Jd Belly Mowers

cwave · Jun 4, 2002

I am looking to purchase a JD 4210 Tractor - Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of the 60" mower vs the 72" mower?

Also does anybody know about a 3 point hitch weight Ballast (uses JD Suitcase weights - also has a ball hitch) being sold by 4Tuff in Isanti, Minn www.4tuff.com

Knight9 · Jun 4, 2002

www.4tuff.com doesn't work for me. Are u sure of the URL?

Kevin

TerryinMD · Jun 4, 2002

Hey guys.... it's <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.4turf.com/>4turf</A>

Terry

TerryinMD · Jun 4, 2002

cwave,

About 12" to be exact... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Sorry, I just couldn't resist!! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

There have been many discussions revolving around MMM deck size vs the application. That is what it boils down to. Do you have a lot of curved areas or a lot of straight mowing? If you have mostly straight areas to mow, go for the bigger deck. If you have a lot of trees or curved flower beds, etc, you may wish to go with the smaller unit for manueverability.

As far as the ballast implement, I have never seen or heard of it before. I do not know if it is a JD implement or an aftermarket implement. Looks like a neat concept. However, there are differing approaches to solving the problem. One is to buy a JD ballast box (my preference). It is cheaper in the long run. The ballast bar cost $239. If you buy 42lb suitcase weights, they're approximately $34 apiece. The bar holds six of them. It would cost you nearly $450 to have about 260lbs of ballast. If you use the ballast box, it costs about $150 and you can add 6 80lb bags of quick-rete. The box weights 88lbs giving you 560lbs of ballast. The cost of the quick-rete is about $5 a bag - $180 total investment. I'd go that route and take the $270 and apply it to other toys, errr, implements. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

There are other methodologies - rear blades (grading or box blade), wheel weights, filling the tires with liquids, constucting your own ballast box. As far as towing, you can buy a Cat 1 drawbar and a towing ball for about $30-35 to move small trailers or just put a ball onto your drawbar under your rear PTO.

Terry

Buck · Jun 4, 2002

cwave,

I won't abstract. My neigbor has a 72" JD MMM. He cuts about 5 acres with maybe fifty trees. He'd rather have a 60". I have a 60" JD MMM; I cut about 3.5 acres with about forty trees. I don't want a 72 JD MMM.

Also, I have a JD ballast box! I used it maybe three times during the first month that I had my tractor. It currently sits in my pole barn.

I'll sell it to you for the cost of shipping it to your place; I am serious!

Almost always, I have my box scraper or my tiller on the 3PH for any serious FEL work. If I am not doing serious FEL work, for example, moving 200 - 300 lb boxes, I wear nothing on my 3PH.

Buck

hazmat · Jun 5, 2002

Buck, any idea on the cost of shipping? I might be interested. I'm in Eastern Mass. If it's full of ballast, might cost more to ship than to pick up one at JD dealer

I can see how you wouldn't use the ballast box if you had other heavy implements available to use as counterweight. I don't have any real heavy implements yet. The RFM is heavy, but far from low profile (sticks out 5').

Buck · Jun 5, 2002

hazmat,

No idea of the cost of shipping. Here is a photo of the box. I used stones instead of lead.

If you decide you want it, send me a private email. The only thing I ask is that I not have to spend more than an hour or so getting it to or preparing it for the shipper.

Buck

TerryinMD · Jun 6, 2002

The ballast box weights in around 88lbs without the ballast.

It should be somewhat inexpensive to ship.

Terry

Twanger · Jun 7, 2002

Just to comment on the belly mower and not the ballast box, I have a rear discharge 6ft woods. I used this same mower behind my old tractor (jd850) and had no bogging problem. With my 4310 it sometimes maxes out the hp, especially uphill (a range). I might have to suggest a 5ft with the 4210. I also had a 6ft belly on the 850, but only 3pt on the 4310 so I can't tell you if it is easier to turn a mmm rather than a 3pt.