New finish mower needed

[daugen]

Have you looked at everything attachments.

yes. Some interesting alternatives there. I am new to the area and want to buy locally to develop a relationship with the dealer. They just helped me out by changing the points in my ancient Gravely that another dealer and repair shops, including the huge JD dealer, said they no longer know how to do points (amazing, huh?). But if their smaller Land Pride is too expensive, I'll go to TSC.
There is a New Holland dealer locally too;ought to walk in there just to look around. I'm sure they sell implements that aren't blue. JD's frontier line would do also.

So if a six foot finish mower costs in the 1200-1400 range, it will be interesting to see how much more the LP is. Or I'm sure a comparable Bush Hog, etc. King Cutter makes a nice unit too. I'm guessing LP's smaller mower will come in around 2 grand and the larger unit in the mid to high 2's. Will see and report back.

 

[Halftrack]

You have mentioned twice your desire to mow to a height of 7". I'm not aware of any finish mower capable of raising the deck to that height. Most max out at 4 to 5.25 " and to mow higher would require supporting it with the 3 pt hitch. A quick check of the specs shows the Woods 990 having a 7" mowing height and that is a monster of a mower. Your choices reqarding a 5' or 6' finish mower and that 7" setting are extremely limited, I,m afraid. Good luck.

 

[daugen]

I totally agree; everything I am finding maxes out at 5.25 inches. This is why I bought a swinging blade mower in the first place, to get more height. I guess I'm going to be mowing at 5.25 in the future; no sense reinventing the wheel.

 

[bigtiller]

I totally agree; everything I am finding maxes out at 5.25 inches. This is why I bought a swinging blade mower in the first place, to get more height. I guess I'm going to be mowing at 5.25 in the future; no sense reinventing the wheel.

Could the wheels be replace with larger wheels to get you up to 7 inches?

 

[coobie]

I would buy a rear discharge mower.I have owned woods and landpride model finish mowers and both were very good mowers.

 

[Msamt]

I picked up a new Kioti RFM 72 and it has been an awesome machine, rear discharge, cuper clean cut, a few rocks and trees to go around, but for the 5 acre field, it makes it look like a real pretty semi manicured pasture

 

[whistlepig]

I tried a 6' Italian mower once. Stamped deck and stamped pivot wheel arms. It started stress cracking in the deck and pivot arms in one season. The Italian mowers may be better now but I'm against stamped anything now. A fabricated deck for me. I've owned two 6' Woods RFM mowers. A RM660 and presently a PRD7200. A Woods works best for me.

 

[daugen]

Whistlepig, was that a Caroni? My understanding is that some of the Italian models are higher end, but who
knows, it could be just marketing jive.
Likely there are half a dozen alternative models in the low two thousand dollar range. Mowing this field only takes me two hours to do now, though it's with a 7 foot mower, not a 6.

I like the idea about putting bigger wheels on the mower. Isn't likely to be a problem with the pto adjusting upwards a couple of inches and certainly the three point hitch will adjust plenty high. Alternatively I always wondered if one could extend the mount downwards, like punching another hole in your belt...but tires just seem like such a simple solution, as long as there is clearance left between the tire and the mower deck. That might be a gamestopper pretty quickly if there's only an inch there to start with. Now if the wheels are set out a ways, then why not?

reminds me of the old days when 31x10.50's were the cat's meow on a truck, if you could get the clearance without jacking it up.
I actually got them on a suburban way back when and they fit fine. Man what a terrible ride though; the new suburbans are mercedes compared to those old bouncy darty trucks.

so of course I'd like my new mower to handle the curves, and bumps, not mind an occasional fire ant hill to blend up, and leave the clippings in a way they are not noticeable, assuming I don't try to cut too much off at one time.

Kubota dealer with the Land pride mowers never returned my email. Guess I'll stop in there tomorrow.

 

[Rocky Hoffler]

Whistlepig, was that a Caroni? My understanding is that some of the Italian models are higher end, but who
knows, it could be just marketing jive.
Likely there are half a dozen alternative models in the low two thousand dollar range. Mowing this field only takes me two hours to do now, though it's with a 7 foot mower, not a 6.

I like the idea about putting bigger wheels on the mower. Isn't likely to be a problem with the pto adjusting upwards a couple of inches and certainly the three point hitch will adjust plenty high. Alternatively I always wondered if one could extend the mount downwards, like punching another hole in your belt...but tires just seem like such a simple solution, as long as there is clearance left between the tire and the mower deck. That might be a gamestopper pretty quickly if there's only an inch there to start with. Now if the wheels are set out a ways, then why not?

reminds me of the old days when 31x10.50's were the cat's meow on a truck, if you could get the clearance without jacking it up.
I actually got them on a suburban way back when and they fit fine. Man what a terrible ride though; the new suburbans are mercedes compared to those old bouncy darty trucks.

so of course I'd like my new mower to handle the curves, and bumps, not mind an occasional fire ant hill to blend up, and leave the clippings in a way they are not noticeable, assuming I don't try to cut too much off at one time.

Kubota dealer with the Land pride mowers never returned my email. Guess I'll stop in there tomorrow.

Maybe could use same wheels and just add spacers to pivot on wheels sort of the way they do it on bush hog mowers

 

[whistlepig]

I won't say the brand. I will get flamed here. There are a few things that go on with finish mowers that I have learned. It has to be heavy or it will bounce on hard dry ground and beat itself to death. Tapered roller bearings in cast iron blade spindles. Not fabricated blade spindles. Anti-shimmy caster wheel springs or the caster wheels will beat themselves to death. Kevlar belt. And a fabricated deck.

If you are mowing with a RFM mower an hour or so a week most anything will do. Mowing 5 hours a week for the past 7 1/2 years like I have takes a mower that will last.

No stamped decks or stamped spindle arms for me ever again.