6 foot lawnmower needed

[daugen]

Eddie and Kyle, thanks. I've been looking online at the basic JD 1400 series 2wd, 72 mower and it seems pretty similar to the Kubota F and good thing its mower deck goes vertical also. so I need to stop in the local JD dealer and see that model also.

a small tractor won't get under the tree limbs I have and will have...need a mower that is as low as possible.
a lot of the tractorhouse stuff I saw online had 2500+ hours on it, as kyle said, and I don't want a project on this one.
I was hoping to find a zero turn with a steering wheel and a 72 mower for 10 grand. Now it looks like double that for a basic
unit, which is all I need. I'm going to be planting a lot more trees not only in the orchard but on the grounds so i do need some agility.

seems to me my options are an 11k 60 inch steering wheel zero turn, an 18K Kubota B something with a 72 belly mount, or a 21K Kubota F front mount 72, a JD 1420 with a front mount 72 for likely a bit more than the Kubota, or something used.

plenty to research. and I'd love to hire a hard working kid, particularly for the trimming. that little wooden gazebo's paint is all peeling, sure needs some tlc.
boy I wish I could speak Spanish...

 

[ruffdog]

The problem with pulling a finish mower is it swings away what you are trying to mow around. A belly mower doesn't have the swinging factor near as much.

 

[whistlepig]

My wife has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child. We have a 7 acre yard and she helps me with the mowing. She does the trim and I do the big stuff with a 72" RFM. We recently bought a zero turn for her to use and this worked out extremely well for her. I let her pick the mower she wanted to use. A lawn tractor or a zero turn. She brought home a zero turn.

 

[daugen]

My wife has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child. We have a 7 acre yard and she helps me with the mowing. She does the trim and I do the big stuff with a 72" RFM. We recently bought a zero turn for her to use and this worked out extremely well for her. I let her pick the mower she wanted to use. A lawn tractor or a zero turn. She brought home a zero turn.

good to know, thanks. Mine is osteo, not rheumatoid; all a matter of what hurts or doesn't when one is done.

 

[ruffdog]

good to know, thanks. Mine is osteo, not rheumatoid; all a matter of what hurts or doesn't when one is done.

A person should just mow with what works best for them. Every yard and person is different.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

daugen, it's really easy for me to spend your money. But, in your position, I think the smart move would be to head down to the Kubota or John Deere dealer this winter when sales are slow and make your best deal on a new front-mount.

I know it's more money than you want to spend, but your health is more important. It provides you with a brand new machine that meets your needs and has a full warranty. And the 0% financing typically offered by both Kubota and Deere should help take some of the sting out of going over budget.

 

[daugen]

And the 0% financing typically offered by both Kubota and Deere should help take some of the sting out of going over budget.

you're right. Already have the 5740 on 0 percent though, this mower has to be for cash. too many debt lines reduces your credit score. Particularly now for me in retirement where my income is considerably lower than what it used to be. Now cashback or O percent is nice, it's all marketing incentive anyway.

I'm actually going to close on this home in five weeks if things progress as expected. So next trip down, maybe right after the 4th, I'll visit the local JD dealer and see what the 1420 is like. I really need to take a small tape with me and verify real world height with foldable ROPS down. This property is flat as a pool table, for once I think I could lower the ROPS where possible. and I do have to keep in mind it will take a few years to get some real limb overhang that's worth discussing, even with buying larger balled trees, so if a 2 series JD or a B Kubota is only an inch or two taller than the F mower, all with ROPS down and a 72 mower, well I may have to rethink my assumptions and presumptions. Particularly if that option is four grand less. Other than that, I bought the house for 5 thousand less than I thought they would take, so my reward kitty is nicely full for a good quality mower. It will be most comfortable seat and ride that wins. But boy that fold up front mower deck would be a real pleasure to have.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . . But boy that fold up front mower deck would be a real pleasure to have.

I completely agree. I've been looking for a zero turn, but the more I think about it the more I'm thinking I might just wait until this winter and look for a deal on a front-mount with the power folding deck. That plus the ability to stick the front mower under trees (or nose it over a drainage swale to mow without driving over it) could easily sell me on the front mount.

I like my JD GT235, but I have to remove the mower deck and scrape it regularly and re-install it. I've gotten that down to a science now, but not having to remove the deck would be a blessing.

I don't know if the JD 1420 uses a front-mount version of the 7-iron deck or not, but I've been reading that the 7-iron "Pro" deck is MUCH better than the Mulch On Demand (MOD) deck, and cuts great in wet or dry conditions. Just food for thought if you go the John Deere route.

