Confused with mower choice

Sparky67 · Apr 28, 2015

My apologies as I don't want to repeat so many other threads about mower choice but I have read hundred's of post's and am as confused as I was when I first began. Here is my scenario, I hope someone can point me in the right direction. Here I go... I have 5-6 Acres of grass to mow on the property. The rest is forested or part of the escarpment and does not require any maintenance. My property has a huge driveway and we are in a snow, belt so I picked up a Kubota L6060 HST with a Cab. Love the machine. Also have a Kubota B7100 HST with a 62" belly mount mower. The small tractor does a decent job, but I would like to sell it and just keep the new Kubota do all the work. My property is fairly hilly, but not too difficult and the back of the home has huge 28' high glass panels approximately 90' wide. I am terrified of spitting a rock out of the back of a rotary finish mower, however I do want a manicured lawn. Some suggest a flail with a finish set-up. Just not sure which way to go. Can a flail provide a golf course quality finish cut? I have seen a video of a Kubota L6060 with a front mounted flail and I was amazed at how the front flail countered to the elevation changes. Looking for an approximate 72" wide unit. Any recommendations on brands?

Has anyone had any experience or knowledge with the Kubota Quick Attach 72" Front Flail? Thanks in advance for your input.
Brad

IslandTractor · Apr 28, 2015

Caroni 75" flail mower TM1900. AgriSupply.com

Long thread on flail mowers here on TBN. It will take you a couple of days to read it all but it should answer all questions.

Leonz is the flail guru here so sent him a PM with other questions.

Flails don't shoot rocks and do a much better job of mowing than bush hogs. Trade off is more maintenance with regular greasing and occasional belt and blade replacement. I've had mine for seven years. Great mower for about $2000.

amaxwell · Apr 28, 2015

Have you considered a 72"zero turn. Mow with the grass exiting away from the windows ,when you are near them.

Sparky67 · Apr 28, 2015

Thanks IslandTractor, I am and will continue reading further. Any advise on new Kubota front Flail for the L6060?

Sparky67 · Apr 28, 2015

amaxwell said:
Have you considered a 72"zero turn. Mow with the grass exiting away from the windows ,when you are near them.

Also have a TORO Zero Turn, but am also planning on selling this as I would like to do everything with the new unit.

leonz · Apr 29, 2015

Hello Sparky67,

Found your post at this late hour and I wanted to welcome you to the forum.
I take it you work for Ontario Hydro and live near the Niagara Escarpment??
If not no worries.

As far as forward mounted flails: They are sold in Europe as a rule and you would
need a three point hitch mount kit for the front and a Mid PTO or a Crankshaft PTO
adapter for your mule and that will run into some money as a front mounted PTO
implement requires a reversing gearbox if a mid mount PTO is used.

You can run a wider flail mower with your mule so think about that for a while before
you jump in and become a member of the Canadian branch of the "Flail Mower Nations"

We ran a seven foot JD25A finish flail mower with Ford Jubilee tractor(-35 HP)so no issues there
even with your mule and a seven foot or eight foot finish flail mower is not a problem.

You have plenty of time to look and drool at flail mowers and we can help you.

Adding a foot or two of mowing width (7-8 feet) will reduce your mowing time 25 to fifty
percent on good turf you should have loaded tires.

A finish flail mower with side slicers will provide you with a great cut and the grass blades will
respond quicker with much less mowing shock.

You will not get a putting green cut as they use push reel mowers for that but you will be amazed how well
the turf will look after mowing and the clippings will be very small and decompose quickly AND you can recut
and shred the clippings a second time if desired(you cannot do that with a rotary mower).

You could probably trade the Toro zero turn mower in on a flail mower and get the rears loaded with
windshield washer fluid for ballast as a trade. Having loaded tires is a most when working on slopes.

A rear mounted flail will work just as well as a front mounted flail when it is set up to mow with the
proper height of cut and properly adjusted three point hitch link arms and top link.

Its late and I need to go to bed SO......

IslandTractor · Apr 29, 2015

Sparky67 said:
Thanks IslandTractor, I am and will continue reading further. Any advise on new Kubota front Flail for the L6060?

I wasn't aware Kubota brought out a front flail. I imagine it would be a pricey setup but I love the idea of a front flail. The disadvantage would be loss of the FEL and hassle changing back and forth unless this new tractor is a dedicated mowing machine.

LD1 · Apr 29, 2015

Keep the rocks out of the yard.

HAve you looked into a rear discharge finish mower? OR ZTR with a bagger?

I would not want to mow a lawn with a L6060. Too big and heavy IMO

Sparky67 · Apr 29, 2015

Thanks very much leone, very helpful response. You obviously know your stuff. No, I don't work for Hydro and am approximately 2hrs north of Niagara Falls. The Niagara Escarpment runs from Niagara Falls to Collingwood. It is a beautiful location with a view of the Toronto skyline.

Yes the L6060 has a Quick Attachment and a Mid PTO and sells a front mounted 72" Flail for this unit. Not cheap, but would be real simple to drop and pick up the blower in the fall. I am also planning on selling my existing AG Tires and getting new Loaded Turf tires so thanks for the advice on the windshield washer fluid. I will take the time to read the posts on Flails and thank you very much for your input and advise. Much appreciated.

