Bx1880 - Will it fit my needs.

Stew

New member

Equipment
BX1880
Jun 8, 2018
13
11
3
MA
Hello All.

I already own a l3901 w/ Fel, box scraper, rcr1860 mower, and a BH77.

My issue is mowing my "lawn". I have very little grass, mostly wild grass, where my leech field is. It's green in spring, dies the rest of the year. Other than this area, the rest of my 5ac are completely oak wooded acres. I "maintain" 1ish acre around my house. It's 75%+ oak debris (leaves and branches).

I pull around a cyclone rake to do this, which does a great job of pickup. I'm doing this with a 22hp Craftsman riding mower, it tries really hard, but I'm burning up the CVT transmission, I know this. It's life is limited.

I want to get a 4wd replacement. I have slope, and dump the debris in rough terrain. I have to pull out the mower with my 39 when it gets stuck and cannot deal with the terrain. I was looking at GR series, but...if I'm spending 9k on a pure mower, why not just get another tractor with a FEL for a few K more?

I kinda dont want to drop 20k on a bx2380, because I already have the L, but if the cyclone rake is going to tax the HP of the 1880 at ALL, ill have to consider other options.

Appreciate any constructive thoughts, thank you.
I am a current BX1880 owner so I can offer some feedback. You're asking if cyclone rake is going to tax the HP of an 1880? The simple answer is 'no'. I pull utility carts of firewood that are way heavier than a cyclone full of debris regularly on hills and I have no issues with taxing the tractor. It seems like the issue your having with your tractor is transmission related and not HP. The transmission on the BX1880 will be way better for this application than your Craftsman.

I run a 48" MMM on my BX1880 and it can cut thick grass and leaves with no issues so HP isn't an issue there. I think the 1880 would work just fine for what you're looking to do.
 
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GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,676
3,925
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
neighbour complained his Cub Cadet 25hp, 54" mower won't go up hills....sigh...after 5-6 years of HACKING 4 acres of lawn the HST is 'history'. In addition to hacking the grass, he'd haul a heavy trailer full of stuff all over the property. NEVER cleaned it so what happens is..
HST gets covered in wet grass and mud, plugs the cooling fins, HST overheats, vents some oil. next time, overheats faster (less oil !) , vents even MORE oil !! same cycle of over heat,vent oil continues until not enough oil, so 'internals' wear real fast and wear out, HST is 'toast'...scrap.
currently it's just ok to mow FLATLAND grass,will not go up a mild slope.real shame as it was a $$$$$ machine when bought.
BTW most (all ?) HSt riders don't have fill plugs or drains ! So far 3-4 have come here, all with he same problem.
To do ANYTHING more than cutting grass you need a 'garden tractor' NOT a 'riding mower'.
 
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jhschlak

Member

Equipment
BX 1880
Apr 5, 2011
83
6
8
Sharon Center, Ohio
Hello All.

I already own a l3901 w/ Fel, box scraper, rcr1860 mower, and a BH77.

My issue is mowing my "lawn". I have very little grass, mostly wild grass, where my leech field is. It's green in spring, dies the rest of the year. Other than this area, the rest of my 5ac are completely oak wooded acres. I "maintain" 1ish acre around my house. It's 75%+ oak debris (leaves and branches).

I pull around a cyclone rake to do this, which does a great job of pickup. I'm doing this with a 22hp Craftsman riding mower, it tries really hard, but I'm burning up the CVT transmission, I know this. It's life is limited.

I want to get a 4wd replacement. I have slope, and dump the debris in rough terrain. I have to pull out the mower with my 39 when it gets stuck and cannot deal with the terrain. I was looking at GR series, but...if I'm spending 9k on a pure mower, why not just get another tractor with a FEL for a few K more?

I kinda dont want to drop 20k on a bx2380, because I already have the L, but if the cyclone rake is going to tax the HP of the 1880 at ALL, ill have to consider other options.

