BX 1880 VS Gr2120

[William1]

My old (25 years) Sears Craftsman mower has done its' last trip. Mower deck (#2) has rusted out, Time for it to be relegated to pulling the garden cart until the trans dies . Engine runs like new still at 1,450 hour.
So... need a new mower/leaf sucker. The Sears did an 'ok' job with the leaves, fine with the lawn. Because it depended on the blades only, it sort of blew leaves to one side, meaning a cleaning was one trip and then an 1/2 over lap. I dealt with it.

But today, the last trip of the year, I had a issue and discovered the rusting mount. Ok.... Suck it up butter cup.
Wife and I have known for a few years... a bullet needs to be taken.

I want a diesel, I want a Kubota.
The GR has a tight turning radius(yeah!!!) but the vacuum section hangs off the side of the deck (boo!!!) The BX is a bit larger (boo!!!) but a PTO driven vacuum (yeah!!!) The BX is a few grand more, should I care?
This will be a dedicated mower, I do not need a FEL or 3Pt (though if...the 3 Pt was there all the time.... as I have a BX25D with a FEL and BH that is nice).

Thoughts and terribly biased opinions?

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Good day.

I am very interested in this thread (one of our properties we plan to move to soon and I have not figured out lawn care / leaf detail around the house yet and i am not sure I will buy machine(s) or keep paying current landscaper to handle…if leaves were a cash crop I’d be retired)

Maybe this is a dumb question, and if so I apologize….

can a mower and leaf vacuum not be added to a bx25d?

or are you wanting a dedicated machine to mowing / leaf duty the TLB you have?

or BX is too large for your mowing area?

I’ve owned a BX, (previously)and personally I can not imagine a BX without a loader, and don’t even think they should be allowed to sell them that way (this is a joke as it has upset at least one member). There are so many use cases with a BX and I can’t imagine going wrong with BX unless it’s not big enough for your needs.

if going to a dedicated machine I would wonder is there a zero turn that would be a better option for mowing / leaf detail than a BX?

My vote is for a pair and a spare (tractors and EDC)

 

[NCL4701]

When we bought our T-2290, we test drove a GR and a BX. The BX was a much more refined machine IMO, specifically in regard to the responsiveness of the transmission, and without a loader or backhoe it wasn’t much more than the diesel GR.

We went to the dealership thinking we’d be choosing between a GR strictly for mowing or a BX with loader as a general purpose lawn / landscaping machine to complement our L4701. After test driving the BX, GR, and T our choice ended up being between the T (not nearly the machine a BX is, but not nearly the price either) or the BX as a bare tractor.

I guess the main point of all that is if you can find a dealer that has both a GR and a BX in stock, test drive both before you decide. Unless something has changed substantially with one or both in the past couple years, I’m confident a test drive will help you decide.

 

[Bearcatrp]

No reason to get the BX since you own the 25D. Love my BX1880 for cutting grass. My 1st diesel tractor. My gas cub cadet chocked on some of the thicker grass. The BX doesn’t break a sweat. Your money but why spend more if you don’t need to.

 

[Shawn T. W]

From those 2 choices, I'd go BX ... Mostly for the 3pt, you can leave the BH on all the time and still have your 3pt attachments on the smaller BX!

Just a guess, but the GR is probably lighter weight, is that a benefit for your lawn?

 

[PaulL]

If all you will use the machine for is mowing, then a BX is overkill really. But it's not much more money, and you _could_ move the loader from the BX25D to it if you wanted to for some reason. Having a 3ph is a bonus, and a BX is more solidly built, for mowing only it'll last forever.

Having said that, I'd find it unusual to have two BXes, so I'd really have to recommend you upgrade the BX25D to a B26, and then buy a BX1880 for mowing.

 

[William1]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Light weight to minimize compression of the lawn
Dedicated mower. No desire to be pulling the FEL and the BH off the 25D then putting a mower on. then swap back again.
Old Craftsman (23 Hp Kohler) never bogged down, even had no issue pulling a garden cart grossly over loaded.
Pricing between the GR and BX is very close. Not enough to matter.

Does the four wheel steering really make things better?
4WD would be nice (GR) but the locking diff (BX 2WD) alone is a big step up from the old mower open diff.
I think a biggie for me is the rear PTO vacuum Vs the mower deck add on (width)

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I'll play the 'devil'...
WHY did the deck 'rust out' ? Were you cutting wet grass and never cleaned it after use ? I've got similar aged 'Cub Cadet'(MTD) , original deck, solid. I cut grass in mid/later afternoon when it's dry and service blades 2x season. Also have a similar aged Craftsman, again solid deck, though it's now a dedicated riding snowblower. I've serviced 100s of machines over 4 decades and it's sad to see so many 'rusted out' decks,seems people will service the engine but not the deck.Sad.

 

[Bee-Positive]

I would not get a BX without an FEL. You'll get much less for it if after a year or two you decide it's not to your liking and you want to sell or trade in.

As Grumpy said, why not a zero turn?

Seems the only limiting factor to your decision is that you prefer a PTO driven bagger.

 

[David T]

William1
I have a BX23s TLB. I did not get it with MMM initially. My neighbour convinced me and I am very pleased with it. Cuts grass better than any piece of equipment I have used in the past. I prefer to remove the loader when cutting the grass. Lighter, more manoeuvrable around all my trees. Once you practice taking the loader on/off, it's very easy and fast. I clean the hydraulic quick connects every time to be sure no contamination. I also built a dolly for the backhoe which is just as easy to remove. The mower stays on all season, no issues. I also have a modified DR lawn/Leaf vacuum that works amazingly. My opinion is that it is better to get the attachments now and remove them when required. They are becoming very expensive to buy after the fact.

