garbageman
Silver Member
Can anyone give me their input on Befco Cyclone RMM? It was between the Woods and Befco, I went with the Befco for the 7500.
Befco Mowers
- Thread starter garbageman
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BigBob
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I had a 72" Befco for quite a few years. Liked it very much. Only reason I sold it was to get a rear discharge mower, which I still haven't gotten yet.
Bob_Skurka
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I have an older Befco Cyclone 25 which is a 60" rear discharge finish mower and I like it. It is very heavily built, can be used to clear things it was not designed to clear, and it will keep the lawn looking like a golf course too.
The only complaint I have is that it leaves a trail of grass clumps if the grass is too tall or too wet. But I believe that is common with many of the rear discharge finish units, at least it is with several that I have seen.
I don't know about the new units, but the older units are NOT compatible with quick hitch systems.
The only complaint I have is that it leaves a trail of grass clumps if the grass is too tall or too wet. But I believe that is common with many of the rear discharge finish units, at least it is with several that I have seen.
I don't know about the new units, but the older units are NOT compatible with quick hitch systems.
RoyJackson
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I have a 60" Befco. Nice mower...makes the lawn look really nice, well groomed.
Other then the usual maintenance...grease, sharpening and one belt change in three years, the mower has done what it's made for...and done it well!
Other then the usual maintenance...grease, sharpening and one belt change in three years, the mower has done what it's made for...and done it well!
Fisherman305
Member
I have been satisfied with my bush hog rfm with one exception and that is the pile up of grass. Even though I would not recommeded to anyone I tied the hang down safety chains up so the grass would be more evenly distributed, I am considering removing them. What does everone else thing about this? Mine is a rear discharge type.
Kelvin
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I got a good deal on a 72" rear-discharge Befco Cyclone a while back. I realized later on that the Befco mower has a high price tag when new, which made my deal a lot better than I originally thought.
I like the mower a lot, except that one of the pneumatic tires has a slow leak. I will caution you make sure that the tires have adequate tire pressure prior to mowing (assuming that you model has pnuematic tires). Running the mower with low tire pressure will cause the tire to break its seal with the rim and it is a real PAIN to get the tire re-seated.
Kelvin
I like the mower a lot, except that one of the pneumatic tires has a slow leak. I will caution you make sure that the tires have adequate tire pressure prior to mowing (assuming that you model has pnuematic tires). Running the mower with low tire pressure will cause the tire to break its seal with the rim and it is a real PAIN to get the tire re-seated.
Kelvin
Bird
Rest in Peace
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What does everone else thing about this? )</font>
Personally, I would not defeat the purpose of the chain guard, but that's up to you. No problem as long as you know for sure that there's no person anywhere around who could be hit by a flying object and no other thing (car, house, etc.) that could be damaged by a flying object. And I guess it would also be OK if you know for sure that your lawn only has grass and nothing else that a blade could throw. I just figure that no matter how diligent I am, sooner or later there's going to be a small rock, nail, short piece of wire, or something similar find its way onto the lawn so that's why I like the chains. And of course even with the chains I don't want anyone else in the vicinity when I'm mowing. Overly cautious? Maybe, but I'd find it hard to live with myself if someone got hurt because I wasn't cautious enough.
Personally, I would not defeat the purpose of the chain guard, but that's up to you. No problem as long as you know for sure that there's no person anywhere around who could be hit by a flying object and no other thing (car, house, etc.) that could be damaged by a flying object. And I guess it would also be OK if you know for sure that your lawn only has grass and nothing else that a blade could throw. I just figure that no matter how diligent I am, sooner or later there's going to be a small rock, nail, short piece of wire, or something similar find its way onto the lawn so that's why I like the chains. And of course even with the chains I don't want anyone else in the vicinity when I'm mowing. Overly cautious? Maybe, but I'd find it hard to live with myself if someone got hurt because I wasn't cautious enough.
DK_Farms
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I have a 72" RD6 and I like it, too. Like Bob, mine tends to leave a trail of clumps when the grass is a little long. I have been thinking about taking the chain guard off as well to see if it helps. (Please don't report me in the Safety forum) If you cut no more than 1/2 to 3/4 inch off the top each time, it does a superb job. Personally, I don't like mowing that often but then that's why they call them "grooming" mowers I suppose.
