How to REMOVE AND INSTALL KUBOTA BX SERIES mower deck 

Hi Neil, just removing my 54" deck off my BX23S for a pre-season service (growing season here in Oz) and found your video on this very helpful, and easier than reading the manual which while ok nothing beats seeing the real thing. I've found this with all your videos particularly on the BX series and which have helped me along the way. Owned it now for just on 2 years and love it. I;ve also noted the comment re disengaging the mid PTO. Cheers from Eildon, Australia

Love the Messick’s RU-vid tutorials…best available..thanks…keep em comin

When reattaching the PTO, move the PTO selection to rear PTO only, then the front PTO spins super easy for lining up the splines. Works good when attaching rear PTO items as well.

Thank You so much for your “How to videos”! I just purchased a BX2680, & love it! Your videos help so much in getting familiar with the unit & attachments! I’ve been practicing attachment install & removal, your videos are are great help! I only wish Messick’s wasn’t so far away!!

Messicks has the best "how to" videos I have seen. I really appreciate them!

Your videos are so helpful to Harry Homeowners like me taking care of our 5 1/2 acres. This vid was uber helpful as I was struggling to get my 60" deck off the BX70 to do a blade change & spring maintenance. Thank you so much for taking the time to help so many people like me!!

Thanks a ton! This video was definitely helpful compared to the manual. Extremely helpful for those with no manual. Ha. Thanks!

I would like to see a video on installing and removing the grass collector/vacuum assembly. That always taxes my vocabulary!

This is a really great and practical video, thank you VERY much! in my case, I needed to replace the fuel filter, as my tractor wouldn't even run (bx2370). Taking the mow deck off was the only way to get to the filter, but because my tractor wasn't running I couldn't raise the mechanism. Turns out you can give it a good shove upwards and both sides will retract, so no need for power. This video probably saved me $1k+ in repairs, thank you!

Neil - couple of things you could include to make this better. If the knob for lifting the mower deck heigh won’t move, start the tractor and increase the RPMs, then raise the rear hydraulic until you hear it is all the way up. Then that knob will move. If you have a front loader on you can lift the front wheels off the ground but lowering the bucket then push the hydraulic lever all the way to the right. This will lift the front wheels off the ground making more room under the tractor and you can push the wheels out of your way. I’m a 75 year old woman and I find the hardest part of this process is getting the PTO hooked up. You make it look too easy. If that coupler had a push button it would be easier. Do you offer a retrofit. Another thing I do is keep a board handy to use as a lever to lift the deck to turn the wheels on the deck. I can’t ‘muscle’ it like you show in the video.

I love my BX drive over deck. After I bought it, I heard the negatives. Boy am I glad I was ignorant when I decided on a drive over. Being in the country with grass and gravel, it does not give you any ease at man handling it from underneath. There are plenty of videos on how to use it. Now that I have done it multiple times and know all the quirks, I can get it on and off in no time.

Hi Neil, great videos. Several others have posted that you can lift the front wheels off about 9” and slide the deck forward or back without rotating the deck wheels. This makes pulling it sideways unnecessary, even without the drive over. You can also put jack stands under the front axle to be safer. The process and access to the underside is much better this way.

Couldn't be any easier than that. Perfect illustration. Thank you!

Thank you for the great video. My husband found that removing the rear wheel makes it much easier to attach the PTO shaft instead of crawling and trying to squeeze his arm between the tractor and the mower.

Thanks for the tip about turning the front wheels when removing/installing the deck. I'm running 1-1/2" spacers on the back wheels, and it makes the clearance extremely tight. I've never seen that tip before. Definitely going to try it next time I service or clean my deck.

Thanks for this video! I am looking to purchase a BX2380 in the next few weeks, and have been debating on which deck to get. I think I'll stick with the regular deck. I have been watching a lot of your videos, and find just about everything informative! Keep up the good work on these videos! I wish you were closer to where I live, I'd buy my tractor from you! South Georgia is a bit of a drive to you! LOL

I am 81 years old and it is hard for me to get up and down to slide the deck out. I use a old safety chain and hook it over the anti-scalp wheels. This way I can pull the nower out and back without getting down on the ground. Of course I have to get down and unhook the linkage and drive but this does make it easier. I love this mower. With 8 acres to mow, it makes it a snap.

