Why the BX23S Is Not So Compact

[GreensvilleJay]

re: .....if he tried to drive sideways across the slope instead of straight up and down....

Rule #1...never ,ever drive sideways on slopes. Eventually you'll kill yourself.

I had a look at that DR unit and prefer the CR. Both are designed for '14HP and up' riders, so pulling a full load of leaves will NOT be an issue.
The CR is attached to the rider ,so it's shorter and far more manuverable around trees,bushes and backing up. It also has more vacuum lift due to much shorter hose and more stable during unloading.
I did a fair amount(4 months) research on these implements from building my own, used, new, and the CR unit won, however instead of me picking up my neighbouers leaves THEY drop the off into 1 of 4 compost piles ! Saves me time,money and 1 less implement to store and maintain.
If you think you're going into the delivery service of leaves, see what the top speed of the tractor or rider is ! Only the 'big boys'' have a 'highway gear'. Three runs at 10 minutes one way, means you'll waste 1/2 HOUR hauling an empty trailer....

 

[Tractor_Chunks]

re: .....if he tried to drive sideways across the slope instead of straight up and down....

Rule #1...never ,ever drive sideways on slopes. Eventually you'll kill yourself.

I had a look at that DR unit and prefer the CR. Both are designed for '14HP and up' riders, so pulling a full load of leaves will NOT be an issue.
The CR is attached to the rider ,so it's shorter and far more manuverable around trees,bushes and backing up. It also has more vacuum lift due to much shorter hose and more stable during unloading.
I did a fair amount(4 months) research on these implements from building my own, used, new, and the CR unit won, however instead of me picking up my neighbouers leaves THEY drop the off into 1 of 4 compost piles ! Saves me time,money and 1 less implement to store and maintain.
If you think you're going into the delivery service of leaves, see what the top speed of the tractor or rider is ! Only the 'big boys'' have a 'highway gear'. Three runs at 10 minutes one way, means you'll waste 1/2 HOUR hauling an empty trailer....

The person I'm quoting made a video about his rider & cyclone rake, but I'm not sure if I could find it again. He showed the slope and it was rather mild. More to the point, he regularly mows it without the cyclone rake just fine. The cyclone rake puts a weight twice the weight of the rider, behind you, on casters. I watched another video of a guy spinning his tires and messing up the lawn sometimes, using a smaller rider to pull a cyclone rake, and this was on perfectly flat ground.

Certainly the Cyclone rake would be easier to backup, but others are saying the swing on it is huge and you really have to be careful. A trailer design like the DR follows a turn better, but a pain to backup. Ultimately, I went with the much more powerful engine, which was the DR. After researching further, and easing up on how much I could be willing to spend, I probably should have looked more closely at the Terraking TKV20. I might still end up with one of those at some point...
The downsides to the 3 point style collectors are: all the weight goes on your back tires, so more chance of lawn damage. The unit can't be run independently (more than once, I've dropped the DR off at someone's house and let them fill it up just using it as a collector/mulcher). The capacity is much lower = more trips to the compost pile.

 

[BAP]

Well after reading every post in both threads, I think you should write-off a tractor purchase and invest that cash in a life coach who can help you with your decision making skills. Yes, I decided on a B2650 after thoroughly researching the BX, L, and JD's equivalents. That research took me about a week and I purchased about 3 weeks after beginning my research. Couldn't be happier with my B. Just stop typing and make a decision FFS.

What he said!

Agree with both.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

One problem with the CR style is it's moving the CofG higher, making riding on slope even worse. Cutting grass could be ok but not when you have a higher CofG, that's just asking for serious trouble!

 

[PaulL]

No, i don't generally load a trailer to haul leaves, or rather, I don't want to (actually hoping the right tractor/collector setup will put an end to that nonsense). The collection system is the trailer. I guess if I needed to go further out, your idea of having the tractor/trailer/collector could work. You're spot-on with the usefulness of being able to drive faster on the road. I'm realizing that the more I think about it.

Seems to me that if you're only doing one load in the DR unit per day, then driving out and back makes sense. If you've got more than one load, then filling a trailer would be easier - depending on how easily you could dump from the DR into a trailer. I'd imagined you'd fill the unit very quickly - so if you have 10 minutes to fill it, then half an hour of driving to empty it, you'll be wasting a lot of time.

Anyway, all these things become clear with usage. If you're just driving around your neighbourhood (sounds like you are) then you could maybe hook the trailer onto the tractor, and the DR onto the trailer (weld on a second hitch). Probably not even remotely legal, but not sure who would complain.

 

[shiraz627]

Agree with both.

I concur with both! Either poop or get off the pot!

 

[John T]

Well after reading every post in both threads, I think you should write-off a tractor purchase and invest that cash in a life coach who can help you with your decision making skills. .

Just stop typing and make a decision FFS.

I was thinking the same thing....

I was getting dizzy reading all this horsesh*t.


ps:
happy new year...