3- point finish mower.

[Runner]

I have a Frontier GM1072R (made by Woods) and would say it cuts better than my MMM because it follows the terrain better. This mower is made heck for stout.

If you go with a Frontier mower, they are all iMatch compatible (with a kit) and are super-easy to hook up.

I love mine.

 

[boggen]

different blades for finishing mowers, some just cut, some mulch, and some send grass out to both sides or just one side. or even straight out the back.

the belly mower i have, shoots out in both directions. but majority of all grass goes out the right side. it is a pain when i have tall grass and end up with pile of cut grass. and i want to mow it all together to rake it up. and i end up mowing over it a couple more times. to mulch everything up. to keep having to rake it up. when i do this. it is nice to be able to blow grass out both sides of the finishing mower. due to it splits the grass up and doesn't create a big old thick layer of dead grass on top of the lawn. it also helps to have mulching blades on as well. never ran with anything else even on older riding lawn mowers. only exception would be on a rottory cutter or what many folks around me call a bush hog.

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about the only think i can think of, that might be different is bigger or i should say wider back tires. and flatting the grass down more. which might result in a little bit slower mowing in tall gass/weeds. so the finishing mower can pull up the grass into it and cut it.

other wise i would guess it would be no different than any other type of finishing mower (push mower, self propelled push mower, riding lawn mower, to tractor belly finishing mower or 3pt hitch finishing mower.

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for me, on the old allis chalmers CA tractor. i can see the pulleys for the blades on both sides, and a little twist i can also see the middle pulley. this helps me out a ton, when i get into thicker and taller grass / weeds. and i can easily look down and see a blade is stuck on the belly / MMM (mid mount mower) a 3pt finishing mower. would be different. and always looking back over your shoulder = very cramped neck.

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if you are to point with your knees. i would say, check some of your local neighbors for a kid. that you could pay $20 bucks to do the heavy lifting and pulling to mount / unmount the deck.

granted you have to find a reliable teenager first. but if shown once or twice. the teenager should be able to remember. ((just have a manual handy showing how belts hook up. i am willing to admit, after a season, i forget and need to double check myself, before i destroy $120 dollar belt for mounting it wrong.))

 

[RedHawkRidge]

A 3ph rear finish mower will not give as good a cut as a mmm. Simply because a mmm makes the cut BEFORE the rear tires roll over the cutting swath. Most CUT's have either R4's or R3's in the rear and they flatten the grass more than the vacuum of the blades can overcome to pull up the grass blades. That is why front mounted/dedicated mowers and zero-turn machines give the best mowing results -- their front wheels are tiny gauge types.
There are other factors to consider:
1. Most mmm's are side discharge designs, which tends to create clipping windrows. Rear finish mowers are available with rear discharge, which spreads the clippings out better, although not as thoroughly as advertised.
2. mmm's are limited in width, with one significant consideration being that wider mmm's will interfer with the tractor's front wheels that are turned around to widen their stance.
3. mmm's provide a center of balance that is very low and centered, which is a significant benefit when mowing hillsides.
4. rear decks, especially the bigger ones, can cause the tractor to "dog-walk" (skew-sideways) when mowing sidehills.
jim

 

[whistlepig]

A 3ph rear finish mower will not give as good a cut as a mmm. Simply because a mmm makes the cut BEFORE the rear tires roll over the cutting swath. Most CUT's have either R4's or R3's in the rear and they flatten the grass more than the vacuum of the blades can overcome to pull up the grass blades. That is why front mounted/dedicated mowers and zero-turn machines give the best mowing results -- their front wheels are tiny gauge types.
There are other factors to consider:
1. Most mmm's are side discharge designs, which tends to create clipping windrows. Rear finish mowers are available with rear discharge, which spreads the clippings out better, although not as thoroughly as advertised.
2. mmm's are limited in width, with one significant consideration being that wider mmm's will interfer with the tractor's front wheels that are turned around to widen their stance.
3. mmm's provide a center of balance that is very low and centered, which is a significant benefit when mowing hillsides.
4. rear decks, especially the bigger ones, can cause the tractor to "dog-walk" (skew-sideways) when mowing sidehills.
jim

The rear tires rolling over the grass does not make the grass flatten out as far as my experience goes.

1) Old rear discharge mowers were bad. The newer ones now are better than most side discharge mowers these days.

2) I'm not sure I understand this.

3) This is a valid point with the decks raised. It is not if the decks are on the ground.

4) This is a good point also. With the RFM mower on the ground it is not that big of an issue. Raising a big RFM off the ground and making a sharp turn on a steep side hill is a very dangerous idea. It is a different mowing style that must be considered.

 

[angussprings]

I have had a Woods RD8400 for 10 years now. Never had a problem with it. it doesn't give a perfect cut like a MMM does but the pros out weigh the cons.

 

[jpm1]

After reading the responses above i have to jump in and say thru my experience that a zero turn mower is the best and the fastest cut but i mow with both, my mowing is heavy grass, wet and hilly with very steep sections that get mowed rain or shine. I have in the past 5 years of large acre mowing never had my RDFM mower "dogwalk" nor cause me any problems on side hills. In my area we have all types of mowers from MMM to zero's to RDFM's and have matched my RDFM to anyones mower there with fantastic results. everyone whom i've mowed for is extremely impressed with the finished result of my RFFM and it stripes too! I'm really sold on the RDFM even though its slower than the zero turn. Mowing 33-37 acres a week when the snows gone and hopefully more this year. . . John
"Big or small" i mow-um all. . . :cool2:

 

[Ozark Hollow]

I have a Kioti KRM03-60 (actually made by the Italian manufacturer Sicma) 3Pt mower. I really like the rear discharge. I let the grass get pretty long, and the rear discharge never clogs up or leaves big piles behind like side discharge does sometimes.

I spent many years mowing with an old Cub Cadet, and I love not having to wrestle with that old, heavy, HEAVY deck.

It took a little bit of practice to get used to towing a mower behind, but I wouldn't trade back now for anything.

 

[TripleR]

I am pretty much the same shape as the OP in that I can't bend down, well I can, I just can't get back up. I am lucky enough to have my sons close enough to come up and change out equipment and MMM for me.

We own RFM and MMM equipped machines. We use the RFM on bigger tractors as we prefer the MMM for trimming and maneuverability.

We get a good quality of cut from both.

The RFM does take a little getting use to, but no more so than running a rotary cutter or anything else on the 3-point.

Of course another option is a flail mower.