Recommendations for a finish mower?

[majorwager]

Check out the Woods 990. Great RFM, rear discharge.

The woods 90 inch is a fine mower, has swinging finish blades as I remember??, but may be too heavy for that tractor? Even though a linkage may lift an implement, the front end may be unstable even w/ a FEL
(Some folks remove FEL for mowing, I do not but lose the attachment).
The unit is also a bit pricey, I looked @ them when purchasing my Befco C-70. The Befco was $6500 back in 2012.
As an aside, why would mfg. rate the weight capacity greater than A safe front end balance?. All implements are not created =. Your box blade is heavy, but the front to rear distance is rather short. The Befco, & likely the woods, have a huge overhang. That cantilever makes a significant leverage difference. BTW. Your tractor would be ideal for the Woods 90 ".
As always, this post is opinion/experience & may not be applicable to any other viewer. YMMV YMMV YMMV

 

[michigander]

Saw this 15' on YouTube

 

[Captain13]

The woods 90 inch is a fine mower, has swinging finish blades as I remember??, but may be too heavy for that tractor? Even though a linkage may lift an implement, the front end may be unstable even w/ a FEL
(Some folks remove FEL for mowing, I do not but lose the attachment).
The unit is also a bit pricey, I looked @ them when purchasing my Befco C-70. The Befco was $6500 back in 2012.
As an aside, why would mfg. rate the weight capacity greater than A safe front end balance?. All implements are not created =. Your box blade is heavy, but the front to rear distance is rather short. The Befco, & likely the woods, have a huge overhang. That cantilever makes a significant leverage difference. BTW. Your tractor would be ideal for the Woods 90 ".
As always, this post is opinion/experience & may not be applicable to any other viewer. YMMV YMMV YMMV

You are right. I was thinking that the 990 had multiple widths like the PRD series.. I have the PRD8400 which they just discontinued. I really like it. The last Woods RFM 60 I had lasted over 20 years and I just sold it to my brother in law. Great mower. He may want to check out the TK series.

 

[WhatnxtBX]

I use a Swisher 60” FCM with my Bx and it works great. Off-set works for under the trees and gets into the slopping ditches, where the Bx can’t. Finish cut is the same as the Bx MMM. Use it to help cut 2 acres around the house and 4 acres of field.

 

[Velma]

I have the LP 1660 mower....very happy with it. The features I liked were rear discharge, HD build, solid tires, single belt, easy to change the belt as the gear box hangs from the framework (some mowers I understand you have to remove bolts to tip the gear box to get the belt to slip on), available mulching blades, grease fittings everywhere, quick remove covers...and of course it's orange . The blades are near 1/4" thick and the whole machine seems incredibly well built (and heavy). The blades spin at 18,000 fpm which is comparable to most ZT's and delivers an outstanding cut...noticeably the best I have had over a few riding mowers and a simplicity ZT. Paid $3k for it this year....would expect a 72" to be marginally more expensive.

I sold a simplicity zero turn when I got a tractor this year. Time wise I don't find it too different as I don't have a lot of trees to cut around or a large yard to mow. Straight line trimming around gardens and driveways are easy...if you have a ton of trees to trim around....you may consider a ZT. Doable with the RFM but will take some more time...then again, extra seat time on the tractor is not the end of the world either if you enjoy it.

Oh and nearly forgot...much harder to enjoy a beverage while running a ZT...

 

[D2Cat]

Check out some flails. I've got a 5', 6', 7' and use them all. I used the 7' yesterday to mow some grass/weeds that were as tall as the 7.50x16 tires on the front of the tractor and it mows nice.

 

[Popgadget]

I’ve got an Land Pride FDR3690 I use with an L6060. I also have a 60” Exmark Lazer. They are completely different machines, the Lazer is far more nimble and arguably faster. It is no where near as comfortable as the Grand L.

 

[mcmxi]

Good Works Tractors just put out a video on a really nice looking DelMerino 8 foot finish mower with a central grease manifold to hit all the bearings.

Courtney released the follow-up video this morning in which he uses the Del Morino XRM 235 Finish Mower. He demonstrated using the mower in some 3ft stuff too to see if it could substitute for a rotary cutter on occasion. I like his videos and the way he shows the products that he sells in real-world use. Kind of like Everything Attachments in that regard.

