Finally tried out my 2 wheel BCS tractor

Yesterday I finally got to try out my two wheel tractor. I had bought it two years ago, a 749 BCS machine with 8 hp Honda Engine. I found it on consignment at my local tractor dealer for $500, and so I bought it. But I gave it to my father since I always had my Kubota Tractor here, and he fell in love with it, perfect for his 3 acres.

But my lawn here is a mess, the classic example of, "because I mow 34 acres of road ditches per day, my own house never gets mown" nonsense. So I took the BSC and mowed back my lawn. It was very rough, literally bulldozed and never graded.

I liked the BSC. With big tires, and differential lock, the mower went anywhere I aimed it. It was a little slow, but then, it mowed everything in one pass, and these are weeds and grass that has not been mown all year. It just hogged right through it with out stopping.

I really like its power. The way it is geared, it is just unstoppable. Traction was incredible too with differential steering, as well as posi-traction.

If money was no issue, i would buy another BCS and attach the two together. On the back one I would attach a seat. This would not only allow me a place to sit, but geared together it would give me four wheel drive. I would also replace the wheels with steel tracks giving me greater traction then even four wheel drive. In essence is would be a nimble, well balanced, four wheel tractor with incredible traction, power, agility all in a very compact size. It also has plenty of attachments for it, and would only cost $9000. I could not buy a tractor that could do all that, for so little money.

That is a "walking tractor", right?

Does it take much muscle to maneuver it? Could a woman handle it easily enough?

Sue Monroe wrote:That is a "walking tractor", right?

Does it take much muscle to maneuver it? Could a woman handle it easily enough?

Yes, it is called a walking tractor as well.

I am pretty sure a woman could easily handle it, because I know my wife could. It has big tires so it rolls over bumpy ground with ease, and with posi-traction, reverse, and 7 gears forward and reverse, you can find the right speed for you, and have it do the work for you.

I mowed my pasture with it today; and I did it one handed if that tells you anything.

But it also has right and left clutches, so you do not really force it to steer, you just squeeze a lever, and one tire or the other stops turning, while the other keeps going, so it ends up steering like a bulldozer. That is why it is easy to handle. Like on a steep hillside, you would just hold one clutch, and it keeps itself straight across the steep hillside.

How would you compare changing implements on it vs a tractor 3 point hitch?

wayne fajkus wrote:How would you compare changing implements on it vs a tractor 3 point hitch?

It probably is a lot faster on the BCS Tractor, but I do not have the quick-hitch PTO adapter. If I did, I would definitely say the BSC tractor. Even then, I would say the BCS tractor would win because there are only two nuts to thread on, and the implements are able to be hand-moved, and you drive your tractor right up to them where you can see how to line them up.

I can change my implements in about a minute I would say, but with the quick-hitch pto adapter, I would say probably 30 seconds. This would be with rear to front changes since I have to swing my handle around depending on if the implement is towed or pushed. A rear/rear implement change out would be incredibly fast because you would not have to swing the handle. (A BSC tractor operates in both directions depending on the implement being used...towed or pushed. For instance, a mower is pushed, but a rototiller is towed. The BCS Tractor adjusts for that, which is why it has 7 gears forward and reverse.

We have a Grillo 52 which is the smallest in their range, yes implements are very quick to change less than a minute, I have no problem in moving the thing even though it weighs 150lb the only thing I cannot do with it that my husband can is rototill ploughed ground, I can't hold it straight over the furrows. But travis's machine is bigger so it might be easier to use in such a situation.
I've also used a Ferrari version they all work pretty much alike, although of the two I prefer the grillo as the Ferrari was very hard to change gear/put in neutral.

Travis that was a really good price for that machine you managed there!

Skandi Rogers wrote:We have a Grillo 52 which is the smallest in their range, yes implements are very quick to change less than a minute, I have no problem in moving the thing even though it weighs 150lb the only thing I cannot do with it that my husband can is rototill ploughed ground, I can't hold it straight over the furrows. But travis's machine is bigger so it might be easier to use in such a situation.
I've also used a Ferrari version they all work pretty much alike, although of the two I prefer the grillo as the Ferrari was very hard to change gear/put in neutral.

Travis that was a really good price for that machine you managed there!

