Hello everybody,
Having followed this forum for the last three years, I finally decided to register.
For my work I live in Africa, but I own a 17th-century farm house in a little (pop. 150) village close to Bastogne in southern Belgium, with about 3 acres, mainly old meadow with a little bit of wooded area and some old apple orchard thrown in for good measure. To maintain that, in July 2018 I treated myself -after extensive research- to a BX231 (both for the Kubota quality and the fact that the Mrs. -being Japanese- also liked it very much…). I would have preferred a somewhat bigger model, but the place just doesn't allow it, what with its narrow passages and slopes (stability, by the way, is not the machine’s strongest point, so a set of 2” Brotek rear wheel spacers is waiting to be mounted next time I go on R&R).
The BX came with the usual add-ons: MMM, front loader and "wheelbarrow box" (= manual dump box for the 3-point hitch) for small cleaning-up and transport chores; an old road trailer (3300-lbs. capacity) takes care of bigger and heavier transportation needs. No need for a snow blower or plow: in January we got 16" of snow over a few days, but that is exceptional and never lasts longer than -in the worst/best case- a few weeks. Finally, last year a flail mower with pick-up and hydraulic dumping joined the family. Indeed, the meadow only gets mowed two to maximum three times a year, and the long grass left on the ground by the belly mower creates large dead spots, unless I spend a week raking… The flail mower on the other hand leaves a smooth, clean surface behind, perfect for new growth, while at the same time nicely taking care of brambles, bushes et.al.
Pictures to follow.
Having followed this forum for the last three years, I finally decided to register.
For my work I live in Africa, but I own a 17th-century farm house in a little (pop. 150) village close to Bastogne in southern Belgium, with about 3 acres, mainly old meadow with a little bit of wooded area and some old apple orchard thrown in for good measure. To maintain that, in July 2018 I treated myself -after extensive research- to a BX231 (both for the Kubota quality and the fact that the Mrs. -being Japanese- also liked it very much…). I would have preferred a somewhat bigger model, but the place just doesn't allow it, what with its narrow passages and slopes (stability, by the way, is not the machine’s strongest point, so a set of 2” Brotek rear wheel spacers is waiting to be mounted next time I go on R&R).
The BX came with the usual add-ons: MMM, front loader and "wheelbarrow box" (= manual dump box for the 3-point hitch) for small cleaning-up and transport chores; an old road trailer (3300-lbs. capacity) takes care of bigger and heavier transportation needs. No need for a snow blower or plow: in January we got 16" of snow over a few days, but that is exceptional and never lasts longer than -in the worst/best case- a few weeks. Finally, last year a flail mower with pick-up and hydraulic dumping joined the family. Indeed, the meadow only gets mowed two to maximum three times a year, and the long grass left on the ground by the belly mower creates large dead spots, unless I spend a week raking… The flail mower on the other hand leaves a smooth, clean surface behind, perfect for new growth, while at the same time nicely taking care of brambles, bushes et.al.
Pictures to follow.
Actually I am a bit too far to the south, and the Battle of the Bulge never got to the village. Next to the house though there is a little monument for some resistance fighters who got caught and deported/shot in the summer of '44.