The XRM 235 sells for $4,470 but if you order now there's a 10% discount plus 5% off the next purchase. I'm impressed with the quality of the Del Morino Centurion Super 158 flail cutter that I bought from Goodworks Tractors. It's very well made for sure. If I were in need of a finish mower I'd be looking at Del Morino products as well as some other non-Chinese made contenders.

 

[BozenBota]

I went down that road recently when going to the lx from the BX. I also had mid mount mower as an option. Considerations for me were that a finish mower has a larger used market than a mmm (should I decide to go with a zero turn), and I wanted to stay with one machine. So far the LP 1660 has delivered a beautiful cut and hasn’t been too painful to mow our acre of grass. It’s more difficult to get consistent lines/rows with lots of obstacles (if certain aesthetics are a requirement). I am taking only slightly less time with the 60” RFM vs the 54” MMM on the BX so there’s an efficiency loss for sure. Because of floating linkages it might be more time consuming than you think to raise it up to clean, as top link mowing position for your yard may not provide the most lift. Also be aware that you probably won’t be able to lift the RFM with PTO engaged as the tilt in the floating linkages will cause the blades to contact the ground. Finally also note that — and I’m not a zero turn expert — that the cut of a deck that rides on the ground will be different than a deck that is suspended from the belly of a machine.

 

[Dieseldonato]

The woods 90 inch is a fine mower, has swinging finish blades as I remember??, but may be too heavy for that tractor? Even though a linkage may lift an implement, the front end may be unstable even w/ a FEL
(Some folks remove FEL for mowing, I do not but lose the attachment).
The unit is also a bit pricey, I looked @ them when purchasing my Befco C-70. The Befco was $6500 back in 2012.
As an aside, why would mfg. rate the weight capacity greater than A safe front end balance?. All implements are not created =. Your box blade is heavy, but the front to rear distance is rather short. The Befco, & likely the woods, have a huge overhang. That cantilever makes a significant leverage difference. BTW. Your tractor would be ideal for the Woods 90 ".
As always, this post is opinion/experience & may not be applicable to any other viewer. YMMV YMMV YMMV

Just like a rear impliment the front must have counter weight added when using a 3 point implement. Many seem to forget this, it used to be quite common to see a full rack of suit case weights hanging off the front of a tractor with a 3 bottom hanging off the back. It's no different then a balast box on the 3 point when doing loader work. I routinely add weight where I need it and take it off if I don't need it. Even on my little 582 cub cadet with its cat 0. When the mulboard plow goes on it gets the weight bracket and 100lbs of weight put up front. Keeps the front end planted. Just as I use weights on a rack for the 3pt for loader work.

 

[Vigo]

I watched that GWT video and was surprised he never mentioned lifting the mower when mowing the 3ft stuff with it. Honestly, considering that mowing any 3ft grass is going to look like a choppy sloppy mess afterwards whether you do it with a bush hog or a finish mower, the main difference is really the implement's ability to survive hitting the things you can't see in the tall grass. If one were to mow stuff that tall with the finish mower, I would probably lift it a foot or foot and a half on the first pass, and only put it on the ground when I could actually SEE what's on the ground. To me that's the only real caveat of mowing really tall grass with a finish mower, that it should be done in more than one pass, with patience.

Also be aware that you probably won’t be able to lift the RFM with PTO engaged as the tilt in the floating linkages will cause the blades to contact the ground.

I'm not sure what you're getting at there. If no part of the blades extends beyond the front of the deck, beyond the rear of the deck, or below the bottom of the deck, it's impossible for the blades to touch the ground before the deck itself contacts and stops the whole thing going any lower. Also, with wheels at all 4 corners extending the 'pivot points' further out from the actual deck, almost any tilting at all would RAISE all the blades away from the ground.

I think the only issue with raising the RFM with pto engaged has to do with the top link. If your top link is not parallel to your lower arms, it will tilt the implement as it goes up and down, which will make your u-joints slightly unhappy and COULD put you in a bind if your driveshaft is not able to compress/collapse by as much as the implement moves closer to the tractor. If the implement has some kind of non-rigid link to let the deck follow the ground contours, you would want to make sure it can't extend so far that it lets the rear of the implement droop severely when lifted as it would again make the u-joints unhappy and might let the driveshaft come apart if it can't extend that far.

