Tier A — Pro two-wheel tractor Two-wheel tractor
BCS 740
BCS 740 PowerSafe: a professional mid-size two-wheel tractor with the PowerSafe clutch, powered by a Honda GX390 (11.7 hp), Briggs & Stratton Vanguard (11.5 hp) or Yanmar L100 diesel (10 hp), with 3 forward + 3 reverse gears and independent wheel brakes for steering. Working width depends on the implement (about 66 cm with the standard tiller). Engine options, power and 3+3 gearing verified via BCS; exact weight and price still pending verification.
Indicative price
£3,500–£4,800
Specifications verified.The specifications here have been checked against the manufacturer's published figures and/or dealer listings. The price is still sourced from dealer quotes — confirm it against a live quote before you buy.
Who it's for
Best for: Serious allotment holders and smallholders.
Strengths
- PowerSafe clutch and 3+3 gears
- Honda/B&S petrol or Yanmar diesel
- Independent wheel brakes for steering
- Full BCS attachment range
Trade-offs
- Weight/price pending verification
- Width depends on the implement fitted
- Dealer-only pricing
Where the 740 sits in the BCS range
The 740 is the machine most people actually mean when they say "a BCS". Below it, the 710, 728 and 738 give you the same PowerSafe layout with less engine and a narrower implement envelope; above it, the 750 and 853 add power and gear ratios you only need on a genuine smallholding or with the heaviest attachments. The 740 lands in the middle: an 11–12 hp engine, the full 3 forward + 3 reverse gearbox, and enough mass (about 125 kg) that a 66 cm tiller or a flail mower actually stays planted in the ground instead of skipping over it.
That middle position is why it holds its value. It is the smallest BCS that comfortably runs the attachments serious growers want — flail mower, sickle bar, rotary plough, power harrow, chipper — and the largest most allotment holders can still manoeuvre and transport without help. If you are choosing between a 738 and a 740, the 740 costs more up front but is the one you won't outgrow.
What PowerSafe actually changes
PowerSafe is BCS's hydraulic, oil-bath multi-disc clutch. On a walk-behind machine that matters more than it sounds: the clutch lever is light enough to feather all day, there is no dry clutch plate to glaze or burn when you slip it on a headland turn, and it lets BCS fit true operator-presence control — release the handlebar and the drive stops, the engine keeps running. On earlier 740s with a conventional clutch you will feel the difference in your left hand within an hour.
It also changes how you drive the thing. With the independent wheel brakes on the handlebar you steer a 740 by braking one wheel rather than by heaving the whole machine round, and the light clutch means you can inch it into a bed edge or line up a plough furrow without the lurch a dry clutch gives. For a first-time two-wheel-tractor owner that is the single feature that makes a 125 kg machine feel controllable.
Petrol or diesel, and which engine to pick
Most UK 740s are sold with the Honda GX390 (11.7 hp). It is the easy choice: parts everywhere, pull-start, reliable, and light enough that the machine stays balanced with a mower on the front. The Briggs & Stratton Vanguard is the same class of engine with a different parts ecosystem — fine, but pick it only if your dealer services Vanguard as a matter of course.
The Yanmar L100 diesel (10 hp) is a different proposition. You give up a little nominal horsepower and add weight and cost, and you get the low-rpm torque that makes ploughing and rotary-ploughing on heavy ground noticeably less fraught, plus fuel you can keep for a year without it going off. It is the right engine for a working smallholding that runs the machine for hours at a stretch; for an allotment used at weekends the petrol Honda is the better buy.
Buying a used 740: what to check
Because 740s last for decades, a large share change hands used, and the price spread is wide. Three things decide whether a used one is a bargain. First, is it a PowerSafe model or an earlier conventional-clutch 740? Both are good machines but they are not the same price. Second, the state of the PTO coupling and the implement attachment face — a chewed quick-hitch is a sign of years of careless hitching. Third, the gearbox: run through all three forward and three reverse gears under load and listen for anything beyond a normal whine.
Attachments are where used money is really made or lost. A 740 with a tiller alone is a fair deal; the same machine with a flail mower and a rotary plough thrown in can be worth substantially more than the headline price, because those implements cost serious money new. Conversely, a machine with worn tiller tines and a bent mower knife is cheaper to buy but you will spend the difference straight away.
Specifications
| Category | Two-wheel tractor |
|---|---|
| Type | Rotary hoe · Pro two-wheel tractor |
| Power source | Petrol |
| Engine | Honda GX390 11.7 hp (B&S Vanguard 11.5 hp or Yanmar L100 10 hp diesel options) |
| Power output | 11.7 hp / 8.7 kW |
| Working width | 66 cm |
| Weight | 125 kg |
| Status | Current model |
| Indicative price | £3,500–£4,800 |
| Price basis | Dealer quote |
Rotary hoe machine. Width and weight determine how much ground you cover and how manoeuvrable it is — heavier machines bite harder but ask more of you to turn and transport.
Compare the 740
740 — your questions
How much does the BCS 740 cost?
The indicative price is £3,500–£4,800, based on dealer quotes. Always confirm against a live quote — these figures are estimates pending verification.
What size plot is the 740 suited to?
Serious allotment holders and smallholders. With a 66 cm working width it suits established beds and standard allotment plots.
Is the 740 petrol, diesel or electric?
It is petrol (Honda GX390 11.7 hp (B&S Vanguard 11.5 hp or Yanmar L100 10 hp diesel options)). That means strong sustained power for breaking and turning ground, with routine fuel and oil maintenance.
Is the BCS 740 too big for an allotment?
Not for a full-size plot. A 740 with the standard tiller works a 10-rod (250 m²) allotment comfortably and turns in the width of a path thanks to the wheel brakes. It is too much machine for a few raised beds — for those, look at a Honda FG110-class mini-tiller or the BCS 710. Where the 740 earns its keep is if you also mow paths and margins, chip prunings, or grow on more than one plot.
BCS 740 or Grillo G85 — which is better?
They are direct rivals at the same power and price. The BCS has the PowerSafe clutch and the larger UK dealer and attachment network; the Grillo G85 is a very well-built machine with a strong following in Italy and a comparable implement range. In the UK the deciding factor is usually the nearest dealer — see our Grillo vs BCS comparison and the full BCS 740 review.
Similar machines
Ferrari (artigiani) 360 PowerSafe
From £3,500–£5,200
Grillo G 107d
From £3,500–£4,800
VST Shakti 130 DI
From £3,500–£5,500