Hey BX1880Dude
Have read OTT for about a year and your post prompted me to join and issue my first post – although a little late. BX1880 owners seem to be as scarce as hen's teeth.
Sorry for the long post but wanted to give MHO on the BX1880 specifically and not some other model we should’a bought.
Price was my number one issue. The BX23 was $4k more than I could spend/finance. $4k doesn’t sound like a lot until you find don’t have it. Looked at Blue, Green, Red, etc., finally went Orange and glad I did.
I wanted the smallest 4WD tractor with an FEL and MMM – lawn tractor on steroids. I have 2.5 acres, mow about half of that, the rest is grown-in which I’m slowly clearing. Mostly mowing, snow removal for 125’ gravel driveway, some landscape work.
Got the BX1880, SSQA LA344 FEL, RCK54-23BX MMM, and B8160 Ballast Box. Just under $20k late 2021. Just turned 100 hours last month. LOVE IT!!!
Pros: Maneuvers VERY well (around the deck, raised garden beds, fire pit, swing set, pool, etc.). 54” deck (not a drive over) is relatively easy to put on and take off (cement floor recommended), mowing quality is very good. The FEL is on or off in 2 minutes or less. Tractor is relatively quiet and great on fuel.
Cons: (simple mods take care of most of these) Headlights are blocked by FEL, 1st fuel filter location sucks, soot gets on FEL on start-up, lack of tool/chain storage, brake pedal is too high, B8160 ballast box does not fit Quick Hitch.
That last con really frosted my cupcake, would have gotten a different box with straight sides had I known. Pat’s QH doesn’t work on that box either. Box has worked very well so far and goes on/off easy enough, just doesn’t fit the QH.
Adds: spin knob for the steering wheel (priceless), ROPS lights (forward and backwards), BXpanded tooth bar, tool/chain box (HF), angle iron bolted to top of FEL with slots for chain, bolt-on 2” receiver hitch (HF), bucket edge skid shoes (for gravel driveway snow removal). Loaded the ballast box with 350 lbs. of old car brake rotors (cheaper than suitcase weights and cleaned up the garage, didn’t know I had so many).
Next up: relocate fuel filter, exhaust diverter tube, both simple fixes. Saving up for a cab for winter snow removal, again I’m on a limited budget.
I have turf tires and they worked surprisingly well last winter without chains. I do have chains but didn’t see the need to put them on, maybe this year. I also did not add wheel ballast, parts of my lawn are very soft in the spring, I didn’t want the extra weight while mowing.
Bottom line – is it under powered? Not for me and what I need it for.
Would I buy the BX1880 again – absolutely.
