leonz
Super Member
TIA for any advice on this one.
This fall I sold my Kubota B7500 and all the attachments, and bought a L5740cab for the same price as I sold the B for. The 5740 just needed the cab top repaired (Foam + Bondo + liquid seal worked great BTW) and it has alot more hrs. than the B7500. Anywho the whole idea behind the trade is I can cut down on my time with snow removal and mowing with some larger implements and more hp. I love the L5740, and I hope I can keep it running forever. I have a winter setup ready for Dec-April now I need a summer setup for mowing.
The non-forested part of the property is 5% lawn, 80% field, and 20% orchard aprox 9ac total. The B7500 had a 54" finish mower for the lawn and field (Mow about every 2 weeks) and an 42" hog for the orchard (I would mow ~3x a year). Just the lawn and field took about 3.5 hrs with the 54" finish mower.
Looking ahead I would like the least time spent changing belts, repairs, etc. and spend as little as I can while still cutting down on my mowing time. Tires on the 5740 are turf so they are about 80" outside to outside. I really like the idea of only 1 mower needed, which is why I'm thinking of the flail (like the woodmax 96H). But I don't like the thought of 1. Picking it up every time I need to turn/backup 2. Watching the Messicks video of Neil with a stick stuck and hearing it eat up the belts and took 2hrs to dislodge. 3. Maintaining and replacing knives sounds like a pain. I like the idea of they hydraulic shift getting around the trees sounds awesome. I also like the idea of the mulched grass breaking down and feeding the soil quicker.
The only other thought I can think of is getting a grooming and hog again. Something like the Caroni 93" and a cheap hog for the orchard? I really love the thought of the dual spindle 8' cutter with hydraulic shift, but those are crazy expensive. Any thoughts are appreciated.
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My advice to you is call every John Deere dealer east of the Missisippi and north of Tennessee and ask if they have a used JD290 or JD390 flail mower with side slicer knives IN GOOD CONDITION for sale and do not look back.
I would also start looking in tractor house for new or used land pride flailmowers for sale.
You can mow in reverse and not damage the turf as long as you have it set up correctly and they are not that hard to take care of as long as you read and listen to the owners of these fine mowers.
Once you get it down to a 2 inch height you will be able to mow quickly and recut the clippings so they dissolve quickly too.
Shipping it to a local John Deere dealer would not be that hard either.