Why are there so few rear discharge F Kubota mowers around?

[sixdogs]

After John Thomas explained things, I'm convinced I would rather have a rear discharge F2680 as opposed to a side discharge one. Trouble is, I can't find one for sale. It's not that I have to have a rear discharge. It won't be a primary mower but one to go under evergreen trees and into corners of the yard I can't take a 7' pull type mower. I'm on the flattest of flat ground of the Midwest. I suppose I could take the side discharge chute off and be OK with that mower but JT knows knows his stuff.

Why are there so few R/D mowers around? Were there less made? Do others know something we don't? Do S/D mowers have some hidden advantage or reason people buy them?

 

[628pm]

I just purchased a new f2690 with SD, I really like it but it does throw some grass on you if the wind is right. I was leaning toward the RD but my trailer would not hold a 72 inch rear discharge F. Reason being the guides on the sides of the rear discharge. I did have to take off the chute on the side discharge, but that wasn't a problem. They do have chute blockers for the Zero turn kubotas but haven't seen one for the F side discharge. I am however completely happy with the side discharge but if I had a bigger trailer who knows what I would have.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I have gotten input from dealers over the years knocking the rear discharge, my dealer included. If I had not insisted on the rear discharge I wouldn't have gotten one. My dealer took a trade in F with rear discharge early this year. He took it home and used it on his 2 or 3 acre yard and he keeps asking me about the rear discharge. I think he is a convert by actually using one instead of listening to rumors or maybe listening to the one complainer that doesn't like the grass blowing on the top of the battery. He is also more traditional of how things have been being done in the past and just sticking with that. One of his sales guys was really against me getting the rear discharge ZD326 a year or so ago with having no experience or reason why and I had to insist Steve Barlow order it for me. I loved the rear discharge deck on the ZD. I really think most people are against anything different than what they have and take it as a personal insult that what they have is wrong when people get something "different" or do something in a different way than they do it. TBN is the perfect place to see it. I actually blocked 3 posters because of them being so caustic/insulting about regen tractors and none of them had/have one. Mention how often to change oil or hyd fluid and wars start here. Things change and as we age some of us endorse the change, some of us hate the change and others grudgingly accept it but don't like it.:confused3:
I've bought two side discharge decks (Z121 & BX2370-1) over the past 3 years because they didn't make a rear discharge deck for them. I installed or had installed the mulching kit which took care of my issues for an additional $200. If you find a side discharge and a mulching kit with the side discharge plate is part of the kit and it probably always is, then buy it. May actually be better than the rear discharge deck in regards to not blowing the cut grass under the machine and allows close cutting on both sides of the deck.

 

[kthompson]

A good friend who sells tractor implements (his brand went out of business in tractors) and we have talked about side and rear discharge and he said side discharge should be cutting tall grass in smaller pieces than does a rear discharge which often cuts tall grass and discharges it full length. He does have and use a rear discharge mower. I have often wondered on a rear discharge myself. How well do they spread the clippings compared to side discharge?

 

[sixdogs]

Good and thoughtful post, JT

Kthompson--my experience is with pull type side and rear discharge as well as same S/R and R/D in belly mowers. The rear discharge ones work fine but the side discharge are really prone to clumping and putting out windrows of grass that are hard to deal with.

 

[toy1]

Just to let you know I have a rear discharge Jacobson and I like the way it spreads the grass behind the deck. The negative is you get a lot of grass clipping up and into the under frame and a lot get's into the engine compartment especially the radiator in the summer after 1 hours of mowing I have to blow out the radiator or the over heat alarm goes on, 5 min to clean up and back out. you will get this condition more if you miss a week of mowing, if I mow every week I can usually go 3 or 4 hours before blowout.
I will say that Jacobson has done a good job trying to keep out the grass in the engine area it still get in.
my new f3990 is side discharge with a bagger(as soon as the bagger come in that is) however the side discharge does a nice job but you get a build up of clipping on the discharge side.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I have used both on the Kubota F mowers, side and rear. Hated the side so bad I sold the F and purchased another rear discharge. I only mow when my neighbors have mowed twice to three times so I never doubt whether I've already mowed where I'm mowing. I mow high grass. I've only had my alarm go off one time a few years ago and my mowing usually takes 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Kubota has the outside holes punched into the sides and front of the hard hood/cover and then the easy to remove slide in screen directly in front of the radiator. The grass does blow under the machine and I blow it off with a leaf blower after I finish mowing or my grandson does now.
I think from my experience that the rear discharge lays the cut grass down spread out much better than the side discharge which creates rows. The side discharge cuts the grass and blows it out the side where the rear discharge has the baffles that allows the grass to keep getting cut several times before it can make it out the rear discharge so my experience is the rear discharge cuts the grass finer than the side discharge. A side discharge with mulching blades and the baffle plate covering the discharge port/hole probably does the better job of cutting of all of them. I have the mulching blades and baffle cover on a BX2370-1 and had one on a Z121 and they both do/did great and allowed using both sides of the deck for close cutting and less under the mower clippings.
Just my experience over the past 14 years using Kubota side and rear discharge decks and Fs for the past 10 years (F2680e RD, F3080 SD and F3080 RD and ZD326 RD and RFMs with RD and BXs with SD and BX and Z with SD with mulching blades and covered discharge hole).
If I were buying a new F or F deck today I would see if there is a 72" SD with mulching blades and sd cover available. I believe that would be the best of both worlds.:thumbsup:
I hate grass blowing on me which is one of the other main reasons I hate side discharge that isn't blocked!!!!! My wife feels the same way about the blowing grass!!!

 

[cold1313]

I have a F3990 and a SD deck. Only because I got a great deal on it (used w/ 14 hours) and couldn't pass it up. I wish I had a rear discharge. I have open fields along my property, so my entire right side is covered in grass clippings because of wind. I almost always get poison ivy all summer long because of it.

I'm looking into whether I can get the boot and blower from the bagger option, and blow the clippings behind the machine.

 

[sixdogs]

I have a F3990 and a SD deck. Only because I got a great deal on it (used w/ 14 hours) and couldn't pass it up. I wish I had a rear discharge. I have open fields along my property, so my entire right side is covered in grass clippings because of wind. I almost always get poison ivy all summer long because of it.

I'm looking into whether I can get the boot and blower from the bagger option, and blow the clippings behind the machine.

Wow, that would be an option but you would knock it off at every turn.

 

[cold1313]

I'm not sure if I would or not. It appears that the blower hugs the engine compartment pretty good, I would probably route any hose exiting the blower, down to the ground by the rear weight. So I don't believe it would make it any longer, just slightly wider. My main concern really is the boot on the deck, since I'm not mowing a golf course or anything. I always feel like I'm going a bit off road with my property on the F3990.