AxleHub
Elite Member
Greetings Rock Crawler,
You probably read my ideas on your first thread prior to this one. I'll make my opinions as short as possible.
It seems you are caught in a twilight zone of analysis detail mixed with "Tim the tool man taylor" thinking.
1st - understand that "slope" and "steep" and "degrees of incline" are often misunderstood. And pictures often minimize the reality to appear like casual angles instead.
2nd - as a result you have to narrow your priorities and recognize TBN is helpful effort but its just opinions with no pain attached to those giving them. They will spend your money and take up your space till you say "stop".
3. Narrowing priorities starts by eliminating information and impressions that ARE NOT useful. An example is your testing of the MF 1726e and GC1700 with the fel on and/or backhoe on some slope angles and no mmm attached. Why would you do that when you acknowledge you won't have hoe or fel on when mowing? It creates false images in your thinking that are not relevant IMO and it causes "colors" on a spreadsheet needlessly.
4. I have sidehills that appear identical in angle to yours and my slopes I cut up and down are all of your angle and more. I also have compound angles I cut sidehill. I just don't have the luxury of one single big space - mine is broken up by a front yard and a backyard plus I also have gardens to cut around (I can cut closer with the GC so I have little weed wacking). It appears you could cut much of your sidehill portion with a downhill angle to it - which increases your low gear speed IMO.
5. I figure you are quite intelligent - so don't let "cell phone holders" impress you. Recognize staying closer to the ground is going to enhance your stability and not be as beneficial in the woods. And if dealers won't offer demo units - consider renting a unit in the size you plan to have (like a GC1715 not a GC1705).
6. A series of garden tractors was your past - not your future imo. My GC1715 turning radius is excellent - but just because it is 2050 to 2250 pounds (unit plus fel mount brackets plus wheel fluid plus mmm plus my custom 3 pt adjustable narrow weight unit) plus add to those numbers whatever your body weight is - doesn't mean its "small" or "tiny" - compared to your 500 pound mower or compared to larger framed cut sizes or a 700 to 900 pound ZT. IMO if you put a net ttl wt. 3200 pound small cut on your lawn and you'll have compaction and sod ripping issues.
7. TBN posters have a strange affection for zero turns - most of the time because they can go fast and mostly flat. But very few have your or my type of lawn shapes. They aren't making things up - they just don't have the steepness. I've had a couple over by my property that talked a big story of their zero turns (big ones). They swallowed deep and said they could go straight down - but they would not try the sidehills or going up the hills because their units would lift on the front or their wheels would "wander" and not be controllable. Zero Turn units are nice - but not for my type of lawn or my neighbor who uses a large expensive ZT at his work. Also - if you are considering a zero turn - consider commercial diesel because diesel engined MF GC1715/1720s use far less fuel than gas engines.
8. Mowing speed in mph. Seems to be a big issue for you. But what are you using for analysis and comparison? 60 inch decks or 54 inch decks? You won't need to stop in the middle for fuel with a MF GC1715/1720 with turf tires - so that's also time saved. You also won't have engine heat issues as your temp gauge will run only to the 1st 1/4 of range markinghe hottest weather.
9. A GC1720 allows you to have your 3pt hitch on while having the backhoe on - so no "on and off" of the 3pt hitch arms.
10. Analysis needs to consider smart accessory choices designed FOR a scut. Mytractortools.com as one example has either a custom ssqa quick attach as well as their patented quick attach options for BX or GC scuts. And then they offer 4 grapple choices and 2 fork choices and several buckets etc. are considerably lighter weight yet can handle the maximum weight capacities of these scuts. So you end up with a higher payload capacity and multiple uses because your equipment is lighter and designed just for the scut sizing.
11. Comfort - an MF GC1705/1710 are dandy scut choices (really nice) but a GC1715 or GC1720 gives you a much better seat with both coil and spring suspension and more hp. - which is pretty important on hills and non-golf course smooth lawns.
12. Dimensionally - a GC1715/1720 is 48 inches wide at the rear wheels with 2 inch spacers. Center of front wheel to center or rear wheel is 58 inches. And one unit fits nicely in 1 bay plus the other implements with room to spare.
13. MF offers several mmm decks - including the only true 6 blade mulching deck of any SCUT I've seen. Myself - I would never have a rear finish mower if steep slope/sidehill issues or backing up or backing down is required to any extent. MMM offers better handling and excellent weight positioning and closer trimming capability IMO.
My thought is everyone makes a spreadsheet - but its just paper. Rent or demo GC1715 with the fel off and see what kind of mower it is for your slopes and sidehills.
P.S. In a pinch - I can quick detach my bucket in less than 60 seconds, if I have my fel on and want to use it soon but need to do some quick grass cutting - that drops 155 pounds and lowers my center of gravity and increases view for quick cutting of an area. Then 60 seconds more and it or my forks are back on. That's not my regular process - but when I'm in a hurry to cut some grass and use the fel right after - it works ok - but I'd never cut with fel/bucket on.
