Mid Mount Mower

[HP942]

I know what they say about opinions….but. I am finalizing my wish list for a new/new to me tractor. I’m currently mowing about an acre of my 3.5 acre lot with my old JD and a 6‘ finish mower. I am planning on moving to mid-large frame compact. I think I want a MMM, but some dealers swear by them and some swear at them. Who has moved from a 3pt finish to a MMM or vice versa and been happy with there decision and why. Thanks,

 

[dodge man]

Two thing I don’t like about rear finish mowers. With a mid mount just the front wheels mash down the grass, but with a rear one, both the fronts and the rears mash down the grass. The rear mount swings into an object as you turn away.

Rear finish mowers can do a good job and if you get up near 40 hp you can get a really wide one. They are also easier to hook up usually but I bet with the auto connect on my JD I can match the ease of hook up. Rear finish mowers are usually cheaper to.

Mid mounts seem to be a love it or hate it thing.

 

[4570Man]

A mid mount is troublesome to take on and off and is too restrictive to do most tractor work with. A large frame cut is too big to be a good lawnmower anyway. I’d save your money and either keep using the finish mower or buy a ZT.

 

[al3]

Opinions follow, your situation may be different:

Buying a mower deck for my CUT was a very dumb thing to do. Wresting it on and off isn’t a whole lot of fun. Installed it pretty much limits work to graded/flat surfaces, else the probability of damage is high. Puppy wasn’t inexpensive either. From a cost standpoint, the hefty price paid for it would have gone a long way towards buying a quality standalone mower. If we’re not talking hills and dale, a stand alone mower could have been cheaper.

Pulling/installing the deck isn’t rocket science, but it is heavy, awkward to move into and out of position, and is fiddly to adjust. Maybe all that's changed with the drive over option. Once up and running, the quality of the cut is v good, better than my X500.

As mentioned, tooling around a yard with obstructions (trees, well, septic, house etc.) in a long vehicle require more operator attention. Can’t go under things with the tractor due to its height. Always thinking about ground compaction when traversing near the leach field. Industrial tires leave marks under certain conditions. Which is why I mow with the X and put up with the not so great cut.

Mow 2 acres with the X, use the tractor for grading, skidding, brush/tree collection, hogging and everything else on the remaining 38. Used the MMM three times over 18 years, look at it daily hanging from the wall.

Bottom line is because of frequent off road uses for the tractor, having a MMM deck installed is a no go. And it’s hard enough to install/remove that getting a dedicated mower was worth the cost. To me.

You may be different.

I'm assuming the non lawn portion of the 3.5 acres is wooded and or requires some sort of ground engagement, thus the need for a tractor?

 

[shooterdon]

I had a MMM for my old JD855. Just a PITA to take on and off and ended up using a Husqvarna 48" rider. Now, I am upgrading to a Bad Boy ZT. Maybe the new MMM's are easier to put on and take off, and in my case I do not want to keep a MMM installed all the time.

If you can keep the MMM on all time, should be OK. But it will still be a a hassle to change and sharpen blades. You can get a decent ZT for not much more than a MMM and it will cut grass and twice the speed.

 

[Diggin It]

I can't say mine is either easy or difficult to mount or dismount. Takes some getting used to. Ground clearance can be an issue.

One thing I didn't see mentioned above ---- some machines can only use either the MMM << OR >> a rear 3 point implement. They require you to remove one or the other. Others, like mine allow you to have both on and be able to use both.

 

[LittleBill21]

I can't say mine is either easy or difficult to mount or dismount. Takes some getting used to. Ground clearance can be an issue.

One thing I didn't see mentioned above ---- some machines can only use either the MMM << OR >> a rear 3 point implement. They require you to remove one or the other. Others, like mine allow you to have both on and be able to use both.

