48 vs 60 inch deck for the 425

[dbetts]

I'm very close to making my trip to Tazwell and would like some opinions on the size deck to get for the 425. It seems I saw something in a prior post about trouble mowing up hill with a 48" deck on 422. I looked back on 8/21/03 it was a post from ernemats. Anyway , am I likely to have trouble on 20%or greater slopes with the 60" deck on the 425? I'd love to cut more per pass unless it means a hassle trying to mow up hill. I currently don't have problems getting up hill with my Toro 20 HP with 48" deck.

 

[MossRoad]

I can't comment on the 60" deck on hills, as I mow mostly flat lawn with the finish mower. Also, the newr 425's are supposed to have stronger wheel motors.

 

[bubenberg]

on flat ground the 60" deck does well, but make sure you are getting the new spindle setup. we have around 600 hrs on the 60" deck and have exchanged bearings 3 times.

judging from my rough cut mower performance when using in conjunction with the kunz wing mowers the 48" is a better suited size mower for this model.

 

[kludge]

I have the 60" inch deck and I have been pleased with it. There is pull on the engine when going uphill that keeps you from going top speed while mowing. It is no worse than hitting a very dense area of tall grass though. In our area the grass has never grown so well as this year. One thing I do like about the 60" deck is that it is wider than the wheel base. When I mow the edge of the roadside ditch or up against a fence this allows a closer cut without getting trapped against the fence. When mowing on the uphill side of a fence the tractor is capable of creeping so close that you cannot effectively backup or go forward without the articulation throwing you into the fence. The solution seems to be to turn off the PTO, use downward pressure on the mower deck to lift your front wheels off then walk them away from the fence. This is probably hard on the deck but does work. I would recommend the 60" deck. The worst that should happen is that you won't mow at the top speed of the tractor. P.S. Get the Spinner Knob for the steering wheel. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif