BCS 749 PS Two-Wheel Tractor, Honda GX390 Recoil Start

Description

BCS 749 PS Two-Wheel Tractor, Honda GX390 Recoil Start

BCS built the 749 as a larger, better-equipped 739 for attachments that are too heavy or too wide to sit comfortably on a 19 inch wheel. It moves up to a Honda GX390, a longer transmission and 22 inch tires, and keeps the oil-cooled PowerSafe clutch and differential drive of the smaller PowerSafe model. This version starts by recoil.

Balance With Big Implements

The longer gearbox and taller 5x12x22 tires change how the tractor carries weight. A 32 inch brush mower or 35 inch flail mower hangs a long way from the axle, and the 749’s geometry keeps that load better balanced on rough ground. The extra diameter also lifts the tractor higher, which helps when straddling raised beds in a market garden, and gives more clearance over ruts and tussocks than the smaller models.

Implements That Start at the 749

The 749 shares its column on BCS’s application chart with the 852 and 853, and it adds tools the 739 cannot run: the 32 inch brush mower, 35 inch flail mower, 33 inch two-stage snow blower, swivel rotary plow, subsoiler, plastic mulch layer, power potato planter and the 82 inch dual action sickle bar. The swivel plow needs 5.5 inch wheel extensions and a Bumper Weight Kit, and the mulch layer needs 22 inch extensions and the Quick Hitch Bushing. The 18 and 20 inch tillers and the 22 inch lawn mower are left to the lighter tractors.

Recoil 749 PS Specifications

• Engine: Honda GX390, recoil start
• Clutch: PowerSafe wet hydro-mechanical clutch
• Axle: differential with on-demand lock; individual wheel brakes
• Working speeds: 0.9, 2.0 and 3.0 mph in each direction
• Standard tires: 5x12x22″
• Weight: 342 lbs with the 30″ tiller
• Parking brake: yes

Tire Pressure on 22 Inch Tires

Larger tires make pressure differences more obvious: one soft tire on a 749 pulls the tractor to that side and makes the brush mower cut unevenly. Check both sides before mowing work and set them to the same figure. Owners get lifetime transmission coverage for residential use (five years commercially), five years on the PowerSafe clutch at home, and three years residential or one year commercial on the rest; Honda covers the GX390.

749, 750 or 853

The electric-start 749 is the same tractor with key starting. The 750 PS has the same engine but slower, geared-down working speeds, a cast-iron integrated quick hitch and the 33 inch HD tiller. The 853 also runs a GX390 on 22 inch tires, with a spring-loaded double cone clutch in place of the PowerSafe unit.