Hi...

2 1/2+ acres to mow... flat... few obstacles... 25 PTO HP compact tractor... mow every three weeks or more... 6-8" tall sometinmes 24"... wet or dry... previous hay field... gotta' mow when I'm there... it's out-of-state... go there for the weekend...

Looking for advice/opinions/knowledge of 3-point-hitch rear-discharge finish mower decks... got prices on Deere/Frontier... Woods... Landpride... so far... have not seen any of 'em...

Some are "residential" use... more $$$ for non-residential... I like to over-buy and under-use... if the price difference isn't too much...

I'll guess they are fairly similar in performance... but wonder on price differences...

Residential...   Landpride     Woods      Deere/Frontier(made by Woods)

Model

$$$        ...out of time !

Dave...

Howse Finish Mower

King Kutter

Bush Hog

They all look like they are designed very similar. Which is tougher, better, I don't know? I do that Bush Hog has been around for a 55 years and make about high performance sub compact implements. 2 year warranty, 7 gauge steel deck, heavy duty gear box.

Bush Hog® A Company With A Reputation You Can Count On Farmers; ranchers; homeowners; country residents; contractors; commercial turf, landscape, and lawn care professionals rely on Bush Hog® for products and service they can count on. To them Bush Hog means rugged, dependable products and quality dealer service. It's no accident. Bush Hog began as a product with a reputation and grew into a company with a reputation.

The Famous Bush Hog® Rotary Cutter The Bush Hog story begins in 1950 with the invention of the world's most successful rotary cutter. Invented by farmers seeking rugged performance, the new rotary cutter quickly proved itself across the continent. It became a legend and so did the other products Bush Hog introduced for the agriculture, country resident, homeowner, contractor, commercial turf, landscape, and lawn care markets. Every one of them designed and built to be Bush Hog tough. Among people who get things done in rugged conditions, in places far from service or in limited time, the words Bush Hog came to mean ruggedness, dependability and customer service. Bush Hog products for agriculture, homeowners, contractors, turf/landscape professionals and country living Today the Bush Hog brand stands for 14 rugged products lines backed up by a continent-wide dealer network, strategically located parts warehouses and Bush Hog's Parts Fast® service which ships 97% of parts on the same day they are ordered. Bush Hog rotary cutters, front end loaders, disc mowers, rotary tillers, backhoes, blades, post hole diggers, utility vehicles, ATVs, High Performance Sub Compact Implements, Zero Turn Riders, landscape rakes, pluggers, pulverizers all have one thing in common--they are all Bush Hogs. Bush Hog People Bush Hog employees and dealers know what it takes to build and service rugged, productive equipment. Many grew up using Bush Hog products on the farm, maintaining lawns or putting in landscaping. Bush Hog dealers know Bush Hog equipment and parts. Bush Hog sales representatives go the extra mile to help more than 3,000 dealers serve customers. Bush Hog engineers build in Bush Hog tough features such as the high capacity fan that keeps dust out of the sealed CVT housing on the Bush Hog Utility Vehicles. Bush Hog manufacturing employees build to high quality standards. Many Bush Hog employees have more than 25 years of service. Many service personnel can instantly identify parts for 30-year-old machines over the phone. Bush Hog facilities It takes modern equipment and facilities to produce rugged products. Bush Hog has both. The Bush Hog Research and Development Center employees applied years of research to the design of the Bush Hog utility vehicle to produce a ride that is more than 49% smoother than a leading competitor. Bush Hog's loader manufacturing center in Tennessee is one of the most modern loader plant in the world. Sophisticated numerical controlled machines, just in time inventory, modern management practices and good old-fashioned work ethics and pride are behind every Bush Hog product

Dave,
Do you need new?
Lots of used stuff around us.

Thanks...

Yeah... new for this one... will visit 2-3 tracttor dealers today to see what's on their lots... it's Sunday so they'll be closed...

Dave...

HI...