I have the high suction blades but I still have an issue with grass not being picked up real well where the R4's track. As for ruggedness, I've used it in places where I should have used my rotary cutter and it did great. And as others pointed out, unfortunately it is not quick-hitch compatible. Hopefully I will have a solution for that problem over the winter.
I have the high suction blades but I still have an issue with grass not being picked up real well where the R4's track. As for ruggedness, I've used it in places where I should have used my rotary cutter and it did great. And as others pointed out, unfortunately it is not quick-hitch compatible. Hopefully I will have a solution for that problem over the winter.
Bob_Skurka
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REGARDING THE CHAIN GUARD. . . I looked at taking it off but I figured that it was there for a reason so I left it on. BUT I have given it some thought. I think that removing it might eliminate SOME/ALL of the grass clumping. However, I go back to the safety issue and I keep it on.
So then I thought obout removing every-other piece of chain. And I am comfortable with doing that, a good compramise with safety and may eliminate some of the clumping? I have not done that yet, but this fall when I put the deck away, I have that on my TO DO list of things to try out.
So then I thought obout removing every-other piece of chain. And I am comfortable with doing that, a good compramise with safety and may eliminate some of the clumping? I have not done that yet, but this fall when I put the deck away, I have that on my TO DO list of things to try out.
DK_Farms
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I am thinking about a "partial chainectomy" on my Befco, too. The reasoning behind my reasoning may be flawed but here is what I see. My mower leaves 2 rows of piles. The piles on the right are slightly smaller and less frequent than the piles on the left. They look like they line up roughly with the ends of the blade baffles at the back of the mower. Another observation to substantiate that is the clippings that get caught up in between the chain links. They seem to be more concentrated at the ends of the baffles where the piles exit the machine. Evidently the grass collects there, builds up, and rolls out as a pile, then the cycle repeats itself. I am thinking of removing a six inch section of chain behind each baffle just to see what happens. But then, if I would cut the grass when I was supposed to, this wouldn't be an issue, would it. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Bob_Skurka
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Seems like many people, with many brands of REAR DISCHARGE mowers have the clumping problem. My thought on removing every-other link was that some of the grass would fly out and others would be held back and forced to drop. I have also tried every combination of tilting the deck. Some on the NH board have suggested that tilting the back of the deck up very slightly solves the clumping problem. I tried it tilted forward, backward and level. It seems to me that if I mow the lawn more often then I don't get clumps but if I let it go a bit I get clumps. Ditto when it is wet, the moisture seems to make it clump more than when it is dry.
What I know is that the wife likes the grass SHORT so I suppose I should just mow more often. But mowing my yard requires a minimum of two tractors (big & small) plus a push mower because of steep hills, lots of trees and tight spaces. So I don't usually get the job done in one day. Most often the fields get done one day, then around the house another day. And the area done with the Cub Cadet has a side discharge deck so that doesn't suffer the clumping problems because it blows the grass all over the place ever since the rubber deflector fell off.
What I know is that the wife likes the grass SHORT so I suppose I should just mow more often. But mowing my yard requires a minimum of two tractors (big & small) plus a push mower because of steep hills, lots of trees and tight spaces. So I don't usually get the job done in one day. Most often the fields get done one day, then around the house another day. And the area done with the Cub Cadet has a side discharge deck so that doesn't suffer the clumping problems because it blows the grass all over the place ever since the rubber deflector fell off.
Bob_Skurka
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Re: Befco Mowers - RESTORED
Well I had some time on my hands over the weekend so now I have a BLUE Befco finish mower.
My Befco Cyclone 25 (60" deck that is now being sold by Befco as the C-30 model) rear discharge finish mower was starting to show a bit too much rust from being stored outside a couple of winters, and under the belt covers there was quite a bit of rust where water had pooled and sat. The mowers are so heavily built that the rust didn't affect anything structurally. The bright orange Befco paint had faded so badly it was a dull orange with a chalky overtone. Most of the stickers were still on the unit, but every one was frayed at the edges and most were half-gone.
So Saturday I got out the grinder wheels, paint stripper wheels, steel brushes and pretty much had a day taking much of the unit apart and grinding the rust off of it. Lots of primer and 6 spray cans of Krylon Rust Guard have the deck looking reasonably close to new.
