Frontier

Anonymous Poster · May 31, 2003

Any thoughts on the quality of the Frontier GM1072R (72 inch rear discharge) finish mower? I am set on the following machine:
JD 4310 4WB EHydro
430 loader
ballast

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19th_VA · Jun 2, 2003

Only thought would be to post this in the John Deere section. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

BillyP · Jun 2, 2003

When I bought my JD tractor I was also interested in the JD rear finish mower. The JD salesman recommended a Landpride instead. He said it was better and not as costly as the JD.

I bought the Landpride and haven't regretted it a bit. It's 4 years old and still going strong.

butzkeg · Jun 2, 2003

I have that identical mower I use on my JD 4300. It's been a great mower. The blades are in need of sharpening, but I've been using it for 1 1/2 years. Hit too many rocks and sticks in that time. I guess this weekend will be a tuneup for the mower. I'll do the blades and get it all greased up again.

I'll use my mower for ballast occasionally as it is my second heaviest implement, several hundred pounds behind my backhoe.

Every week, I mow approximately 3.5 acres of grass with the mower. For about 2 acres of that land, mowing time went from 6.5 hours on a jd 212 to about 1 3/4 hours with my Frontier RFM.

The quality of the mower seems to be top-notch. I believe it's manufacturered by Woods. Woods has long been considered a very good product. It lost some paint in the time I've had it though. There is a small spot on the top of the deck cover where the paint flecked off, in addition to the reinforced lip around the base of the deck has lost its paint. The lip obviously is from wear and tear. Eventually the paint will wear off after running over grass, weeds, rocks, sticks and dirt. The rear discharge does a great job of distributing the clipping evenly.

At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another mower just like this if I were to do it again. Hope this helps.

butzkeg · Jun 2, 2003

My dealer offered the JD mower, Landpride, and Frontier deck when I bought. The Frontier was slightly less $$$ than the Landpride, and quite a bit less than JD. Me dealer said you couldn't go wrong with any of the 3 as they were all good products.

JohnMiller3 · Jun 2, 2003

<font color="blue">...I'll use my mower for ballast ... several hundred pounds behind my backhoe... </font>

Hi Greg,

Do you have a "Front" mounted backhoe...?

butzkeg · Jun 4, 2003

John, not exactly. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I mean that my mower is several hundred pounds lighter than my backhoe, or behind in weight. Both suffice for ballast during FEL use. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif I always seem to know what I mean /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, but have the tendency to mislead others with my thoughts.

joeblack · Jun 4, 2003

What sold me on something besides the Frontier was "kicking the tires"...actually seeing the RFMs side by side and comparing the gauge of the deck, quality of components, etc. I ended up with a Farm King 72" RFM which was less expensive, had heavier components and a scuff roller, which the Frontier lacked. The Frontier had solid tires but that was probably the only advantage I could find, and where I mow punctures aren't a big problem. My dealer has the Farm Kings painted JD green from the factory so that sealed the deal...with the yellow safety stickers it's a perfect match!

If possible I would recommend the side by side comparison, it makes it obvious which is the heavier unit and which seems to be of higher quality in materials and finish. Good luck with your decision.