Finishing Mower

   / Finishing Mower #1  

luoisz

New member
Joined
Oct 12, 2002
Messages
14
Location
Southern Mississippi
Tractor
AC 7020; JD 2355,Yanmar YM180D; Ford 1220
My waiting for a finishing mower is over. I have been waiting since November to get a new model RFM from JimMc at Midwest. Their mower will not be ready until late April and I could not wait that long. My long wait is over as I have went to plan B and bought a Landpride FDR 1660. I have been gathering information for months and have inspected several mowers and the Landpride won the contest hands down. I cannot see what is so great about the First Choice mower that everyone is so high on. Granted the First Choice has a good paint job, but Landpride beats the FC in all other areas.

I have had the opportunity to mow my 3-acre yard with the new LP mower. LP has the highest blade speed of all of the mowers that I compared. The high blade speed is very obvious when the mower is running. This mower has a distinct hum from all of the airflow generated by the high-speed blades. The high speed of the blades did a great job cutting the tender green blue grass that grows in my area in early spring. All other mowers that I have used delivered an inferior cut on this type grass. The high blade speed is not free however. It takes a good deal of tractor horsepower to spin the blades that fast. My tractor has to work much harder to turn the mower than other mowers that I have used. Although my grass should have been mowed 2 weeks sooner, there was no evidence of any clippings from the rear discharge unit. I rate the quality of the finished cut as superior.

I have only 1 item of disappointment with this mower. While this mower is 50# lighter than a Farm King and Bushhog, it handles very heavy. It appears that the mower sits farther behind the tractor than the other 2 mowers. I will have to use front weights to keep my tractor from rearing up while going uphill. I wanted to get pneumatic tires with my mower but all of the dealers were carrying hard rubber tires only. I was concerned that these tires would yield a rough ride and dig into the turf when changing directions. Neither of these concerns were obvious on my first use; I may learn to like the hard tires as flats will never be a problem.

I paid $1195 for the mower, which I feel, was a good price. Prices quoted to me ranged from $1125 - $1450 for this unit. Shop around. Most dealers were asking $1300 for this unit. I got a price from an out of state dealer of $1125. I confronted my local dealer with this price and he agreed to cut his price $100 if I bought from him. I paid the extra $70 over the out of state deal to avoid the hassle. Dealer and I are both happy with the arrangement, he agreed that he would rather make a small profit than none. $1195 is the best price that I received on a FC mower. Considering price and quality FC is not even a consideration. FC advertises a 3/16” deck as does LP. Take a caliper with you when you shop and it will be obvious that FC is not 3/16”. Also listen as the mower runs, the sound of the blades is obvious that they are turning much faster. While I am sure that the LP uses some imported parts, such as a gearbox. It is mostly made in the USA, something that I am very proud of.

I realize that 1 use is not sufficient to completely judge a piece of equipment, but thus far I am completely satisfied.
 
   / Finishing Mower #2  
Jeff,

Thanks for the detailed information. During your journey, were you told the differences between the FDR and the new AT -air tunnel models? They seem pretty close. I've been trying to figure out a good 84 inch rear discharge finish mower to purchase later this summer. Most people that post here are happy with their purchase, so it's difficult to eliminate certain manufactures.
 
   / Finishing Mower
  • Thread Starter
#3  
To the best of my knowledge all of the Air Tunnel models 6ft or less are side discharge. I have had both side and rear discharge and for me rear discharge is the way to go. If you'd like I can share all of my observations on the mowers that I have inspected.
 
   / Finishing Mower #5  
luoisz,
Thank you for the detailed review. I'm currently shopping for a 60"rfm and your insite is most helpful
 
   / Finishing Mower #6  
Luoiz,

You said
<font color="blue"> I cannot see what is so great about the First Choice mower that everyone is so high on. Granted the First Choice has a good paint job, but Landpride beats the FC in all other areas.
</font>

The other area where First Choice wins hands down is price. That is the obvious answer to your question regarding why First Choice has generated so much interest out here. Most of us (my budget is fairly limited for these type of purchases) are looking for the best attachments we can get for the least money which allows us to get more tools to work with. I think First Choice qulaifies. My FC RFM is fantastic, heavy duty and cost hundreds of dollars less than woods, landpride, etc....

Either way you've got a great mower enjoy it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
   / Finishing Mower #7  
Hello luoisz--Glad you like your LP rfm--It is a nice machine--I think you are hearing the suction of the Gullwing tip blades that is standard on the First Choice and Landpride machines. As features go? The FC machine has a hitch that is adjustable to get it close to the tractor, so there would be no need for front ballast. When you grease your spindles, Are the zerk fittings easily accesable or under the shield? The powder coat finish on the FC machines is not only for appearance, it will shed the grass cuttings on the underside better and clean up quicker that most finishes--When compared to the competition currently available, For $1150 assembled and Lubed the 6 ft First Choice may still be thel best overall buy out there.-- Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.
 
   / Finishing Mower #8  
I concur with you, Ken. The First Choice is a well built, mower and cannot be beat for the money.
 
   / Finishing Mower #9  
Since the mower is just riding on the ground and its weight supported by its own wheels isn't it the pull weight that causes the need for frontweight not distance from the back of the tractor? I really can't see how the adjustability of the first choice woulds solve this problem though do agree that the closer to the tractor you keep the mower the easier the control of the deck.
 
   / Finishing Mower #10  
If the FC finish mower still being made by the same manufacturer as it was when this post started? I know they changed box blade makers, what about RFM's? thanks, bw
 
 
 
Top