6 foot lawnmower needed

[daugen]

Eddie and Kyle, thanks. I've been looking online at the basic JD 1400 series 2wd, 72 mower and it seems pretty similar to the Kubota F and good thing its mower deck goes vertical also. so I need to stop in the local JD dealer and see that model also.

a small tractor won't get under the tree limbs I have and will have...need a mower that is as low as possible.
a lot of the tractorhouse stuff I saw online had 2500+ hours on it, as kyle said, and I don't want a project on this one.
I was hoping to find a zero turn with a steering wheel and a 72 mower for 10 grand. Now it looks like double that for a basic
unit, which is all I need. I'm going to be planting a lot more trees not only in the orchard but on the grounds so i do need some agility.

seems to me my options are an 11k 60 inch steering wheel zero turn, an 18K Kubota B something with a 72 belly mount, or a 21K Kubota F front mount 72, a JD 1420 with a front mount 72 for likely a bit more than the Kubota, or something used.

plenty to research. and I'd love to hire a hard working kid, particularly for the trimming. that little wooden gazebo's paint is all peeling, sure needs some tlc.
boy I wish I could speak Spanish...

 

[ruffdog]

The problem with pulling a finish mower is it swings away what you are trying to mow around. A belly mower doesn't have the swinging factor near as much.

 

[whistlepig]

My wife has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child. We have a 7 acre yard and she helps me with the mowing. She does the trim and I do the big stuff with a 72" RFM. We recently bought a zero turn for her to use and this worked out extremely well for her. I let her pick the mower she wanted to use. A lawn tractor or a zero turn. She brought home a zero turn.

 

[daugen]

My wife has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child. We have a 7 acre yard and she helps me with the mowing. She does the trim and I do the big stuff with a 72" RFM. We recently bought a zero turn for her to use and this worked out extremely well for her. I let her pick the mower she wanted to use. A lawn tractor or a zero turn. She brought home a zero turn.

good to know, thanks. Mine is osteo, not rheumatoid; all a matter of what hurts or doesn't when one is done.

 

[ruffdog]

good to know, thanks. Mine is osteo, not rheumatoid; all a matter of what hurts or doesn't when one is done.

A person should just mow with what works best for them. Every yard and person is different.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

daugen, it's really easy for me to spend your money. But, in your position, I think the smart move would be to head down to the Kubota or John Deere dealer this winter when sales are slow and make your best deal on a new front-mount.

I know it's more money than you want to spend, but your health is more important. It provides you with a brand new machine that meets your needs and has a full warranty. And the 0% financing typically offered by both Kubota and Deere should help take some of the sting out of going over budget.

 

[daugen]

And the 0% financing typically offered by both Kubota and Deere should help take some of the sting out of going over budget.

you're right. Already have the 5740 on 0 percent though, this mower has to be for cash. too many debt lines reduces your credit score. Particularly now for me in retirement where my income is considerably lower than what it used to be. Now cashback or O percent is nice, it's all marketing incentive anyway.

I'm actually going to close on this home in five weeks if things progress as expected. So next trip down, maybe right after the 4th, I'll visit the local JD dealer and see what the 1420 is like. I really need to take a small tape with me and verify real world height with foldable ROPS down. This property is flat as a pool table, for once I think I could lower the ROPS where possible. and I do have to keep in mind it will take a few years to get some real limb overhang that's worth discussing, even with buying larger balled trees, so if a 2 series JD or a B Kubota is only an inch or two taller than the F mower, all with ROPS down and a 72 mower, well I may have to rethink my assumptions and presumptions. Particularly if that option is four grand less. Other than that, I bought the house for 5 thousand less than I thought they would take, so my reward kitty is nicely full for a good quality mower. It will be most comfortable seat and ride that wins. But boy that fold up front mower deck would be a real pleasure to have.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . . But boy that fold up front mower deck would be a real pleasure to have.

I completely agree. I've been looking for a zero turn, but the more I think about it the more I'm thinking I might just wait until this winter and look for a deal on a front-mount with the power folding deck. That plus the ability to stick the front mower under trees (or nose it over a drainage swale to mow without driving over it) could easily sell me on the front mount.

I like my JD GT235, but I have to remove the mower deck and scrape it regularly and re-install it. I've gotten that down to a science now, but not having to remove the deck would be a blessing.

I don't know if the JD 1420 uses a front-mount version of the 7-iron deck or not, but I've been reading that the 7-iron "Pro" deck is MUCH better than the Mulch On Demand (MOD) deck, and cuts great in wet or dry conditions. Just food for thought if you go the John Deere route.

 

[daugen]

I gave my JD LX280 to a friend, knowing I was moving, but really hadn't explored the JD products because our local dealer was lousy.
I have seen the 7iron deck, their hd fabricated one and it looks nice, like most of the big ones. Frankly for this application on this very low grass, I just can't imagine that being too hard on a mower, particularly since I have no intention of cutting it golf course low. Rather than three to four inches here in PA, I'm assuming it gets cut in the one to two inch range in NC. So one is unlikely to be cutting off more than an inch of vegetation no matter what.

 

[prosperity]

My wife has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child. We have a 7 acre yard and she helps me with the mowing. She does the trim and I do the big stuff with a 72" RFM. We recently bought a zero turn for her to use and this worked out extremely well for her. I let her pick the mower she wanted to use. A lawn tractor or a zero turn. She brought home a zero turn.

Yeah, I found the same results - glad your wife finds it easy enough to run. It gets so frustrating to not be able to do stuff outside!

good to know, thanks. Mine is osteo, not rheumatoid; all a matter of what hurts or doesn't when one is done.

Yeah - this Arthritis stuff is weird. For me as I said earlier the steering wheel turning kills me. Even when I drive my pickup for more than an hour I can't use my arms for the next couple days.