I know your not a fan of the drive over deck... But it would be a great video watching you mess around with taking one off and on. Especially since I'm getting one LOL. The JD drive over quick connect deck is fairly easy, I think you should give the Kubota drive over a shot. I'm sure lots of us would like to see how its done. Great video as usual.

Thanks for responding so fast, when you do the video on the drive on deck it would be nice to include discussion on how to install and remove sub frame when you want to change over to front snow blower attachments. Thanks again, Roger Karstofsky

I am 43 and able bodied but this is my least favorite thing to do on my BXs. I have had a 2003 BX1500 and currently have a 2016 BX2370 They are a pain to re-attach, especially with belly armor that i use to protect the trans fan.

An innovative feature and perhaps something you could feedback to the factory is some type of grab handle or lifting lug on the mower deck. This way you could use a snatch chain or sling to pull the deck from out under the tractor. Don't care how able bodied you are, thoughtful features like that make anyone's life easier.

Thanks so much for the great videos. But this is what went wrong on my first try putting the deck back on. First I pulled the smaller spline apart trying to remove the PTO spline. Be careful not to do that. Trial and error to fit it back. I learned the hard way that all the spring loaded pins have notches to hold them out. I wish I had known this from the beginning. Unlike the machine in the video, my rear connections do not quite line up. And there are hidden ridges that prevent them from sliding nicely in, like the video shows. Once I realized this, I used a big screwdriver to pry the arms sideways while I slid the deck into place. This will all be much easier the next time I do this.

Thanks, it's much harder than you make it look, but your video is a big help.

U JUST MADE MY LIFE MUCH EASIER!!!! THANK U!!

Great video, I use it at the beginning and ending of each mowing season.

Thanks so much! At 2:11 I discovered where the rod goes that fell off my BX, a few months ago. Now the rear differential lock is working as it should.

Hi gang all you kubota owner who are kubota crazy like me, little extra tip here when taking off the deck put cardboard under deck first you will find the deck will move three times as easy and you will not scuff the plastic wheels on the concrete or asphalt use two sheets of cardboard and it will work even better, now for uncle robs kubota juice I spray the whole tractor down with this stuff I make, and spray with a small hand held pump sprayer like an old windex bottle ect. one quart marvel mystery oil one quart motor oil 10-30 or 40 half gallon diesel kerosene shake up and your ready 11 bucks a gallon and protects metal and plastic alike keep you kubota high and dry out of the sun rain and snow, and keep her looking good for years to come and when it comes time to trade in and up one of your babys, your resale value will be good, and the next owner can be proud as well.

I love my BX but the only hard part about the mower deck is aligning the back arms so that they latch in. I fight with that every time and have to go back and forth and yanking on the deck back and forth. And I always rotate my wheels 90 degrees. It's so much easier to roll out and only takes a minute to turn them.

Funny re-watching this video now that I have my BX2680. I was wondering what the brackets were under the front weight bar the other day, after watching this video again now I realize those brackets are for the mower deck LOL. Your videos on these BX machines are awesome. Someone really needs to do some service/maintenance videos on these machines too. Several oil change videos but really nothing about greasing, lubricating, etc. Looks like when you do oil changes and things like that its pretty easy to do them with the loader on, but nice the loader removes easily to make access to the engine bay even easier. Now that I have my tractor, I am always looking for jobs around the house to use it for...waiting on my mower deck and pallet forks to arrive at the dealership, salesman said a few weeks again today...argg. Getting a bit old waiting on stuff, but given the current situation I guess its the new normal LOL. I see someone else in the comments mentioned moving the PTO selection lever to rear only allows the mid PTO to spin freely, found this out when trying to hook the PTO shaft back up on my tiller a few days ago, simply changing the PTO selection lever to the mid PTO only allows the rear PTO shaft to spin freely, helps a lot trying to get the shaft back on especially on things like the tiller where you can't easily just turn the implement's PTO shaft to align it with the tractor's PTO. The PTO engagement on this machine is very smooth I had to turn around and see if the tines on the tiller were spinning after I engaged it the first time. My only question would be how long is that PTO setup going to last as I assume its a clutch inside that controls the engagement/disengagement and seems like there is a PTO brake as well because the tiller stops pretty quickly once the PTO is disengaged. My old Craftsman GT6000 garden tractor's 44" mower deck actually removed quite easily as well, 4 spring loaded quick release pins similar to the ones on the BX, and remove the drive belt and slide the deck out like you did on the BX....very fast, easy installation/removal on those old GT6000's.

