why do I need a finish mower if I have a rotary?

bebop86 · Sep 21, 2013

I am looking at getting a rotary mower- do I then need a finish mower to have it look like when I mow with my garden tractor or can the rotary accomplish both>>- thanks

yelbike · Sep 21, 2013

If your using your rough cut mower for only lighter duties, I'd just get rid of it and buy a decent quality finishing mower. Nicer cut. I used my farm king mowers as rough cut mowers until I was able to reclaim my yard. Now I use mostly my ztr.

jeff9366 · Sep 21, 2013

If you reserve a new rotary cutter just for cutting grass it will give quite a good cut.

If you use rotary cutter to cut brush and saplings the blade(s) will round pretty quickly. With a rounded blade it will still cut brush and saplings fine, but the cut on grass will be rough and uneven relative to a finish mower.

Rotary cutters have blunt blades edges to flay/bludgeon brush and saplings.

Finish mower should be maintained with SHARP edges to smoothly cut turf.

The standard of cut is subjective.

SSdoxie · Sep 21, 2013

I use my rough cut mower on the lawn occasionally when rains are too frequent so grass gets to long and heavy to use the lawn mower without getting clumping. Problem I run into is not able to cut very short/low to ground. With the deck setting on the ground the blade height is still a good 2" high, and sliding the deck on the ground scuffs the yard. Run at full PTO rpm and travel slow to get more blade rotation, it does a decent looking job just not as shart as I normally mow.

LD1 · Sep 21, 2013

The answer all depends on how you want your finished lawn to look. But the short answer NO.

A rotary cutter does a terrible job on the lawn. No anti-scalp rollers, leaves an uneven cut unless the yard is flat, cannot get real close to stuff, side plates dig in when turning, etc.

Why are you wanting the rotary mower?? Is your yard overgrown?? Are you trying to reclaim a field that hasnt been mowed in a year?? or are you just wanting something to do the existing lawn and not sure if you need a RC or RFM??

gwdixon · Sep 21, 2013

Have you considered a flail mower? They can make a grass field look like a golf course with the proper finish blades.

A finish flail mower can also handle moderately tall grass if that is an issue. However, it is not designed for brush, saplings, bushes, and the like. Wet grass taller than about 2' can get wound up in the bearing area with the finish blades.

Flail mowers are expensive but have distinct advantages. For the price of a rotary and a rotary finish you might be able to get a flail mower.

There are many, many threads on the subject. Check at the bottom of this page for "Similar Threads".