Visited 3 dealers today... saw the Landpride FDR1672... (Rear discharge 72" cut)... not impressed with the deck thickness/rigidity... $2225 w/ front-center anti-scalp roller...

The Woods RD72 (Rear discharge 72" cut) is $1800 w/ nose roller (dealer I bought Kubota from) and seems to have better specs... not seen yet... recently at least...

These are "residential" grade decks... the commercial grade jumps $550 on the Woods to $2350 and Landpride by $800 to $3025...

The Deere Frontier "commercial" is ~~$2900...

By time I'd spend $3000+ on a "commercial" 3-pt-hitch deck... I'll be considering Zero-turn residential  or commercial grade mowers at $5000 - $7500... these prices get crazy fast !

I've all but ruled out new garden tractors... up to $8500 for a Deere w/ 54-60" deck...

Maybe I'll find a good-condition Z-turn for a decent price... saw a used Gravely today... no price...

I enjoy the search for the best-fit OPE for me... !  I bet you folks to do... at least some of you !

Dave...

Dave, 

Back in my landscaping days we had a Woods finish mower, 6ft., rear discharge that we used quite a lot.  I was impressed with its cut, even and fairly high speed. It was very durable. It really needed nothing but maintenance in the 4 years that I worked with it. (It was probably 3-4 years old when I joined the company).

I look forward to hearing about your buying considerations, Dave.

Dave___in___CT wrote:
Check out Rhino brand also, they build a good cutter.
Be sure to check the horsepower requirements of the impliment, 25 hp is pretty marginal for a 6 foot cutter. 5 foot would probably be a better choice behind 25 hp. particularly in taller grass. ive tried both 5 and 6 foot behind 30 hp & the 6 foot  in thick heavy cutting conditions was too much mower for the 30 hp tractor. i'd have to shift way down from 5th gear (on a 10 speed transmission) to 3rd or sometimes even 2nd gear.  then consider too if you have wheel weights/or fluid in the tires, or 4wd that you use in some places, thats going to require more hp also.  basicly what you'll find is a tradeoff of cutting speed vs cutting width & even with the 5 ft cutter you may actually realize less mowing time than with a 6 ft because you can maintain a consistant mowing speed rather than having to slow down under heavy cutting conditions.
And just an FYI, ive found through use, bush hog brand cutting decks (at least in rotary cutters)  take more horsepower than some of the other brands,  i have 3 decks, all 5 foot, a bushhog, a ford and a rhino and behind  my 30  tractor the bush hog brand cutter i have to run 1 gear lower to maintain consistant pto rpm.  (4th gear vs 5th gear for the ford or rhino cutters under the same conditions) with the bush hog brand behind my 50+ hp tractor i can pull all of them in the same gear (4th with an 8 speed tranny) but the bush hog just "pulls" harder. Although all 3 cutting decks do give the same quality cut theres just something about the design of the bush hog brand gearbox that it takes more horsepower to turn. consequently when we mow (around 25 acres) using both tractors, the rhino goes behind the 30 hp & the bush hog behind the 50 hp.

Thanks for your valued input guys...

Emmo... I checked out a used (30 hours use) Woods RD7200 rear-discharge finish mower deck 2 days ago... 6-foot cut...  very good price & condition... about $950 less than new at $1,400 vs. $2,350 + sales tax... ...my concern is the tractor's tire tracks preceeding the mower deck on tall wettish grass being a real potential mowing issue causing me to re-cut.... comments ???

Tractor is 30hp engine... 25+ hp PTO... will still need a small or my old Gravely tractor to trim...can take less than a full cut to maintain ground speed if needed...

Also kicked the tires on A 3-year-old commerciral zero-turn Gravely PM Z260 with Pec-Co bagger with it's own 6hp engine... Gravely has only 60 hours on it... hydraulic deck lift... 1-homeowner use...  $5,000... value about $10,000 new... this mower would do it all... don't really need the $1,500-$2,000 bagger system... but he won't seperate it... machine was never cleaned so it didn't "twinkle" this buyer's eye...