I always have to watch to video to get it out each season. I wish it was easier. Good tips on the front loader and raising the wheels.

Your videos have saved me hours and hours. I don’t live near a Mesicks, but I’d surely buy from you if I did. Kubota should pay you to do these!

I have a BX2370 and I don't have as much difficulty as Neil had in the video. My biggest issue is aligning the lift arms and the pin holes. I only remove the deck for winter, and put it back on early Summer.

You nailed it about drive over decks. My brother has a John Deere 1026. Nothing but problems.

I've heard several people say the drive-over decks aren't worth it. Personally, I don't see the regular deck being that hard to remove and reinstall, actually looks like it would be faster than removing and reinstalling the deck on my lawn tractor. Thanks for the video. Thinking a 54" deck for my BX2680 in the near future....probably about a month out from purchasing the tractor and loader, then it'll be a while before I get other attachments...thinking a box scraper and tiller first since I have a lawn tractor I'm not in much need for a mower.

I like your videos, but i would have to say, that my John Deere drive over deck on my 3033R is the best. 60 seconds to remove. 60 seconds to install. You do a great job and I look foward to your videos every week .

Great video very helpful! Wish you were in Australia… I want to remove mine to do some extra work with loader over tougher terrain… I can’t see what to do with the PTO once removed… do you need to do anything with it to keep it out of the way or clean?

Thanks Neil. This video helped me a lot. I am basically an expert now.

Neil, I know your not a fan, but some of us had to/wanted to buy the Kubota BX roll over deck. An all encompassing video on mounting and removing the Kubota Roll Over Deck would be appreciated, maybe pointing out some of the issue's we might run into. My BX2380 lives in a 12'x24' shed with work benches etc. on the sides, so pulling the regular mowing deck out the side was almost impossible. My driveway is gravel and I would have to pull the mower by hand out of the shed and through the gravel just to get it in place. The roll over deck for me is a no brainer.

Thank you for making this video. I had forgotten a step or three. Only the second time putting the deck on.

Lining up the splines is by far the hardest part of this job. I would say just that step alone is what makes this a chore, wish there was a better way to mount that PTO or at least a better guide because once you're on your back with limited room to move it's quite the hassle.

You sir, are the best friend of new bx owners! 👍🤙

I bought the ride over deck so I have options. It can be removed the same way as the non ride over. Love my Bx23s. I wish the ROPS folded all the way down for mowing purposes like the other models do.

I did this this weekend on my BX1880 and found I had to raise the front wheels up with the loader to allow the adjustment bolts for the mower deck to clear the frame.

You made aligning that spring loaded pin for the front attachment so easy. Can’t get it to align. Any tips?

Don’t be afraid to use a hydraulic jack under that front bracket of the tractor if you find the deck to be a bit tight going between the wheels. I’ve found it to be the best way to get the deck off. Even with turning the wheels it’s just not quite there. Raising it up a couple inches helps a lot.

That’s a little better than my G4200, that front mechanism is a nice improvement!

Ironic. I was at my dads house a month or so ago and he was griping on how much of a pain in the rear taking the mower deck on and off is. I instantly searched here and was surprised you didn’t cover it yet. He mentioned the PTO as the the biggest PITA and says he takes the rest tire off to gain better access to it.

ooo the turning the front wheels is a great tip. I will try that next time

Looking at one of these tractors with a mower deck. I would be using it to mow around fruit trees in my orchard. I have deer fence around each tree in aprox a 5' circle. In your opinion would this mower be suited for being able to mow close to the deer fence in a circle?

I noticed where the back lift arms attach. My nut me olds are sticking up about 2 inches yours only up about a half inch. Do you have a video on how to adjust that and why are mine so high? Thanks

This the same for the b series. Specifically, b2650?

I'd really like to see a mower remove/install vid for the B2650.

Mine is a B7500 but basically the same. I didn't have a clue how the linkage worked and what had to be disconnected so thanks so very much for the video!!

Loved the video!, please do a video with details of the construction and maintenance and build quality of a Kubota deck, just not a lot of information out there on the build quality of those Kubota decks, , A comparison of those decks to a green 7 iron deck would be awesome

Thanks for the tips on lifting the front off the ground it's been pain in the ass with the PTO shaft hooking up.

