Finish Mowers

alan40 · Jul 18, 2001

Hi, I'm looking for a finish mower to go behind my NH 1720. (23hp PTO). A friend of mine has a 6ft mower of unknown origin and gets alot of scalping. Thats why I'm thinking of going with a 5 ft. cut Do they make a finish mower with anti-scalping rollers on the front? The Woods model has shimmy dampners on them is this along the same principles as a roller? I heard about the roller from a friend but I have never seen one. I mow a lawn (old hay field/pasture) of about 3 acres so I'm looking to save a little time and also my back. I get a much better ride on Old Blue then my lawn tractor. I'd also appreciate any comments on the different brands and prices. As everyone else I'm looking for the best equipment to doller ratio. The Woods seem expensive ($2000)but you also get what you pay for.
Thanks,
Al

Anonymous Poster · Jul 18, 2001

Check out these posts on finish mowers & value

Bird · Jul 19, 2001

Al, I don't have the anti-scalp roller on my Bush Hog RDTH60 mower, but the holes are there to just bolt the "optional" roller on; don't know what it costs. And two years ago, the mower cost me $1,695.

Bird

Von · Jul 19, 2001

Alan,
I had the same problem with the rear finish mower I had on my old B8200. It was a 72" Ford that was made by Woods. I found the rollers at Central tractor this past winter for $32.00 and I was going to add it this past spring, but I ended up getting a new tractor with a MMM and that solved all my scalping problems. The rollers were made by KingKutter and looked like the one in the photo of JMIII's post. Just had to weld on some tabs to hold it in the front of the mower. I think it would have made a big difference with the deck being as wide as it was, and my yard as rough as it is. Let us know how you make out.

ddl · Jul 19, 2001

I have a Woods rear discharge 3p mower and I installed a anti scalping roller in the front and it works great. It cost about $50.00. I have rolling hills and since I put the roller on I do not dig dirt, well worth the money.

Dan L

Anonymous Poster · Jul 19, 2001

Like I do with most things, I beat the subject to death when I went shopping for a finish mower. I have about 3.5 acres of yard and wanted to get the biggest mower I could afford. I have a 2 acres section that's wide open and fairly smooth, but the rest is scattered with trees, ditch, humps, etc. One of the things I looked at was the spacing of the wheels. If you look at the picture of the King Kutter in an earlier post, you can see that the wheels are close to the outside edge of the mower, which is going to give you trouble when mowing on non-flat ground. The closer together the wheels are, the less trouble you'll have with scalping. Plus, the extra overhang from the wheels is great for mowing the edge of a ditch, etc. That's why I choose the LandPride FDR2572.

The rear discharge saves time because I can trim on either side and go in a circle in either direction, so there's less turning around. I have the anti-scalping roller also and have very little trouble with scalping. Where it does scalp, I used to have trouble with my 42" cut riding lawnmower also. It's expensive ($1700), but it's very heavy duty and I expect it will last the rest of my life. I've had it for over a year now and it's lived up to all of my expectations - and I'm hard to please!

glennmac · Jul 19, 2001

Danny, I agree with you about wheel placement. That's why I would strongly consider a Landpride if I go to a 3ph mower.

ddl · Jul 20, 2001

My woods mower, the wheels can be changed to position out or in close, do not everyones mower work this way!!!

Dan l

alan40 · Jul 20, 2001

Thanks for all the great inputs. I've narrowed it down to Landpride and Woods mowers. Working the price angle now. Once again Thanks!!!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Al

RichZ · Jul 20, 2001

Al, I'll give you another vote for a Land Pride. I've got a Land Pride FD1560, which is a 60' rear discharge. it's supposedly the 'economy model" Land Pride, because it's not an air tunnel model. The air tunnel is supposed to prevent rows of grass clippings, but the only time I have trouble (and the rows are tiny anyway) is when I allow the grass to get too high, and I'm cutting off more than 3 inches. I don't have the anti-scalp rollers, and I only have had any scalping on very high bumps, which I don't think the rollers would prevent anyway. I'm really happy with this mower. My neighbors all comment on what a good cut I get from it.

Rich