Smoothing rough pasture w/deep wheel-ruts

dmccarty · Feb 8, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

Richard,

I have NOT used the 4700 to mow a lawn. Heck I don't even have a lawn to mow!

BUT, one of my "hopes" is that my ground is hard enough so that I can use the 4700 with some sort of a 3PH finish mower on whatever lawn I end up with. I don't like to mow so I don't like grass. My house has lots of raised beds to cut down on mowing. I can mow my front and back yard in under 30 minutes and I have a decent size lot.

However I think the property we will build on will have more grass for a variety of reasons.

When I test drove the 4700 at the dealer I REALLY tried to tear up their grass. I had read about the MFWD scuffing problems so I tried the 4700 in 4WD and very tight turns. The tight turns would scuf up the grass abit. But I was really trying to do this and if it was my lawn I certainly would not have had MFWD engaged nor would I have to turn as tight as I was.

With normal turns and 2WD I did not scuff/tear their grass. The only thing that REALLY messed up the grass was buy moving forward at a good clip and then PowerReversing. I did not realize I should not be doing that kinda of direction change. And I ended up buying that tractor....

The dealer has the same hard clay soil I have so I think the results will be the same. His ground was dry as well. From what I can see on the house site, if the dirt is reasonably dry I could mow with out tearing up the soil with the R1s. So I THINK I'll be able to mow the lawn.

I'll have to do more experiments once I'm living on the land and have a lawn before I spend the dollars to get the finish mower but I think it will work on my place. Its going to be very site specific and maybe grass specific.

Hope this helps. I hope someone who has tried this answers.....
Dan

Bird · Feb 8, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

Sounds like my place, Dan. I don't have a "lawn" but I have a big yard, so I'm mowing it with a 60 rear discharge finish mower behind my B2710 with Ag tires. Can't hurt it when it's dry, and what tracks I might leave if it's wet are not enough to worry about./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

dmccarty · Feb 8, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

Hey Bird,

Does your finish mower cut grass as good as a lawn mower? I know darn well I want to use the 4700 to mow and not a lawn mower. My mower is on its last legs and I'm just hoping it lasts long enough to get to the property and find out that a finish mower will work. Then it can die.

Thanks...
Dan StuckAtWorkAndNOTHappyAboutIT McCarty

Bird · Feb 8, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

Dan, I'm using a Bush Hog RDTH60 finish mower and, yes, it mows as well as the 38" Cub Cadet riding mower I had before, and I liked the Cub Cadet. I guess you can get some windrowing with almost any mower, but this rear discharge mower doesn't windrow as much as the Cadet did because it was a right discharge.

Bird

BillinECIN · Feb 9, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

I have no experience yet, since I just got the TC45D, but I sure plan to mow about a 5 acre yard with it and a 72" finish mower. I have been doing this with a Ford 4000 with ag tires. No problems as long as the ground isn't too soft. TC45D is about 1500# lighter than the 4000 and has R-4 tires that should be easier on the yard than the ag tires. Finish mower does a great job, with very little windrowing unless grass is real wet or real tall. I'm pleased.

Bill

cowboydoc · Feb 9, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

I used to have about a 2 acre lawn but when I fenced the pastures I put most of it into pasture. I only have about a half acre of lawn now and lots of trees and landscaping. I can see if you didn't have trees landscaping, fences, etc. that it would work but I have to have my rider. Also it would be pretty hard to even turn mine around and there are alot of places I wouldn't even be able to touch with the tractor. I'd just keep those things in mind when you build your house Dan. I think if you planned for it you could probably do it with the tractor and mower. I think the price of a 6 foot finish mower is around $2500 and for my uses I'd rather have the rider and the tractor.

markcg2000 · Feb 9, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

My 10hp, 42"-cut lawn mower died the same week I took delivery on my 790 w/turf tires (talk about "lucky", eh?). I'd never considered a JD lawn mower before, but after the experience with the 790, I headed right back to my JD dealer.

I was again extremely lucky; he'd just taken in on trade a 60" midmount deck from a 790! Normally $2,500, I got it one season old for $1,800. The reason for the low re-sale value is that these decks are pretty model-specific... long as I was going to take it off his hands, he was happy. I would not have considered mowing with such a big tractor normally, but the cost of the deck was about half the cost of the riders I was looking at. I was absolutely amazed at how nice the job turned out.

My rider had been a 4-wheel steer, but even so, the 790 was fine. No way I would want to use a 3PH finish mower. I have just enough maneuvering required that it would have been a real pain.

mark

Anonymous Poster · Feb 11, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

Dan,
I used a friend's KingKutter 6' finish mower... absolutely "top shelf" quality! He paid $995. @ Quality Farm & Country.

http://www.kingkutter.com/Mowers.asp

Anonymous Poster · Feb 11, 2001

Re:garden tractor vs compact

Dan,

A friend built his "dream house" and needed a mower to cover his 10+ acre lawn (LAWN... not field!). He already had two JD riding lawn mowers, but didn't want to be perpetually mowing his lawn around the clock.

I helped him get a Befco Bat-Wing mower. First we ordered a 15', then some grounds people from a golf course recommended the 12' to reduce scalloping because of his rolling hills and man-made ponds.

He has a large compact Massey Ferguson 1165 (like a JD4600) pull this monster. All in all, about 6600 lbs rolling over his lawn... very impressive... very fast. Yes, it looks like a "golf course".

http://www.befco.com/products/cyclone/flex.html

M. Sullivan · Feb 11, 2001

The Kubota diesel will last more than twice as long as a gas engine if maintained properly. Have had Honda, JD, Sears......nothing compares to the life I've seen from Kubota diesels around here. 1/2A garden is not small. If you plan to work it every year you will be thankful you got a compact. Just like the compact tractor the implements will have multiples of life compared to those of a garden tractor (haven't seen garden tractor ones that I would even consider buying). Plus, a lot of good used compact implements are out there, just have to look and wait: Got a 36" old Howard tiller and a 5' hog for $250 last summer--right place at the right time......

Resale % of Kubota compacts are far higher than any gas units I've seen as well. Good luck.