Yeah, I saw that on the dealerships website, (it was used of course), and the next day I went to the dealership and bought it. Keep in mind it was also in the middle of Feb in Maine! I mentioned this on a Tractor Forum, and I had a guy offer me $1000 for it sight unseen the day after I bought it.

I have no experience with the Grillo though, so my comments at BCS are from experience, not from any dislike of the other brands. I just have always thought 2 wheel tractors had their place, but really were underutilized. I actually have such an affinity for them, and just their overall concept, and use in small farms, that I thought about writing a book just on the merits of the two wheel tractor. I really, really love doing big things with small equipment, and the 2 wheel tractor excels at that!

One thing that is really nice is that they can be repowered easily. I brag about power on mine, BUT I only have a 8 HP Honda engine on it. It is supposed to take a 16 hp gasoline, or 11 hp diesel engine, so mine is way underpowered, and it still does everything I need it too. But the greatest possibility, is that an electric motor can replace the gasoline. This would enable a 2 wheel tractor to work well in greenhouses. All the brawn, and no fumes, and a really easy conversion!

WRITE THE BOOK!  WRITE THE BOOK!

Just so everyone knows, I have always loved the merits of the two wheel tractor. It was not something where I found a cheap used one, bought it, and then declared that more people should be using them. Nope, it was not that way at all, I saw the merits of a 2 wheel tractor years ago, and in my sheep farming classes, deliberately spelled out all that they could do before I even owned my own.

One of those points was in producing hay. In using the cheapest haying equipment I could find for a regular compact four wheel tractor, I came out with a cost of $27,000 for mower, rake, and baler. Yet with a 2 wheel tractor, the same implements to make hay would cost $8000. Considering both produce hay that puts feed in a sheep's mouth, and also considering the low profit margins of raising sheep, the two wheel tractor was a bargain. I mean if you convert dollars into lambs, a sheep farmer would have to raise and sell 270 lambs before they paid off that haying equipment for the four wheel tractor, and yet only 80 lambs for the 2 wheel tractor. I mean 190 extra lambs to raise, for the same result is pretty easy math to figure out; the 2 wheel tractor has its place.

2 wheel tractors do have their shortfalls, the biggest being they cannot dig like a 4 wheel tractor with a front end loader. That could be offset though if they had a trailer like mine that had a little backhoe to it, or all the other implements that I have built for it, like log loader, grader blade,  woodsplitter, etc.

The 2 wheel tractor, would use its pto shaft to power a hydraulic pump, that goes back to the trailer. That would operate its many functions, but also power its wheels so that it basically has four wheel drive. I would not use wheels though. I would put tracks on both the trailer, and the 2 wheel tractor.

I am not sure if anyone could picture this, but imagine this trailer miniaturized by half, and instead of tires, it has minitracks on it powered by hydraulic motors. Then picture it pulled by a 2 wheel tractor with tracks. Because all the weight would be on the trailer...which has powered tracks, this would be a very small, capable machine. A person could dig, carry, dump, lift logs, split wood, till, mow, drill  post holes, etc, all on a machine that could go anywhere like mud, rough terrain, nail strewn board piles, tight trails through the woods, as well as maneuver through small barns for manure cleanup and such. For a person with a few acres, it could do just about everything...on just a gallon or two of gasoline (or diesel fuel) per day.

I know this thread is at least a year old, but I am new to Permies, so please forgive me.

I have a Grillo 107D w/ an 11HP Honda.  the 2 wheel tractor is amazing and I use it as much as my Kubota 4wd.  That being said, each unit has its uses.  I specifically have the small Kubota because I bought it with a 3pt mounted backhoe, and man that is a pain the rear to take off, so I will not take it off again.  Meaning, I don't get to use the PTO of my Kubota (its a 7400D, 16HP, but so amazingly capable). I use the backhoe frequently.

So, my place is small (4 acres), and in two levels - 1.2 acres lower at the road with the house just up from a creek flood plain, 2 acres higher fairly level to a gentle slope, and about 0.6 is real steep between the two levels - I grow berries in narrow terraces on that steep slope, and another part is extended from the chicken and turkey yard so they have a large free range area. I have a very capable 12 ft wide graveled road that connects the two levels.  All wonderful south facing Blue Ridge mountain land. less than a half mile from town and a 0.7 mile walk to the elementary school (which I do with my elementary kids frequently pre-pandemic).

