Anything I should know about a Landpride FDR1660 3pt mower?

[jim_wilson]

I really love Craigslist sometimes. Just got back from a trip up to VT to pick up a Landpride FDR1660 60" rear mower deck I found up there for $750.

Got it home and really looked it over and it appears to be in good physical shape. A few rust spots here and there I can take the rust stripper wheel and some touch up paint to clean up - the previous owner had replaced two of the guide tires because he said they kept leaking air - all four seem to be holding air now. I got the PTO shaft - it looks to be ok just looking at it. So overall I'm very happy with the deal - I figure it's what seems to be a perfectly functional deck for like 1/3 the price of new. And a little cleanup and it will look like "almost new".

Hopefully the weather will clear here tomorrow and I'll get a chance to actually try it out.

But ..... - I was looking thru some older TBN threads on these mowers and I saw a few people saying they had issues with them. Bolts coming loose - shredding belts - etc.

To be honest - this thing is total overkill for my needs - I only have about 1/2 of an acre to mow at best (on a Kubota B3200) - but I figured on the long term we plan on buying other property, possibly doing work for other people, etc. - so I could get the use out of the deck that would make it worth over the years. If I find I don't use it and it's just taking up space - I can always sell it and recoup the money.

I just want to make sure I didn't get a good deal - because these things have a bunch of issues.

 

[RickB]

If properly cared for and used for what they are intended (don't try to mow hay or brush with it), they are good mowers.

 

[RoyJackson]

Landpride makes good equipment. I suspect most issues have resulted from dealer prep rather then the equipment itself.

As far as the price...sounds good (if it's in the condition you described). I think you can download the operator's manual from the Landpride website and suggest you do if you don't have a manual. Good luck with it!

 

[Buppies]

Excellent finishing mower had one for 5 years or so mowed yard very well very little clumping. Greased all fittings and kept blades sharp and kept a check on gear box oil level was only maintaince to keep up with

 

[jim_wilson]

If properly cared for and used for what they are intended (don't try to mow hay or brush with it), they are good mowers.

That's something I wondered about - the few people who were complaining about the things coming apart said bolts were falling out - etc. Made me wonder whether they just hadn't been assembled correctly in the first place and/or the users were just beating the heck out of them trying to run them over really rough ground or using them for applications more suitable for a brush hog.

Looking at the thing it looks seriously heavy duty to my eyes - I can't see how it would be coming apart on it's own without abuse or faulty assembly.

I checked all the grease ports and it appeared the thing had been getting greased. I've still got to check the lube level on the gear box and make sure that is ok.

 

[jim_wilson]

Landpride makes good equipment. I suspect most issues have resulted from dealer prep rather then the equipment itself.

As far as the price...sounds good (if it's in the condition you described). I think you can download the operator's manual from the Landpride website and suggest you do if you don't have a manual. Good luck with it!

The guy I bought it from gave me a printed out copy of the manual - and I found a PDF version online last week when I was researching them.

$750 seemed like a good deal - from what I can find they go for something like $1900-2100 new - and most of the used ones I found on Craigslist within driving distance - were no lower than $1100.

Guy who sold it was in Norwich VT, nice country up there.

 

[chim]

Last summer I bought a Landpride FDR1672 with the new tractor. I was happy with the service of the 5-footer on the smaller tractor that was being replaced.

 

[unbidden]

I have an FDR1560 that was left behind when we purchased the property. Three of the tires wouldn't hold air so I bought tubes for about $5.00 dollars each and haven't had a flat yet in 2 + years of mowing.

 

[jim_wilson]

I have an FDR1560 that was left behind when we purchased the property. Three of the tires wouldn't hold air so I bought tubes for about $5.00 dollars each and haven't had a flat yet in 2 + years of mowing.

I actually just noticed that one of the tires has a plug in it. If they start leaking - I'll try sticking a tube in them - or using some of that green tire plug goop stuff. That usually works pretty good.

