Looking to replace finish mower....opinions welcome

[Mark Headley]

It looks like it'tl be a Woods or Landpride 72" RFM at this point- it will likely come down to what I observe after looking at them both and possibly if there's a 'same as cash' finance deal. As long as they both have full deck width discharge openings on the back it appears they'll both do the job for years to come. My recreational yard doesn't need a golf course look- the key to me out there is how much abuse it can take on rough ground and yield a decent cut.

 

[whistlepig]

I think either will last many years. Both are premium mowers. My only concerns between the two would be the strength of their castor arms. And how the castor wheels do. I have had mowers with castor wheels that weren't anti-scalp. They were either beating themselves to destruction or scalping the yard. Either condition is unpleasant. With anti-scalp castors you may get both. I did.

 

[Mark Headley]

I think either will last many years. Both are premium mowers. My only concerns between the two would be the strength of their castor arms. And how the castor wheels do. I have had mowers with castor wheels that weren't anti-scalp. They were either beating themselves to destruction or scalping the yard. Either condition is unpleasant. With anti-scalp castors you may get both. I did.

what makes an anti-scalp caster?

 

[RoyJackson]

what makes an anti-scalp caster?

I'm curious on how this is answered too. An anti-scalp roller is mounted on the forward centerline of the mower and minimizes digging in on uneven ground. I haven't seen an RFM yet the didn't have four caster wheels (except a very old Woods unit...posted on TBN and had two aft wheels). And casters can dig in in one reverses or turns sharply, regardless of the design.

 

[leonz]

what makes an anti-scalp caster?

Hello Mark,


The anti scalp front wheel/rollers are a fail safe to prevent a blade strike.

Some of the mowers may have a ground engaging front caster to prevent
the blade strike as well as maintaining the cutting height.

Several brands of motorised and non motorised flailmowers
and rear rotary finish mowers have this as part of their contruction.

The rotary mowers will flex more with this type of arrangement simply because the
the deck is a stamped mower deck versus a welded segement mower deck which is
structuraly stronger because of the multiple weldments that make up the rear mounted
rotary finish mower.

Motorised and non motorised flail mowers with a pair of front mounted guage wheels are
adjusted with a heavy crank screw arrangement which prevents the mower from scalping
and are used for rough and finsih mowing work. The crank arrangement is also part of the
flail mower frame as well adding to the mowers rigidity in combination with the flail mowers
rear roller.



About the rar mounted rotary finish mower:

The rule of thumb is to have the tractor on concrete or asphault and then
lower the mower to the ground for the cutting height desired. Now take your
palm and place it under the guage wheel with the thick part of your palm under
the wheel and this is the height setting for the anti scalp wheel.


Have you considered a flail for this task? The rear roller of the flail mowr is used to
create the cutting eight gauge and an added bonus is that the rear roller is a built in
lawn striperat no extra charge.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:
Pronovost or Not at all!!!:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[TractorLegend]

Looked at two different dealers in Sumner WA today that are Woods 'full line' dealers. Neither had the PRD7200 finish mower. Or any finish mower for that matter. One places price sheet quotes 3200.00 and the other was 3800.00. In addition the more expensive store told me there's 3 wheel options available at a substantial up charge. I don't think that's correct. Was quoted substantially less for the LandPride FDR25 at a couple landpride dealers. I think 2300 range. There'd have to be some substantial differences to pay 1K more. Spec sheet shows them pretty neck and neck.

 

[JUBILEE1953]

I purchased a Woods PRD7200 for $2700.00. Personally I liked the Woods more than tha LP. 0% financing availability on the LP makes it a bit easier to go with it. But IMO apples to apples I thought the Woods was a better peice of equipment.

 

[chim]

It looks like it'tl be a Woods or Landpride 72" RFM at this point- it will likely come down to what I observe after looking at them both and possibly if there's a 'same as cash' finance deal. As long as they both have full deck width discharge openings on the back it appears they'll both do the job for years to come. My recreational yard doesn't need a golf course look- the key to me out there is how much abuse it can take on rough ground and yield a decent cut.

No experience with Woods, but I have my second Landpride deck. The fiirst was a 5' RFM with a right side discharge. This one is an FDR1672 that I got a good deal on ($1795). It was unused, but was slightly faded from sitting. It cuts very nicely at a range of RPM's. If I'm cutting a bit too much off (certainly not a problem recently with the dry weather) it leaves a slight windrow on edge of the right side. It goes away if I mow clockwise. If it's only cutting an inch or two off it spreads the clippings quite well.

 

[bucmeister]

I will have to chime in on the Woods RM990. Ran one for several years and feel it is best viewed as a cross between a finish mower and a regular rotary brush cutter. The three spindles have two swinging 1/2 blades just like a brush cutter so is forgiving when hitting unforgiving obstacles compared to the rigid straight full blade on a regular finishing mower. The downside is that as a finishing mower the cut is not as manicured because of the non rigid blades.

One of my biggest complaints about the RM990 (after the price) is the captive "box compartment" that the two sheave banded belt lives in, it is fully enclosed and fills with clippings and dust which requires removing the 2 covers and blowing out with a leaf blower. Not as much of a problem if the unit is always under a shed and NEVER gets wet, if however it does get wet the acids in the grass will destroy and weaken the metal around the spindle mounts causing cracks and failure, I know this from personal experience. It needs to be designed with either the "box" sealed to significantly reduce the amount that can get into the area or put some openings in to allow easier less involved cleaning between usages.

My current Bush Hog RDTH84 finishing mower is open in the manner I am talking about, but has rigid lawn mower type blades and uses a single "B" section Kevlar belt that does not hold well up to the stress. The rigid style blades do give a bit smoother cut compared to the swing blades but not enough to be a deciding factor. If I had it to do over again I probably would have ponied up the additional $1200 and gotten another RM990, built a shed, and got a better leaf blower to use more often.

The other option is to convert to a heavy flail mower which is what I am looking at now. For what has been spent on the Bush Hog 287 rotary cutter, the Woods RM990 and Bush Hog RDTH84 finish mowers I could have bought a mighty stout flail to go behind my JD 5300 as it is at or near the top HP recommendations for both of the finish mowers.

 

[Mark Headley]

It appears it took me almost a year to do the deal but I ordered the Woods PRD 7200 in Kubota orange today- will this match a Kioti?
I ordered (optionally) the front anti-scalp rollers, the rear chute chain guard and a spare set of high lift blades. Apparently they are built to order so I should see it in about 3-4 weeks.:~}
:laughing: