Finish Mower for B2650?

[VT_Kubota]

I plan to purchase a 5' rear-mounted finish mower for my B2650. This will be used for mowing my lawn and a small pasture, about 3 acres in total. I had considered both a 3-point hitch unit and a MMM, but for my property, a 3-point hitch mower is more suitable than a MMM. I do not intend to use it as a brush hog.

There are dealers in my area for a few brands of finish mowers, so I do have a good selection available locally. According to the spec sheets, there isn't much difference between Land Pride, Bush Hog, and Woods. What do you recommend based on your experience? Is any one brand considered to be of better quality than the others?

 

[old and tired]

Most people have one or the other... comparing is pretty hard to do. I have a 72" rear discharge bush hog (I got 23 PTO Hp)... It's built like a tank.

 

[bird dogger]

I use a Bush Hog RDTH60 behind the B2650. Works great for me!!

 

[VT_Kubota]

Most people have one or the other... comparing is pretty hard to do. I have a 72" rear discharge bush hog (I got 23 PTO Hp)... It's built like a tank.

Comparing is hard because it seems like there isn't much difference between the brands.

 

[VT_Kubota]

I use a Bush Hog RDTH60 behind the B2650. Works great for me!!

I thought the Brush Hog looked like a very solid machine!

 

[bird dogger]

I thought the Brush Hog looked like a very solid machine!

You're right. It is just like "old and tired" said...built like a tank. Maybe not much different than the other brands either. If I remember right....at the time....I think the Bush Hog brand had more "tip speed" on the mower blades than the others that were available locally in our area. I use a high lift set of blades and it does a great job for my needs. I use it for the yard, the road ditches, and have even mowed down the 3 acre sweet corn patch with it. Nothing smells as nice as mowing down a large sweet corn patch, but clean up is a chore afterwards!

 

[old and tired]

I only rough cut my 12 acre field once a year, in the dead of winter. Then I follow up and with the finishing mower that same area and it looks great and is not over stressing the finishing mower that way.

 

[GeoHorn]

Interest in Finish Mowers have fallen slightly because of the popularity of Zero-Turn mowers that are usually faster, smaller, lighter, and can get into tighter places. This has favorably affected the price/availability of finish mowers.
I bought an import and it works very nicely and although a spindle bearing seized the next year they promptly sent another under the 2-year warranty, and included two new belts and blade as Extras.
Betstco.com https://betstco.com/finish-mower-fh-fm/

Did I mention it’s ORANGE?

 

[bird dogger]

A feature the Bush Hog RDTH has that we didn't find on the others at the time is the "floating top and lower link hookups". They're a little hard to see in this brochure: bushhog_finishingmowerstridecks_10152017.pdf
That feature really makes hooking up and unhooking a breeze besides letting the mower float a bit if you have some uneven terrain in areas. If you're going to be mowing ditches or any areas that have dips and/or small rises.....this feature really shines. The dealer pointed that out at the time of purchase and he was right. In the end, they all cut grass. It's nice to find the one that best fits your particular situations.

 

[VT_Kubota]

A feature the Bush Hog RDTH has that we didn't find on the others at the time is the "floating top and lower link hookups". They're a little hard to see in this brochure: bushhog_finishingmowerstridecks_10152017.pdf
That feature really makes hooking up and unhooking a breeze besides letting the mower float a bit if you have some uneven terrain in areas. If you're going to be mowing ditches or any areas that have dips and/or small rises.....this feature really shines. The dealer pointed that out at the time of purchase and he was right. In the end, they all cut grass. It's nice to find the one that best fits your particular situations.

I'll have to look for that floating link feature. My land is ALL uneven terrain!

 

[VT_Kubota]

Interest in Finish Mowers have fallen slightly because of the popularity of Zero-Turn mowers that are usually faster, smaller, lighter, and can get into tighter places. This has favorably affected the price/availability of finish mowers.
I bought an import and it works very nicely and although a spindle bearing seized the next year they promptly sent another under the 2-year warranty, and included two new belts and blade as Extras.
Betstco.com https://betstco.com/finish-mower-fh-fm/

Did I mention it’s ORANGE?

It seems like zero turns are quite popular now. I would rather have one piece of equipment that I can use for many things rather than a specialized machine that is only used for one job. In the end, any choice is ultimately a compromise as there isn't one perfect solution.

Thanks for the link and the suggestion. Matching orange is a definite bonus! I'll check it out.

 

[old and tired]

I don't ever hook up my top link... I just drag the mower behind. Yes, the two lift arms on the mower have a few inches of travel, as well as your 3ph floats, too. Allows for some side to side float.

 

[VT_Kubota]

I only rough cut my 12 acre field once a year, in the dead of winter. Then I follow up and with the finishing mower that same area and it looks great and is not over stressing the finishing mower that way.

The animals I have keep my small pasture somewhat short, so I plan to cut it once a month or so at the highest mower setting. That should be often enough to cut down on weeds going to seed and keep it looking nice, while still giving my critters plenty to eat.

The only attachment I could use on my pasture in the dead of winter would be a snowblower!

 

[VT_Kubota]

I don't ever hook up my top link... I just drag the mower behind. Yes, the two lift arms on the mower have a few inches of travel, as well as your 3ph floats, too. Allows for some side to side float.

Neil from Messick's posted a YouTube video about doing that a few days ago!

Video Link: Rotary cutter adjustments. Improving mower float.

 

[Henro]

I plan to purchase a 5' rear-mounted finish mower for my B2650. This will be used for mowing my lawn and a small pasture, about 3 acres in total. I had considered both a 3-point hitch unit and a MMM, but for my property, a 3-point hitch mower is more suitable than a MMM. I do not intend to use it as a brush hog.