Appreciate any constructive thoughts, thank you.
Hey there,
I run a cyclone rake classic with my 1880 (with 54 inch deck) and it no problems handling that. All the people theorizing what MAY happen are incorrect. Wet leaves, tall grass, etc and it has no problems. The only thing that stops is stick that may get lodged in the CR tube causing it to clog which is not a fault of the tractor.
It will bog down with my front snowblower and a foot of heavy lake effect snow. But going a little slower takes care of the issue.
Thanks,
Jeff
 
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someguy9000

Member
Oct 7, 2022
44
21
8
California
Hey there,
I run a cyclone rake classic with my 1880 (with 54 inch deck) and it no problems handling that. All the people theorizing what MAY happen are incorrect. Wet leaves, tall grass, etc and it has no problems. The only thing that stops is stick that may get lodged in the CR tube causing it to clog which is not a fault of the tractor.
It will bog down with my front snowblower and a foot of heavy lake effect snow. But going a little slower takes care of the issue.
Thanks,
Jeff
thanks much. I have a z10 rake, which helps for the clogging...

Do you find the left side of the mower doesn't suck up debris as well as the right side?. My current deck is also 54...

The mower engine and deck never have issues with lagging for me, it's just the tranny and lack of 4WD.
 
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someguy9000

Member
Oct 7, 2022
44
21
8
California
To do ANYTHING more than cutting grass you need a 'garden tractor' NOT a 'riding mower'.
my "riding mower" is marketed as a "lawn tractor"....so WTF is that. And of course cyclone rake people didn't sell me a smaller machine or tell me id have problems. Now that I know more, I would do things differently. Part of why I'm looking at a second tractor, just for the longevity option.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,676
3,925
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
A 'proper' garden tractor will come with either a 3PT hitch or a sleeve hitch.
A 'lawn tractor' is a crummy 'marketing' name for a rider that MIGHT pull a lawn sweeper or have a bagger attached to it.
Sadly you've got to read the 'fine print' (if you can find it...) to see WHAT the pulling capability of a 'rider' is.
I KNOW the HST in some JD 'riders' is woefully substandard ( JD reduced the specs). They'll fail after 100+- hrs of use on MINOR slopes.....
 

jhschlak

Member

Equipment
BX 1880
Apr 5, 2011
83
6
8
Sharon Center, Ohio
thanks much. I have a z10 rake, which helps for the clogging...

Do you find the left side of the mower doesn't suck up debris as well as the right side?. My current deck is also 54...

The mower engine and deck never have issues with lagging for me, it's just the tranny and lack of 4WD.
Yes the deck seems slightly higher on the left due to the weight of the boot and hose on the right I assume.
 
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JimDeL

Active member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
BX2380; R4 tires; 54" MMM; FEL w Pirahna bar; Ballast Box; BXpanded skid plate.
Aug 31, 2022
213
211
43
Austintown, Ohio
thank you much! I bought the big z10 cyclone rake, which is also part of my problem, as it's just too much weight for that lawn tractor. I'm sure the DR is nice too. I'm going to buy the 3pt pto trimmer they sell, I think it will be great for the fence posts I have.
My DR is also their biggest one. My previous Deer X360 had a hard time with it as it filled up, but the BX2380 doesn't even know it's back there.
 
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GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,676
3,925
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
curious was I ...
that cyclone holds 54 cuft....about 2 yds of material..... grass clippings weigh 350-650# per yard....
so ..tractor has to pull 700-1300# + weight of cyclone !

Even on the low end of the numbers that's too much for an HST 'rider' to pull.
Yes, numbers will vary and the MFRs must know what 'grass clippings' weigh, it should be posted in their 'spec sheet'
 

bird dogger

Well-known member
Vendor Member

Equipment
Kubota B2650 and lots of other equipment
Feb 24, 2019
1,569
1,409
113
North Dakota
Is think BLOWING my leaves would take a while. I have a nice Redmax Backpack blower, and it takes me a good while (45mins) to blow a 900sqft patch I have off, cyclone/mower does it in 5-10. I blow it when I don't want to dig out my mower.

