Mowing 72D Mid Mount Mower

[Plater]

Can anyone offer advise of the pros and cons for using a mid mount mower on a John Deere 3520? I currently use a 60" Exmark XS for cutting 2 acres 1 time per week. The land is quite rough, even though we rolled it with a 1000# roller this spring. There are areas that are so rough, it requires us to mow at roughly 2-3 miles per hour using the ztr. The ztr was purchased prior to moving to KY and served itself well but now we are unable to take advantage of the cutting speed and am considering purchasing a mid mount mower and selling the zero turn. Thanks for any advice you can offer on the 72D.

 

[jd670]

I have a 3320 with a 72" 7 iron mid mount mower and love it. It cuts excellent. My yard is also rought in places and its no problem for the mower. I even use it to cut the hill side bank of our pond over the bush hog. You will be very happy with it.

 

[mfreund]

I use a 4310 with a 72" MMM. It works better than I had hoped. I have never used a ZTM but I would not trade the set up I have for one.

 

[dschuffert]

I have both the 72D Autoconnect on my 3520 and an Exmark LZX29KA606. I use the Exmark on the front lawn, about 2 acres, and much smoother than the back. I use the JD on the back yard which I mow about 4 acres. I had the Exmark before I bought the JD equipment. The Exmark mows much faster than the JD. The JD has a better ride. They both produce excellent results. The Exmark is a 60" deck and I wish I would have purchased the 72" deck for it. If I had to do it over again I would have just purchased the JD and taken that $10K for the Exmark and put it somewhere else.

 

[shortthrow50]

i personally havent found any cons with my 72" mmm yet

 

[techwrtr2]

I see two significant issues with a 72" MMM. Keep in mind I run an 855 without a drive over deck. First con is size. There are some places I need to mow where it just doesn't fit. The second is mounting it.... I don't have the luxury of storing/mounting/dismounting my mower in a building with concrete floor or even a shed with a concrete floor. That means I'm pushing it on hard packed earth which is getting old as I get older.

I've debated about switching to a 60" RM finish mower. And lament both decreased maneuverability and the increased time it will take me to get everything cut. Moving to a new tractor isn't an option. I think if the mount/dismount weren't so much of a hassle, I'd mulch the areas I can't reach and not worry about it.

 

[jenkinsph]

Can anyone offer advise of the pros and cons for using a mid mount mower on a John Deere 3520? I currently use a 60" Exmark XS for cutting 2 acres 1 time per week. The land is quite rough, even though we rolled it with a 1000# roller this spring. There are areas that are so rough, it requires us to mow at roughly 2-3 miles per hour using the ztr. The ztr was purchased prior to moving to KY and served itself well but now we are unable to take advantage of the cutting speed and am considering purchasing a mid mount mower and selling the zero turn. Thanks for any advice you can offer on the 72D.

Why not spend a few bucks on implements to smooth the lawn areas out? Long term you would have a nicer lawn and could mow it much faster with your Exmark. Assuming you currently have a 3520, a 5' landplane grader could be a good tool for this.

 

[mjncad]

Why not spend a few bucks on implements to smooth the lawn areas out? Long term you would have a nicer lawn and could mow it much faster with your Exmark. Assuming you currently have a 3520, a 5' landplane grader could be a good tool for this.

Wouldn't that tear up his lawn requiring him to regrow it from scratch?

 

[hizoot]

Steve....how does a land plane perform in a field with grass? I'm assuming you have to mow as low as possible .but wouldnt it still clump up badly?

 

[jenkinsph]

A heavy landplane with the blades set at zero depth will slide over the grass in most cases, but will cut off mounds and ant hills and leave them in the depressions. I would do this in the late fall and re seed the affected areas. If removing the "bumps" doesn't fix it then I would fill in the "holes".

My main point being the lawn area needs to be fixed up and smoothed rather than left rough. Makes the routine mowing so much more pleasant and since the deck isn't jumping up and down you get a much better looking cut. He already has a mower that is ideal for the job why change it out? The problem is the lawn not the mower.


I have participated here on TBN rather heavily for the last few years and have noticed that it seems most people are hesitant to fix their lawns surface problems and talk more about the machinery's ride characteristics instead. If the OP is having to slow down to 2 or 3 mph then the lawn is too rough, the deck is likely bouncing along and he is wasting time every time he mows the lawn. Trading in or selling off a zero turn, buying a mmm for a 3x20 with the increased weight would cost more than the tools and materials needed to fix the real problem. When fixed he could probably mow the lawn twice as fast with his zero turn mower and have a nicer looking lawn to boot.

 

[jenkinsph]

Wouldn't that tear up his lawn requiring him to regrow it from scratch?

Depends on how bad it is, but living in Kentucky he should be able to smooth and reseed Fescue or Bluegrass easily enough.

 

[jenkinsph]

Steve....how does a land plane perform in a field with grass? I'm assuming you have to mow as low as possible .but wouldnt it still clump up badly?

Most of the clumps would be grass clumps which will dry up and rot away quickly, mowing will disperse these clumps too.

 

[Plater]

You all provide very good feedback. I appreciate it. Yes, we have the 3520, since 2008. Has 260 hrs. The exmark has 155 hrs literally likes new. The sale of the exmark will more then cover the cost of the 72d however it is a loss of 4K on the exmark. I agree that it is a Land issue not equipment. I also agree that it is cheaper to fix the land vs out of pocket total of 4K for the mmm plus the 4K loss on the exmark. I think Steve is quite savey on the financial concerns I have with this transaction. Once again I appreciate everyones input as it sounds like either way we decide will yield a positive looking yard. We do plan on repairing the yard in the near future but just built a mini farm from a greenfield including house, horse barn, fences, etc and the well is getting a little muddy.