There are dealers in my area for a few brands of finish mowers, so I do have a good selection available locally. According to the spec sheets, there isn't much difference between Land Pride, Bush Hog, and Woods. What do you recommend based on your experience? Is any one brand considered to be of better quality than the others?

What I found in my case that the RFM was nice and did its job well, but it was a nightmare cutting close to and around things...

Curious why a MMM would not work in your case. After a year I traded my RFM in towards a BX with MMM. Initially the RFM was on my B2910.

For my needs I like the MMM better. I cut about five acres of short weeds that look like a lawn...

 

[bird dogger]

It seems like zero turns are quite popular now. I would rather have one piece of equipment that I can use for many things rather than a specialized machine that is only used for one job. In the end, any choice is ultimately a compromise as there isn't one perfect solution.

Thanks for the link and the suggestion. Matching orange is a definite bonus! I'll check it out.

Less to maintain is definitely a bonus. When I ordered the RDTH60 they asked me what color I wanted it. At the time I only had my JD750. Had I known that it would be behind the Kubota just a year or two later....it would have been Kubota orange. Being able to predict the future would've helped in a couple of other areas, too!!

 

[VT_Kubota]

What I found in my case that the RFM was nice and did its job well, but it was a nightmare cutting close to and around things...

Curious why a MMM would not work in your case. After a year I traded my RFM in towards a BX with MMM. Initially the RFM was on my B2910.

For my needs I like the MMM better. I cut about five acres of short weeds that look like a lawn...

The RFM is better for me primarily because I want to be able to use the loader without the mower. Due to having some physical issues, removing a mower from the 3-point hitch is a lot easier and faster for me than removing a MMM.

I also have some fence corners and other hilly and difficult to access areas where backing into them to mow would reduce hand trimming as compared to using a MMM. My lawn is open with no trees, and I have very few obstacles to mow around, so I'm less concerned about cutting close to objects than what you and many others might be.

There seem to be a few people who have started with one type of finish mower and then changed to the other as you did. I've seen it happen both ways. Sometimes it's hard to know what works best until you've actually tried it on your own property, but for my application, I feel that the RFM makes the most sense.

 

[Botabart]

I plan to purchase a 5' rear-mounted finish mower for my B2650. This will be used for mowing my lawn and a small pasture, about 3 acres in total. I had considered both a 3-point hitch unit and a MMM, but for my property, a 3-point hitch mower is more suitable than a MMM. I do not intend to use it as a brush hog.

There are dealers in my area for a few brands of finish mowers, so I do have a good selection available locally. According to the spec sheets, there isn't much difference between Land Pride, Bush Hog, and Woods. What do you recommend based on your experience? Is any one brand considered to be of better quality than the others?
[/QUOTE.
I mow my lawn with a land pride behind my L2501. It does a nicer job than anything I've ever mowed with. Rear discharge is so much better.

 

[Deuce]

I have a Woods PRD7200 (72") I use behind my B2650. Depending on your terrain you may want to consider a 72" since you said its relatively object free. You'll save yourself a lot of time and the machine has enough power to run it fine (a 72" mid mount was an option for the 2650).
As others have said, the floating attachment points are a great feature to have and allow allow mower to follow the ground nicely for a good even cut.

Some other features to consider when shopping are:
Tapered spindle bearings (provide much longer life and strength than standard ball bearings)
Blade tip speed (higher speed usually gives a better cut... look at the blade speeds scag and exmark mowers are spinning)
Reinforced deck edge (drastically reduces the chance of bending your deck edge)
Anti scalp center roller (keeps the center of wider mowers from doing some grading)
Solid deck wheels (I'll never go back to pneumatic after having solid on my prd)
Deck depth (deeper decks usually provide a better vacuum and are able to handle taller grass while still offering a quality cut)
Discharge baffling (keeps rear discharge clippings better dispersed otherwise the discharge will favor the direction of rotation [ie: left side for a clockwise spinning blade when looking top down])

Hope this helps. Going rfm I feel is the best so your tractor stays a tractor and not primarily a lawn mower due to ease of implement attachment/removal.

 

[VT_Kubota]

I have a Woods PRD7200 (72") I use behind my B2650. Depending on your terrain you may want to consider a 72" since you said its relatively object free. You'll save yourself a lot of time and the machine has enough power to run it fine (a 72" mid mount was an option for the 2650).
As others have said, the floating attachment points are a great feature to have and allow allow mower to follow the ground nicely for a good even cut.

Some other features to consider when shopping are:
Tapered spindle bearings (provide much longer life and strength than standard ball bearings)
Blade tip speed (higher speed usually gives a better cut... look at the blade speeds scag and exmark mowers are spinning)
Reinforced deck edge (drastically reduces the chance of bending your deck edge)
Anti scalp center roller (keeps the center of wider mowers from doing some grading)
Solid deck wheels (I'll never go back to pneumatic after having solid on my prd)
Deck depth (deeper decks usually provide a better vacuum and are able to handle taller grass while still offering a quality cut)
Discharge baffling (keeps rear discharge clippings better dispersed otherwise the discharge will favor the direction of rotation [ie: left side for a clockwise spinning blade when looking top down])

Hope this helps. Going rfm I feel is the best so your tractor stays a tractor and not primarily a lawn mower due to ease of implement attachment/removal.

Thank you for your list of features to consider. That will certainly be a big help when I compare brands. The Kubota dealer nearest me sells Woods, in addition to Land Pride, so I'll check out the 72" the next time I'm there. I can see where a wider mower might save considerable time, but I'm not sure how the B2650 would handle the larger unit on my steep hills. It's something that I also have to take into consideration.