New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way!

   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #1  

missingstexas

Silver Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
202
Location
Jennings, LA
Tractor
Kubota ZD 326-RP
After about a year of thinking and procrastinating the new ZTR is finally on it's way. The dealer got it in yesterday and is servicing it today and will deliver tomorrow. We've finally gotten a little rain in the last few days so I may actually have some grass to cut with it as well. He's going to let me test it out on my lawn before we ink the deal, but I'm pretty certain, unless something unforseen comes, that I'll sign on the dotted line on Friday. I'm like a kid the day before Christmas! :licking:
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #2  
I tested the rear discharge before I took the ZD323 with side dis-charge. It may be subjective but for me, rear dis-charge wasn't the way to go. I was thinking that I could cut closer using either side of the mower which is true but the grass discharge left a stream of cut grass behind the mower where as the side dis-charge spreads the grass cuttings more evenly. My dealer was right, I wouldn't like it.

I asked him why they make a rear discharge, he told me it is popular with cemeteries because rear discharge does not through cut grass on the graves.

Congratulation, I love my ZD323. It has more than enough power for my needs, and, it is a diesel!
 
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   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #3  
Interesting. I have owned several side discharge mowers and then I bought a 6' RFM with rear discharge. Loved it and since then I've bought a F2680 with rear discharge by choice and since then I've added a F3080 also with specified rear discharge. For me from 6 years experience with rear discharge mowers I believe they lay the grass down more even than the side discharge, that's just based on my own actual experience and not from what someone has told me.
There is one issue of the rear discharge deck on the F mower. The grass blows all under the mowing machine and needs to be blown off every so often with the air hose.Don't think this would be a problem with a Z since the deck is under the mowing machine instead of in front of it.
I do like being able to also mow close on either side with the rear discharge deck.
Different strokes for different folks but having actually used a rerar discharge or several rear discharge decks, I'll not go back to the side discharge.........well, who knows what tomorrow will bring?:laughing:
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #4  
I just purchased a ZD326P side discharge, before purchasing it I tried the rear discharge, didn't like the way it left an unmowed strip in high grass(4" to 5"grass), also not one Kubota dealer recommended the rear discharge. I used my ZD326P for the first time this weekend, what a grass cutting machine. Purchased it from Messick at Elizabethtown PA, delivery included. The employee that delivered it went over every detail and safety item before he would leave, very pleased with the purchase and ZD326P.
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #5  
Finally ordered mine today, dealer out of town until next Monday, will receive it first of next week. I purchased the zd326 side discharge.

Bill
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way!
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks for all the input. I'll definitely put it through it's paces and watch closely for clippings and windrows. My neighbor has the zd28 in side discharge so no matter what I'll be ordering a Kubota. I wish I could justify the F series those things look like they'd make my 6 acres look like child's play.
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #7  
rear discharge mowers I believe they lay the grass down more even than the side discharge, that's just based on my own actual experience and not from what someone has told me

If you are implying that my conclusion came from what I was told then I failed to make clear my experience.

When my wife and I made the decision to replace our mower I had two options, buy a new mower or put a deck on the B3030. I decided not to tie up the tractor with mowing duties, but that is another story.

My dealer brought out two ZD's one with side discharge (ZD323) and one with a rear discharge (ZD326). Told me to try them both before I made a purchase decision. My grass was thick, damp to wet (it has rain here daily for better than three months) and was drizzling.

I worked both ZD's for the weekend and drew my conclusion from what I experienced. Perhaps the side discharge handles tall wet grass better than a rear discharge, I do not really know and I don't know why your experiance is different than mine outside of the fact your are running F series and I am running ZD's.
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way! #8  
If you are implying that my conclusion came from what I was told then I failed to make clear my experience.

When my wife and I made the decision to replace our mower I had two options, buy a new mower or put a deck on the B3030. I decided not to tie up the tractor with mowing duties, but that is another story.

My dealer brought out two ZD's one with side discharge (ZD323) and one with a rear discharge (ZD326). Told me to try them both before I made a purchase decision. My grass was thick, damp to wet (it has rain here daily for better than three months) and was drizzling.

I worked both ZD's for the weekend and drew my conclusion from what I experienced. Perhaps the side discharge handles tall wet grass better than a rear discharge, I do not really know and I don't know why your experiance is different than mine outside of the fact your are running F series and I am running ZD's.
Didn't mean to imply anything. I'm not an imply kind of guy, I just say it. I've had rear discharge decks for over 6 years. First on a rear finish mower pulled behind a tractor (two different models, first was junk and second was a Landpride and it was a tank and great)
Second I've had for 3 years mowing flat rental property with 6 septic tanks which produce high thick grass in a week and I only mow every three weeks, the F2680 60" Rear discharge. Had a 54" side discharge Kubota riding mower before the F so I had a couple of years experience with the side discharge on the same property.
I've also now got a F3080 rear discharge 72" that I use to mow my home property which I also used Kubota BX's with MMM side discharge decks for over 5 years around the house area as well as some of the open yard acreage along with the RFM on the tractors.
So, lest it appear I'm implying something I'm telling my own actual experience over a eight year period giving the actual machines and the amount of time I've used them. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with anyone elses experience only my own with the years of use using both side discharge and rear discharge covering only the last 8 years of my life because I had only used side discharge decks prior to this time period.
I don't usually mow wet grass, it's very rare that I mow wet grass, that's actually something I avoid when I can.
I've experienced the rear discharge decks distribute the grass clippings spread more evenly over the mowed grass than side discharge decks which cause these obvious rows of cut grass. I don't cut grass until it's tall enough to tell for sure where I've mowed, maybe that caused the rows to be worse on the side discharge.
This has come up before about rear discharge mowers and that's why I was referring to other peoples experience vs mine. Some dealers have expressed their opinions that rear discharge decks do worse windrows on previous threads, I disagree with them due to my experience and not my heards from some body.:)
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way!
  • Thread Starter
#9  
They delivered it this afternoon, the delivery driver happened to be one of their mechanics. He took about 30 minutes with me going over all of the maintenance points and then operating tips. This is my first time to own a ZTR, I've used them probably a handful of times but this is my first one to operate as my own.

I cut my yard; (not the entire 6.25 acres) it has been taking me about 2 1/2 hours to cut the yard area around the house with my 42" craftsman. I ran the Kubota today for just over an hour and cut about two times what I normally cut with the craftsman and I'm assuming that this time will still improve quite a bit as my experience level goes up. We received 2 1/2" of rain yesterday so normally I would wait a week to let the ground dry up and then mow but it's so dry here that the ground was very firm and I felt like it would be a pretty good test as how the rear discharge would handle the wet grass clippings. The longer grass did lay down, but it was even and not piled up as it would have been with my craftsman because it's only behind the mower not shot out the side and piled up on top of the last pass. This machine is a BEAST, it went through damp St. Augustine that was probably 8" tall as fast as I wanted to go, without even a second thought, the craftsman wouldn't have handled even half passes in 1st gear.

I think I found a winner. This weekend I plan on taking on more of the back pasture, but I'm thoroughly impressed thus far.
 
   / New ZD326 rear discharge on it's way!
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I cut the 4 acres on Saturday morning in just about an hour and a half. My B26 takes about 4 hours to complete the same task. Same width mower, but a lot rougher ride, and the end result doesn't look even close to the results of the ZD. I went and inked the deal on Monday and she's all mine (and Kubota Credit Corp's;-) ). I'm very excited about this purchase, my only concern is now I may have to justify keeping the B26.
 
 
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