I’m shopping for a tractor and this is the main reason why I probably won’t buy a Kubota, plus all salesman say they don’t recommend the drive over decks... why... shouldn’t this be a red flag to Kubota engineers?

The manual states to install mower deck from the right side,it looks like you install from the left side with the discharge shoot going in first.does it really matter which goes first? Also I’m an older person and I’m wondering about the drive on mower deck, do you think you would do a video on the drive on deck. Thanks in advance, Roger Karstofsky

Excellent demo

My 3 point linkage arms do not lower. I have my deck dial set at 0 and I have the 3 point speed drop dial opened all the way. Is there a pin somewhere that would lock that linkage into place?

Nice video, how about the next step of leveling the BX deck?

Do you have a way of selecting the use for the tractor that spits out what your ideal tractor size and options would be?

i like your videos and as a novice new buyer i have used them over the past 12 months to get acquainted. one question, is there any way to position the deck a little easier so that the mower arms come down in place? there is such a small margin of error that i had a lot of trouble getting it linked. i had to take a screw driver and pry the space open a bit to get the pin to drop down.

Thanks for the helpful video. While the PTO is the worst part, the (duh) tip to turn the front tires allowed me to install the deck by myself.

Thanks for the video. I don't see a safety clutch on these , is it not needed or does the belly PTO have one internally?

Would this be a similar to the BX 2200 from 2004? I just bought a used BX2200 with 800 hrs.

Hey Neil how about some demo’s on the New Holland Boomer Series... You are a New Holland Dealer, and we just purchased a Boomer 45... Love the Tractor....Thanks...Chief{NYS/ADK}

Great video as usual but I suspect a couple of edits made it look slightly easier than it actually is as on my 23s it can be extremely fiddly especially if on uneven ground which most of us have. Also lifting the deck up to sharpen the blades gives me a hernia every time I do it, Kubota need to make this frequent task a little easier.

Is it possible to put a 48” deck on a bx2680? It looks like it could be done if the anti scalp wheels were removed / moved. I have narrow vineyard rows and I would love to put on a 48” deck so I can run an implement off the back at the same time as mowing.

The shaft is the hardest part so how long will It take me to get in the hole if I never did it before ? Should I have a really firm grip on it with one or 2 hands? I just pull back and fourth fast ? How long will I take for the shaft to explode and have to get a new deck or just the shaft?

Can you please do a comparison between the regular deck and the drive over deck? With the differences of instillation? Thanks

I don't know why but for what ever reason I've had too jack up the rear of the tractor to clear the deck arms and adjusting bolts. Any ideas?

I had a bx23 which was lost in a fire. The mower deck and a couple of other accessories which are stored elsewhere were spared. I’m looking to buy the newer bx23s. Will the mower deck from the bx23 work on the newer bx23s?

Hey Neal, question on the mower height knob, is all the way up with the arrow pointing to Top ?

If all the BX's models have the same frame, why the mower deck differences and restrictions? I have a 1880 with BKT 18" front and 26" rear R4 tires- do I use 2380 deck hardware now?

Do you guys have a video on attaching a grass catcher on a RCK60_27B mower on my 2006 Kubota B7800?

Hey Neil, question on the bx2380 mower linkage. I have been having an awful time with mine and my dealer both couldnt figure it out and is as of today no longer a kubota dealer. Your videos are so informative so i figured you may have seen this before.. when set to 4 inches, blade height is at 2 1/4 inches.. everything leveled properly, tire pressure good. And that even with the balancing bolts turned all the way in. I can only think that it has to do with the placement of the step gear or where the hook that contacts that gear is actually welded to the assembly. Kubota told me basically, to set the height with the hydro control valve, not an option. Have you ever seen this???

Hey Messicks, I have a 2005 BX 1850. I want to install a RCK60B-22x mower deck. I am wondering if this deck is compatible with my tractor. Any advice is helpful thank you

Back and forth, back and forth - to get it out from under the tractor. If you turn the front wheels of the tractor to one side, that can give you a tiny bit more space to get it out. My B2910 is the same way, but least no longer have to use the mower deck, so no more deck struggles.

What is the price difference between the mower in the video and a good quality 3 point finish mower ?

Thank you!! You helped me fix my mower!!

Is the process the same on the B series tractor?

