How much is this BCS worth?

17 years ago

Found a nice one and want to make an offer. It's in good condition with the furrowing attachment. An 8HP (Kohler) BCS 725. About 14 years old. How much do you guys think it's worth?

Thanks

Featured Answer

farmerboybill

17 years ago

Hey,

That is a nice looking machine with an excellent engine on it. I've now owned three BCS's with the Kohler M8 - 2 715s and my current 730. The 725 is essentially a 715 with a hi/lo transmission. Every one of them has been very reliable - start easily even in temps below freezing, lotsa power, quiet running.

I respectfully disagree with what Canguy said about the snow blower. I have a 28 inch and think it's an awesome machine. It's a good match to my 730 with the kohler engine. Other then Canguy, I've never heard anyone badmouth the blower. I also disagree with his observation on speeds. In front attachment mode, this machine will go .8mph and 2.4 mph. The slow speed is well suited to heavy snow and the faster speed is good for fast work of lighter snows. Maybe Canguy was talking about the 715. It has only one speed in reverse - 1.4 mph. I mowed my lawn with my 715. It's the reason I bought an 850. In tiller mode, it will go .6, 1.4, 1.9, 4.1, and 7.5 mph.

While it's not a 735, 737, 830, or 850, it will do a lot of work. Keep in mind that this is not as maneuverable as the bigger machines I just mentioned. It has a solid axle while they have a locking differential and turning brakes. On dry pavement, it will be a bear to turn. It will also be a little troublesome to move around when not running.

Assuming it's in good working order and the tines aren't worn to a point, it's a steal at $500, a good buy at $700, and a fair buy at $1100.

Here is a link that might be useful: Youtube video of BCS snowblower in action

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Comments (8)

canuckistani
Original Author
17 years ago
BTW, does anyone know if there's a snowblower attachment available for this model?
canuckistani
Original Author
17 years ago
A couple of pics of it:

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canguy
17 years ago
Depends on how much you are willing to spend and how badly you want it. That would sell for over 3 grand new in Canada.but is one of the best on the market.
There is a snow blower attachment which does not work all that well. It is a single stage so does not move heavy snow a great distance.The base of the spout also needs to be sealed so snow does not drop back behind the machine.
The big drawback is the transmission. Third gear only works with rear mounted implements, it is set up to lock out in reverse. This is a safety feature.When the handles are reversed to mount a font attachment, third will now only work in reverse so it is blocked. You now have only two speeds, slow and slower.
canuckistani
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the info canguy. Any ideas on what a reasonable offer might be?
farmerboybill
17 years ago
Hey Canguy,

After posting, I got to thinking on why you thought it'd be slow. You musta been talking about the 1995 and newer 700 series that are pretty slow in "pusher" mode. The 710 goes 1.3 and the 716, 720, 730 go .7 and 1.4. This 725 is 1994 and older and has the speeds I mentioned in the above post. You can play with speeds more with different tire sizes. It comes with 4-8 16 inch tall tires. I put 6-12 23 inch tall tires on my 715 and got 20% faster ground speed. With the snowblower, it doesn't make much difference on PTO height, but it made too big a difference with the tiller. You'd need to either change back and forth on the tires or buy a PTO extension when tilling with the 6-12s.

Hopefully this makes it clearer, but it probably muddies it more :-)

Bill
canuckistani
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the advice Bill, much appreciated.
canguy
17 years ago
You are right Bill, my experience is with the newer machines. I had one snow blower attachment returned twice, both owners were unhappy with it.
We sold mostly sweeper attachments for outdoor rinks and sidewalks. I put one on a 730 that we could not sell but the operators complained it was too slow as 3rd could not be used. Great unit with a tiller though. The 9hp 620 (which is not advertised) is the cat's meow with front attachments, it will not accept rear. The 850 worked well with front and rear attachments but is VERY expensive and a bit of a handful for inexperienced operators.