Kubota mid mower versus rear mower

[Kubota Cabbage]

We have 100 acres of mostly woods with 2 large lawns and two fields within that to mow plus one smaller field near the road. This means I take the tractor through trails in the woods to the two fields. It's not all flat land to mow - it has valleys here and there and some swampy areas sometimes. I had a BX23 and just bought a B2620. With the BX I had a 54 inch mid mount. I'm wondering whether to go with a 54inch(easier to get through the trails) mid mount again or switch to a rear. Does anyone have any thoughts on pros and cons? I have two rather steep hills to drive up and down(not to mow)and the smaller field has a grade on one half of it. With this tractor we're going to get a loader in the spring with chain hooks because of all the wood we get, dirt we move, and stone we spread etc.

 

[MikeInEburg]

I like a rear mounted mower because they're generally easier to remove for other tasks. We couldn't keep a mid-mount on while in our woods...
Mike

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I have a Landpride 6' rear finish mower. I like the RFM because of the ease and speed of attaching and unhooking. I also like the rear discharge that doesn't make the big row of cut grass. Mine lays it down spread out over the cut. Also don't have to worry about which side to aim the pile of cut grass that's coming out. I use the quick attach ends on the 3pth arms. Basically back up, lift arems, get off, attach upper arm and drive shaft and take off. It lifts high enough to clear ground clutter and to sharpen the blades without ground crawling. Down side will be it makes your length several feet longer which is something you need to consider with your wooded situation. My first RFM was a "Jolle"?. It was beautiful with welds that were so perfect that you couldn't tell they were there. They actually weren't hardly there. It kept coming apart at seams. It was a piece of (can I say crap on the forum?) crap. I want to see welds on a piece of equipment I am going to use. If I'm just having it to look at and show how pretty it is then I want the welds to look like a car and be invisible. That opinion comes from my experience. I told my dealer he shouldn't have sold me a piece of junk like that. He said he was just selling me the price I wanted but he gave me back what I paid for it toward the more expensive Landpride. He could have walked away but he didn't he took care of me. I've bought 4 more Kubotas from him since then. Another example of the dealer can and should take care of issues. He/she is who you buy from and they should take care of you. They can then make their case with the company. That shouldn't be the customers responsibility.

 

[kennyd]

Welcome to TBN

A RFM is a lot harder to maneuver in tight places because of the rear swing...and it sounds like you have tight places to mow and go. Taking my MMM off is a 5-minute job and I am sure the Kubota is the same.

 

[jcaledon]

I have a B2620 with 60" mmm. As KennyD said, taking it off is a 5 min job. It is very easy with the drive over deck - no lifting, and no having to muscle the deck around, it just rolls out. Also, the deck can be pinned up, which keeps it high off the ground, if you don't want to take it off, but want to keep it safely out of the way. It cuts very well, and is extremely heavy duty. It works very well with the tractor, but is fairly expensive.

 

[Kubota Cabbage]

Thanks for your input - it really helps. The mid mount with the BX was only hard to get onto the PTO and I always ended up with bruises from laying on my side trying to get it hooked on. The rest of it was easy. I haven't tried hooking up anything on the B2620 yet as we have the new snow blower on it now and the dealer will wait until spring so we don't have to trade our old deck for the new one yet. This tractor, of course, is higher and it may be easier than the BX to put on. I guess my main thought was that a rear mount would be easier to put on, but harder to get through the trails. Sometimes we can't get to the big field for a week because the creek flooded. At that point, the grass up there has grown fairly high and leaves a lot of rows. I mow it twice at that point and try to put most of it into less rows. Then, the next day or two when it's dried, mow it to one side. Sometimes the wild life will eat it and we'd use some of the dry for chicken nests. I thought, too, that an RFM would clean that grass up better than a side chute. But, for the majority of time, that's not a problem. Because it's easier to maneuver, I think I'll stick with the mid mount. And thanks again.

 

[ZetorShaun]

I am more interested in why you went from the BX 23 to 2620?

Anyway, sounds like a lot of work for a MMM. You will be done faster with the RFM. Like Kenny said, if the spaces are tight continue with a larger 60in MMM, if not the RFM is fast on and off and gives you flexibility when you are not using it. If you are going into other applications like you said, the RFM may be better, I just don't like them for mowing jobs on compact tractors, they are more useful when 10FT on full size tractors. I would stick with the MMM.

 

[Kubota Cabbage]

Thanks, Zetor, sorry, we had a 2004 BX2230, not a 23. The dealer offered us $6400. for that, the 54" mower, and the snowblower in trade for the B2620, new larger snowblower, and a new 54" mower plus $11,000. With this new tractor, we can put a loader and backhoe on it because of the larger size and THAT will REALLY be handy. The BX sure did a lot for us and I loved that tractor, it's just that we need a bit more. It'll be easier getting the piled logs moved for cutting and splitting and can use the bucket rather than wheel barrow for moving split wood to the wood barn. I used this snow thrower for the first time yesterday and it threw it even farther than my old one which was impressive. This one has a much larger fan and augers. The seat on this tractor is comfortable and the floor actually has room. Two small drawbacks are the chute handle and lift are about an inche above and below eachother and my boot got stuck a couple times between the brake and forward drive pedal. I just have to make sure just my toe touches the drive pedal, while not getting too close to the cliff, lol.

My husband's 69 and I'm 52. When I mow the fields, it's ok as far as time goes because the dog(s) go and play in the creek while I'm there. The big golden used to run up and down the bank after frogs which she never could catch. I used to take the kids with me and they played in the creek or the woods while I mowed. Gave me something to do, the kids had fun, and I could see them from where I was with no fear of something hitting them while I mowed.

 

[medicshawn]

I use a RFM on my current tractor and used one on my B7800. I think they are better if you have the room. They are usually considerably cheaper. Also if you have a RFM and change tractors you don"t need to buy another mower. You just have to hook up the RFM to your new tractor.

 

[frank_f15]

my vote goes to the RFM much easier to hook and un hook and gives you a good cut if the blades are kept sharp and the grass is not to high.