I contacted Befco a few months ago, because this was going to be a "winter" project. I wanted to see if I could get new stickers for the deck for after the paint job was completed. I have to say, I was impressed with their reply. They sent a full packet of stickers FREE OF CHARGE so now the newly painted deck looks pretty darn good and has Befco brand name on, the proper warning stickers, and even the wife was pretty impressed.
When I assembled it I did make ONE MODIFICATION to the deck. The rear chain guard had probably 50 or 60 pieces of chain hanging over the discharge area. And the deck leaves clumps of grass when I mow when the grass is too tall. I only reinstalled every-other-chain leaving gaps of about 1" between the installed links. My logic is that some grass will fly out of the back of the deck and some will be trapped by the chains and there MIGHT be LESS clumping if I wait too long between mowings? It is just my theory. Now all I have to do is wait a while for the grass to get too long and try it out! Worst case, my theory is wrong and I can easily reinstall the remaining pieces of chain.
Well I had some time on my hands over the weekend so now I have a BLUE Befco finish mower.
My Befco Cyclone 25 (60" deck that is now being sold by Befco as the C-30 model) rear discharge finish mower was starting to show a bit too much rust from being stored outside a couple of winters, and under the belt covers there was quite a bit of rust where water had pooled and sat. The mowers are so heavily built that the rust didn't affect anything structurally. The bright orange Befco paint had faded so badly it was a dull orange with a chalky overtone. Most of the stickers were still on the unit, but every one was frayed at the edges and most were half-gone.
So Saturday I got out the grinder wheels, paint stripper wheels, steel brushes and pretty much had a day taking much of the unit apart and grinding the rust off of it. Lots of primer and 6 spray cans of Krylon Rust Guard have the deck looking reasonably close to new.
I contacted Befco a few months ago, because this was going to be a "winter" project. I wanted to see if I could get new stickers for the deck for after the paint job was completed. I have to say, I was impressed with their reply. They sent a full packet of stickers FREE OF CHARGE so now the newly painted deck looks pretty darn good and has Befco brand name on, the proper warning stickers, and even the wife was pretty impressed.
When I assembled it I did make ONE MODIFICATION to the deck. The rear chain guard had probably 50 or 60 pieces of chain hanging over the discharge area. And the deck leaves clumps of grass when I mow when the grass is too tall. I only reinstalled every-other-chain leaving gaps of about 1" between the installed links. My logic is that some grass will fly out of the back of the deck and some will be trapped by the chains and there MIGHT be LESS clumping if I wait too long between mowings? It is just my theory. Now all I have to do is wait a while for the grass to get too long and try it out! Worst case, my theory is wrong and I can easily reinstall the remaining pieces of chain.
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
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Re: Befco Mowers (partial chainectomy)
Well I have been mowing with my modified Befco mower. A couple weeks ago I took out EVERY OTHER chain off the rear discharge guard.
The verdict is that you get LESS clumping with dry long grass, NO clumping with dry short grass, and LOTS of clumping with WET grass of any lenght.
So, I would say, at least for me, with minimal worries about throwing rocks out the back end or anything else when anyone is around, I believe that it was worth the effort to remove every OTHER chain. I believe that I should simply mow more often and that would eliminate any chance of clumping, but my life simply does not permit that. So, a partial chainectomy reduces some clumping and that makes it worth it for me. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Well I have been mowing with my modified Befco mower. A couple weeks ago I took out EVERY OTHER chain off the rear discharge guard.
The verdict is that you get LESS clumping with dry long grass, NO clumping with dry short grass, and LOTS of clumping with WET grass of any lenght.
So, I would say, at least for me, with minimal worries about throwing rocks out the back end or anything else when anyone is around, I believe that it was worth the effort to remove every OTHER chain. I believe that I should simply mow more often and that would eliminate any chance of clumping, but my life simply does not permit that. So, a partial chainectomy reduces some clumping and that makes it worth it for me. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
TractorTeen
Bronze Member
Befco makes a fine product. This is my second one. I owned a 72" Befco Finish Mower and have just bought a 60" C50 Befco Finish Mower. Very happy with it. I perfer it over woods because it looks heavier. The wheels look beefed up more. I would highly recommend Befco products. A friend of mine also has the 60" C50 Befco Finish mower and he loves it. He just bought a 4' Befco Rotary Cutter. He says there is nothing that it won't cut (within reason). Befco has come along way with their products over the years.
David
David
