Mowing with a B2910 ---

[HunterdonPaul]

Howdy All -

Here is my current problem... I have a wife out of work so since the extra income isn't there I no longer want to pay to have my lawn mowed ($80 per week). I have just under 3 acres of grass to mow. I have a small lawn tractor that is very old and tired and frankly I am tired of putting money into it. I am giving it to my father in law who has lots of time to tinker.

So my choices seem to be -

[1] buy a mid/rear mount mower for my B2910 - perhaps 84"

or

[2] buy a JD, Symplicity or other high quality mower - perhaps 42" or 48"

My budget is $3500. I have some reservations of letting my wife mow with the B2910. I won't let my 10 year old drive the Kubota. I am guessing my 10 year old can drive a small lawn tractor. It seems that mowing time would be a whole lot less with an 84" cut rather than a 42" or 48" cut.

Any advice would be appreciated..


Thanks in advance -

BTW - any software engineering positions in western NJ or eastern PA? I have a very intelligent "wiz-kid" wife who would like to program all of your embedded software needs /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I would buy a RMM for the Kubota. I have a B2910 and they are great for mowing. If you buy another lawn mower or something than you have to store it and maintenance it. The RMM is the way to go. You can have one for less than 2000.00. I would not go any bigger than 72" though. That is what Kubota recommends. As long as you buy a named brand like Befco, Woods, or Bush Hog you won't have any problems.

 

[Bird]

I agree with TractorTeen, don't think I'd go bigger than a 72" rear finish mower. I used a 60" Bush Hog brand RDTH60 behind my B2710. It cost $1.695 new in '99, and of course you can buy some other brands even cheaper. It sure does beat the riding mower for comfort and speed in getting the job done.

 

[BobinCols]

I'm like everyone else, a 84" is way to large a RMM and a 72" might be too big if you buy a quality built mower like a Woods or Landpride. A 72" Woods rear discharge mower will make the front end light on a 2910 because of the mower's sheer weight hanging on the back without weights on the front of the tractor. If I had to have a 72" mower on a 2910, I would get Kubota's MMM. I would still definitely get a mower for the 2910 before I would purchase a lawn tractor.

 

[frank_f15]

$80 /WK = $320 /MO. FOR THAT FOR ONE SEASO U COULD GET A RFM FOR THE (oops) 2910 and a small gt that the wife and son could handel.

 

[chrisjbell]

<font color="blue"> I have some reservations of letting my wife mow with the B2910. I won't let my 10 year old drive the Kubota. I am guessing my 10 year old can drive a small lawn tractor. </font>

I'm in the same boat as you on this position. A B2910 is not a lawn mower - it is a general purpose tractor. It *can* mow, and in the hands of an experienced operator it can do a great job. But for less experience folks (especially a 10 year old) it can be a receipe for disaster - something that big can cause all kinds of damage if it isn't used correctly.

If you were the one to be doing the mowing (or Bird or TractorTeen /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) then the rear deck would probably be the way to go. But if it were me, I'd choose a smaller riding mower and let my kid do the work /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. I wouldn't worry much about a 10 year old on a riding mower, but on a larger tractor...let the kid get some seat time on a smaller unit and with some more experience move up to the big boys.

I use a JD lawn tractor for most of my mowing. The larger Kubota is for other stuff. The larger deck you could get for the B2910 would certainly cut down on the time it takes to mow...but spending time on a tractor is good for the soul and if you are out of work (like me /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif - and your wife, and hopefully your kid /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif) that is time well spent.

Save yourself a few bucks and get a $2Kish lawn tractor. Can't have too many tractors, right /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif?

Anyway, my thoughts, for what it is worth...

 

[HunterdonPaul]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm still trying to decide. Meanwhile the grass is growing...

 

[Bayrat]

I have mowed with lawn tractor, garden tractor and several brands of compact tractor as well as my old Cub Lo-boy. I would not put an unsupervised ten year old on a mowing machine of any sort, they do not have the experience or the fear/respect of the machine necessary to operate safely. Any one of them can chop a foot off, even a hand mower is dangerous.

I started my sons at around 13 with the hand mower and watched them mow to ensure they were following safety guidelines. They gradually progressed to riding mower status.

I use a 2910 with a belly mower due to the trimming I have to do here. If you have open land, a rear mower is fine, easier to remove. Another option is to locate an old Cub or Farmall with a belly mower, they are always for sale around here in the $2500 range and you really can't hurt them, much sturdier than a Murry. The Lo-boy has a low center of gravity and wide front end, won't tip easily. My two cents.

 

[Von]

Get a 72" MMM for your B2910. Your wife has alot of time on her hands to learn how to drive the tractor and your son will not be 10 forever. In a few years he can cut the grass. Even if you have to do it this year, with a 72" cut it should only take about 1 1/2 hours to do it. Plus it will add to the resale value of the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif