54" or 62" mmm

[johnnydel29]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the forum and I am a proud owner of a JD 2305. When I purchased the machine last year, I did not get a mmm b/c I was in the process of finishing building my house and did (and still doing) quite a bit of landscaping. Now that that lawn is in, I am ready to add the finish mower. I will be mowing about 2 acres, and there is also about an acre of pasture, that I plan to do when I have time with the deck raised. So about 3 acres all together.

I am on a tight budget, so is the extra $300.00 worth it for the 62" deck. Would this mower deck (62")make significant difference??

The reason I am leaning towrd the 54" is not only b/c it is cheaper, but also more compact.

Does anyone own a 54" deck, if so, how much property do you mow and how long does it take??


Thanks for your feedback.

 

[kennyd]

Whoops Welcome to TBN anyway

 

[thcri]

Well the larger one would get the job done faster. And over a long time you would save some on gas. If you have flat land I would go for the larger one. If you have lots of terrain changes you more apt to scalp with the larger one. One other consideration maybe if you dont' have a lot of trees to go around would be a Rear Finish Mower. That may come in a lot cheaper than the MMM. But if you have a lot to go around the MMM is nicer and faster.


murph

 

[kljunior]

the 62 will give you a tighter cutting radius (it hangs out a little more) and be better around trees and other objects, as long as you have room for it, the 62 is a real nice unit with a great quality of cut.

 

[JDFANATIC]

As long as you don't have a gate you have to fit through (and even then I would consider changing the gate first) go with the 62 and don't look back. It will reduce the uncut circle to 36", give better overlap over the tire wheelbase (think edging ability), and push the ROPS further out away from your landscaping.

 

[Brack]

Johnny,
What comes around, goes around. About two years ago I was in the same spot and folks here helped me make the right decision and go with the 62C. My dealer let me cut with both to see the turning radius and the unmowed area. He was also trying to talk me into the 54" deck (basically trying to get rid of the deck). The 62C gives as spectacular cut which continues to impress me given the size of the cut. You will appreciate the "stand off" distance it provides. The 54" deck cuts just as well. As you lay out your property just be sure to leave enough room to get through with larger deck. I've finally removed/relocated trees that were too close together to mow between. Since I enjoy mowing I cannot address time savings as a deciding factor. Regardless, you'll enjoy the performance of the machine.

BTW an interesting aside, last fall I ran over a garter snake twice with turf tires with no harm inflicted on the snake. This surprised me, and the snake was good-to-go until it raised its head to get a closer look at the blades :-( In a nutshell, that is one soft footprint for such a machine.

 

[cast_and_blast]

As the others have stated, unless you have a width restriction (landscaping, gate, storage) get the 62C.

I just bought the mower axles for mine too - they make maintenance (and storage next winter) much easier! Something to think about...

Scott

 

[frenchlickdeere]

I too would go for the 62C. I have about 1.5 acres of yard and 3.5 acres of field that I mow with the 62C on a 2305 and love the cut, the edging ability, and it doesn't scalp my grass except where it is extremely rough (I think a 54 would scalp it as well.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks

 

[BIGWES]

I sure have enjoyed reading TBN. You get great information. I have a question to the TBN veiwers reguarding the MMM. My dealer told me to always raise the MMM about 1/2 inch from the ground when using it. I
do this only to find that in a minute or two, the wheels are back on the ground. Also I noticed that the wheels on the left side are about an inch
higher than the right side. I have checked the hydralic hose and see no leaking. If this question has already been raised, please let me know. I
could not find anything about this reading the prior post.
By the way I love my 2305. I have had it for a week and a half and
find more reasons to be on the tractor seat than the lazy boy!

BIGWES

 

[orlo]

I sure have enjoyed reading TBN. You get great information. I have a question to the TBN veiwers reguarding the MMM. My dealer told me to always raise the MMM about 1/2 inch from the ground when using it. I
do this only to find that in a minute or two, the wheels are back on the ground. Also I noticed that the wheels on the left side are about an inch
higher than the right side. I have checked the hydralic hose and see no leaking. If this question has already been raised, please let me know. I
could not find anything about this reading the prior post.
By the way I love my 2305. I have had it for a week and a half and
find more reasons to be on the tractor seat than the lazy boy!

BIGWES

As far as the deck dropping, are you using the height adjustment knob and not just the hydraulic adjustment to hold it? The hydraulic lift is just that, a lift, not intended to hold it at a certain height. The same goes for the mechanical 3pt lift. Lift the deck all the way, adjust the height with the knob, then lower it all the way and let it rest on the stops (set by the knob). I have the mechanical lift but I think the hydraulic lift works the same way.

As far as the left/right tilt, you can adjust that, but again, have the deck suspended by the height knob, not the lift when you do it. There are adjustment 'shackes' (sort of) that you unhook, turn a rotation (to raise or lower a side) then hook up again. The manual goes into a lot of detail on this. You might want to double check the front/rear level after that. The front should be level or just a tiny bit lower than the back. (Again, the manual is good in this area).