54" vs 60" MMM?

[c-and-a]

I am getting very close to pulling the trigger on a 2350 - looking for help on the mower decision...

Mostly flat mowing area but lots of obstacles, trees, beds, etc...

I was leaning towards the bigger deck - bigger is better theory, but not hesitating on the maneuverability...

Also - in the brochure, the 60" is listed as self-leveling as opposed to suspended - thoughts?

Any and all help appreciated!

Curt

 

[nh_bota]

I have the 60" MMM on my 2350 and really like it. The bagger on the other hand has not proven to be so good.

 

[Bob_Young]

60" is the best choice around obstacles, especially trees and shrubbery. Extending out past the wheels a little further will get you further under the shrubs. With the steering at full lock, the uncut circle will be smaller than for a 54"; therefore trimming around trees will involve less back-and-forth to stay close to the trunks.

Just make sure a 60" will fit between your obstacles. Even if it doesn't in some cases, the 60" supplemented by a push mower for the tight spots might make sense.
Bob

 

[KeithInSpace]

I love the 60" deck. Can't say much about self-leveling vs. suspended, but mine seems to do a nice job of a level mow. If you had lots of hills/undulations, the 5' width could be trouble since the middle can be cutting fine and one of the outer edges 8" in the air (or what I do is mis-judge a cut and drive one edge into the ground at the bottom of a side slope. fun.) The ONLY thing I've noticed is in a very sharp turn with 'taller' grass there is this little strip that doesn't get cut in the arc. I think it's sneaking by a place where the blades don't overlap. Not a biggie, just do a VERY quick (fast as she'll go) second-over to get the stragglers. Barber has to do the same thing to my bald spot with the #2 guard.

I've driven a ZD21. While it's a HOOT, it is very single purpose. When I got my tractor, I couldn't help but notice, with the HST and the 60" deck, how 'similar' feeling it was to that extremely efficient machine. Different, yes. But cutting a 5' swath is very, very nice. As an added bonus, it effectively decreases your internal cut radius (doughnut hole) by quite a bit (haven't done the calculations yet). And makes you quite certain you're not riding a Murray.

My 'older' bagger has been nice. Hearing the newer bagger is belt driven (rather than shaft) and some other things may have changed. Can't speak for what bagger you'd get on the 2350. If you get one. Probably fine with mulching blades.

 

[ByronBob]

60 is the way to go. I find going around things pretty easy.

 

[AMR]

60" for sure

 

[Tom_H]

60" cuts wider and has plenty of power on BX2200. Also has narrower turn radius around trees. Only reason I can think of for smaller deck is if you just happen to have lots of obstacles between the widths of the 2 decks such that 54" fits and 60" doesn't. That's fairly unlikely. Possible problem if 54" will fit if tractor driven onto trailer with sides and 60" won't.