I see lots of comments about the drive-over and thought I'd throw this in. I am currently considering purchasing and trying to decide what to purchase. What follows is some of my research discovery as it pertains to my own particular needs/uses/desires. I'm an older guy and am not interested in tugging and pulling and reaching and stretching and getting up and down off the ground more than I absolutely need to. So I thought when he said the drive over is the right choice for some customers I was just the guy he was talking about. But... These BX tractors have an infamously vulnerable - and expensive to replace due to labor involved - fan to cool the hydrostat. As such third party products have sprung up to provide more sufficient plate protection under the tractor to protect this fan from damage. The factory protective plates have proven ineffective for many a hapless user. One of the very most popular third party options is designed to quickly go on under the tractor once the mower deck is removed. The mower deck, when on the machine, provides ample protection for the fan usually. And here is where that 'but' comes in. That popular third party option of the protective plate is not compatible with the gear that stays on the tractor to work with the drive over deck. So you'd not only have to remove the drive-over deck to use it but also the subframe and pto extension the drive-over deck connects to. For myself, as a potential customer, this means a BX with a belly mower is not really a good option any way I look at it. This single issue might drive me to the arms of Deere. But Deere has its own problems for me. Namely the numerous and annoying grease zerks along the driveline under the tractor. The BX seemingly has no grease fitting there to deal with. The product I'm talking about is the very popular Under Armor from BXpanded. The info I've given is straight from their questions section for this product on their site. bxpanded.com/BX-under-armor

After deck is removed is there a way to keep the lift arms from moving when using the rear PTO?

My lift arms don't go lower than mid level. Speed drop opened. Height knob in lowest position - 4. But arms just won't go down enough to engage the pins. Any tips?

Been watching for years and in 2019 got my BX 1880 with loader, mower deck, box blade and 3rd function valve. The hardest part of the deck install is the PTO connection. The release doesn't stay back while aligning the splines and keep clicking forward. Sometimes it's on with 1st try but sometimes it takes many tries. This is so frustrating that my wife wants me to get rid of the tractor completely. She Feels we've accomplished our loader projects etc. and only need the mower. I'm the kid in our area at 65 and help neighbors and maintain the dirt road too. If someone could come up with a little tool to hold it back, I'de be keeping this forever. Serious problem over here. JD has a coupler that no longer requires aligning splines and that is the perfect solution! I have a guard for the Trans cooler fan and it has an opening for connection the PTO but it restricts my access too much so it's a $200 option going to waste! Any help is deeply appreciated. TY

where do you attach the parts to the tractor that hold the mower to the tractor? no one shows that. the instructions are terrible. I have a b3030 and trying to put a RCK60-30B on my tractor.

Appreciate the video!! Its going to help me a ton!

Thanks for the video. Very helpful!

Nice job with the videos. I have to disagree with this one. My auto connect mower on a jd 1 series is leaps and bounds easier than this. As long as you take the mower off on a reasonably level area it works flawlessly. It really does work as easy as the JD videos show.

great video but i am Not a fan of belly mowers at all I've had too many problems with them over the years , i would much rather have a rear 3 point hitch mounted mower .

Sure made things a LOT easier on a GETTING OLDER guy. But I ain't there yet!! Thank you !!

When putting on the deck, the lift arms won't drop down by themselves (with no weight to pull them down). I have to yank them down with brute force, or use a screwdriver to pry them down. How can I loosen up the lift arms to drop on their own?

I use a long crowbar to pull my deck out. I can do it standing up. When replacing the deck I always have a lot of difficulty reattaching the PTO shaft. I often end up taking a back wheel off to make it easier. Yesterday I noticed that a nut and bolt have come off of the spindle on the left side of the BX25. The remaining bolts are loose. "Check all nuts and bolts for tightness" Who? Me?

Neil.....what if the speed control is open fully, the height is at zero and the arms still don't want to drop?

My arm to lower down does not move so easily/ at all. Am I missing a step before hand? L pin is out.

I would like to see a drive over deck hook up thanks I am a older Man I have a harder time pulling out the Deck .

I will keep my two green auto connect decks on my 1024R and 2038R. Love them.

Great video! Very helpful.

I wished you would've compared it to the drive on one and showed the difference and let us decide which one was best for our own applications,Thats ok,I had to go to another site to see how it was done and it was pretty staight forward, I'm 63 and jerking on that deck would probably put me in the VA Clinic and I would'nt want that,anyway I didn't think it was that big of a deal,but some would, I really like your videos.

Thank you for the video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!