Sparky67 · Apr 29, 2015

IslandTractor, yes it looks real nice. Kubota has also done this in conjunction with their Quick Attach feature which my unit has so dropping and picking up new attachment is real quick and simple. Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

Sparky67 · Apr 29, 2015

LD1 said:
Keep the rocks out of the yard.

HAve you looked into a rear discharge finish mower? OR ZTR with a bagger?

I would not want to mow a lawn with a L6060. Too big and heavy IMO

LD1, Hey appreciate your comments, don't really have rocks, but it would be ugly if something shows up.Will look into a ZRT with bagger.

bigtiller · Apr 29, 2015

You said you want a manicured lawn so i think you will have to get a dedicated machine for that. My first stop would be to look at a ZTR in a brand that has a close, reliable dealer. And it wouldn't be an entry or mid level rig. Top of the line stuff for a professional looking, well manicured lawn. 5 acres going to take a lot of your time, I would be tempted to hire it done, that way I could buy a tractor to do all the other stuff that a 5 acre home requires.

jenkinsph · Apr 29, 2015

I would consider gang type reel mowers if the lawn needs to be manicured. The reel mowers should not be a problem throwing rocks either.

Poopdeck Pappy · Apr 29, 2015

For a manicured lawn with no risk of throwing a rock at a glass window out the side discharge, and without having to bag the clippings, I'd look at a Grasshopper mid-mount mower with the 4x rear discharge deck. Most rear discharge decks leave a windrow of clippings, but apparently the Grasshopper doesn't because it has 4 spindles that distribute the clippings better than 3 spindles do.

IslandTractor · Apr 29, 2015

If budget is not a problem, Everything Attachments now carries the Sicma 87" flail mower which is manufactured by Sicma, a well respected Italian agricultural equipment manufacturer just like Caroni. A 60hp tractor would have no trouble running that and while it costs literally double what the 75" Caroni does, it would cut down on mowing time by about 15-20%.

ishiboo · Apr 29, 2015

LD1 said:
I would not want to mow a lawn with a L6060. Too big and heavy IMO

This.

I am on clay, and a tractor that size (I have a NX6010) would destroy the lawn in short time. You could do it, but the soil would have to be perfect and it would have to be bone dry each time.

Plus, that's a lot of expensive hours and fuel on such a large tractor.

I think a dedicated mower is the way to go.

DuckSlayer1017 · Apr 29, 2015

ishiboo said:
This.

I am on clay, and a tractor that size (I have a NX6010) would destroy the lawn in short time. You could do it, but the soil would have to be perfect and it would have to be bone dry each time.

Plus, that's a lot of expensive hours and fuel on such a large tractor.

I think a dedicated mower is the way to go.

I agree. That tractor will compress the soil and tear up the yard. I would go with a 72" ZTR. If you get one with a mulch on demand deck, like the JD 970R, you would eliminate the stone issue. The mulch feature closes off the discharge chute. Consider adding a striping attachment to get the manicured look you are after.

leonz · Apr 30, 2015

Lets all just take a step back here and let him examine what he needs to examine as he
has purchased and invested in a machine with a year round climate controlled cab that
will have a dual purpose with mowing and seasonal snow removal being the major intended uses.

He has yet to finish the flail mower thread started by the gentleman from Tennessee.

====================================================================

A flail mower has a built in rear roller that eliminates the need for a striping attachment.

He has a Toro zero turn mower he intends to sell already anticipating the purchase of a
flail mower and for good reason as he has a huge bank of windows exposed to possible
impact damage from a rotary mowers discharge of a rock.

His purchase of the L6060 is also based on the desired purchase of a quick attach
snow blower for his mule for snow removal which will also require chains if he is
dealing with a driveway that is also on a slope.
.

He has already made the decision to purchase replacement turf tires for his
L6060 mule and have them loaded with windshield washer fluid.

The added benefit of loaded tires also reduces the chance of slippage and turf damage.

A lot of sod farmers and farmers in Europe with the need for considerable road travel
with their mules and implements use Diamond tread turf tires or Nokkian R2? snow
tires for their intended purpose as they provide the least amount of ground pressure per square inch.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We want him to succeed not fail most of all.

Sparky67 · Apr 30, 2015

Thanks leonz, you summed it up very well. I have spoken with several Kubota dealers when I purchased the L6060 and they suggested this model for both Snow and Grass chores. I do not plan on leaving the property so the need for road access is a non issue. I am however looking for a suggestion on what would be the best turf tires to purchase for the lawn. The driveway for the most part is level, just one slight grade increase in the section of driveway that loops in front of the home. But I do not believe will be an issue. Thanks again for yours and everyone's input, very helpful. I have seen some videos showing the flail's cut quality. I can live with that as opposed to what my current landscaper does with my ZT Machine. The cost believe it or not will be less with me using the 6060 than what I pay my current landscaper to do this. Looking forward to getting things purchased shortly as the season is just beginning. Now trying to decide on a front quick attach Kubota flail vs the rear style Flail. Been looking at the 73" Caroni as one option as I can purchase and get local support. Any thoughts would be appreciated.