Grasshopper 900D vs 725D

[sawtooth]

What does the dealer say the weights are for?

I don’t think he knows. He’s relatively a new GH dealer so doesn’t seem super knowledgeable on the products yet. But he has taken very good care of me on past purchases plus is just a great guy and works very hard to take care of his customers. Based on this I will buy no where else. The guy that brought the demo out was the regional sales manager. He said the weights were to keep the mower from rearing up when backing up steep inclines. But I tried some very steep banks and never got it to budge a bit so not sure that’s actually the purpose. Also I noticed the extra weight on the rear tends to reduce ride quality as the machine seems to feel more harsh over rough areas etc. I have the contact info for one of the GH product engineers and will call him tomorrow to discuss this. Last time we spoke he was super knowledgeable so feel certain he can shed some light on this.

 

[4570Man]

Are the weights for a front mount or a mid mount. If you were cutting low and the anti scalp rollers were supporting most of the deck weight I could see how my mid mount would be front light. Otherwise the deck is enough weight.

 

[Ford850]

Grasshopper uses traction kits to help with certain models and mower sizes. I'm wondering if they are adjusted correctly on those who are having issues on hills. My 722DT6 and 725DT6 both have 61" decks and bar tires, and both climb hills better than any other mower or tractor I've had.

 

[sawtooth]

That’s correct they use the weights on the rear and the traction bars to distribute weight appropriately for the front mount machines which supposedly provides increased traction when going forward up inclines. The interesting part though is that my 725D has the traction bar set up probably at 80-90% or in another words most of the deck weight being supported by the machine itself. You can tell this too as the tires will instantly dig to China when you loose traction as they have a lot of weight on them. So one would think my 725D should climb at least ok but it’s terrible. However on the 900 (with standard factory setup) the traction bars were set up light meaning the machine was not holding as much of the deck weight and there were no weights on the back of the machine. So one would think the machine would have limited traction when compared to the 725D but it’s actually the opposite. And I find it interesting that some of the posters report poor traction from the front mount machines while others say they climb like Billy goats. I’m now wondering if some of the machines are set up incorrectly for hills. The one thing I do know is if the machine is balanced properly it definitely has a better ride than if weighted heavy on one end. Anyway going to experiment with my 725 tomorrow and remove the weights just to see what happens.

 

[sawtooth]

Ok my new 900 is at my dealer now with a 61” deck. They are going to put that deck on my existing 2017 725D then put its 72” deck on the 900D so a little switch-eroo so to speak. I’m also leaving the rear weights off the new 900D and leaving the traction bars set at the standard factory position to duplicate the demo unit I tested. Hopefully it will perform the same. Can’t wait to try it out next week.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

sawtooth, that should be a really nice machine!!

I think you will like your 725 better with a 61" deck too...

SR

 

[sawtooth]

sawtooth, that should be a really nice machine!!

I think you will like your 725 better with a 61" deck too...

SR

Yes sir just seems to me the 725 isn’t enough machine to handle that large of a deck from a hp and or overall weight / stability standpoint. My initial thoughts were the 900 might be a slightly more capable machine but turns out it’s actually a pretty big step up in capability overall. The motor has noticeable power improvements not earth shaking but definitely noticeable but the rest of the machine just has a lot more directional control and better overall traction. Hydraulics seem much better “smoother and powerful” too just cant confirm this as I don’t know equipment specs etc. Rides better to boot due to the larger tires and lacking the need for the rear weight set. I’ll post back next weekend after I get the first 8-10 acres under my belt with her.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

900 series is a MUCH larger framed machine, so of course, it can handle bigger/heavier tools on it.

SR

 

[sawtooth]

Ok so ran the new beast this weekend and mowed 8-10 acres. Very nice machine. Ride is smoother than the 700 series too. Very happy with my purchase but now want to trade the 725D with 61” for another 900D. Lol