Let's discuss finish mowers for me

DK35vince · Apr 5, 2018

KennyG said:
A 7 foot mower sounds great as long as the land is level. If you have much up and down, you get a lot of short and long spots with a wide mower.

I have a 6' rear finish mower and a 7' rear finish mower with humps/bumps and hill to mow.
I never noticed any more scalping or uneven mowing with the 7' vs the 6'.
The both do a nice job mowing.

BMan2005 · Apr 5, 2018

So after researching brands for awhile and hearing what you guys had to say on size I just ordered a 71" Caroni Estate Mower with rear discharge. I'll be picking it up tomorrow after they finish assembling it.

BMan2005 · Apr 6, 2018

Picked it up and headed home. I got a lot of mowing to do this weekend

. I'm impressed with the build of it and like the grease hoses ran to the outside so you don't need to pull the cover. Should get alot of years use out of it.

kebo · Apr 6, 2018

BMan2005 said:
Picked it up and headed home. I got a lot of mowing to do this weekend . I'm impressed with the build of it and like the grease hoses ran to the outside so you don't need to pull the cover. Should get alot of years use out of it.

View attachment 547451

Nice looking mower! Those grease fitting "extensions" are the greatest idea I have seen since sliced bread!!!! I wonder if someone is selling grease fittings like that where you can update a mower or other attachment in the same manner? I would like to add three of those fittings to the spindles on my finish mower. I have an older Sitrex 5ft mower that looks surprisingly similar to yours, I think they are both Italian made so maybe that's why? Anyway, good luck with it and happy mowing!

RjCorazza · Apr 7, 2018

Never had one, but I’ve always heard good reviews about Caroni implements. I see you have solid wheels... I put pneumatic tires on my Befco years ago, and they were a huge pita! Just switched back to the original solids.

RoyJackson · Apr 7, 2018

I've had 6 foot RFMs and one 7' RFM.
My opinion is the 6' unit is the better choice. It's not just a matter of the tractor's PTO HP....I ran a 6' with a 24 PTO Deere with no problems. To me, the size (width) of the RFM is more dependent on what your lawn is like. If your lawn is flat as a pancake (no bumps and depressions), a larger unit would do. If the lawn has those liitle bumps and depressions, a larger RFM may scalp or leave grass uncut due to the width (spanning those lower areas rather then cutting).
Another thing to consider...when turning, an RFM's caster wheels may dig in, especially with softer soil. The bigger the RFM, the more weight and likelihood of rutting when turning.

All that said, I prefer a ZTR with a 60" deck. Faster, easier on the lawn.

Turbys_1700 · Apr 7, 2018

Very nice mower. Caroni is a good brand. I've run Land Pride and Woods RFM the last 25 years. Very reliable and very little money out of pocket for repairs.

chim · Apr 7, 2018

I bought a new 59" Caroni back in '92 when I bought a used Ford 1210, and it has been a great mower. In 2002 I bought a new B7500 and a LandPride 5 foot RFM. At that time the Ford /Caroni tractor / mower became the "beater". I did beat the snot out of the Caroni and have spent some time welding things back together as a result, but it still gives a nice cut.

Slowpoke Slim · Apr 7, 2018

BMan2005 said:
Picked it up and headed home. I got a lot of mowing to do this weekend . I'm impressed with the build of it and like the grease hoses ran to the outside so you don't need to pull the cover. Should get alot of years use out of it.

View attachment 547451

That is one good looking finish mower. I do have a dumb question though, how do you adjust the cutting height? Or can you? I don't see how you adjust the outrigger wheels by looking at the pic.

Looking again, do you flip the polished bushings around, and place them underneath the arm?

4570Man · Apr 7, 2018

Slowpoke Slim said:
That is one good looking finish mower. I do have a dumb question though, how do you adjust the cutting height? Or can you? I don't see how you adjust the outrigger wheels by looking at the pic.

Looking again, do you flip the polished bushings around, and place them underneath the arm?

There’s probably a pin over those bushings. You take it out and put the bushings on the bottom. It’s kind of a set and forgot thing. I personally like to mow different parts of the yard at different heights so I prefer the quick change of my ZTR.