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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] BCS vs. Troy-bilt

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  • From: Pam Twin Oaks <pam AT twinoaks.org>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] BCS vs. Troy-bilt
  • Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 22:01:10 -0400

I've used a Troybilt Horse (7 or 8 hp), and now use a BCS 732. Recently I borrowed a BCS 722 (smaller) and a Grillo diesel tiller. We grow vegetables on 3.5 acres, and do tractor work for disking on most of that. For cultivating, and for an area of permanently raised beds, we use the walk-behind tiller.

I'm female, 58, and I manage the BCS 732, including with the hiller/furrower attachment, though I'd rather share the job and do less. I liked the old Troybilt, but the company has been bought out, and I found the replacement parts harder to get and more expensive, and the people a drag to deal with - not so friendly and helpful as in the "old days". Initially we bought the BCS because we needed to replace our Gravely heavy duty grass mower. We bought the BCS with brush mower, and bought a tiller attachment too, as a backup for our Troybilt. Soon the Troybilt was in pieces under a tarp and now we have bought a second BCS, so we don't have to switch it over from mower to tiller (except if one machine breaks down). Now for the comparisons:

The Troybilt was lighter, dug a bit deeper, had a better furrower, had an easier to adjust tine depth, but a harder to adjust handlebar height. The BCS feels more solid, is quieter, with less vibration, both small scale (wrist bones) and large scale (your whole self). It is wider and has more tines and more horsepower. It has a wheel differential lock (not sure I got those three words in the right order) - on easy terrain it can be set to only drive one wheel, meaning very easy cornering and turning. It can have the tiller removed and a mower attached instead. Or various other things I don't need, like a snow blower I think.

We bought ours from Earth Tools in Kentucky, the nicest people to deal with. They are real live people who will troubleshoot problems over the phone, and email photos as needed. They have videos of the machines in action. The website is www.earthtoolsbcs.com and the phone number is 502 484 3988.

(I've got stuck in italics!)

Pam Dawling, Twin Oaks Community, Louisa, VA





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