What is the most recommended finish mower?

[jgayman]

Just curious what those of you with a lot of finish mower experience recommend? Woods? Land Pride? John Deere? Bush Hog? These are all brands I've been looking at. They all seem so similar and without any experience I'm not sure what the differentiators are.

I'm looking at a 60" mower to pull behind my 2720.

Thanks!

 

[chim]

Two 5-footers that I have experience with are a Landpride and a Caroni. Both side discharge. The Landpride went away a couple months ago with a B7500 it was on since new back in 2002. It cut and held up very well. For several years it mowed close to 7 acres. The Caroni is about 20 years old and looks like it wore out at least 10 years ago. It was stored outdoors for some period. Remarkably, with all the sorry-looking repair welds and bent wheel supports the darn thing mows great.

EDIT TO ADD: Had the dealer not given me a killer deal on a new 6-foot rear discharge Landpride I would have ordered a Caroni from Agri Supply. Also, at one time I was enthused with pneumatic tires on finish mowers. I have changed my mind and prefer solids after having flats and (yes - my fault) underinflated tires break their beads.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Whatever brand you select, I highly recommend rear discharge. Allows you to mow close on either side which, for me, makes a huge difference.

 

[Storm56]

Woods wil probably be the most recommended, although they are not the only quality player. Rear discharge has advantages for sure and it is what I own although the side discharge models give a more "polished" look.

 

[jgayman]

I definitely want a rear discharge. I was a little disappointed to see that Woods requires you to purchase the front anti-scalp wheel and rear chain guard separately.

 

[nicko]

I would also go with rear discharge. My 6' LandPride side discharge left ugly rows of debris, but gave a really good cut for the 15 yrs of use until the bahia took over. Went with Gator blades after the original set wore out, definite improvement over the originals. Using a flail now because of the bahia, really does a good job on that stuff.