CA is also doing some legislation starting in 2024 to ban small gas engines under 25hp. I've been looking at the language, and it's hard to know what is actually going to be banned or not. It's INTENT is weed eaters/blowers, but will RMs also be affected? Trying to see if I have to buy something by next summer (to avoid this dumb law), as I have to finance it.
Instead of purchasing another 4 wheel drive smaller tractor....Maybe a pto powered blower behind your L3901 would meet your needs. I'd bet it would probably clear your "mound" without having to drive on it. In woods and around trees, it can't be beat. Here's a few threads on the Agri Metal blower:

My AgriMetal Blower

New Model Blower

Another Thread
 
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someguy9000

Member
Oct 7, 2022
44
21
8
California
Instead of purchasing another 4 wheel drive smaller tractor....Maybe a pto powered blower behind your L3901 would meet your needs. I'd bet it would probably clear your "mound" without having to drive on it. In woods and around trees, it can't be beat. Here's a few threads on the Agri Metal blower:

My AgriMetal Blower

New Model Blower

Another Thread
So I guess I have 3 questions and 1 concern.

How much area do you blow off, how deep do your leaves get, and how long does it take you?

I mow about 1.25 acres of leaves, in about 2.5 hours (4 if wet). There are spots if I let it go for a while, easily a foot deep of leaves.

My concern is my septic field. Not trying to put ~3500lbs (tractor plus implement) over my 400ftish septic field with my 3901.

If I could rent one of the PTO blower machines, I'd totally try it out.

I KNOW the CR works very well.
 
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JackJ

Member

Equipment
BX1870-1
Mar 14, 2016
264
3
18
Indiana
I run the Cyclone Rake “Commander” model behind a BX1870 with a 48” deck. I went small on all three of these (vac, tractor, and deck) because I need to navigate some narrow openings and trails, not to save money. (Though I like to save money. ) I also have some steep hills and the BX18xx has a lower center of gravity.

Plenty of power for mowing thick grass and pulling the vacuum. Way, way more than the 24hp Craftsman it replaced.
 
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bird dogger

Well-known member
Vendor Member

Equipment
Kubota B2650 and lots of other equipment
Feb 24, 2019
1,569
1,409
113
North Dakota
So I guess I have 3 questions and 1 concern.

How much area do you blow off, how deep do your leaves get, and how long does it take you?

I mow about 1.25 acres of leaves, in about 2.5 hours (4 if wet). There are spots if I let it go for a while, easily a foot deep of leaves.

My concern is my septic field. Not trying to put ~3500lbs (tractor plus implement) over my 400ftish septic field with my 3901.

If I could rent one of the PTO blower machines, I'd totally try it out.

I KNOW the CR works very well.
It sounds like we have similar conditions. This is a 12 acre 100 yr old farmstead with stately cottonwood trees galore. Large ash, boxelder, basswood, black walnut, & others. Underbrush of buckthorn, dogwood and unknowns. An adjacent 7 acre parcel owned has an acre or more of grass between windbreaks that I maintain. Between the two parcels I suspect we mow/maintain easily 5 acres or more. The yard and driveway is studded with trees. The rest of the non lawn acres is extremely thick woods.

We first used a pull behind sweeper to collect and dump leaves. What a month long chore as the different trees dropped their leaves at different times. The woods surrounded the grass areas so no matter which way the wind blew those areas were covered!!

One open area (1.5 acres +/-) with the right wind conditions can be cleaned in less than a half hour depending on dry vs. wet leaves, etc. They get blown right back into the woods around the perimeter. Prior to the blower, if winter came early before getting the leaves off........I was reseeding grass the next spring.

For my situation, the benefit of this blower is: Small footprint for maneuverability. Easy on/off so you can hook up in minutes and quickly clear an area of leaves as they fall. No maintenance required other than routine greasing. No aux motor to maintain. Quiet. 30+ yrs with nary an issue, even the drive belts are original still.

