discussion cut with mower deck or separate riding mower

[LBrown59]

I went the other way
I used to have a seperate CUT and lawn mower
I now have a 2320 with a 62D MMM
1*I find I can mow faster, do a better job and not have two machines to maintain.
I would be hard pressed to purchase a quality seperate mower for the price of the 62D MMM.
The only drawback I see is I now need to wait an extra day after a heavy rain to mow, to assure I don't rut the lawn with the heavier machine.

1*By having 2 tractors and 2 opreators mowing is faster cutting a 9 foot swath than cuttin a 5 foot swath with just one mower .

 

[beenthere]

I mow with an AWS Deere (425) 54" deck on about 6 acres. Have no mmm on my Deere 4300, and don't intend to as the trees are too close together and the limbs are too low. With the Deere 425, what I can walk under I can mow under.
If it was wide open spaces like a golf course, then might consider buying the $500 62" mmm deck I found on CL last year. Tempting, but no cigar.

 

[NuBota]

I mow about 1 ac of my 3 ac lot (mostly woods) -varying terrain, steep slopes. When I went to buy the BX my Wally World Murray LT (20hp 42in deck) was going on 6 years. Bought the deck for the BX figuring I had a mower for life and the LT wouldn't last much longer.

Over the years I worked the LT hard - hauled out four cords of downed oak trees, retaining wall blocks, sand, fill dirt, etc - up and down 20+ degree hills - in addition to weekly mowing. Even pulled the 4x4 drag harrow. It will not die! (I am very meticulous with maint. though). I just replaced all four turf tires because they were worn to slicks. The only thing wrong with the LT is the dent in the hood when I accidentally hit it with the FEL on the BX....

The BX has barely done any mowing. With the LT I can zip around on the slopes - the BX requires slower going. Also saves adding/removing the MMM for all the dirt projects I have going. The LT also has the bagger and mulch kit - both MUCH cheaper than the same for the BX. The BX does have a nicer cut, but not enough to notice with my lawn.

Now I find I use both quite a bit - can finish mowing with the LT, then jump on the BX to do dirt work, spread fertilizer/seed, haul mulch, etc. Plus with the trailer for the LT - I can have both running on some projects - very convenient.

The test will come when the LT finally reaches end of life - somehow I have a feeling I will have another LT in the plan - or the BX will become the mower with a B or L to keep it company....

 

[jenkinsph]

I went the other way
I used to have a seperate CUT and lawn mower
I now have a 2320 with a 62D MMM
I find I can mow faster, do a better job and not have two machines to maintain.
I would be hard pressed to purchase a quality seperate mower for the price of the 62D MMM.
The only drawback I see is I now need to wait an extra day after a heavy rain to mow, to assure I don't rut the lawn with the heavier machine.

True enough but what you bought is closer to a riding mower than a tractor per say. That is not meant to be critical though as I am sure that it worls well for your uses. If you have need for a larger tractor then it makes more sense to have a separate riding mower.

 

[mjncad]

I bought a L130 for less than what a MMM for my 4200 would cost. Besides price, the other selling point for getting the separate riding mower was that watching the JD video on MMM installation/removal for the 4200 was a PITA...at least for me it would be.

 

[BungeeII]

just a thought with a finish mower deck particularly mmm's going for 2k or more it seams cheaper and more manovarable to use a riding lawnmower of about the same price.

also they are lighter than a cut and do not tear up the lawn obviously this is aimed at smaller 1-3 acre jobs not a replacement for a brush hog or the like.

i believe that the mower would last about as long as a deck would and keep the hours down on the bigger tractor

if you were trying to get an every thing machine you end up going smaller so you can mow your lawn when for the same money you could have both machines now this dose take some of the utility out of utility tractor but im interested to hear every ones thoughts.

You're right, for smaller mowing jobs a riding mower is a good way to go. That 3rd acre can be be brutal, though. Anything around 3 - 4 commands help, in my opinion. I'm sure a ZTR would be nicer, as you can mow a bit faster, but a decent model gets rather pricey. That's likely what puts so many people back in mind of a real tractor.

 

[texas42]

True enough but what you bought is closer to a riding mower than a tractor per say. That is not meant to be critical though as I am sure that it worls well for your uses. If you have need for a larger tractor then it makes more sense to have a separate riding mower.

Jenkinsph
I agree as the size of the main tractor goes up the justification is easier for a seperate unit.
Larger tractor = more difficulty mowing in small areas, more chance of rutting, tearing up lawn, more costly to operate.

 

[orlo]

Ok, time to get this forum back on track. (Some comic relief)

You all are disappointing me. You forget 'reasonable' justification is not what we do here.

This spring I'll be mowing 6 acres with a 4720 (Just traded my 3720 cab).
I Started out with a Craftsman GT5000 then a 2305 :O) - Oh, it's been a long road.

The point of us is to somehow justify (in our own minds at least) the BIGGEST, BADDEST piece of equipment we could possible use to get the jobs we have in mind done. Digging 30 post holes - that means you need a 990 or larger Moving snow for a 30' driveway - A TLB with a hydraulic Skid Steer blower up front - Loading bark mulch in the pickup once a year - Maybe a high volume bucket on a 4000 series. heck, if it wasn't for weight maybe a 5000 series to blow snow and mow the lawn would be the right fit.


With the exception of pure lift capacity and the few jobs that require a lot of it, and my stump grinder I could do everything I do with my 4720 (or former 3720) with my 2305 just far slower (usually).

Anyway, now on topic, Seriously, it's usually about more than just dollars and cents but I do agree if it's purely mowing the decks (Well over 3K for a 7 iron 72") are far more than than middle quality pure mowers.

I originally mowed 6 acres with a 50" GT5000 (Still have it) and a 60" swisher side tow mower for about a 100" cut with overlap. I could mow at 3-5mph (depended on the grass length) with good cut quality without bagging. Probably just a little slower than my 4720 with an 84" RFM is. When I had it I though about pulling two swishers for about 150" cut but that would have been extreme.

One thing also, is the Swisher unit I had had the best height adjustment I've ever seen. 4 wheels and 3 crank screws with vernier gauges on it. No pins, no deck flopping side to side scalping, etc.

If I was going for economy I'd go with something like that or a Zero turn if I had a lot of obstacles.

 

[North585]

I've taken a different path than most because I purchased my riding mower (X585) 6 years ago when all I needed was a fast 4x4 mower (hills etc.) and the ability to pull a sprayer. I wasn't sure what my needs were going to be long term so spent far more $ than I planned and got an awesome mower. Since then, I've added a blower and blade to the X585 and it handles both flawlessly.

Last year I purchased my 2720 for the FEL and backhoe, obviously two things the 585 couldn't handle. I never considered a MMM and getting rid of the 585. The manouverability of the 585 couldn't be beat when I test drove the 2720.

I'm fortunate to have both machines. I had the luxury of paying off the 585 before buying the 2720. Having a dedicated rider for speed and manouverability is great. I dont ever need to take of the FEL etc. If I had the choice, I'd always have a riding mower and a CUT. They are quite a team.

 

[Nuru]

I have both, my Deere Garden Tractor has a 54" deck, and my 3520 has a 72" deck, and when I am in a big hurry, I get my son to drive the GTX and I use the big unit and it does an acre and a QTR in less than 30 minutes including slopes.