Mid-Mount Mower Rear finish mower vs MMM?

[T185]

Looking forward to spring

I recently purchased a JD2520 with a FEL only with the intent on buying a mower at a later date...well that "later date" has arrived

I am having a hard time justifying spending $2500 on a MMM from JD since I only mow a little over acre and I have no experience with how a rear finish mower cuts.

Last June I purchased a 2305 which took me all of 20 minutes to mow my yard, unfortunately my tractor usage is 80% FEL, 20% mowing so I upgraded to the 2520 but now I am not sure on which mower to buy. My JD salesman suggested a used dedicated lawn mower but I am not really interested in having another piece of equipment to maintain, repair etc.

Will a rear mount mower give me the same qualily cut as a MMM?

I am looking a this brand NEW UNUSED CHASE 6' FINISH MOWER FOR TRACTORS 3 POINT - eBay (item 370023075373 end time Feb-20-08 17:54:20 PST) since I would be able to pick up the mower. Junk or not?

 

[virgil]

I personally do not like a MMM unless the tractor is used only for finish mowing. Perhaps your JD salesman and I have the same opinion....go get a zero turn machine.

A 3 point finish mower has some advantages over the MMM. Such as easer mantanence, instalatation, cost less, and rear discharge. I believe you get the same quality cut with both setups. A rear mounted mower is real easy to "slap" a tree, fence or building while turning...a real disavantage.

just my 2 cents worth.

 

[RalphVa]

A rear mount finish mower is probably only useful on a large lawn without many obstacles to maneuver around.

One in-between type you may want to consider is a flail mower. Think you can get one of these for less than $2500. They don't stick out so far and would be easier to maneuver around things. Just make sure you get one with the blades for fine mowing. They can be used for both fine and rough cut mowing but require different blades.

Ralph

 

[virgil]

yes, a flail mower is sure nice.

 

[thatguy]

The drive over mowers for the 2320/2520 are very, very easy to take on and off and store up out of the way with mower axles FWIW

brian

 

[Ductape]

I'm in a similar situation trying to decide which mower to purchase for my Kubota.

+ for rear mower

Cheaper
Does good job
Can keep it when you upgrade your tractor since it'll fit your future tractor


+ for belly mower

Easier to maneuver when mowing
Does a good job
Can be used with a rear collection unit (which is actually very important to me since i HATE raking leaves !!!)

 

[daBear]

In my never so humble opinion, this is a question without an answer and boils down to personal preference. There will not be a clear winner. The ZTR is of course outstanding, but with an outstanding price. I use a bush hog 72" rear finish on 3.5 acres, because a friend gave it to me for something he owed. Works good, but like they said you better watch the rear kick when you turn or you will mow down stuff. If the belly mower is easy on and easy off that is cheaper than a discount model riding mower and WAY below a quality ZTR. My personal opinion is if I were rich (not) a ZTR, if I had to buy it on my budget, a belly mower if it was easy on/off, otherwise a rear finish mower.

I am sure that does not help, but again it is your personal preference that counts.

 

[chh]

I would agree that it is a personal preference. I use a Rhino 60" finish mower and really like it. It does a nice job and is easy to put on and take off. I don't want a dedicated lawn mower, I have enough things to maintain without adding something else with an engine.

 

[Bird]

Personal preference? Absolutely. And for me, personally, no way I'd have a mid-mount mower except on a dedicated mowing machine. I used to have a Bush Hog 60" rear discharge, 3-point mower that I used behind my B2710 Kubota and I had the house, a brick parking area, a concrete slab parking area, my grapevines, garden, blackberry patch, barn, shop, 4 electric poles (one with a guy wire), and a bunch of trees to mow around. And I was very happy with that. Cost a great deal less than a mid-mount mower, can be used on different tractors, not just one specific make and model, quick and easy to hook up and unhook, can be lifted higher with the 3-point to clean the bottom or get to the blades to remove and sharpen them (blocked up, of course), easier to get to the grease fittings, can be backed under shrubs. That's about all the advantages I can think of.

As for the advantages of the mid-mount mower? You just look down instead of back to see how close you are to obstacles, and you can use a grass catcher if you wish. There may be others, but I can't think of any.

 

[daBear]

I forgot to add my personal preference is way toward the rear discharge finish mower I have. As often as I change attachments the belly mower would drive me nuts. (3 times yesterday while helping a neighbor turn a rock covered camper parking pad into a garden spot)

 

[Runner]

One other thing you should consider is the contour of your property. Is it flat and how many obstacles (trees, buildings, etc.)? I have a 2520 and have been running a 72 inch rear finish mower on it to mow 2 acres. My property is virtually all hills, some as steep as 20 degrees. I have wheel weights on the tractor, but it still has a hard time keeping enough traction on the hills and the rear mower drags it sideways and the machine spins the rear wheels when turning on the hills.

Running in four wheel drive pretty much solves the problem, but I don't think it's good for the tractor (or at least the front tires) to run in FWD constantly. Therefore, I just bit the bullet and bought a 62D MMM. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but my thought (hope) is that having the 300 lbs or so of that mower hanging from the bottom of the machine will solve the traction issues. Also, I think it will be more maneuverable in most situations, although I will miss being able to back under trees and into corners.

