I suppose it matters a lot what kind of mowing you do. I understand the value of having the bucket low in an unfamiliar field. But I mow the same property twice a year, so am not worried about unknown obstacles. And the field is totally surrounded by trees I want to mow close to, as well as a couple of dozen trees and some power poles in the field to mow around. I couldn't get as close as I want to with the loader frame on even with the bucket off.