Grasshopper mowers

[TractorGuy]

I was determined to buy a front deck mower of some brand, preferably diesel. Prices and rethinking changed my mind.

I had always used lawn tractors until a few years ago when I acquired a zero turn. While it cut my mowing time dramatically it also blew dirt right out the front and right back on me to the point I couldn't stand to mow unless it had been raining shortly before. There was no getting out of the dirt. Every time I mowed I was covered in it. I noticed in the first response to this thread the user of a Grasshopper complained of the same thing.

This year I finally went a different direction. I sold my used zero turn on CL for $1250, went to Agri Supply and purchased a 72" rear discharge Agmate finish mower, and I can't be happier. I walked out the door with $20 left over from the zero turn sale. My little 855 JD pulls it with ease. I can back it under trees and get where the other mowers would not. It's the smoothest, quietest mower I've ever used. You can't hardly hear it over the tractor. It cut my mowing time even further than the zero turn did. I can knock down 3 acres in less than two hours and that is doing road sides and mowing around trees. Best of all it shoots everything out the back and stays well away from the operator. Can't say it's dust free if conditions are dry and the wind is blowing the wrong way but you can change the direction you are mowing in and stay out of it.

I still have a little Craftsman lawn tractor to trim where I might not get with the finish mower but that doesn't amount to much. I could easily do the same with the weed eater.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Every time I mowed I was covered in it. I noticed in the first response to this thread the user of a Grasshopper complained of the same thing.

My Grasshopper pushes so much air through the deck and blows everything away from me, the ONLY way I EVER get dirt in my face, is when there is a heavy wind and I'm blowing directly into it!

Of course, the fix for that is, don't try to blow anything into the wind...same as any other mower I've used

DM

 

[Ford850]

Same as Sawyerrob I have no issue with grass blowing on me except for really windy days when I try to blow into it. Even then sometimes, like yesterday, I'm moving so fast it blows back but behind me.

 

[Ford850]

Also, I never have a blowback problem if I use the deflector on the discharge chute, but I rarely use that. Without it, the grass is blown 5 - 10 feet minimum and speed thin.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I've got a rear finish mower that I use on the Kubota BX2660 for certain things. But I'll choose the Grasshopper every time over the rear finish mower. It's at least twice as quick to mow with the Grasshopper as the RFM, and the cut is better too.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've got a rear finish mower that I use on the Kubota BX2660 for certain things. But I'll choose the Grasshopper every time over the rear finish mower. It's at least twice as quick to mow with the Grasshopper as the RFM, and the cut is better too.

That's been MY experience too.

SR

 

[Creamer]

I've got a rear finish mower that I use on the Kubota BX2660 for certain things. But I'll choose the Grasshopper every time over the rear finish mower. It's at least twice as quick to mow with the Grasshopper as the RFM, and the cut is better too.

Yep! I have a rear finish mower that was in great shape the last time I used it - close to twenty years ago. Once I got a front deck zero turn it got parked. I should have sold it but it may not be worth much now.

 

[BrokeSolid]

Picked up at auction yesterday the 928D I was talking about before in the thread. Can't wait to get out on it!

 

[Msamt]

I was determined to buy a front deck mower of some brand, preferably diesel. Prices and rethinking changed my mind.

I had always used lawn tractors until a few years ago when I acquired a zero turn. While it cut my mowing time dramatically it also blew dirt right out the front and right back on me to the point I couldn't stand to mow unless it had been raining shortly before. There was no getting out of the dirt. Every time I mowed I was covered in it. I noticed in the first response to this thread the user of a Grasshopper complained of the same thing.

This year I finally went a different direction. I sold my used zero turn on CL for $1250, went to Agri Supply and purchased a 72" rear discharge Agmate finish mower, and I can't be happier. I walked out the door with $20 left over from the zero turn sale. My little 855 JD pulls it with ease. I can back it under trees and get where the other mowers would not. It's the smoothest, quietest mower I've ever used. You can't hardly hear it over the tractor. It cut my mowing time even further than the zero turn did. I can knock down 3 acres in less than two hours and that is doing road sides and mowing around trees. Best of all it shoots everything out the back and stays well away from the operator. Can't say it's dust free if conditions are dry and the wind is blowing the wrong way but you can change the direction you are mowing in and stay out of it.

I still have a little Craftsman lawn tractor to trim where I might not get with the finish mower but that doesn't amount to much. I could easily do the same with the weed eater.

I love my rear finish mower, it is simple!

 

[Redneck in training]

I love my rear finish mower, it is simple!

It all depends on the particular situation. In ex. our property is hilly and we have several thousand trees scattered on it. There is no way my wife could do it without a zero turn. She cuts 8 acres every week. Takes about 8 hours per cut.