Incidentally, if you've done any searching about the 62D mower, you've found the threads regarding the front gauge wheels leaving "divots" in the grass. The unit I just bought has the "official" JD fix that is now shown in the parts diagrams on the JD website. This includes front gauge wheels with a round profile, instead of the square-shouldered ones like are on the rear. It also includes grease zerks on the wheel caster. Also, the new, round-shouldered wheels DO have grease zerks on their axles. See attached pic of the new setup.

Sorry I can't provide a direct comparison yet, but I will report back after I have a chance to use the new mower. Running a lighter rear finish mower might be another way to solve this problem. Best of luck in your decision.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm also a fan of the rear mount mowers. They do a fine job mowing, are (as others have written) easy to hook up and you can back under overhanging branches if you have any.
They are also considerably cheaper then a mid-mount mower.
I've had a 60" Befco for about 5 or 6 years. Other then greasing and replacing the belts once, it's been a very fine mower. I should go for a 72" mower (with my 790's PTO HP), but I can't justify spending the money when I have such an outstanding mower now.

 

[DK35vince]

I have both a rear mount mower and a MMM.
The quality of cut is equally good on both.
I prefer the rear mount mower. Much easier to install remove.

 

[keeney]

For me, the mid-mount is the way to go. Its not that bad to put on/off, and its not like you need it on the tractor more than once per week (less in the winter here in MN). Also, on my JD4100, the loader can be used with it on for quick chores (if you are not off-roading its fine).

For leaf-collection, mid-mount is a must.

I keep my trees trimmed up, so backing under them is not an issue.

- Rick

 

[zzvyb6]

I have both. Now I mostly use the rear mower because its easy-on easy-off
Advantage of the MMM is that I can hook on the Leaf/Grass vacuum to suck debris 72" at a time. IMHO the best mower is the MMM hooked up to the front loader brackets. I'm currently collecting parts to run a hyraulic drive on the MMM. This way, I can offset the mower deck to slide under my evergreen trees. I should still be able to run a discharge hose back to the vacuum, to.

 

[daBear]

I have both. Now I mostly use the rear mower because its easy-on easy-off
Advantage of the MMM is that I can hook on the Leaf/Grass vacuum to suck debris 72" at a time. IMHO the best mower is the MMM hooked up to the front loader brackets. I'm currently collecting parts to run a hyraulic drive on the MMM. This way, I can offset the mower deck to slide under my evergreen trees. I should still be able to run a discharge hose back to the vacuum, to.

Now that would be a blivit worth seeing.

 

[T185]

One other thing you should consider is the contour of your property. Is it flat and how many obstacles (trees, buildings, etc.)? I have a 2520 and have been running a 72 inch rear finish mower on it to mow 2 acres. My property is virtually all hills, some as steep as 20 degrees. I have wheel weights on the tractor, but it still has a hard time keeping enough traction on the hills and the rear mower drags it sideways and the machine spins the rear wheels when turning on the hills.

Running in four wheel drive pretty much solves the problem, but I don't think it's good for the tractor (or at least the front tires) to run in FWD constantly. Therefore, I just bit the bullet and bought a 62D MMM. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but my thought (hope) is that having the 300 lbs or so of that mower hanging from the bottom of the machine will solve the traction issues. Also, I think it will be more maneuverable in most situations, although I will miss being able to back under trees and into corners.

Incidentally, if you've done any searching about the 62D mower, you've found the threads regarding the front gauge wheels leaving "divots" in the grass. The unit I just bought has the "official" JD fix that is now shown in the parts diagrams on the JD website. This includes front gauge wheels with a round profile, instead of the square-shouldered ones like are on the rear. It also includes grease zerks on the wheel caster. Also, the new, round-shouldered wheels DO have grease zerks on their axles. See attached pic of the new setup.

Sorry I can't provide a direct comparison yet, but I will report back after I have a chance to use the new mower. Running a lighter rear finish mower might be another way to solve this problem. Best of luck in your decision.

My property is flat with no trees to mow under/around. With the difference in price it looks like I am leaning towards the RFM and using the saving towards a snow plow attachment

 

[loulblades]

When I bought my tractor a few years ago, I got the 60" 3pt. I liked the on/off ease of it but since my daughter was doing the grass cutting and she did not want to use the rear mount (she didn't like getting around the trees and other obstacles with it) I traded it for a 60" MMM.

After adding an oil filter cover it made it more difficult to get the MMM off/on (hooking up the PTO was the biggest issue) I traded the MMM for a Simplicity mower.

I will say it is my personal preference to have the rear mount though and will be buying one in the near future to be used on some property a good distance from my residence. I'll haul the tractor but leave the mower there.

If you add a rear mount you might need to add some ballast to the front (i.e. loaded tires).

 

[jimmer2880]

I have mowed with both. For ME, the MMM is much preferred over the rear. The problem with the rear, is that it will always take a wider turning path than the MMM. Since I only Weed Wack once every month, and don't own a push mower, the added time to mow with the rear finish was about double because of all the backing up to get close to the trees, etc.

Last year, was my first year with a MMM and a FEL tractor. My MMM raises high enough, that I never needed to remove it to do any "tractor work". Obviously, if I was using it to clear land or something, I would have to remove it. But, for average grading, moving dirt, rocks, etc, it never got in the way.

 

[jfrady]

Runner - have you had the chance to use the 62D yet? I was wondering what your thoughts are versus the 72" RFM. Do you find the 62D follows the contours of the land as well as the RFM?
Thanks!