what a good pto finish mower

[RoyJackson]

A Woods 72" or 84" mower would be a good choice....the 84' unit would be better IF the area is flat and even...and your tractor can handle a mower that size.
When I write flat and even...large mowers can span uneven areas (small depressions) or scalp a slight rise.

 

[5picker]

I've had good luck with my Woods rear discharge. I'm going on my 8th season and it still cuts and looks like the day I bought it. It was built to be used and I sure have. I've replaced the belt once but that's it.

On stuff 16" and over it tends to clump a bit but anything less than that and I can take a full swipe, at full speed.

 

[nikdfish]

Agrisupply in Garner has Coroni finish mowers & flail mowers. The rear discharge 59" finish mower goes for about $1350 & is for a 15-30 hp pto. The 59" flail mower goes for about $1750 & is for a 20-40 hp pto. They also have smaller (47") and larger (71" & 83") versions available.

I use the 59" Caroni rear discharge finish mower behind a John Deere 3038e and have been very happy with it. Agrisupply also has replacement parts in stock, which is nice.

You can check them out at Agrisupply.com

Nick

 

[clemsonfor]

Geeze again with the flail mower thing!!!


Anyway i use my uncles Bush hog fth720 behind my tractor. Its a side discharge 72" cut. I would get a rear discharge mower..in my opinion it will cut more effeciently as i think it takes less power to clear the cut grass clippings. The side discharge mower has to move all that grass from the left side of the mower over 6ft to clear on the right side. The bush hot rear discharge just pushes the grass out the back of the deck evenly.

 

[chim]

I've had three RFM's. The first was a 5' (OK, 59") Caroni that is around and is about 22 years old. It still works very well. It's light and doesn't take much of a tractor to run it. The mower was bought new a couple years after we built here in '89. Still have the mower and the Ford 1210 I bought it for back then. The deck was abused and welded back together a number of times.

Next up was a 5' Landpride AT1560(?). It was a side discharge and quite a bit heavier than the Caroni. My B7500 handled it well, but it handled the Ford 1210 - even with a pair of suitcase weights on the front. Too heavy for a smaller tractor. Did a great job UNLESS I didn't mow frequently enough. Then it tended to make little green windrows.

Now I'm using a 6' Landpride FDR1672 rear discharge. This is my second mowing season with it and it's my favorite now. Even when my schedule interferes with mowing and the grass gets a little longer than it should before cutting, it does a nice job. Last month things went haywire and the grass was WAY taller than it should have been. I nailed it quickly one evening and it didn't turn out too well. Next night I hit it again and it looked great.

 

[casvs]

I love my 1660 Landpride.Cut it often and it will look great. Also if you cut it often it don't take near as long.

 

[kco]

I have a 6 ft. rear-discharge Farm King which is likely 15 years old. I bought with a tractor 8 years ago and it looked very used then. I think it must have been one of the first ones (Farm King has been making them 15 years).

http://www.farm-king.com/Region-US/landscaping/finishing_mower/index.php

It has the front roller option. It does an excellent job over rolling terrain.

 

[nitroxn]

I bought a used Caroni RFM 59" rear discharge USED 8 years ago. I have no idea how old it was when I got it but nothing had any notable slop. I finally replaced the belts at the beginning of this season as a precaution. Other than greasing it several times per year I haven't touched it. I highly recommend REAR DISCHARGE. Less notable lines in the yard and less HP required to do the job.

One more tip...raise the front 3/4" higher that the rear. It cuts the top off the grass then the lower part of the blade making smaller clippings.

Which ever brand you choose look for a few things.

1. Spindle grease fittings. Ball bearing type ok....Tapered bearing type even better.
2. Wheel pivot grease fittings.
3. Wheel bearings in the wheels with grease fittings.
4. How easy are all the fittings to get to?

Curtis

 

[Mud Mechanik]

I use a 72 inch big bee, bought it new in 1998 and have used it every summer. The deck, blades, and bearing housings are very heavy built.....never had a problem in the 15 years that it has been in use.

 

[sixdogs]

I have a Woods 7 ft pull type rear mower and think it's an excellent mower. Rear discharge. It mows smooth, no clumping and good rear distribution, mows well into short radius corners and has good blades that stay sharp. Other brands for me have not worked as well. I'd bet, however that LandPride makes a good mower but I have no experience with that. Just my two cents here.

Let me add to my earlier post from--gasp--9 years ago.

My Woods 7' pull type mower is still going strong with zero problems. I do grease the wheels every time I mow and use JD Polyurea grease that is pretty sticky. I also grease the spindles several times a summer. I mow with a B7800 Kubota and both are always garaged.

I mow 2 1/2 acres and mow 26 or so times a summer and have never replaced a spindle or wheel hub. Same universal joints and they get greased every 8 hours, faithfully. I replaced the Kevlar drive belt once because I burned it up mowing the edges of a field when they were way too high. Had I not done that tall grass, I believe the original belt would be fine.I say this because the replacement is over 10 years old and looks perfect.

All good things end, however and I bought a grasshopper mower last year. I'm going to sell my Woods 7' mower but having a hard time letting go.