relying on the additional protection offered by the mmm (thanks, I never even considered this). I still want to study the different commercial skid plates out there for the future, especially in light of comments like those from cerlawson and TripleR.

Skeets, I'm envious. Definitely got to acquire some of your DIY skills.

Thanks again to everybody for your very useful thoughts, and hope y’all enjoy the pics!

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Depending on your layout a rear blade can really be handy in conjunction with a snow blower. You can drag the snow away from the house and garage were you don't have a good place to blow the snow. For any grading you would want a good heavy rear blade, if you get one just for snow removal a cheap light weight new or used one would work fine.

 

[85Hokie]

Thanks to everybody for your responses and advice. The tractor was delivered two nights ago and I’ve attached pics to show my new orange baby. This being my first genuine tractor, I’ve got a lot of learning to do. You can hopefully see from the photos that the tractor was delivered along with FEL, bagger, 54” mmm, ROPS and fender lights, and grill guard. I also got a block heater, and a front-mount snow blower has been reserved for pickup in October. Also, there’s a Piranha tooth bar on the FEL which figures to be useful (mandatory?) for some projects in the real near future.

Based on all of the comments, I’m gonna pass on the skid plate for now and limit excursions into the woods to dumping leaves in the fall and maybe trips to turn leaf and compost piles, while also relying on the additional protection offered by the mmm (thanks, I never even considered this). I still want to study the different commercial skid plates out there for the future, especially in light of comments like those from cerlawson and TripleR.

Skeets, I'm envious. Definitely got to acquire some of your DIY skills.

Thanks again to everybody for your very useful thoughts, and hope y’all enjoy the pics!

Tonight I placed my BXpanded skid plate on, had a little PITA but was able to get through it, I will tell you - the under side is covered well by the 60" MMM and though the MMM gets in the way, the skid plate is easier to remove than the MMM, I would think I could take of the skid plate in less than 2 minutes if on nice ground.

And for a total price from BXpanded of 178 shipped - hellva a good buy I might add.

 

[HickoryNut]

I'll second the BXPanded Under Armor. It lips onto to two bushings in the front and connects to the rear mower links (mower off of course). Great coverage. Easy on and off.

 

[cstone]

I also used the skid plate from BX but was unable to get the mower dial back to the top position. It seems tight but when lowering the 3 point it comes down. Any ideas on how to get it to the top?