Yep,
Learned this after the fact, that i need to remove my backhoe to use my mower. Good Stuff (not)

 

[coldsteelva]

Every situation has a proper tool for the job. I started with an old Mitsu MT180D with a RFM and then bought a newer MF SCUT with MMM. If you had mostly level acreage and few slopes, then an easily unhooked RFM might be right for you. If you have slopes like I do, making those end turns with an RFM leads to tail-wags-dog types of issues. My MMM is a drive-over, so it isn't too awful to attach; attachment of the mid-driveshaft is the 'hard' part and if you are able to kneel down isn't terrible.

My drive-over MMM actually has caster wheels for setting the height (so I don't have to use the mid-mount cutting height selector) and the weight can stay on the ground/wheels and not the suspension/lift system. The smaller, light-duty MMM have anti-scalp only and do rely on the mid-mount height selector.

I did actually figure out that if I let my grass get too long, I can use the MMM at full up/lock and pull the RFM and run both PTOs simultaneously to get two cuts per pass. And I don't need a bush hog.

 

[Username Taken]

Did somebody mention MMM?

 

[Sonny580]

Both have good and bad points! mids are better since only the little front wheels mash grass down, BUT they are a problem to get the deck out to work on it. also cant mow close to anything.

with 3-pt mount the whole tractor runs the grass down, but you can back right up to something with them. Not really hard to put on or take off!
out fronts are the best of all mowers!

 

[Williy]

If you have level ground MMM might be OK but if you
don't could wreck the MMM! I think the people that really like the MMM's are the one's that don't remove
it and it stays on the tractor all the time as they don't do much else that they need to remove it. With a brush hog you can cut all the edges first this will enable you to just cut without the hassle of looking out for anything when you make a turn. It may take two passes around the edge to do this. Also you can back under a pine
tree where you will not get near it with a MMM as it will
tear up the tree. my two cents. I never cut grass etc
when its wet. Don't like the grass stuck to the deck!
Makes more work when you have to use a putty knife etc to clean the deck. Next you need to know if your
tractor will handle the MMM are all the hookups there?
The MMM's are a lot higher cost wise per a brush hog
If you don't have a canopy for your tractor you could get one for the difference in price??
I never used a MMM info is from others talking about
their units and some have no kind words for their MMM!

willy

 

[Username Taken]

I sold my MMM and went and bought a ZeroTurn. Not much difference in price. It's two more cylinders to feed and more maintenance but I don't want to slit my wrists after using it. And before. And during.

I'm a Vet so I got a $3k Husky from Lowes for $2700. So far, so good. Haven't seen it in 2 years. covid travel restrictions in Michigan kept me down here.

 

[Rdrcr]

Opinions follow, your situation may be different:

Buying a mower deck for my CUT was a very dumb thing to do. Wresting it on and off isn’t a whole lot of fun. Installed it pretty much limits work to graded/flat surfaces, else the probability of damage is high. Puppy wasn’t inexpensive either. From a cost standpoint, the hefty price paid for it would have gone a long way towards buying a quality standalone mower. If we’re not talking hills and dale, a stand alone mower could have been cheaper.

Pulling/installing the deck isn’t rocket science, but it is heavy, awkward to move into and out of position, and is fiddly to adjust. Maybe all that's changed with the drive over option. Once up and running, the quality of the cut is v good, better than my X500.

As mentioned, tooling around a yard with obstructions (trees, well, septic, house etc.) in a long vehicle require more operator attention. Can’t go under things with the tractor due to its height. Always thinking about ground compaction when traversing near the leach field. Industrial tires leave marks under certain conditions. Which is why I mow with the X and put up with the not so great cut.

Mow 2 acres with the X, use the tractor for grading, skidding, brush/tree collection, hogging and everything else on the remaining 38. Used the MMM three times over 18 years, look at it daily hanging from the wall.

Bottom line is because of frequent off road uses for the tractor, having a MMM deck installed is a no go. And it’s hard enough to install/remove that getting a dedicated mower was worth the cost. To me.

You may be different.

I'm assuming the non lawn portion of the 3.5 acres is wooded and or requires some sort of ground engagement, thus the need for a tractor?

