$2000 MM or $2000 Riding Mower

mostly_gas · Apr 29, 2011

I don't have a BX25, I have a Ford 1700 with FEL & rfm and a Agco Allis 1616H w/44 inch deck (rebadged Simplicity) and a lot of trees. Hour wise both mowers get equal time with the wife putting most of the hours on the Agco. The more you need to trim the more you need the smaller trim mower. The deck on the Agco pulls in 2 minutes so blade sharpening is a snap, most of the work on both mowers has been routine maintenance.

CHDinCT · Apr 29, 2011

I have both; MMM for the BX and kept my old Wheel Horse garden tractor, which is not really a cheap mower but is a little rough by today's standards. I almost always mow with the WH since it's all set up and it's just easier to hop on and mow with it than convert the BX. In my mind, BH and FEL removal are not too bad, but hooking up the MMM is more work. So, if you think you can keep the MMM on the BX while doing loader and/or BH work, it might not be too bad to drop them and go mow with it, but if you have to remove the BH and FEL, then mount the MMM to mow, then reverse for other chores, it will get old fast IMHO.

I would love to mow with the BX as it is an awesome mower, but my WH ain't too bad either. Lately my issue is spending the money to gas up the WH since it goes through gas a lot faster than my BX goes through diesel, but a newer mower should be more economical than my old 20 hp Onan. I figure in a few years when most of the FEL/BH work is done, I'll be able to keep the MMM on more and use it. It's also nice to have a backup machine, especially when one is 18 years old and has the occasional mechanical/electrical issue.

Another consideration is if you have room for both, but I assume you do if your considering a separate, dedicated mower. Also, you can pick up some nice, quality used mowers for less than $2K as another alternative. (Just some added thoughts.)

BethesdaEC · Apr 29, 2011

I have a Bob-Cat Fast Cat Pro for mowing duties. It is light at about 700 lbs, being a zero turn it is very maneuverable and it is always ready to go without adding and removing attachments. I have about 2 acres of grass to mow with some tight spots so I picked a smaller 48" unit, but it does mow at 8 MPH so covers a lot of ground quickly. I can do the entire yard in about an hour and twenty minutes. My setup with the leaf vac was pushing $9K. I couldn't imagine doing this with my 2520 even ignoring the hassle of dropping the backhoe (PITA) and the loader.

Sniggle · Apr 30, 2011

I had the Kubota G1900 4WS before I bought the B7800. The G1900 has a 60 inch deck, and mows at about 9 miles an hour, and best of all it turns around all my fruit trees and other gardens.

I took the 60 inch deck off the B7800 the day I got it, and it has gathered dust since. I really should hook it up to chop down the 3 acres of pasture, but the G1900 has not let me down, no matter how deep the grass.

ray66v · Apr 30, 2011

This topic has also been discussed at lenght before.

A tractor with backhoe, FEL, and MMM, is too heavy for mowing my lawn, particularly when the ground is soft.

Sure, you can remove the FEL, and the B/H, and replace them easily. But, when you want to use the FEL real quick for a simple job, your going to find it blocked in, or covered with stuff, and then you will also need a counter weight. Now, it's not so simple, and you decide not to bother, effectively rendering it all useless to have.

Plus, I refuse to make my TLB suffer the embarrassment of having to lug a MMM around.

Needless to say, I bought a lawn mower.