Any BX grass catcher owners?

[John T]

I'm looking at a used GCK60 bagger system

Questions...
Do I have to remove the Backhoe mounting stuff to mount the 3 point hitch?

Or is it just a matter of drop backhoe/attach 3 point arms/ attach bagger and driveshaft?

any tips / thoughts / regrets?

seems like it's a powerful unit.... I'd probably leave it on for the summer cutting season... UNLESS I have a need for the backhoe

 

[DustyRusty]

In my opinion, they are junk. That is why you see so many of them for sale.

 

[John T]

In my opinion, they are junk. That is why you see so many of them for sale.

I got a lot more input from a BX facebook group and the general consensus is,

They are a pain in the azz especially with the BX23s ..... you need to put on a mounting plate after you drop the backhoe....
Then of course hook up the 3pt arms/driveshaft and boot.

I don't think they are junk... just cumbersome. The only negative I heard was it has no "dump from seat"

For the price and the bullsh*t , I think I might try a set of mulching blades instead...

 

[Downeaster]

I entertained the idea of one, until I checked out the cost. I decided I will sell my MMM, and keep my JD riding mower. I like mowing with the JD just fine. I don't have much mowing to do anyway. I have a DR leaf vac, that I used during the fall, and that is all set up for the JD. Changing over to the K would be a foolish move.

 

[JimDeL]

I pull a DR Vac trailer behind my BX2380 Works great and costs way less than the Kubota grass catcher setup.
I did buy the Kubota Deck Boot to use with the DR. The boot goes on/off the deck in about 30 seconds, and mates perfectly to the DR's 8" diameter hose.
The DR trailer hooks up in seconds (1-7/8" trailer ball) and the hose takes about a minute to connect both ends.
The whole setup works great. This'll be my third year using it.

A neighbor has a Cyclone Rake vacuum attached to his older BX. It has a two point attachment to the tractor, and 'caster-like' swiveling wheels. His setup works well, too.

 

[GreX]

I didn't respond right-away given your question was around the BX23S and any issues with the backhoe frame, which I do not have, as I have a BX2380, but I will say the grass catcher is awesome. Yes, it's pricy, yes, it's a pain in the rear to set up/store, and yes it's pretty loud, but I doesn't skip a beat. I've mowed heavy wet grass, and it just kept collecting the grass. I only have about 1 acre, and the three bags are never full, so I can do the full yard without having to empty - they are quite heavy if they're full. I'm looking forward to using it for leaf collection this fall, as my non-powered grass catcher (different mower) struggled with the leaves, and I don't foresee this thing struggling with this duty. One other issue, it takes up a lot of room, so make sure you have ample storage for it, but if you're on the fence, I'd say go for it, I really enjoy mine.

 

[Downeaster]

I pull a DR Vac trailer behind my BX2380 Works great and costs way less than the Kubota grass catcher setup.
I did buy the Kubota Deck Boot to use with the DR. The boot goes on/off the deck in about 30 seconds, and mates perfectly to the DR's 8" diameter hose.
The DR trailer hooks up in seconds (1-7/8" trailer ball) and the hose takes about a minute to connect both ends.
The whole setup works great. This'll be my third year using it.

A neighbor has a Cyclone Rake vacuum attached to his older BX. It has a two point attachment to the tractor, and 'caster-like' swiveling wheels. His setup works well, too.

I've had the DR leaf (9 hp) for about 6 years, and in my opinion that is the way to go. I need it not for grass but for a heavy leaf drop every fall. Between it and the mower, it makes the lawn look great. Best way to go iMO.

 

[JimDeL]

I've had the DR leaf (9 hp) for about 6 years, and in my opinion that is the way to go. I need it not for grass but for a heavy leaf drop every fall. Between it and the mower, it makes the lawn look great. Best way to go iMO.

With over 40 Oak, Maple and Hickory trees on the lawn area mine gets a lot of leaf pick-up duty. It gets used for grass pick-up whenever the grass has grown too much to just let the cuttings lay. My DR is the "Pro" model, with the bigger engine. It's been great. I finally had to buy new canvas for it last year. The original canvas was getting pretty tatty.

 

[John T]

A neighbor has a Cyclone Rake vacuum attached to his older BX. It has a two point attachment to the tractor, and 'caster-like' swiveling wheels. His setup works well, too.

Ive got my eyes open for a cyclone rake....
bad time of year to be looking though...

 

[atitus]

I cannot comment on the BX23 and it's special mount situation. I have the BX1880 and even with the lower HP the grass catcher works great for grass and leaves. If you have huge area or don't mow frequently, I suppose lack of dump from chair could be an issue. But it has pretty decent capacity. The issues with getting it on and off can be easily solved. I drilled holes in the "feet" and attached caster wheels. I think I posted a picture of it once if you search my old posts.

 

[Bearcatrp]

I cannot comment on the BX23 and it's special mount situation. I have the BX1880 and even with the lower HP the grass catcher works great for grass and leaves. If you have huge area or don't mow frequently, I suppose lack of dump from chair could be an issue. But it has pretty decent capacity. The issues with getting it on and off can be easily solved. I drilled holes in the "feet" and attached caster wheels. I think I posted a picture of it once if you search my old posts.

Can you post some pictures of it mounted? I'm looking for a solution for grass clippings. Either a rake or this.

 

[Trimley]

I have a 23s, coming from a JDX739. For me, the features, functionality and lack of user-friendliness of the MMM on these "so called" ""Swiss Army Knife"" sub-compact units...Are a Joke. I'm not impressed with the deck at all. Their mulching package is flimsy overpriced junk

I don't know what the Kubota Garden Tractors are like.

 

[Frankbee3]

I'm looking at a used GCK60 bagger system

Questions...
Do I have to remove the Backhoe mounting stuff to mount the 3 point hitch?

Or is it just a matter of drop backhoe/attach 3 point arms/ attach bagger and driveshaft?

any tips / thoughts / regrets?

seems like it's a powerful unit.... I'd probably leave it on for the summer cutting season... UNLESS I have a need for the backhoe

I may be very late with my reply, but here goes. About 5 years ago, I purchased a GCK60 bagger setup from my local Kubota dealer. I have been using it for at least 5 seasons now. I really like it and use it for all mowing.

A couple of minor complaints. If the grass is even slightly damp, the deck boot plugs up. I did have one shear bolt location that shearing the shear bolts. I eventually replaced it with a cheap low grade grade bolt to keep from having to buy the more expensive shear bolts from my local Kubota dealer. I have since learned that my wife and I were not engaging the PTO while at the slowest idle and that was typically when the bolt sheared (at mower engagement)..

Here are some photos of the hitch and mount system. I hope these photos are worth a thousand words for you?