Advice of finish mowers

   / Advice of finish mowers #1  
D

daver4402

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
2
Location
Lexington Ky
Tractor
Mahindra 3316
Hello all...

I just bought a new house with 2.5 acres and that lead to thinking I needed a zero turn to a small tractor to a good deal and now I have a 33 HP tractor that is pretty over kill for what I'm doing but it is what it is. LOL

Now I need a finish mower and if I bought a tractor then I might as well get 6' to cover more ground.

I don't have a tough yard, most would be pretty easy mowing. About one acre is a regular neighborhood yard and about 1.5 acre is like a field / horse pasture.

I would like some advice and input on what kind of finish mower I could find for a good price. I came across value leader implements and they have a new 72" finish mower for $1400 ($1300 on sale now) I'm always leery about buying a "Cheep" item to save money on the front end just to pay for it on the back but I also think that I have about as easy a job with my yard as a mower will find so maybe I don't need the top of the line.

Anyway. I would really appreciate some advice and some feedback. Maybe someone who owns one of these value leader mowers.

Thanks

David
 
   / Advice of finish mowers #2  
daver4402 said:
Hello all...

I just bought a new house with 2.5 acres and that lead to thinking I needed a zero turn to a small tractor to a good deal and now I have a 33 HP tractor that is pretty over kill for what I'm doing but it is what it is. LOL

Now I need a finish mower and if I bought a tractor then I might as well get 6' to cover more ground.

I don't have a tough yard, most would be pretty easy mowing. About one acre is a regular neighborhood yard and about 1.5 acre is like a field / horse pasture.

I would like some advice and input on what kind of finish mower I could find for a good price. I came across value leader implements and they have a new 72" finish mower for $1400 ($1300 on sale now) I'm always leery about buying a "Cheep" item to save money on the front end just to pay for it on the back but I also think that I have about as easy a job with my yard as a mower will find so maybe I don't need the top of the line.

Anyway. I would really appreciate some advice and some feedback. Maybe someone who owns one of these value leader mowers.

Thanks

David
Click to expand...

I have been using 72" RFM's for over twenty years now. I presently mow seven acres of yard with one. I have owned a couple of different brands. I much prefer Woods RFM's over any other RFM mower that is made. I like their weight, anti-scalp wheels, Kevlar belt, gearbox, quality of cut, and the strength of the wheel brackets. I presently own a Woods PRD7200 that I have had for five years now. The Woods premium mowers are a bit pricey but I think they are well worth the money in the long run. They hold their value well.
 
   / Advice of finish mowers #3  
I currently also have the Woods PRD7200, which is a great rear discharge mower. I really like the springs on the top of the wheels, I didn't think much about them when I bought it but what they do is stabilize the mower behind the tractor so that it doesn't "wander" side to side while mowing. The rear discharge is nice because you can mow anywhere without thinking about where the clippings are going, but the downside is that they are not as good in deeper grass and they tend to clump more than a side discharge mower.

Before I had the Woods, I had a New Holland 930 mower that had a deep deck and did a great job of spreading out the clippings. The only thing that I hated about the mower was the pneumatic tires!! I had more problems keeping them blown up, they would roll off of the rims no matter how much air I kept in them. I finally had to put tubes in the tires to keep them inflated.

Avoid pneumatic tires or be prepared to fix them.:2cents:
 
   / Advice of finish mowers #4  
daver4402 said:
Hello all...

I just bought a new house with 2.5 acres and that lead to thinking I needed a zero turn to a small tractor to a good deal and now I have a 33 HP tractor that is pretty over kill for what I'm doing but it is what it is. LOL

Now I need a finish mower and if I bought a tractor then I might as well get 6' to cover more ground.

I don't have a tough yard, most would be pretty easy mowing. About one acre is a regular neighborhood yard and about 1.5 acre is like a field / horse pasture.

I would like some advice and input on what kind of finish mower I could find for a good price. I came across value leader implements and they have a new 72" finish mower for $1400 ($1300 on sale now) I'm always leery about buying a "Cheep" item to save money on the front end just to pay for it on the back but I also think that I have about as easy a job with my yard as a mower will find so maybe I don't need the top of the line.

Anyway. I would really appreciate some advice and some feedback. Maybe someone who owns one of these value leader mowers.

Thanks

David
Click to expand...

We can deliver a M72-S Phoenix finish mower for $2295 to the Lexington terminal. Ken Sweet
 
   / Advice of finish mowers
  • Thread Starter
#5  
   / Advice of finish mowers #6  
I have a 72" KK rd finish mower and this starts the 4th year on it. it has mowed about 5000 acres now, has the same belt and blades. I have to replace the wheel bearings and ale shafts because they are warn out. The mower gets greased daily but mowing rain or shine takes its toll. $6 dollars covered all bearings, 4 axles and axle nuts. i don't figure thats bad for that much mowing. . .John
 

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   / Advice of finish mowers #7  
I'm not going to bash a particular brand but this has been my experience with mowers other than Woods:

Without the spring loaded wheels the wheels will spin, scalp the lawn, and beat themselves to death.

If the mower is made completely out of stamped metal the metal will fatigue in a couple of years. I.E. you will be welding cracks in the metal.

The mower has to be heavy enough to stay on the ground when mowing fast. Not all mowers will do that.

Spindles: The spindles on some of the cheaper RFM's are welded soft metal fabrications. On the Wood's mowers they are machined from solid piece of cast iron. You can destroy a soft metal fabricated spindle by hitting a single softball. I have done that.

Little things maybe. But things that I pay a few dollars more so that I don't have to deal with them anymore.
 
   / Advice of finish mowers #8  
daver4402 said:
Hey Ken... Thanks for the quote...

How is this mower better then the mower I linked below for $1300??? I'm not trying to be rude, I truly don't know and you'll have to tell me why I should pay $1000 more for this mower.

Keep in mind that I don't even know much about name brands...

Please advise.

72" Finish Mower FMN180 ~ On Sale $100 Off - Value Leader Implements
Click to expand...

You can read up on the specs and compare features here. Unifarm Machinery Corporation Some people like Cadillacs and some people like a Kia. Ken Sweet
 
   / Advice of finish mowers #10  
I like quality products that you can get parts for LOCALLY. If its broke and I need to mow the lawn, being a little cheaper doesn't do me much good if I can't get the parts for a week. Look at what you can get parts for a dealer near you. Woods, Brush Hog, Frontier, and Land Pride are good national brands in addition to the tractor branded mowers.
 
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