 

[William1]

I would not get a BX without an FEL. You'll get much less for it if after a year or two you decide it's not to your liking and you want to sell or trade in.

As Grumpy said, why not a zero turn?

Seems the only limiting factor to your decision is that you prefer a PTO driven bagger.

I have a BX25D with FEL and BH. Its my digging and moving stuff machine.
For mowing, I want more manuverable, lighter and dedicated. I do not want to be removing mower deck, FEL, Bagger, BH, on and off with the 3pt arms. So I'll spoil myself with two machines,
Is the GR2120 that much smaller/maneuverable that would offset having to deal with the blower on the side Vs a rear PTO setup.
I liked the size of my Craftsman. I did not like that it had no blower. The Craftsman was also cheap in a few areas that eventually had reared their ugly head and had to be dealt with. For example, All the steering pivots were plastic, wore out and I replaced with sealed ball bearings. Craftsman trans has been bullet proof. Kohler Command 23 Hp faultless (one seal went) except it is gas and I'd go through 3 gallons a day vs a diesel that would be 1/2 that. Though gas does not get microbes....Belts are not forever. Has gotten stuck a few times where a diff lock or 4WD would not of. I'd like a larger bagger and a blower would chew up the leaves and suck them off the lawn better I expect.
I cannot use a tow around bagger, too many nooks and crannies to deal with backing up a trailer.
I can afford a better mower, I like to take care of my lawn.
Is the BX1880 as tall and tippy as my BX25D? Does a MMM weight help stabilize it?
Is the BX1880 so heavy as to leave dents in the lawn? The Craftsman does not.
Is the GR2120 really that manuverable?
Is the GR2120 gentle?
No dealer has both in stock (no GR's at all) and I'd have to order.
I do not see any pricing deals on the GR but do on the BX, resulting in them costing about the same.

 

[xrocketengineer]

I have the BX1880 with the 48 in mower and FEL. It felt tall and tippy initially but now I have gotten used to it and I never remove the mower for FEL work. I think the mower helps a lot for stability. Mine came with R1 tires and dented the hell out of the lawn. They were terrible for ride, traction and damaging the lawn. I replaced them with BX23 sized "all terrain" tires that are a lot better in every respect. However, I feel that the tractor is borderline too heavy for mowing on the kind of soft soil (muck when wet) I have. The four wheel drive is a must for me. The BX1880 is mechanically identical to the BX2380 except for the engine and tire/wheel combo. If you decide to go that way it would make sense to order it with the hydraulic kit for the FEL (since your FEL should fit minus the Hydraulic fittings) in the event that you ever need the FEL on one tractor and the BH on the other.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I went from a craftsman lawn tractor that had seen it's last lawn mowing, to a Zero turn.
I will never use a tractor or ride on lawn mower again!
It's 4 times faster than a tractor.
It's smother running
And it does a closer cleaner cut.
One other option would be an F unit, Front mount mower.

 

[Hugo Habicht]

I went from a craftsman lawn tractor that had seen it's last lawn mowing, to a Zero turn.
I will never use a tractor or ride on lawn mower again!
It's 4 times faster than a tractor.

The zero turn goes 32 miles per hour?

 

[Shawn T. W]

Not top speed, but you don't waste time turning around, and can get in closer to things, so overall time is much faster, or look at it as taking less time ... The more obstacles you have, the better the Z-turn shines!

Started out using my SCUT and a 4' brush hog to mow my 1.5 acre lawn, as that's all I had ... Took me 2+ hours! Got my 60" Z-turn ... 35 minutes and I'm done!

I have a Z for around the house, have a SCUT TLB, and a Cabbed CUT for mowing fields ... The SCUT, can ... And has done it all, but the right machine for the job makes life happier ... While a hammer is a hammer, there is a reason there are so many different types of hammers ...

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Not top speed, but you don't waste time turning around, and can get in closer to things, so overall time is much faster, or look at it as taking less time ... The more obstacles you have, the better the Z-turn shines!

I was wondering there...

Since I planned my lawn with no obstacles, all round edges and no corners and one straight run without going over a patch twice a zero turn would not give me any advantage then. Love my G1900...

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

I was wondering there...

Since I planned my lawn with no obstacles, all round edges and no corners and one straight run without going over a patch twice a zero turn would not give me any advantage then. Love my G1900...

I did the math same as you…I was thinking are we thinking takes less time to mow or are we talking high performance lawn mower(maybe NIW been holding out on us and he has a Honda in the shed)…(it’s not orange, but at least it’s a Honda)

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a27886623/honda-lawn-mower-0-100-mph-world-record/

 

[Hugo Habicht]

150mph lawnmower, now that is something
Unreal. And with cutting deck, grass collector bag, the lot ....

And I thought my G1900 is fairly fast. Time to join redtractortalks.com?

 

[William1]

Zero turns, a few neighbors have them. While they turn super sharp, that twisting inside stationary wheel rips the grass off.
So I am looking at a BX1880 or a GR2120
The idea of (if need be) the FEL on one and BH on my BX25D is intriguing though in 10 years, I've never had to do be in a situation where separated would of been handy. So that is not a factor.
I wish,,,, the GR2120 was a rear discharge, had a rear mounted vacuum sucker to minimize width and really get up leaves and lawn debris, I guess you can't always get what you want.