Use older CUT w/FEL to mow or use garden tractor

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Use older CUT w/FEL to mow or use garden tract

Reel mowers, well, how's your sense of humor? They have to be towed at a pretty good clip to work decent, so a helmet might be in order when you get near trees.
I've noticed that a lot of the outfits here that were using reel setups on the big Jacobsens have now gone to rotary decks on the same carrier. Reels might be alright on smooth dry ground, but they don't work well on wet grass or wet ground.
Tosay I was looking at a Swisher towed finish mower in my buddy's shop, and all I can say is piece of CRAP. The guy who owns it paid around $1800- just so he could have the biggest mower on the block, and it's half the machine Swisher knows how to build. They put 2 screw jacks on the wheels to adjust cut height, and both jacks have turned to scrap long before the paint wore on the deck. They have 6 wheels on it that should guide the mower around anything you might get close to, but they are mounted in tin, and if you caght a T post the mower would hang up and give you wiplash. Can't say I think much of that product.
3 acres ain't enough grass to contend with the cost or agrivation of such a contraption.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Use older CUT w/FEL to mow or use garden tract

Reel mowers require quite a bit of maintenance and special tools. ie sharpening and adjusting to keep mowing right. It is not a simple or easy job to maintain reel mowers. Rotary blade type of cutters require a lot less maintenance, easy to sharpen the blade and just grease the spindles. Also reel mowers will not cut tall grass worth a darn, so you have to mow more often.

 

[arkydog]

Re: Use older CUT w/FEL to mow or use garden tract

Does anyone know of a source of rototy mowers that can be used with a garden tractor. I'm still looking to improve the width of cut of my garden tractor or any ideas.

Thanks.

arkydog

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Use older CUT w/FEL to mow or use garden tract

NorthernTool.com has some...

 

[Kelvin]

If you want to cut down mowing time using an additional mower, you can consider purchasing a pull-type mower (either 48" [$800?] or a 60" [$1300?]). These are sold a stores like Tractor Supply and are designed to pull behind tractors with mid-mowers (in an off-set mode) or behind an ATV (using either the off-set or direct-pull mode). "Swisher" is one name brand; there may be others. I have considered this option but have never tried it, so I don't really know how good they really are.


I wonder about the year model of the tractor your are discussing. Seems like the B6100 would be a 1970s to early 1980s vintage, and the B6200/B7200/B8200/B9200 series would have been produced in the 1982-1988 time frame. I'm just guessing on the years, but am pretty the series was produced sometime in the 1980s, not the 1970s.


This is the way that I see it (assuming that both machines are in pretty good shape to begin with).

B6200 Advantages:

Much more fuel efficient (diesel versus gas)
Wider Cut = Quicker Mowing
The B6200 will handle taller/thicker grass than the garden tractor (this is based upon my experience with my B7100 with 48" mid-mower compared with my Craftsman garden tractor)
The wear and tear won't be nearly as costly as it will be on the garden tractor

B6200 Disadvantages:

The FEL can get in the way while mowing. Not much of a problem in open areas.
The B6200 probably has AG tires; the garden tractor most likely has turf tires. This could be a problem depending upon soil conditions.

Hope this helps,
Kelvin

 

[arkydog]

I was told that my B6200hts was a 1974 model, but it could be a 1984 model with 48"mmm and fel. My big concern is with 750 hours, I dont want to wear it out when i have a lot less expensive 42" garden tractor. I like the seat time of both, just the Kubota I like using the fel a lot more and I do have a lot of work to do with it (leveling small hills and building bmx bike ramps for the kids). I would rather spend time with the kids than cutting grass, thats why I'm trying to decrease the cutting time. Does any have an opinion on a trailmower or seen one from northern tool?

Thanks

arkydog

 

[Thomas]

Friend has a 60" tow behind mower which he uses behind his ATV around his farm,and it works great on straight runs.

Down side of a tow behind mower he has come across,mowing tight around object & corners..has to compenstat for turning..also backing up plus side hills compare to his Cub 1450 w/48" deck.

Mowing rich green grass he has to mowe at a slower speed so there no big clumps of grass,or motor bogging down.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

For starters, I'm relatively new to the tractor world, but it seems to me that a tractor with only 750 hours of that vintage has been pretty lightly used. If it's been properly maintained, I don't think I would be concerned about "wearing it out" all that quickly!

When we bought our present property, we also took charge of a 1978 L210 with about 650 hours on it. IMHO, it was in excellent condition and could have kept going for many years. Only the lack of 4wd, FEL and the PITA belt driven MMM (off the rear PTO!) forced me to trade it in almost immediately on a BX. Otherwise, it was a fine machine and fun to drive.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Arkydog

I have a pull behind self powered bushhog I pull with my garden tractor. I have used it three years. With that said. I would not in any way want to use a mower like this one or two times a week. They are difficult to back
up, can't cut close to anything. You have another motor to service and put gas into(small tank). IMO I would save your money on the mower and put it in your Kabota if you need it.

Norm

 

[Kelvin]

arkydog ,

Your Tractor's Age:
It appears that your tractor is a hydrostatic model, which makes me believe even more so that it is a 1980s model rather than a 1970s. It also appears that the age is not very important to you, which a proper attitude to have, since Kubota parts seem to be readily available for the older models.

Tractor Wear and Tear:
750 hours is not very much for a tractor that has been taken care of. I have two Kubotas, and the "youngest" one just passed 1000 hours. I would certainly use the Kubota before the garden tractor as long as the FEL isn't in the way.

His-n-Her Mowing Machines:
I don't know if you have other drivers in your household, but my wife and I usually mow our 5 acres using both tractors at the same time. The ideal situation is for you and your wife (kids?) to mow at the same time using the equipment that you already have rather than purchase additional equipment.

Pull Mowers (Self powered):
I don't have any personal experience with these type mowers. Keep in mind that the pull mowers come in both finish and rough-cut (rotary) varieties. There seems to be mixed reviews on this board as to the quality of them. Both Tractor Supply and Northern Tool sell the Swisher brand of pull mowers.

Have you considered purchasing a 60" rear mower?
When I looked at the pull type finish mower, the salesman informed me that for $1300, I would be better off buying a 3-point finish mower instead. He reasoned that the 3-point hitch mower would have a lot higher quality and less maintenance. I have used a 3-point hitch 60" mower on my B7100 (16hp, gear drive). It performed adequately with regard to PTO horsepower, but the B7100's front end was too light for comfort so I only use the B7100's 48" mid-mower. With a FEL attached, this would not be a problem. I don't have any information as to how much horsepower the B6200 has, but I'm guessing that it is between 15 and 17 hp.

Hope this helps,
Kelvin