Any thoughts on a F3060 with 3500 hours?

[Ck27]

Hi,

Long story short the city nearest to me has 1/2 a dozen f3060s with 72" decks for sale. Theyre priced decent for around here about $3000 US each. They are all 2004 models by the looks of them. And they have 4wd which could be handy I think?

They have around 3000- 3500 hours on them, they are fairly clean and im sure they have been well taken care of as I've bought other ex local government vehicles and the all been well cared for.

Anyone on here have a higher hour f series mower that wants to fill me in on what to expect? Or is 3500 about the lifespan for an f in regards to the engine and hydro system??

Any help as to any known weak points or issues I should be aware of wold be great.

Thanks

 

[Ck27]

Wow 150 something views and no answers.

I guess this is lots of hours for a piece of equipment like this. Perhaps is will pass on these.

 

[kuboman]

Thats a lot of mowing. If everything was serviced as needed then it will be fine. There will still be repairs that show up with that many hours. If you are prepared to fix some things then you might be buying a good cheap mower.

 

[Ck27]

Thats a lot of mowing. If everything was serviced as needed then it will be fine. There will still be repairs that show up with that many hours. If you are prepared to fix some things then you might be buying a good cheap mower.

I guess like many people I'm wondering how many hours are too many. And of course it's hard or impossible to answer that question. I looked at a 1000 hour John deere f935 last weekend that looked like it was ready for the scrap yard. On the other hand I've seen 2500 hour kubota that looked new.

The engines don't scare me as my brother is a diesel mechanic who specifically works on kubota and yamnmar diesel engines. It's the hydro units that worry me with high hours.

I think I will go have a look at the mowers but I'm not sure if I'm comfy with the hours even though I know that f series mowers are supposed to be very well built.

Most yards out here have at least 1 f kubota or John deere for mowing so that's why I've been looking at them. Most I've looked at are 2 wheel drive models, this is the first 4x4 model I've seen in my price range.

 

[arto98607]

I guess like many people I'm wondering how many hours are too many. And of course it's hard or impossible to answer that question. I looked at a 1000 hour John deere f935 last weekend that looked like it was ready for the scrap yard. On the other hand I've seen 2500 hour kubota that looked new.

The engines don't scare me as my brother is a diesel mechanic who specifically works on kubota and yamnmar diesel engines. It's the hydro units that worry me with high hours.

I think I will go have a look at the mowers but I'm not sure if I'm comfy with the hours even though I know that f series mowers are supposed to be very well built.

Most yards out here have at least 1 f kubota or John deere for mowing so that's why I've been looking at them. Most I've looked at are 2 wheel drive models, this is the first 4x4 model I've seen in my price range.

I bought 4x4 F3060 with 3500 hours and 72 inch rear discharge deck little over year ago.

It's been in my garage waiting for it's turn to be worked on - around here these mowers are not easy to find used at a decent price so I grabbed it when it was available.

The deck has wear in it and needs little bit of welding, but the engine and hydraulics seem to work just fine.
The previous owner had ran the rear axle differential low on oil due to leaky shaft seal so I need to open up the differential and see what is needed. It still works fine but was low on oil (by rear axle, I mean the small driving steering axle in the back).

I bought this as is from local Kubota dealer late in the season and knowing it needs some work.

I like these features:

1. Diesel with 4x4 drive and 72 inch rear discharge deck.
2. Fairly large wheels for smoother drive.
3. Front deck.
4. Deck can be lifted hydraulically & flipped back 90 degrees for service.
5. Built for commercial use.
6. Excellent "pre-screening" of radiator cooling air & combustion air.


Our mowing season is pretty well year around but we do get a little breaks during mid-winter and in July/August.


I hope this helps,
Cheers

 

[Ck27]

I bought 4x4 F3060 with 3500 hours and 72 inch rear discharge deck little over year ago.

It's been in my garage waiting for it's turn to be worked on - around here these mowers are not easy to find used at a decent price so I grabbed it when it was available.

The deck has wear in it and needs little bit of welding, but the engine and hydraulics seem to work just fine.
The previous owner had ran the rear axle differential low on oil due to leaky shaft seal so I need to open up the differential and see what is needed. It still works fine but was low on oil (by rear axle, I mean the small driving steering axle in the back).

I bought this as is from local Kubota dealer late in the season and knowing it needs some work.

I like these features:

1. Diesel with 4x4 drive and 72 inch rear discharge deck.
2. Fairly large wheels for smoother drive.
3. Front deck.
4. Deck can be lifted hydraulically & flipped back 90 degrees for service.
5. Built for commercial use.
6. Excellent "pre-screening" of radiator cooling air & combustion air.


Our mowing season is pretty well year around but we do get a little breaks during mid-winter and in July/August.


I hope this helps,
Cheers

Thanks for the heads up! I knew maybe somebody would have a similar machine around here.

Our mowing season up north here is from late april/early may til October with the bulk of the mowing during may, june, july and august. Currently I put aboUT 60 hours on a 46" riding mower and and another 24 hours or so mowing the back 5 acres once a month with my tractor and a 60" deck. I could go faster on my tractor but I take her slow and steady as I'm never in a rush.

So I'm looking at higher hour units as they fit into the price range and let's face it I could probably cut my mowing time each season in half meaning maybe 40-50 hours per season.

That's only 500 hours in the next 10 years which to me means I shouldn't wear out anything quickly. I tend to warm up my equipment, service them once a year, I pull the deck off and sharpen the bade about every 20 hours. So I don't think I'll he hard on anything.

One thing I'll note on the hours of these paticularge F3060s is that in the city they are used there's lots of distances between where they mow so I'll wager that 1/3 of the hours on these will be driving because I see those guys going down the road all over the place.

I'm still on the fence about wether a high hour mower like this is the right choice for me but it's great to read that at least someone else has one.