KingKutter vs Woods mower

magyarbacsi · Apr 21, 2012

Looking for a finish mower and want to stay with US product. I have two tractors, both 50+ hp and 45 at PTO, Massey 165 and a Mahindra 5525 with just over 50 hrs. I need to mow approx 7 acres. I like the King Kutter's 72" deck with double pulleys and belts which means less tension and longer bearing life. I have a Woods brush hog that I had for over 15 yrs and don't know how long it was used before I got it and it has given me zero problems.

Can any one shed some info as to the ease of belt replace, i.e. not having to remove the gear box and such and greasing the bearings on either makes? I want rear discharge. Not looking for aesthetics, but rugged and long life.

RoyJackson · Apr 21, 2012

I've got a Frontier (sold by Deere, made by Woods).
Easy maintenance of the spindles and bearings (hardest one is the center spindle since it's directly under the PTO drive shaft). I haven't had to replace the belt (yet), but looking at it (and having had to replace belts on another RFM...a BEFCO) it seems to be pretty easy.

Woods mowers, be they sold by Woods or Frontier, are heavy duty mowers. My 72" RFM weighs in at 720 lbs (a bit less if you don't get the safety chains). That's considerably heavier then several other mowers of equivalent size...if fact, almost as heavy as the 84" BEFCO RFM I had.
BTW, that's not to criticize BEFCO. I had a 60" BEFCO RFM for 8 or 9 years....it was used when I bought it (probably 5-10 years old then). My only maintenance was greasing, annual blade sharpening and one belt replacement. BEFCO makes great mowers, so that's an alternative.

Let's see what the King Kutter owners say too...

jpm1 · Apr 21, 2012

Well i have a KK 72" RD finish mower. its mowed about 5000 acres now and i an ready to put it into service for another year. This mower has been a rock solid machine for me with no problems to speak of. I have it blocked up in my shop and going to change the bushings on the wheels. The wheels have grease fittings and were greased reqularly, but i mow rain or shine and water and mud did their job. it will be a cheap fix. I still have the original belt and same blades too! I am sold on my KK. the only thing i did change is i added 2 rear pickup chains because the single chain rubbed on the gearbox. Also the spindles are greased from the top without removing the guard!
I guess the 3 best points about KK is #1, the price and #2 is the wobble hitch. #3, is the way it mows. when your done mowing the field actually looks striped! It does a nice job. I would definately buy another :thumbsup: . . .John

mikehaugen · Apr 22, 2012

I have an old woods rm90 finish mower. As you can probably guess it's a 90" and is heavy. I think around 1000#, mayble a little more. The deck is 3/16 steel. It is a very good mower, no gearbox, just a large pulley then the belt gets a twist to go around the spindles. I have no idea how old this thing is, and am pretty sure the previous owner(s) didn't take very good care of it- I know him and he doesn't take care of anything, but this mower is still in great shape. My on complaint is that belt tensioning is a pain. It is also almost too heavy because the laminated casters swiveling around a lot in smaller areas tend to tear up the grass a little bit, especially when there is only one way to mow and you have to drive the same way every time in certain areas. I am fairly young and foresee being able to use this for the rest of my life.

pacerron · Apr 22, 2012

I can also vote for Woods. I have an RM990 that I bought new 20 years ago and mow 20-30 acres a week with it in the summer and fall including horse pastures and other areas you wouldn't think fit.
It does have a gearbox, 3 spindles, and 6 swing blades about a foot long each. It has front and rear castors. The spindles have 2 groove cast iron sheaves and driven by a two "B" section Kevlar belt.
I finally had to replace the belt and one spindle assembly last fall. It had 2 Timken tapered roller bearings, only one of which had dissintegrated. The belt was still ok but starting to crack a little inside.
Easy to grease.
As the last guy said, weighs almost 1,000 pounds.
Doubt if today's units are built that heavy, but may be wrong.

PapaPerk · Apr 23, 2012

Woods! :thumbsup:

rbargeron · May 25, 2012

I just noticed this thread. I have two Woods RM990 mowers and can say they are solid and reliable. My place is tough on mowing equipment but the RM990 is up to the job. Like I've posted before - buy the best, you'll always be happy with it.

On the new RM990X the Woods website is showing now, the formed castor arms don't look as strong as the square tubing they used to be. If your place is easy to mow, the mower's resistance to abuse won't be that important. But if it's a hard life for mowers, maybe a recent used one that's made the old way would be worth considering. It's also possible that there are still some unsold RM990's available.