What would you buy for mowing only??

[Jeff56]

My LX172 is still going strong after 17 years. I just bought a new mower because the old one does need some work but the engine is still in excellent condition and so is the transaxle. Mainly I had a chance to get a good deal on a 4WS model and I jumped on it rather than spending the money to fix the niggling little things on my old one like new tires, a new deck, a new hood, a new seat, and other things like that. I doubt my 172 will survive for another 17 years so I bought a new one. I will be able to get a pretty good price out of the old one, I'm sure.

The new 4WS mower will cut my yard in about half the time because I have lots of obstacles and the X324 handles them like a charm.

 

[charleyfarmall]

I would want diesel, aws, awd. Not many choices out there unless you get a sub compact. So likely an X749 for mowing only. I just went through the decision process and ended up with a 2720. Once I got up to the price range of the 749, I decided to spend more and get more capability. That's just me, and lawn for the sake of lawn isn't my thing. I'd rather grow food or turn animals out on it.

 

[jenkinsph]

I bought an x749 with rear pto and 3PH, this allows me to rake, mow and use a spin spreader to apply top dressings. Works great around trees, stable on slopes and is fast.

The x324 is another good choice but lower in capacity and will take more time.

 

[Gator6x4]

My yard is not super smooth enough to mow at 8-10 mph with a Zero Turn. I have never seen a lawn that was super smooth large enough to require the use of a riding mower or zero turn to mow. I use a John Deere X495 for mowing and it will shake you when going at a fast speed. I tried a zero turn and did not see a reduction in mowing time. The shake factor was also in my opinion greater on the zero turn. The X495 also has differential lock which aides on hills. The zero turn liked to free wheel coming down hills. The X495 maintains the same speed, uphill - downhill. I have also found that mowing between 3-4 mph gives a much better cut and leaves the lawn looking better, so the ability to mow at 8-10 mph may be a good sales talking point but I personally know very few people that ever try mowing at that speed. I have never seen anyone on a golf course trying to mow at 8-10 mph and they cut a lot of grass. The Lawn/Garden units also have the flexibilty of other uses beside mowing.

 

[leonz]

I have a compact tractor with a rear finish mower, a loader and other attachments. I have a lot of acres, some level, rolling sloping and various obsticals like trees, bushes, pond, buildings and landscaping.

It is very slow and time consuming to mow, especially with all the trees. The tractor and finish mower is becoming a pain. Our small riding mower seems better, but I'm a bigger guy and like to feel stable on inclines and uneven terrain.

What would be the best tool? A rider, a zero or a front mount mower?

I hear zero's aren't stable and lack traction, the front mount mower seems as big as my tractor so is a better rider a better choice?

I like the thought of AWS, it looks fast and effortless. Do I need 4 WD?

What is the difference between the X500- all terrain and the X700?

What would you buy?

My only other potential use may be a snow blower, but otherwise I need the best tool to mower faster and better.

Thanks for any help and thoughts.

==========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

No you dont need four wheel drive,


you should invest having your tires fluid filled and
purchase a rear mounted flailmower like the Sicma brand from
Ken Sweet you will be much better off and you can sell
the finish mower as you will have no use for it anymore.

The three point hitch flailmower is shorter than a finish mower,
consumes less energy and cuts better because of the "Verticut method"
which employs a high speed rotor which carries the knives and slices the grass rather than tearing it like a finish mower and cuts all the grass and leaves and shreds the leaves very well leaving little residue because the leaves and gras are chopped so finely.

The entire width of the flailmower is cutting at all times versus
half the blade width of your rear finish mower.

And if you have very high grass you can mow it with the flail mower
and it will continue to shred the grass and leaves if you need more than one pass, where a rotary finish mower will simply pick it up and throw it around rather than shred it some more as a flail mower will.

If you need to mow areas of wet grass its no issue with a flailmower
as it will do it with no hesitation and by keeping the grass and brush close to the sod you will limit the ability of the invasives to create a foot hold as well and grass seeding will become a joy when you do it in late in the fall as you will have great sod to mow.


The flailmower hood does not collect grass clippings like a finish mower as the flail motor rotor slices and carries the grass or brush over the rotor and throws it back down on the ground.

The other great thing is that the flailmower will not throw missiles like a finish mower will either as it is a very safe mower to use around pedestrians and animals.



Get you tires loaded with rim guard or windshield washer fluid
and buy a Sicma flailmower from Ken Sweet and by doing so you will
be spending less money and supporting a fine sponsor of this
forum as well.

The other thing is if you trade in your current mule eventually you can keep
the Sicma flail mower and install it on the new one with zero modifications and no money lost in trades.:thumbsup:

 

[ding2520]

I have a Woods RD72 behind my JD 2520, I also have an old JD 175 hydro. There are areas in my yard that can't be mowed by the 2520, so I have to still have a smaller rig for those. That being said, I love the "rear discharge" of the Woods. I can mow in any direction and don't have to worry about windrowing the clippings. Our church's Kubota is in for repairs, the dealer doing the repairs rented us a JD zero turn while ours is getting repaired. I mowed with it a couple of different times since last Thursday. It does a great job mowing, but my mind is still in the "garden tractor" mowing mode and I don't think that it saved me a lot of time over mowing with the Kubota. It did loose traction in areas that the rider hasn't. Both the Kubota and the zero turn have 54" decks. If you are at all like me, you can make do with whatever you have to use. I am a bigger guy, and getting on and off the zero turn wasn't easy. Keep us informed of your final decision.

 

[ding2520]

I just read my last reply and evidently because I put garden tractor in quotes Cub Cadet tied a link to my note. I am in no way suggesting that you buy a Cub. I wouldn't.

 

[js5020]

Here is my choice,,,,

 

[gonegreen]

Here is my choice,,,,

An X300 and a Dachshund (that will eat anything the John Deere doesn't).

I agree!

 

[sgoldste01]

Here is my choice,,,,

The OP said that he has "lots of acres", some hills, and might want to use this machine to blow snow. I think most folks here (and any dealer worth anything) would tell you that your needs are too much for an X300 series tractor.

I'm glad you like your X300R, but I doubt it would serve the OP's needs very well.