What finish mower to buy?

[tdogg]

I've been using an RCF2072 rotary cutter behind my L4760, and it works great. However, I would like to get a more finished look in the fields. My property is uneven, and steep.
Has anyone had experience with the FDR25 or FDR16 series finish mowers? What are the differences between the two?
Should I stay in the 72 inch range, or go up or down?
Thanks!

 

[KennysNewFarm]

Things to consider. The wider the cut the easier it will be to scalp if working with uneven ground. Also looking at finish mowers keep in mind the depth of the deck itself. If you are cutting as much as your lawn it wouldn’t be an issue but if your planning on waiting until the grass is tall you will want to consider a deep deck or you will not be happy. Rear discharge is the only thing I see on the model choices you chose that I liked. But it is just my opinion.

 

[chim]

For a larger area, I'd stick with at least a 6 footer. I've been using a Landpride 1672 since 2012. Going from a 5 foot to a 6 foot RFM and a few more horses reduced the mowing time more than the ratio of the deck widths. I can do 3-1/2 acres with the 6 footer on the L3200 in the same time it took me to do 2-1/4 acres with the 5 footer on the B7500. If the radar shows a storm approaching, the current combo can do about 20 mintes per acre. The normal pace is slower than that so the equipment doesn't take a beating. Here's a post I made on another board about 4 years ago:

I've had three RFM's. The first was a 5' (OK, 59") Caroni that is around and is about 22 years old. It still works very well. It's light and doesn't take much of a tractor to run it. The mower was bought new a couple years after we built here in '89. Still have the mower and the Ford 1210 I bought it for back then. The deck was abused and welded back together a number of times.

Next up was a 5' Landpride AT1560(?). It was a side discharge and quite a bit heavier than the Caroni. My B7500 handled it well, but it handled the Ford 1210 - even with a pair of suitcase weights on the front. Too heavy for a smaller tractor. Did a great job UNLESS I didn't mow frequently enough. Then it tended to make little green windrows.

Now I'm using a 6' Landpride FDR1672 rear discharge. This is my second mowing season with it and it's my favorite now. Even when my schedule interferes with mowing and the grass gets a little longer than it should before cutting, it does a nice job. Last month things went haywire and the grass was WAY taller than it should have been. I nailed it quickly one evening and it didn't turn out too well. Next night I hit it again and it looked great.

 

[rjcorazza]

With a 4760 I would be looking at at least an 84” finish mower. The 25 series appears about 100lbs heavier, with a larger gear box than the same width 16 series. I don’t have a land pride mower though.
My 84” Befco finish mower does fine on the fields I mow, even old uneven farm fields. Unless your area has ridges, gullies, humps, etc, I doubt the larger width is going to cause scalping.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[BAP]

Have you considered a flail mower? They leave a nice cut but are more forgiving than a finish mower on rougher terrain as far as hit obstacles.

 

[SDT]

Things to consider. The wider the cut the easier it will be to scalp if working with uneven ground. Also looking at finish mowers keep in mind the depth of the deck itself. If you are cutting as much as your lawn it wouldn’t be an issue but if your planning on waiting until the grass is tall you will want to consider a deep deck or you will not be happy. Rear discharge is the only thing I see on the model choices you chose that I liked. But it is just my opinion.

Bingo, Kenny. This factor is considered only by the experienced when folks shop for mowers.

Mowers need grass clearance (the distance between the blades and the deck) to clear well when cutting heavy cover. This is even more important with a finish mower than a rough cut mower.

Inexpensive mowers and most suspended decks compromise on grass clearance for multiple reasons.

Insufficient grass clearance for conditions will require that one reduce ground speed significantly and/or mow twice in different directions to achieve a decent cut.

SDT

 

[SDT]

I've been using an RCF2072 rotary cutter behind my L4760, and it works great. However, I would like to get a more finished look in the fields. My property is uneven, and steep.
Has anyone had experience with the FDR25 or FDR16 series finish mowers? What are the differences between the two?
Should I stay in the 72 inch range, or go up or down?
Thanks!

There's good advice above.

As I'm sure you know, the RCF is a rough cut (bush hog type) mower while the FDR series are finish mowers, designed to give a better, "finished" cut.

Finish mowers are not designed for rough, "uneven" terrain and will not hold up well if used thereon. That said, some are more robust than others, but none are rough cut mowers. Only you know how rough and "uneven" your property is. If you decide to buy a finish mower, I would advise that you keep your RCF2072 for awhile until you are certain that your finish mower is going to hold up when used on your property.

Finally, your L4760 has enough power to pull a 6' or 7' finish mower in conditions for which the mower is designed. Yes, I would buy only a rear discharge finish mower.

SDT

Finally,