I really do not have suitable ground to use PTO implements on the Kubota, but have great use for the loader and the backhoe.  This where the Grillo comes in.

I have a tiller, chipper, snow blade, snowblower, middle buster, brush mower. All great use on my small homestead.

But there is one function missing - that of a hydraulic power pack.  I have a Little Beaver with a 13hp Honda Clone that drives a hydraulic motor with a 6" auger for drilling wood post holes - it is far superior to a gas engine topped auger, and since I used to have a tractor PTO fence post auger - I know the Little Beaver to be more practical than the bigger tractor mounted PTO auger as well.   With the Little Beaver, I can pull it into some really small areas and have a powerful hole drilling machine.  The downside - the engine and the reservoir are mounted on a little wheeled tripod, and I've turned it all over several times.  The little wheels (10") do not give any clearance for pulling it around on rough ground, so I often put it in a little trailer to pull behind my Kawasaki 610C Mule to get it close to where I need it.  But you see where I am getting - having to use the Mule and lift it into the little trailer and out again is not convenient at all.  

Sooo what I'd like to do is... Make up a frame to hold the reservoir and figure out how to bolt up the hydraulic pump of the Little Beaver to my Grillo.  With a frame, the hydraulic reservoir, pump, hoses, a hook for the auger motor, auger - all of that is still only about 120lbs - less than the Zanaon motor with wheels, and less than the snowblower without wheels - both hang off of the Grillo PTO without much trouble.  So what I am saying is that the Grillo PTO mount would be more than enough to handle it.  The Grillo would be very nimble and allow me to get the hydraulic auger into hairy spots and be steady. The only problem is - this is not something Grillo or BCS has made.

I know I will need the BCS "Power Cradle" to spin up the Grillo 960rpm to match the Honda's 2500-3600rpm - that's solvable from a power standpoint. And I will need the appropriate adapters from Earthtools for adapting the BCS Power Cradle to the Grillo PTO.  But where I am currently stuck is how to mount what ever frame I weld up to allow it to hang from the front of the tractor and allow it to be nimble to move around.  I am wondering if I should get an adaptor from Joel and just start welding ears onto it and see what I come up with.

What promoted me writing all of this was the immediate post above where it was envisioned to create a trailer with a hydraulic setup to hook to a BCS or a Grillo.  With the frame and Little Beaver Hydraulic setup along with quick release hoses - what I am envisioning could easily power a log splitter, or a small SkiDril HP16 or HP18 Post Driver,, along with my Hydraulic Auger.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks

Mark

Frog Hollow Schoolmaster's Homestead
Myersville, Maryland
http://facebook.com/froghollowhomestead
https://www.FrogHollowHomestead.com

Mark,

Hey, absolutely nothing wrong with posting on a year old thread.  It is kinda an unstated goal on this site to revive old pertinent threads than start a new one.  By the way, I love your idea of a hydraulic power pack.  I don't exactly know what the answer to your problem would be other than maybe going to a metal shop and getting something fabricated--that is unless you think you can do so yourself.  But I think it is a really a cool idea!  Please keep this thread updated as your project continues, I would love to hear how things work out.

Eric

I purchase a Suzuki Carry mini farm truck and have a set of ATV tracks that I plan on using in the winter. I wonder if anyone has tried those on a  BCS.

Robert,

I have heard of similar tracks going on 2-wheel tractors and they looked amazing.  If you do put those tracks on, please do post pictures and give us a review!

Eric

Sue Monroe wrote:That is a "walking tractor", right?

Does it take much muscle to maneuver it? Could a woman handle it easily enough?

The trick is to buy one with differential lock.
This way you can use the power of the engine to turn it around.

@ Robert:
I definetly second the request for pictures!
Where can i buy the tracks and how munch do they cost?


Edit: Found a manufacturer called agrizeta.
They even have steel tracks for those litte tractors:
https://www.agrizetagroup.it/en/products/tracks-for-walking-tractors/dx700-detail

I would really love to see how such a vehicle performs when using the steel tracks and a dozer blade.

Hi,

Has anyone tried out the tracks on a BCS yet? I am considering it for mowing slopes..