BCS walk-behind tractor
fr...@mks.com
of a lot. I know of someone that is selling a BCS walk-behind tractor
(plus a tiller and a lawn mower attachment), and I can also get a used
heavy mower for it from a dealer, and the combination would cost around
the same as a new DR.
Does anyone here have any experience with/comments on the BCS walk-
behind tractor?
See http://www.bcs-america.com for specs on their equipment.
Thanx,
fred
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rasmith
>
> I was looking at a DR Field and Brush Mower, but new these cost a heck
> of a lot. I know of someone that is selling a BCS walk-behind tractor
> (plus a tiller and a lawn mower attachment), and I can also get a used
> heavy mower for it from a dealer, and the combination would cost around
> the same as a new DR.
>
> Does anyone here have any experience with/comments on the BCS walk-
> behind tractor?
Yes, they are a great machine.
Given the opportunity to get a good used BCS at a reasonable price, I'd
jump at it!!
Richard
In Central NY
Rob Gray
Go Gravely. They're the best walk behinds.
Rob
Ragtag Rescue
I've been very impressed with both of them. Easy to use and to work on,
very trouble-free, lifetime warranty on the tranny, etc.
If you're in my neck of the woods, I'm selling the 605 with tiller,
sicklebar, and bushhog for $1500. Comes with manuals and spare parts. Great
shape, but I got tired of mowing 10 acres with a walk behind, and recently
bought a Kubota. Anyway, it's worth a look.
Pete
Lamoille County, Vermont
fr...@mks.com
> If you're in my neck of the woods, I'm selling the 605 with tiller,
> sicklebar, and bushhog for $1500. Comes with manuals and spare parts.
I'm located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
I'm looking at a used 725 (8hp)+sicklebar mower, or a 735+tiller+lawn
mower+ride-behind-attachment. If I get the 735 then I'll also be buying
either a sicklebar or a roughcut mower.
Anyone in my area have any used (but not used up!) BCS equipment for
sale?
Ragtag Rescue
parts.
fred_...@my-deja.com
> On the 725, avoid the Acme engine. It's rugged, but good luck finding
> parts.
Too late - I've purchased a BCS 735 with a 10hp ACME engine.
And the dealers that I've talked to agree about the lack of parts.
(One dealer has been waiting at least 2-3 months for an air filter...)
BCS sells an adaptor kit that will let me use a "Breaks and Scrap 'Em"
engine on it. Expensive though... (as is everything from BCS).
fr...@mks.com
> Does anyone here have any experience with/comments on the BCS walk-
> behind tractor?
>
Here is what I've found out:
BCS Customer Service 1-800-543-1040 extension 20
BCS Customer Service 1-800-543-1040 extension 18,
- service guy, Brent Dykes, hard to get on the phone
Dealers in South-Western Ontario, Canada:
- L.F. Equipment Center, 291 Lorne Ave, Stratford, 519-273-5100
- Highland Supply, Dundalk, 519-923-2240
- George C. South, Meaford, 519-538-1660
- Harkness Equipment, Harriston, 519-338-3946
- Monck General Store, 519-848-6830
- G&H Small Engine, Drayton, 519-638-2421
- this dealer couldn't be bothered to look up prices for me
when I called him
- Romano Motors, Inglewood, 905-838-3931
- A&W Recreation, Guelph, 519-767-1434
- Lebold's Service, Milbank, 519-656-2490
- ***I prefer this dealer***, I bought some attachments from him
- Woodstock New Holland, Woodstock, 519-537-3419
Distributor for Ontario, Canada
- Walker Equipment LTD
9399 Highway 98
PO Box 118
Markham, Ontario, Canada
L3P 3J5
905-294-8333 (voice)
905-294-1702 (fax)
1-800-318-9428
519-866-3745 George Hall (Sales Rep)
725
- manufactured 1982-1993
- 18 mm diameter PTO shaft
- 8hp Kohler engine
- can only handle the 20" or the 26" rough cut mowers
735
- manufactured 1982-1993
- 18 mm diameter PTO shaft
- has a differential
- 10 hp engine
605/737
- 25 mm diameter PTO shaft
modern BCS machines
- 30 mm diameter PTO shaft that ends in "dog ears"
PTO shaft diameter increased because shafts were breaking or getting
bent. 30" rought cut mower and snowblowing attachments are prone to
this problem.
- new 18mm PTO shaft is $89 US
- 18mm to 25mm PTO conversion kit for a BCS 735 is $345.75 US
- lots of work to install this kit
25 mm to North America PTO adaptor is $106 US
Rough-Cut Mowers
- 20" flail blade $599 US
- cuts up to 1/2"-3/4" diameter saplings
- 26" flail blade $699 US
- cuts up to 1/2"-3/4" diameter saplings
- 30" flail blade $799 US
- cuts up anything you can get it on top of
- but big stuff might scare the heck out of you,
with all the shaking and chunks of wood flying like missles
out of the front of the machine
Sicklebar Mowers
- grease them every 2 hours of operation and paint the teeth with
axel grease (or motor oil; used is ok) before every session
- never run with over half throttle
BCS 735
- mine has a 10 horsepower engine, probably a ACME 330 WB
(where 330 is the number of cubic centimeters)
- requires a 45" or a 53" sicklebar mower in order
to counter-balance the weight of the engine
- might be able to use a 40" mower with a PTO-extension
or a quick-hitch or a sicklebar-weight ($89 US)
ACME North America, 770-623-3554
- able to sell me a service manual
- answer phone with "Lombardini" because they share an office with them
- can't sell gas engines in USA because of EPA
- currently aren't selling any diesel engines, but are in the process
of doing the paperwork, and should be able to sell some in 2000
fr...@mks.com
The BCS 735 required new parts in the PTO engaging mechanism. These are
wear items (my machine is on its third round thingy, and its second
lever thingy). $100 (CDN, not US) for the parts (the round thingy and
the lever thingy and two pins). Plus $40 for broken tools (pin punchs
and drill bits, trying to get out the old pins). The lever thingy is on
a bar, and is held on the bar with two pins. My old lever thingy's
holes for the pins weren't aligned with the holes in the bar. This made
getting the old part off a real bear.
Once I had that fixed I did the normal maintenance items (top off gear
oil, change engine oil, etc).
Then I attached a 30" rough-cut mower, and put in 6-7 hours (with
breaks every hour or so). I did about one acre (maybe a little less)
in that time. Grass up to 2' high gets mulched up quite easily.
Really thick grass/weeds that are 5' to 6' high require more than one
pass to get them mulched up. Saplings get mulched up, unless the
machine pushes them flat and the blade doesn't get them.
Branches, and previously cut saplings don't get mulched up. The machine
rides right over them.
Rocks, argh. BANG and rock fragments go flying out the front if the
machine. My blade is a bit dented now. A local dealer told me that if I
try hammering those dents out then I'm likely to just break off the
hammered-on-section. Just leave it alone, and sharpen it when necessary.
A new 30" blade costs $230 CDN.
After 6-7 hours, I was tired. Not because of what I was doing with the
machine, but because I walked for that long behind it.
I have picked up a sicklebar mower since then, and I'll be trying it
out next weekend. Unless I break something on a rock, it should be a
lot faster using this instead of the rough cut mower (albeit the ground
won't be as tidy looking afterwards).