Pretty much agreed.
For me, it was laziness (dealing with the hassle of removing and reinstalling the MMM) that lead to my 2 machine purchase, one tractor for mowing (B2601) and another for tractor work (L2501).

Having the MMM attached while attempting other work besides mowing, is just ridiculous. Ground clearance is greatly reduced and it makes any ground engagement work difficult at best. As mentioned before...and it's worth mentioning again...I hated removing and reinstalling the MMM.

I now know why most folks suggest a dedicated mower and a tractor. The combination of the two machines simply works, makes sense and makes life easier.
In my situation, however, with steep hills on my property, using my B2601 as my dedicated mower just made more sense than a Zero Turn or other options, especially with the diesel and 4WD. The B2601 with the 60" MMM does a great job mowing. I'm very happy with the cut quality of the MMM.

Mike

 

[Username Taken]

Pretty much agreed.
For me, it was laziness (dealing with the hassle of removing and reinstalling the MMM) that lead to my 2 machine purchase, one tractor for mowing (B2601) and another for tractor work (L2501).

Having the MMM attached while attempting other work besides mowing, is just ridiculous. Ground clearance is greatly reduced and it makes any ground engagement work difficult at best. As mentioned before...and it's worth mentioning again...I hated removing and reinstalling the MMM.

I now know why most folks suggest a dedicated mower and a tractor. The combination of the two machines simply works, makes sense and makes life easier.
In my situation, however, with steep hills on my property, using my B2601 as my dedicated mower just made more sense than a Zero Turn or other options, especially with the diesel and 4WD. The B2601 with the 60" MMM does a great job mowing. I'm very happy with the cut quality of the MMM.

Mike

My Zero Turn sticks like a tick on hills. Very little risk of overturn, IMO. If anything, it will slide when the grass is wet.

OTOH, if I were in a position to have a tractor dedicated solely to cutting the grass, I'd be a happy camper.

Now for somebody to invented a cupholder that doesn't allow your beer to foam up when trying to cut the grass. very annoying

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
My boss's new Bad Boy ZT just slips and slides trying to go up my hills. I'm sure if it had better tires it may work better.

Mike

 

[dodge man]

If someone needs a deck that’s off and on easy they really need to try a JD auto connect deck. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty close.

 

[4570Man]

^^^^
My boss's new Bad Boy ZT just slips and slides trying to go up my hills. I'm sure if it had better tires it may work better.

Mike

My ZT running AT101s will ride hills like a boss. I’ll run against any stock CUT tractor riding across hills. If I can’t mow it you need a ventrac or something built for the job.

 

[HP942]

Thanks for all the replies. I don’t have any problems mowing with my old JD1050 and my 6’ RFM. However, the Mrs. is indicating she’d like a smaller tractor that is easier for her to drive around. I don’t want to have a tractor and a lawn mower. I was thinking a smaller tractor with a MMM might be the ticket for her. I plan on keeping my RFM anyway.

 

[Milo]

I think it really depends on your uses. My property was 40 acres mostly wooded and my first tractor was a compact (Kubota B7500) with mmm, loader, and rear blade and I loved that set up. It probably got more hours mowing than anything else because it served as my lawn mower and did it very well. The mmm was easy enough to put on and off (concrete floor) and after done in the Fall I stored it upright rolling it around with mower deck axle wheels. Mower Deck Axles,Carrera,Cayman,John Deere,Kubota
I only put the loader on when needed, which was a 2 minute job, and most of the time when I did have the loader on, or using the rear blade on the driveway, the mmm was still attached because it raised up (where it could be pinned) high enough it still had decent ground clearance. For instance in the image I was moving a couple hundred 12' pine logs with the FEL and having the mmm on didn't interfere at all so I didn't bother removing it.
I actually used it with the deck raised all the way to mow my trails in the woods and a 2 acre meadow each Fall.

After acquiring additional property (woods and open) which involves mowing way more than I did (I have cut it back but it's still probably 4 acres regularly) I changed to a slightly heavier tractor plus a ZTR just for mowing.

There are advantages to having just one tractor with a mmm and other implements that you can do everything with.