In the right conditions with dry leaves it clears an average 10 ft swath as you drive. Depending on wind or moisture it can be more....or less. How long does it take? That depends on conditions. But what used to take me a month of evenings with the lawn sweep now takes a few quick sessions sitting on the tractor as the different trees drop their leaves. Along with a small gas blower for some flower beds along the house, etc., there's virtually no need to touch a rake.

For concerns with your grass covered mound system....they also make gas powered blowers that you push like a lawn mower. They're like a back pack blower on steroids. Since you already have the other leaf collecting system......that might be something to consider for over your septic mound?

I suspect the newer models are even more efficient than my old one. Maybe @B737 and some of the other users of the new models will chime in.

That would be slick if you could find one nearby to try out!! Each type of system has its place. If you don't actually need to collect your leaves, but can blow them back into the woods.....these blowers rule.
@B737 has a unique way of collecting his stash of leaves and disposing of them with his grapple mod!
 
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B737

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
LX3310
Jun 9, 2019
2,024
2,194
113
New Jersey
did someone say leaves???

David covered all the high points.

I am on a postage stamp 3 acres, tiny lawn area, the rest is under a canopy of very mature oaks. Surrounding my property is another 25+ acres of more oaks and forest. Two sides of my property are collected and moved to the curb for disposal, the other two sides are pushed deep into the woods beyond my property line. I clear to bare ground.

This colossal task used to take multiple full days to clear a tiny fraction of my property. Now I clear the entire property in under a day by myself. Having done this with the BX, B and LX, they all perform equally (LX gets a little more 'throw').

If I had to use any sort of bagging or vacuum system, I'd be out there for days on end, just way too much material. The leaf blower is simple, compact, fast, and equal (or less) cost than a material collection system (ie. terra-king).

the first part of this video is shot on a BX, the second section is B





 
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Bri-Guy-GA

Active member

Equipment
Kubota BX1880
Sep 10, 2020
146
91
28
Villa Rica, GA
I have a BX1880 with the 54"MMMcand use it to mow our 5 acres as well as take care of our 3 horses. I mow half of it each week and the front is hilly and bumpy, but the BX handles it like a champ and only bogs down when I let it get too high and the clippings start to pile up. I would like to add a bagger one day, but for now it gets it done. Had it not been for the horses I probably would have gotten a zero turn, but love having the loader and rear PTO for implements. I was thinking of upgrading to a B for the additional load capacity and 60"MMM, but don't regret the BX in the 2 years I have had it. Spreading seed and fertilizer with the 3 point spreader is a lot quicker and easier than pushing a spreader. Working on a sprayer now as well.
 
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PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
1,105
113
NZ
Spreading seed and fertilizer with the 3 point spreader is a lot quicker and easier than pushing a spreader. Working on a sprayer now as well.
I had a walk behind push fertiliser spreader. Cheap one from China, cost a hundred bucks. I didn't wash it properly after spreading urea, so it rusted - wasn't aware that was a problem. When looking to buy a new one, I found I could buy an electric one for a quad bike for about $150. Bought that, welded a 3pt frame, and I have a spreader.

Sprayer was the same. Electric one for a quad bike about $150 ex China. Has a wand and a small boom. Little bit of welding and I have a 3pt frame, and I wired in a switch on the dash to turn it on and off (also can plug the spreader into the same switch).
 

Vigo

Well-known member

Equipment
B6100, B8200
Jan 9, 2022
595
339
63
San Antonio Texas
Fair enough. I ask because, for example, i have a low-hours B7100 for sale for ~4k that will pretty much fit and go anywhere a 4 wheeler will fit and go AND will power a mowing deck or pto implement.. So i was just curious if older machines were written off for some reason. The financing thing makes sense, although if i was trying to get a loan on an older Kubota i'd swing a pretty good pitch about them being a 'blue chip' commodity 😂