A new Z-turn is my dream... and this used one will last my life's use... but it's a lotta' $$$ !!!

Today... I called both guys and said I'm not buyin' now...

Now... you guys got me re-thinkin' the whole thing... there's more considerations to this story too... like future employment...

It's a lot easier when someone else tells you what to do !     What do I do ? (heeee....  heeee... ) 

1) Do nothing... keep mowin' w/ the '82 Gravely 60" cut garden tractor...  ???  zero cost (now)... least fun as I have nothin' "new"...

2) Get the Woods commercial 3-point-hitch wider 72" cut deck... and trim w/ the Gravely... ???  %1,400 cost... save mowin' time...

3) Get the Gravely Z-turn w/ un-needed bagging system... $5,000 cost... minus sell old Gravelyl ($1,000?)... $4,000 net cost... save most mowing time... have the most fun ! drop the bank account big-time... $2,600 more than the Woods deck...

Life has too many options at times... but it keeps the mind thinkin' !

Dave...

Dave___in___CT wrote:
Dave,

We used this just as it was intended, a 6 ft. lawnmower.  We cut when it was dry, or we didn't cut. (Wanting to achieve a nice finished look).  We used it on large commercial lots and large church yards.  If it had rained or was heavy with dew, we waited until it dried out.  We used either our old 8N or a 30+ HP Kubota to power it. They both did just fine with it.

Not having any heavy wet experience with it, sorry I can't be of more help.

On our farm  we had a Woods rotary cutter that we used to mow along side our lane (3/4 of a mile long) and also used it along the creek banks and other rough terrain areas of the farm. Now this was the beast that would tackle anything, wet., dry or six foot high. Maybe you don't really want a finish mower but a bush hog type mower. Just depends on how tall and thick your field/yard is as well as how manicured you want it to look when you are done.

HTH.

If it was me, I would wait until future employment was established before I went and spent a bunch of money. But only you know what you have to deal with.

Thanks...

I mow out-of-state... and mow whatever the grass conditions are when I get there for the weekend... damp... dry... wet... tall... whatever...

I agree Marshall... that's why I'm  hesitant about a purchase right now... my current work contract has two months to go...  but I'm expecting a job offer from a consulting company any time now... may not be a good offer... may be great... may not take it either way since that jobs require a commitment to travel 100% of the time to the client's site... anywhere in the US... it will depend on all the relavant details and of course... the $$$...    ...may not be able to mow if I'm away all the time... !

Dave...

Hi again...

Update...

Got and accepted the full-time job offer... possibly travel 100% on a week-to-week basis...   didn't start yet... August 1st... think this one was "meant" for me... will see... I hope it is !

Mower decision is still in the works... now with more possibilities for equipment...   Kubota BX2230 diesel sub-compact with 60" mid-mower... Kubota GR2100 diesel with 54" deck... rear 3-point finish mower... maybe just a rotarty 3-point cutter... ...and most unlikely... a Z-turn...

...and I need to find out how I might possibly get to VT to mow if I travel each week... while still keeping a good home life with my "girlfriend"...

...may have to hire the mowing out... and loose my quality seat time !  ...while spending $$$ on that instead of new OPE !    

Maybe... I'll just "hay" the lot twice a year... ?

Dave...

Dave___in___CT wrote:
Congratulations Dave.

Can you muddle through this season until you have a better idea of what kind of time you will have?

It really seems like a lot of machines get stolen from vacation homes. Even with the insurance it must be a PITA. My uncle used to buy stuff brand new, hit it with a hammer a bunch of times, and spray paint it real ugly. Them he could just leave it in an unlocked, open pole barn.

If you are willing to travel 100% of the time and you are even half competent, they should kiss your feet and pay you a bunch of money. Just buy a place at the beach, and skip the mowing.

Great to hear you are getting a job you look forward to.  I would have the equipment on hand to hay, and some to mow when you need to.  It depends on your situation.  Something will work out.  

Dave, I am very happy to hear that! Good things come to good people and you fit the bill! 

