BCS 710 Two-Wheel Tractor, Kohler CH270 Recoil Start

Description

BCS 710 Two-Wheel Tractor with Kohler CH270 Recoil Engine

The 710 is the smallest tractor BCS builds, and it earns its place on lot size rather than ambition. It is light, compact and built around the same all-gear transmission as the bigger machines, which makes it a sensible first two-wheel tractor for a family garden or a market grower whose main job is tilling and cultivating between rows. Power comes from a Kohler Command Pro CH270 with a Quad-Clean cyclonic air cleaner, started by recoil.

A Gear-Driven Drivetrain in a Small Frame

There are no belts between the engine and the tines. Heat-treated steel gears running on embedded ball bearings carry the power, and a spring-loaded double cone clutch engages it. Because no power is lost to belt slip, a 710 handles an 18 or 20 inch tiller comfortably. A shuttle-style lever swaps forward and reverse, with two working speeds in each direction (0.6 and 1.4 mph) and a third transport gear of 6.8 mph available when an implement is mounted at the rear.

What the 710 Will and Will Not Run

The 710 takes a deliberately short list. BCS charts it for the 18 and 20 inch tillers (a Bumper Weight Kit is recommended with the 20), the hiller/furrower, the 30 and 40 inch sickle bar mowers, the 22 inch lawn mower, the 24 inch snow thrower, the 30 inch power sweeper, both pumps, the Buddy Cart, and the ridger and V-cultivator on a Tool Carrier Kit. The 21 inch brush mower and the single belt hay rake both need the 5×10 wheel upgrade. Chippers, log splitters, harrows and trailers belong on larger tractors.

710 Recoil Specifications

• Engine: Kohler Command Pro CH270, recoil start
• Transmission: all gear drive, two speeds forward and two reverse
• Clutch: double cone, spring-loaded
• Axle: straight, with an optional ratcheting hub accessory
• Working speeds: 0.6 and 1.4 mph; transport 6.8 mph (rear mount)
• Standard tires: 4x8x16″
• Weight: 213 lbs with the 18″ tiller, 235 lbs with the 20″
• Handlebars: rotate 180 degrees, three horizontal settings

Keeping the Air Cleaner Working

The Quad-Clean housing spins heavy dust out before it reaches the element, but a tiller throws plenty of fine soil. Tap the pre-cleaner out after dry, dusty sessions and look at the paper element at every oil change. BCS warrants the transmission for life on residential use (five years commercial), with three years on the rest of the tractor at home and one year commercially; the engine is covered by Kohler’s own warranty.

Choosing Between the 710 and the 718

The 718 shares the 710’s gearbox and speeds but swaps in a Honda GX200 and an anti-vibration handlebar with 21 positions, worth having for slope mowing, and it can also run the log splitter. If the work is mainly tilling and cultivating on level ground, the 710 does it for less money. Gardeners expecting to grow into a chipper or a wider tiller should look at the 722.