If You Were To Get A New 6 Ft Finish Mower - What Would You get?

[BigBlue1]

How much gas do you use mowing 7 acres? My zero turn uses a lot more fuel to mow the same area as my tractor does. The tractor is diesel.

I can't really say for sure. I bought it last year and it was such a dry/odd weather pattern that I ended up only mowing about 2/3 of the property and the rest was not 'normal' mowing' so I never paid attention to the stats. I'll figure it out this year if the weather is more normal.

My x758 is a diesel and would take about 4.0 gal to mow 7 acres in 4.5 hours. Roughly 0.9 gal/hr to run that. I know the Rogue will use more per hour since it is gasoline and a larger engine. But it also only takes 3 hours to mow because of the speed and larger deck (72" vs 60") so ultimately the quantity/cost of fuel per mowing may well be better than with the x758. Time will tell. The suspension and shorter mow times sure are nice compared the the x758 though.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I can't really say for sure. I bought it last year and it was such a dry/odd weather pattern that I ended up only mowing about 2/3 of the property and the rest was not 'normal' mowing' so I never paid attention to the stats. I'll figure it out this year if the weather is more normal.

My x758 is a diesel and would take about 4.0 gal to mow 7 acres in 4.5 hours. Roughly 0.9 gal/hr to run that. I know the Rogue will use more per hour since it is gasoline and a larger engine. But it also only takes 3 hours to mow because of the speed and larger deck (72" vs 60") so ultimately the quantity/cost of fuel per mowing may well be better than with the x758. Time will tell. The suspension and shorter mow times sure are nice compared the the x758 though.

I don’t disagree with you, which is why I bought the zero turn, but it uses most of it’s 5.6 gallon capacity to mow 3 acres. I haven’t measured precisely but I have to switch tanks to get it done. I can cut the whole thing with my tractor and barely move the gauge on the 8 gallon diesel tank.

 

[duffer]

I mow 5 acres (used to be 10) of grass with a finish mower. If you're pulling the mower with your 3038E, I'd suggest getting the 7' wide Phoenix mower. Your 3038 can handle it. Rear discharge, very few clumps, but depends how long you let the grass get before mowing. The more length you cut, the higher the probability of clumping, as well as mowing with dew still present.

It also depends on how rough your ground is. Today I mowed the 5 acres with my neighbor's zero turn. Was thinking of getting one, but wanted to try one before I bought one. My "lawn" is more like pasture topography. Not smooth at all. The zero turn beat the snot out of me. I'll take my tractor and the 7' finish mower any day over the zero turn.

My 2¢.

 

[mikester]

I had a 5' Woods finish mower and thought about going bigger. It cut fine but was slow and left me with a need to trim. Got a Ferris 3200 61" ZT and cut the mowing/trimming time down from 5+ hours to < 2 hours with no trimming. It has a full coil-over suspension so they aren't as bouncy and jarring as others I test drove. Was cutting at about 3mph and now closer to 10+mph and don't need to slow down except for the turns and can zip around everything with ease. I didn't want two items to maintain but needed to find more time each week with work/kids and was the biggest bang for the buck. The Woods was a nice mower. I would have preferred one with better wheels/rollers if I was getting another to help avoid scalping.

I had one of these and found it to be a POS. Cheap plastic or no bearings at all, light duty deck, crappy wheels, gear box failed within 5 years. The landpride replacement is built like a tank in comparison, still going 30 years on.

I'd get a rear discharge finishing mower that has 4 run flat wheels you can just drop on the ground and go, greasable everything with zerks that can be accessed without removing safety covers, bearings in the wheels, easy clean fabricated deck (not stamped) that doesn't hoard grass clippings, beefy spindles. Rounded front corners on the deck to slide past trees instead of sharp corners that tear off bark and get caught on rocks and fence posts.

 

[wirlybird]

Probably not what you were looking for, but this is my 6' finish mower.

I can mow at 13 mph, so there's that...

Nice if I could afford it!

 

[wirlybird]

I had a thread here about restoring some old finish mowers. One was a Befco 7' Rear Discharge that was built like a tank. Another was a Modern Manufacturing 6' Rear Discharge. As far as I can tell, it's identical to the one Northern Tool sells: NorTrac 3-Pt. PTO Finish Mower 72in. Cutting Width | Northern Tool

Everything looks identical and I was able to get new blades from Northern. I think they make them for Northern. I can't say it was as stout as the Befco, but it seemed reasonably solid. I have a belly mower and really don't have terrain suited for a rear mount, plus I'm not sure my machine could have powered it. Sold it for $800, in OK shape, but not super great.

Not sure if that has the same chute type discharge you were mentioning, but it's nearly full width and has chains.

I can't mow fast. Too rough and too many hills and turns.

Yea, that norther tool one has the same chute mine Muratori has. Nice but if the grass is not pretty short it does clump some. The chains make it worse.
Good mower but for this I am looking for a different rear discharge.

 

[wirlybird]

I mow 5 acres (used to be 10) of grass with a finish mower. If you're pulling the mower with your 3038E, I'd suggest getting the 7' wide Phoenix mower. Your 3038 can handle it. Rear discharge, very few clumps, but depends how long you let the grass get before mowing. The more length you cut, the higher the probability of clumping, as well as mowing with dew still present.

It also depends on how rough your ground is. Today I mowed the 5 acres with my neighbor's zero turn. Was thinking of getting one, but wanted to try one before I bought one. My "lawn" is more like pasture topography. Not smooth at all. The zero turn beat the snot out of me. I'll take my tractor and the 7' finish mower any day over the zero turn.

My 2¢.

That is one reason I am staying away from the Z turn. Too rough.
I'd go 7 foot but it won't fit on my trailer!

 

[old and tired]

Bush Hog, 72" rear discharge finishing mower; RDTH72 - one of the most used (hour wise) attachment I have. Also one of the best built (like a tank and no rust). Bought it used for $750 and one of the better "buys" for my implement list....

 

[Doorman63]

Normally use a 46” riding mower

I’ve borrowed my neighbors Kubota L3010 with a 84 woods finish mower……huge timesaver!!!

He has a second 84” woods mower I’m gonna test on my L2501 this weekend…….if it works I may buy it!

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I know some on here will bash this, but here goes.......
I purchased one of the 72" mowers 2 years ago and haven't had one problem with it. They have a sale on now with an additional 5 or 10% off.....

FH-FM Finish Mower | Betstco Sales, Parts, and Service:

The Farmer-Helper finishing mowers allow mowing close to shrubs and building for faster yard maintenance. Either side may be used for close trimming, which is a feature that is not available on side discharge systems. The rear discharge gives you an advantage for eliminating grass buildup in...

betstco.com

They also stock parts. Free delivery to your door. I know people that have one their backhoes, flail mowers, and chippers. No complaints from any of them.
Considering that they are almost half the cost.... well if it wears out (IF)... you can still buy a second one and be ahead of the game. My neighbor saw how well my mower cut and ordered a 60" for his tractor.

I have used and abused this mower, including using it like a rotary brush cutter.... abuse included cutting 12-16" yuccas out in the fields. The discharge is across the entire back, spreads the clippings very uniformly.

You have to make the choice however.... this is only a suggestion.