 

[RickB]

Recommended inflation pressure for those tires is 30 PSI or so. Checking them a few times per year is time well spent, unless you like repairing the little SOB's.

 

[tornadowatchranch]

My land pride is bigger---a 7 footer--but I found the tires as a wheel assembly at surplus center for about $23 total each. Another option to think about.

T

 

[jim_wilson]

My land pride is bigger---a 7 footer--but I found the tires as a wheel assembly at surplus center for about $23 total each. Another option to think about.

T

Yeah - I'll be checking out Surplus Center and Tractor Supply - the guy who sold it to me claimed he had replaced two of the tires and the front ones do look pretty new. The rears though - one of the was the one that I noticed had at least one patch sticking out of it. I hooked the deck up to the tractor this afternoon to give it a test - and by the time I was done that tire that had the patches sticking out was falling off the rim. THe rubber on it is all cracked and dried out - and the other rear isn't much better. So I'll be replacing both of those as soon as I can find something to put on there. Still happy with it - it seems to cut ok - although it's hard to tell with my " lawn " because it's pretty much destroyed at this point from all the construction that has been going on over the last 8 years or so, I've got ruts, dips , etc. It'll be a little while but sooner or later I'll be able to use this deck to it's full potential.

 

[jim_wilson]

I found a place selling the Carlisle 4.10x4 tires that are on the deck - and they had the correct tubes too. I'll be ordering up a couple of new tires to replace the two beat up ones that are on there now - and I'll put tubes in them just to try and make sure they don't leak. That should take care of that problem.

I probably need new blades for it too - I took a look under the deck and the blades looked pretty beat up - a bunch of dings along the cutting edge. I noticed that it didn't do what I would consider a golf course finish on my so - called lawn, but right now I'm not too concerned about it. I'll just be using it to keep the weeds and crabgrass down until I can get the lawn on the entire lot redone and leveled out.

 

[whistlepig]

Check all your bolts. They do sometimes come loose.

 

[unbidden]

I found a place selling the Carlisle 4.10x4 tires that are on the deck - and they had the correct tubes too. I'll be ordering up a couple of new tires to replace the two beat up ones that are on there now - and I'll put tubes in them just to try and make sure they don't leak. That should take care of that problem.

I probably need new blades for it too - I took a look under the deck and the blades looked pretty beat up - a bunch of dings along the cutting edge. I noticed that it didn't do what I would consider a golf course finish on my so - called lawn, but right now I'm not too concerned about it. I'll just be using it to keep the weeds and crabgrass down until I can get the lawn on the entire lot redone and leveled out.

Depending on how bad the dings are, sharpening may be all you need, easy to do yourself. If you do opt for new blades it's been my experience to stick with LandPride blades. Some of the others are thinner material and don't stay snugly bolted to the spindles. Also there are different suction / lift blades (Hi Med Low). I believe the higher the suction the finer the cut. If you don't have golf course grass stick to Med or Low if the is grass field grass. My grass is in-between and I use the Med blades. Some find that the high suction blades bog and skip in high wet grass, I've had no problems using the Med blade.

 

[jim_wilson]

Depending on how bad the dings are, sharpening may be all you need, easy to do yourself. If you do opt for new blades it's been my experience to stick with LandPride blades. Some of the others are thinner material and don't stay snugly bolted to the spindles. Also there are different suction / lift blades (Hi Med Low). I believe the higher the suction the finer the cut. If you don't have golf course grass stick to Med or Low if the is grass field grass. My grass is in-between and I use the Med blades. Some find that the high suction blades bog and skip in high wet grass, I've had no problems using the Med blade.

Yeah - I read the same thing about the blades in some other threads here on TBN. I'll probably stick with the blades that are on the thing for the time being - seeing as how my lawn as it currently stands will beat the heck out of any blade that is on there. Once I start getting things leveled out better and get some good grass growing - I'll get a nicer set of blades on it so I get a good cut.