Hmm, Looking for somebody to House Sit up in VT..

And excersise the tractor.....

Interesting and good tips robmints !

Thanks guys...

MM.. no house to sit... but a small self-contained camper is there.. complete with cooler and grill !  ...and yeah... two tractors to have fun with !

Yeah... will wait to see where I'll be on the 1st assignment before buying anything... there's a chance it will be in CT commutable from home !

Doing research... analysis and thinking now... The Gravely can finish out the season... and probably 10 more... just got the "new OPE" bug...

Dave...

Hey DAVE, maybe we should have a Campout in VT, all the New England members can pitch tents out in your Field, drink beer, and have tractor races

LOL, that could be mighty interesting.............

Sounds like something that needs to be brought into action.   

MM...

Sounds good to me !

Races will have to be with mower's running... might as well get the lot cut !   Maybe a competition for best "striping effects"... 

I'll be there this weekend from early Friday afternoon...

Need directions ?

Dave...

Dave___in___CT wrote:

Unfortunatly, My work rotation starts on Friday, till Tuesday night.

But we should do some sort of Central get together before winter sets in. I figure that theres at least 6 of us in New england, and we could find a location for a Dinner, Or Campout, or whatever.

Maybe we should start a thread for this

Any kind of get together sounds fine ...

Dave...

Update...

Bought a used (35 hours on it)... Woods brand RD7200 72" cut rear discharge mower deck for a 3-point-hitch hookup... a heavy duty mower...

Loaded it into my pickup bed this Friday... drove to my lot in VT... spent ~~3 hours hookin' it to the tractor and adjusting... and finally mowed mostly dry grass Saturday 2pm...

Deck weighs 650+ pounds... tractor didn't even know it was there... cuts nice !   ~2 1/2 acres cut in 2+ hours at 3.2 MPH... like riddin' in a Cady... tractor cab kept me outta' the sun... power steering... fan... sweet !       ...trimmed with the vintage Gravely that still amazes me...

Now... my research turns to a smaller-cut (44" - 48") lawn tractor for the trimming work...

Anyone interested in a vintage Gravely garden tractor with a 5-foot mower deck ? Rebuilt V-twin... shaft mower deck drive... 8 forward speeds... Hi-Low range... tank-like build... ...hydraulic deck lift... Equivalent new (any brand) machine is about $10,000...   Asking $1,300... model KT199 Professional (?)...

It's in VT... but can transport to MA & CT & western NY...

Dave...

I just saw a Gravley like yours going down the road today in a trailer.  How did you get the deck off the truck? 

Hi AJ...

Seller had a 1-ton hoist hung from a tree branch to load into the pickup bed... took an hour...

Loaded in nicely... with the longer part of the deck supported by the top of the side bedrail... the other end against the bed and wheel well... strapped it in front-to-back...

Unloading... hooked 2 binder chains to the mower deck... and onto the compact tractor's loader bucket... and lifted it off.. 5 minutes... 1-person job !

Luckily... the loader had enough reach to get over the deck before the tractor contacted the side of the truck... with about 1 foot to spare...  and... just about enough clearance to the tractor's front to lower it to the ground...

Dave...

Dave___in___CT wrote:

Welcome back Dave.

My Neighbor across street mows 5+ Acres of lawn and Christmass trees. He stoped using Lawn- Garden tractors, because the Blades and spindles were always damaged by Roots, stumps and rocks. He has been using Gravely comercial walk behinds for many years now, with only a ocasional damaged blade.

Do you have any obstacles that may get hit?? I know the Northern Tool catalog usually has a tow behind rough cut mower that is made for tougher tawn trimming.

Actually, I have a HOT DEAL on a 48" walk behind, just needs some TLC. 

LOL! 

Now wait, Marty has golden hands.  

"Do you have any obstacles that may get hit?? "

Only new ones that haven't been hit before...

Dave...

Sounded like a close job.    Good luck with that mowing, I'm sure it will be a blast when a few guys come around.