Recommendations for a good mower with at least 72" deck?

[PRCWI]

That's not a bad idea. Who knows, you might end up with something like this ...
You'll buy it for the mower, and love it for the loader.

Nice, I have a skid steer though so loader is not a huge need. Though you can never get too much of a good thing :laughing:

 

[airbiscuit]

Nice, I have a skid steer though so loader is not a huge need. Though you can never get too much of a good thing :laughing:

Oh ya I missed that. A Bobcat 753 is a nice machine. I had a 642 gas, which was fun, but I was finding I wasn't flexible enough to keep it maintained (they sure put some things in nearly unaccessible locations).

 

[PRCWI]

Well was able to get another mow in this weekend. Second time over the large area went much better than the first time. Fresh set of blades on the mower and the shorter and dryer grass made for a much better cut and I was able to get into 3rd gear vs. second gear. While the cut wasn't perfect it was still very good and went quite a bit quicker.

I still want a bigger mower but budget wise I think we are going to wait a year and save up to get a newer mower. After riding on the mower for 5 hours yesterday I am thinking a ferris because our ground while mostly flat has lots of little bumps and undulations and my back is definately sore today, so that 4 wheel suspension is looking VERY tempting. :laughing:

 

[boggen]

an extra pull behind off set mower with engine. if you are cutting open fields. it can reduce mowing time. by providing an extra deck per say, beyond deck current attached to regular mower / tractor / zero turn.
Swisher 5" Mower
Swisher finishing lawn mower

trying to push to the "ultra wide" 72" plus mower decks were it is a single deck = SCALPING the dirt, even a little bit of 1/2" difference if that, will cause the deck to bounce up and down at different corners, causing uneven cuts, and more so scalping.

when you start getting up there in width, most manufactures will start going with "multiple decks", to reduce scalping, and create a more even cut.

then you get up into "gang" mowers. were they offer 3 or more decks. stay away from "reel" mower gangs. they do not really handle tall grass very well.

allis chalmers CA tractor with narrow front end (think three wheeler almost), 1954 tractor 20hp gas, she an old tractor, and about 7 acres to mow. but she goes through tall and thin grass like crazy, granted i have a lot of hills, wet spots and dry spots. and the R1 rear tires can be needed at times. it has 59 inch deck on it. 4 gears, and if possible tend to mow in 3rd gear. which is around i want to say 5 MPH. the over all ground speed is a must, also the old tractor does not give you the "vibration effect", smaller riding lawn mowers you hope on them for a couple hours, then got off, and feels like your body still vibrating. it has its issues, and you need to keep up on pre-maintenance on it. but other wise runs nicely.

the difference between the old allis chalmers ca, vs a riding lawn mower at local stores. = 2 riding lawn mowers = one old allis. as far as time amount in mowing. that is ground speed, plus HP to keep the blades spinning and gong faster at the higher ground speed in taller grass.

when you get into small size zero turn mowers, the decks may not lift up as high, and may not have enough HP to keep them going resulting in more "half passes" (mowing only half the deck width) when grass gets a bit to tall. granted it is the same for smaller size ridling lawn mowers as well.

 

[TSO]

I used to own a Ford 72" Front mower, CM272. Was a great machine. Bought it off Craigslist, put a little money in it, used it for 1.5 years, then sold it. It's similar to the Front-Deck JD units you referred to.

I now cut (owned for 3-4 years) with a Hustler Super Z diesel 66" zero turn. Both mowers cut at about the same speed in a straight line, but the Hustler mows circles around the Ford Front mower when you consider direction changes and moves around objects.

The front mowers are great, and if the price is right i wouldn't say no to one... But having said that, i wouldn't give up my Super Z!

Good advice here about finding a good entry level commercial zero turn. Even a 52" zero turn will cut your 2-3 acres in under an hour.

Good luck!

 

[PRCWI]

Update, for now we decided to do quantity over size. I have 3 kids who are big enough to mow so I got on Craig's list and found a nice John Deere LA145 with a 48" deck and only 160 hours on it. Got it for $600 cash and it is a very nice mower. I can turn two kids loose or myself and one of the kids and we have 86" of mower deck running and that works fine

I even found the manual online for free!

 

[airbiscuit]

That is a fine plan. Will also serve as training for the Compact Tractor you will eventually buy.

 

[Deere Dude]

The price seems alright. Now that you are off the hook I would still look around for 935s and 1135s JD front mount. They are cheap enough and are like riding Cadillacs across the lawn.

 

[PRCWI]

The price seems alright. Now that you are off the hook I would still look around for 935s and 1135s JD front mount. They are cheap enough and are like riding Cadillacs across the lawn.

Definately will be looking for a front mounted mower over the next couple of years, we have lots of trees on our smaller lawns and I want the zero turn capability. We'll be saving up and probably sell our Toro Wheel Horse and trade up either next year or the year after.

Once you go hydrostatic you never want to go back. :laughing:

 

[pmsmechanic]

The price seems alright. Now that you are off the hook I would still look around for 935s and 1135s JD front mount. They are cheap enough and are like riding Cadillacs across the lawn.

My F935 didn't ride like a Cadilac until I put 24x12x12 tires on it. What an improvement!