You probably read my ideas on your first thread prior to this one. I'll make my opinions as short as possible.
It seems you are caught in a twilight zone of analysis detail mixed with "Tim the tool man taylor" thinking.
1st - understand that "slope" and "steep" and "degrees of incline" are often misunderstood. And pictures often minimize the reality to appear like casual angles instead.
2nd - as a result you have to narrow your priorities and recognize TBN is helpful effort but its just opinions with no pain attached to those giving them. They will spend your money and take up your space till you say "stop".
3. Narrowing priorities starts by eliminating information and impressions that ARE NOT useful. An example is your testing of the MF 1726e and GC1700 with the fel on and/or backhoe on some slope angles and no mmm attached. Why would you do that when you acknowledge you won't have hoe or fel on when mowing? It creates false images in your thinking that are not relevant IMO and it causes "colors" on a spreadsheet needlessly.
4. I have sidehills that appear identical in angle to yours and my slopes I cut up and down are all of your angle and more. I also have compound angles I cut sidehill. I just don't have the luxury of one single big space - mine is broken up by a front yard and a backyard plus I also have gardens to cut around (I can cut closer with the GC so I have little weed wacking). It appears you could cut much of your sidehill portion with a downhill angle to it - which increases your low gear speed IMO.
5. I figure you are quite intelligent - so don't let "cell phone holders" impress you. Recognize staying closer to the ground is going to enhance your stability and not be as beneficial in the woods. And if dealers won't offer demo units - consider renting a unit in the size you plan to have (like a GC1715 not a GC1705).
6. A series of garden tractors was your past - not your future imo. My GC1715 turning radius is excellent - but just because it is 2050 to 2250 pounds (unit plus fel mount brackets plus wheel fluid plus mmm plus my custom 3 pt adjustable narrow weight unit) plus add to those numbers whatever your body weight is - doesn't mean its "small" or "tiny" - compared to your 500 pound mower or compared to larger framed cut sizes or a 700 to 900 pound ZT. IMO if you put a net ttl wt. 3200 pound small cut on your lawn and you'll have compaction and sod ripping issues.
7. TBN posters have a strange affection for zero turns - most of the time because they can go fast and mostly flat. But very few have your or my type of lawn shapes. They aren't making things up - they just don't have the steepness. I've had a couple over by my property that talked a big story of their zero turns (big ones). They swallowed deep and said they could go straight down - but they would not try the sidehills or going up the hills because their units would lift on the front or their wheels would "wander" and not be controllable. Zero Turn units are nice - but not for my type of lawn or my neighbor who uses a large expensive ZT at his work. Also - if you are considering a zero turn - consider commercial diesel because diesel engined MF GC1715/1720s use far less fuel than gas engines.
8. Mowing speed in mph. Seems to be a big issue for you. But what are you using for analysis and comparison? 60 inch decks or 54 inch decks? You won't need to stop in the middle for fuel with a MF GC1715/1720 with turf tires - so that's also time saved. You also won't have engine heat issues as your temp gauge will run only to the 1st 1/4 of range markinghe hottest weather.
9. A GC1720 allows you to have your 3pt hitch on while having the backhoe on - so no "on and off" of the 3pt hitch arms.
10. Analysis needs to consider smart accessory choices designed FOR a scut. Mytractortools.com as one example has either a custom ssqa quick attach as well as their patented quick attach options for BX or GC scuts. And then they offer 4 grapple choices and 2 fork choices and several buckets etc. are considerably lighter weight yet can handle the maximum weight capacities of these scuts. So you end up with a higher payload capacity and multiple uses because your equipment is lighter and designed just for the scut sizing.
11. Comfort - an MF GC1705/1710 are dandy scut choices (really nice) but a GC1715 or GC1720 gives you a much better seat with both coil and spring suspension and more hp. - which is pretty important on hills and non-golf course smooth lawns.
12. Dimensionally - a GC1715/1720 is 48 inches wide at the rear wheels with 2 inch spacers. Center of front wheel to center or rear wheel is 58 inches. And one unit fits nicely in 1 bay plus the other implements with room to spare.
13. MF offers several mmm decks - including the only true 6 blade mulching deck of any SCUT I've seen. Myself - I would never have a rear finish mower if steep slope/sidehill issues or backing up or backing down is required to any extent. MMM offers better handling and excellent weight positioning and closer trimming capability IMO.
My thought is everyone makes a spreadsheet - but its just paper. Rent or demo GC1715 with the fel off and see what kind of mower it is for your slopes and sidehills.
P.S. In a pinch - I can quick detach my bucket in less than 60 seconds, if I have my fel on and want to use it soon but need to do some quick grass cutting - that drops 155 pounds and lowers my center of gravity and increases view for quick cutting of an area. Then 60 seconds more and it or my forks are back on. That's not my regular process - but when I'm in a hurry to cut some grass and use the fel right after - it works ok - but I'd never cut with fel/bucket on.
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