Rotary Cutter Rotary Cutter vs Finishing mower

[Dead Horse]

Virtually all bush hogs come with a disk mounted to the spindle head (stump jumper). I have had to "tune" mine up with a smoke wrench a few times over the decade I have used it. You hit enough rocks with it and eventually the ear holes the bolts go through tear off.

I have a JD MX 10 that I have replaced both spindles on over the years. THAT is a PIA job, and the spindles fail because the disks are actually too big. They bottom out on uneven turf and actually cause flex in the spindle...... Do that enough and they fail.

I second the motion about a 3pt finish mower. I have used a Kubota 60 in midmount on a 3710 HST for the last 9 years and I WISH I had gone with a 3pt instead. Two reasons, maneuverability and ease of install. The boys are right, when the mid mount is on the tractor is is near useless for anything else and it not simple to install / de-install.

Next mower I buy will be a 3pt, finish. I am finish moving around a LOT of apple trees and getting close with a mid mount is a pain. **** the self-powered-pull-behind-an-ATV mowers look a better option to me.

 

[herd]

DeadHorse, when you say "bottom out on uneven terrain" would that mean the same as the mowers scalping dirt mounds in an uneven field? So that could damage the unit if done too much, hm, wish I had seen that tip before yesterday morning.

 

[Ken45101]

The boys are right, when the mid mount is on the tractor is is near useless for anything else and it not simple to install / de-install.

LOL. I have a 9 year old B2710 that I have never taken the mmm deck off of. I do occassionally use it for other things such as landscape rake or tiller.

Next mower I buy will be a 3pt, finish. I am finish moving around a LOT of apple trees and getting close with a mid mount is a pain. **** the self-powered-pull-behind-an-ATV mowers look a better option to me.

I have the tow behind DR mower and it has been a disappointment. (Their walk behind DR is a great machine, but a lot of work.) I think you will find that a tow behind would have terrible maneuverability around your apple trees.

Ken

 

[whistlepig]

DeadHorse, when you say "bottom out on uneven terrain" would that mean the same as the mowers scalping dirt mounds in an uneven field? So that could damage the unit if done too much, hm, wish I had seen that tip before yesterday morning.

A rotary mower with a stump jumper will disintegrate concrete blocks, throw used tires 50 feet, mulch ground hogs, gnaw off gas meters, and suck up a hundred pounds of barbed wire and never miss a beat. They can turn a set of bed springs in to a mass of metal about the size of a basketball in a couple of seconds. These wonderful possibilities are not achievable with a finish mower. A finish mower will stall the tractor (or worse). Most of the better made finish mowers these days won't bend a spindle. They will turn the blade in to a pretzel or break the blade and the spindle not bend. I've bent some spindles many years ago. But only on a bargain brand mower.

 

[Ken45101]

A rotary mower with a stump jumper will disintegrate concrete blocks, throw used tires 50 feet, mulch ground hogs, gnaw off gas meters, and suck up a hundred pounds of barbed wire and never miss a beat. They can turn a set of bed springs in to a mass of metal about the size of a basketball in a couple of seconds.

Gosh, I'm glad I live a safe distance (about 100 miles) from you! With those experiences, have you considered cleaning out the field before you mow it? LOL

Ken

 

[whistlepig]

I did commercial brush hogging mowing for a few years. Mostly vacant lots for realtors. The houses around threw what junk they didn't want in to the vacant lot. When the weeds are up to your eyeballs you can't see what you are mowing. You just listen. It did teach me how ruff and tuff tractors and brush hogs are. I never broke anything on the brush hog (shear bolt protected). I did have to untangle a lot of messes off of the stump jumper and blades. I have popped many a hundred beer bottles under my rear tires (R1's) and never had a flat.

 

[Ken45101]

Ouch! Sounds like more appropriate territory for a tracked machine and blade (e.g. bulldozer)!

 

[LBrown59]

The other thing is that a finish mower needs less power so you can run a larger mower. With 7.5 acres of finish grass I would want the largest mower my tractor would handle.

MarkV

Or tackle it with both of these at once.

 

[wolc123]

I would definitely avoid flail mowers (maintenence nightmears), mid-mount finish-mowers (make tractor useless for other jobs), and heavy-duty rotary mowers (too rough of a cut) for your task. It is a tough call between a light-duty rotary mower and a rear finish mower (RFM). The RFM will give you a marginally neater and wider cut than a light duty rotary mower. But, a good light duty rotary mower (like a Bush-Hog squealler) will do a suprisingly good job of mowing grass if the blades are kept sharp. Sharpening blades is a 5 minute job with an angle grinder. It will also do the job if you let things go up to (2) years too long. A good, light-duty rotary mower will provide amost as much lift as a finish mower, while a heavy duty-one provides very little.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Thanks to all. The comments were both educational and entertaining. I'll probably try to get a 4' or possibly 5' finishing mower for my JD 790. I have a small Zero Turn Ex Mark (48"), and it does fine. I am worried about wearing it out with all this grass I have, this is the reason I'm thinking about a finishing mower. Besides it would be more relaxing riding the tractor than the Ex Mark.

Eddie