I don't have much experience with RFMs but i have a 48" one I've run on my Kubota B6100/7100s and I've lifted it almost all the way up with the pto engaged without issue.

 

[bird dogger]

So far the LP 1660 has delivered a beautiful cut and hasn’t been too painful to mow our acre of grass. Also be aware that you probably won’t be able to lift the RFM with PTO engaged as the tilt in the floating linkages will cause the blades to contact the ground.

I'm curious about your statement above. I have a bush hog 60" finish mower (RDTH60) and so far it's physically impossible for the blades to strike the ground while lifting the mower. Or I haven't found the way to make that happen,........yet.

Have you had this happen with your mower?

 

[BozenBota]

I'm curious about your statement above. I have a bush hog 60" finish mower (RDTH60) and so far it's physically impossible for the blades to strike the ground while lifting the mower. Or I haven't found the way to make that happen,........yet.

Have you had this happen with your mower?

Short answer is no. It was something my dealer mentioned during the delivery walkthrough. So I’ve avoided the maneuver. But you’ve got me curious myself. The RDTH you mention does not have a flared rear discharge like the FDR1660, so the rear wheel sit closer on the RDTH — just spitballing. I’ll take a look and follow up here.

 

[chim]

Just a couple comments to add:

My Ford 1210 has a pair of small, what appear to be factory weights, on the front bumper. It lifts and carries a Caroni 5 foot RFM with no trouble. Back when I had a B7500 with a LandPride 5 footer I swapped the two decks for fun one day. The Kubota worked like it didn't know the Caroni deck was attached. The poor Ford had trouble keeping the front wheels on the ground and the mower pretty much handled the tractor.

No way the blades on any RFM I've seen can hit the ground by raising the deck - BUT I did have one occasion where the PTO shaft and deck met each other when I hadn't adjusted the linkage after running another implement on the 3PH.

It's possible to damage the universal joints on a PTO shaft by raising the deck while running if the adjustments allow more deflection at the joints than they're designed for.

And of course, PTO shaft length needs to such that it can't bind on full UP position.

 

[gatrs4u]

I have a Rhino FA613 that I bought from a local gentleman who switch to a Kubota Diesel Zero turn to mow his yard. I love mine its built like a Rhino and does my 6acres in cut to perfection.

 

[CGMKCM]

FWIW, I started out finish mowing about 4 acres per week using a 30 h.p. tractor and a 6' Bush Hog estate mower. After 1 season I had 200 hrs on the tractor from just mowing and another 100 hrs of general tractor use. It was a slow process mowing because of the backing and maneuvering required by the property configuration. I started wondering about why I am putting so many hours on a $15k tractor that rides rough, slow, hot (open cab), and rides rough.

I then purchased the ZD 323 for $8k. I mow the same acreage in less than 1/2 the time. Fuel economy, speed, comfort, maneuverability are all much better with the ZD. With the engine behind the operator it is much cooler than the tractor.

In my case it made sense to spend for a dedicated mower and keep the hours off of the more expensive tractor.

 

[RBsingl]

FWIW, I started out finish mowing about 4 acres per week using a 30 h.p. tractor ...

In my case it made sense to spend for a dedicated mower and keep the hours off of the more expensive tractor.

At the end of last month, I placed an order for a Kubota F2690 with a 72" deck for the same reason. I have a Deere 955 (33 HP compact) I bought in 1995 with a 72" midmount finish deck, 5' rear "rough cut" deck, loader, blade, and tiller. It does a good job on grass but I use the tractor for a lot and decided that putting a lot of hours on it as a mower doesn't make sense.

I have a lot of slopes, hills, and other land "features" on my 5.5 acres and the 4WD F2690 is a better fit for me than a zero turn, the Deere 955 is also 4WD. The Kubota dealer has the new F2690 in stock but it was ordered without a deck and the 72" rear discharge deck should arrive in early August. It probably won't be much faster than the Deere for mowing but it will be nice to have the mower out front to go under some fruit trees and I like the offset deck and overhang that will allow me to cut along a the edge of a sharp drop-off roadside ditch without have the tires riding right on the edge like a do with the 955.