Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info

   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #1  

Dave41

Bronze Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2002
Messages
63
Location
S.E. Wisconsin
I'm in the market for a 60" RFM. Did a search in this forum and saw references to First Choice as being good value for the money. I did an internet search and was unable to find anything on First Choice mowers. If anyone can point me to a spec sheet or at least a dealer phone number (preferrably in the Mid-West) I'd appreciate it.
Also, if you have any recommendations for a RFM, I'm all ears.
Thanks,
Dave
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #2  
can't help u on that name brand but i hae a 60" BEFCO RFM. LOVE IT . IT IS REAR DISCHARGE, which helps to stop windrowing to one side, mine also has a chain guard on the back to stop rocks and such from flying out. u might want to check into these features no matter the brand u decide to get.
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #3  
Posted by Frank F15:
"can't help u on that name brand but i hae a 60" BEFCO RFM. LOVE IT . IT IS REAR DISCHARGE, which helps to stop windrowing to one side, mine also has a chain guard on the back to stop rocks and such from flying out. u might want to check into these features no matter the brand u decide to get. "

Ditto except I have a 72" deck. Usually the decks that cost more ARE constructed better.
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #4  
I have a 5' rear discharge Buhler/Farm King. This will be season #2. No problems yet, except for losing pins that adjust/secure the wheel assembly. Just safety-wired them. I paid 1700$ CDN.


P.S. Dave41, you should really try to keep one post per topic. It makes it less confusing for simple minds like mine and you'll probably get a more useful series of responses with less duplication.
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #5  
I second Paul's nomination for the Farm King mower. I have the same one. Second season on mine too. I'll have to wire the adjustment pins though. My father-in-law has a 7' model of the same mower and he has lost several. I guess I'm just lucky.
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #6  
Dave, here is my post from a couple of weeks ago... I have used the Finish Mower several times and it works great... They do not have a website yet... here is their address:


Buy Smart Inc.
2110 Maclaga Road
Wilson, NC 27894
PH: 252-293-4700
FAX: 252-293-4703

They have a list of dealers that might be in your area... as noted in the attached, I bought mine from the Hoye Bros.. Wally Hoye out of Villisca, IA... That would be about 7 Hours from you....They may have a dealer closer... I am sure there are many fine mowers, look at them and then look at the First Choice and compare quality and price/value... I think you will be impressed...

I just purchased a first choice Finish Mower.... I bought mine from the Hoye Bros, Stan & Walley.. Picked mine up in Villisca, IA last Saturday...Haven't used it yet as we got 8.5 inches of Snow on Sunday the day after I bought it... Most of it is gone now and will be 60 degrees today, so I plan to put it on my tractor this afternoon..Hopefully winter is now over in Nebraska.!!!!

This company was started by a fellow who used to be with King Kutter, decided he could do it himself and designed a unit that has specific improvements he wanted...rear discharge only, better gearbox etc..

Originally was going to go with the 6ft but decided I had too many narrow clearances between trees and some uncut areas and I went with the 5 Ft... also will allow me to move around a bit easier in my second garage for storage etc...

I have an Iseki so I went with a blue one, first choice I think maybe one of the few makers to offer this color option. Most are Red, Yellow or Orange..... I have another post on this so I do not want to repeat much but I did alot of research on finish mowers and looked personally at many of them or at pictures such as King Kutter, Woods, Caroni, Sovema, LandPride... I talked to several dealers that carry first choice, I did not call Sweettractors by the way, and they were very impressed with them for the price... I paid $850.00, but again I picked it up myself....

I assembled it from the crate...Every part, nut, bolt etc. was there in the crate and I must say I am impressed with the quality of construction...all welds are complete and smooth, every part was completely painted, all decals are straight and every zirc fitting lines up with the access holes. This unit is every bit as heavy duty as the Landpride (which I would have bought had I not found this), maybe more so on some parts...

I could not believe the quality of paint job on this mower... I dropped several tools on it as I was tightening bolts and bumped it etc. and not a scratch or chip...not even a mark....the parts are very heavy guage metal...the deck is 3/16...

I especially like the system they use for the belt tightening...the gearbox is positioned on a sliding bolt carriage platform and then has a bolt and nut tensioner which allows you to easily tighten both belts in one step and then in a hands off process, batten down four bolts to secure the position.... ...

All of the holes lined up perfectly.....nothing was out of tolerance in the assembly process.

Here are my only comments on improvements.. They need some modification on the instructions booklet. It was obviously printed in Italy where the unit was manufactured as several words were misspelled or improper grammar was used. Not a big deal, but a small detail that should be fixed. Also, on several steps they could of broken down the process a little more by adding a page or two of diagrams or steps and making them bigger...my eye's don't see the detail as good as they used to...Also, several diagrams could have been a bit more detailed so as there is no confusion on the position of the top support pieces.. nothing that I could not figure out, it just would have made it a real no brainer on assembly... If these are the only issues with this implement, which I believe it will be, I am very happy...

I went with Mobil 1 75W-90W gear oil on the gearbox transmission and Mobil 1 grease for the pully bearings and wheel assembly.
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Surge, thanks for the information. I'll give them a call to see if there are any dealers close by.
 
   / Rear Finish Mowers - Looking for Info #8  
Dave, only one I have first hand familiarity with is Woods. My RM306, 6ft 3pt mount, is almost 30 years old now and still cuts like a dream. Recently, I put a little money in and put new bearings in the housings, but other than that, keep the blades sharp and paint in good shape. You may pay a little more, but I think in the long run you'll look at it years from now as one sound investment.
 
 
 
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