 

[daugen]

I gave my JD LX280 to a friend, knowing I was moving, but really hadn't explored the JD products because our local dealer was lousy.
I have seen the 7iron deck, their hd fabricated one and it looks nice, like most of the big ones. Frankly for this application on this very low grass, I just can't imagine that being too hard on a mower, particularly since I have no intention of cutting it golf course low. Rather than three to four inches here in PA, I'm assuming it gets cut in the one to two inch range in NC. So one is unlikely to be cutting off more than an inch of vegetation no matter what.

 

[prosperity]

My wife has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child. We have a 7 acre yard and she helps me with the mowing. She does the trim and I do the big stuff with a 72" RFM. We recently bought a zero turn for her to use and this worked out extremely well for her. I let her pick the mower she wanted to use. A lawn tractor or a zero turn. She brought home a zero turn.

Yeah, I found the same results - glad your wife finds it easy enough to run. It gets so frustrating to not be able to do stuff outside!

good to know, thanks. Mine is osteo, not rheumatoid; all a matter of what hurts or doesn't when one is done.

Yeah - this Arthritis stuff is weird. For me as I said earlier the steering wheel turning kills me. Even when I drive my pickup for more than an hour I can't use my arms for the next couple days.

 

[daugen]

East Coast Equipment in Washington was very responsive by phone, immediately got me a quote on "what would work:
1445 Series II Commercial Front Mower with 72 inch 7 Iron Vflex. Not sure what the last term means. Boy is that mower deck big bucks.
15,600 for the mower, 6870 for the deck, 22,500 for the package. Yanmar 31hp diesel.

so the Kubota seems to be 1-2 thousand less. Amazing how Kubota has raised their prices up to the top level...
which is probably why they are still around and making great stuff.
No question about the JD quality.

the JD Dealer, part of a big chain of JD dealers in the MidAtlantic, also quoted the 2023R CUT with a 72 inch mower deck for 20,282
all in the same ballpark and I don't need another three point hitch...already have two. No snow to plow, so just not sure what going with a SCUT will get me, other than
maybe, just maybe, a more comfortable seat or position. Only the rear end will tell...an air ride seat option is on one of them.

The JD pricing seems to be the normal 15% off list. Not sure beating up the dealer you need to go to is worth getting another 5% off.

boy that idea of hiring a lawn service and going fishing is not far from my checkbook...
before I buy anything, I'm just going to see what someone would charge to mow five acres each week. Of course they would be doing it on zero turns going 10mph or better. Particularly on that flat surface. One could really move...

sure are a lot of fence posts to weed wack...was looking at one of those tow behind string trimmers. Prefer not using chemicals, too near the fruit trees. Of course I'm also studying the Northern Tools catalog for tree sprayers and I'll be spraying those trees with some chemical for sure, hopefully a more green alternative. One that works. I sprayed our farm's orchard dozens of times in my teens, got that spray all over me, never knew it was bad for us. Sure did itch so at least we hosed off...
this time I will be wearing a mask for sure.

mowing or fishing. mowing or fishing. I like to mow, and don't like to fish...pretty strange huh? But I love to explore by boat, so I need to find time for both.
I'm told things are so much cheaper down there that I may be amazed how cheap it is to hire a service. Up here I'd say less than half the folks mow their lawns so the landscaping trucks are everywhere. I doubt it will be like that where I'm going. and try to find a guy to mow the lawn who has insurance...

 

[prosperity]

Kind of funny - I would much rather be mowing than fishing also!

Before the RA got so bad ~3 years ago I had a little side business of mowing camps and estates in my rural area - did that for almost 25 years and loved it. I slowly built my equipment up along the way to end up with a nice Deere 757 zero turn and a Deere 2520. Had to sell the 757 and trailer when I couldn't do it anymore to help pay bills for a while with no income.

My goal rate for mowing with the zero turn was $60 per hour or $1 per minute from off the trailer to on. I got 60% of the jobs quoted so I think I was pretty much on with the price - only can get what the market will bear. Dealing with estate and large camp owners was much easier than local people. My competition would have the little MTD Wal-Mart special tractor and no insurance. I always kept liability insurance and it wasn't that expensive at $300 per year.

My own mowable lawn area is ~2.5 acres and could do it in 35 minutes with the zero turn including a dozen trees to go around at the far end. With the 2520 and 62" deck it takes me ~90 minutes but I go much slower now - it really hurts if I get bouncing around. Plus I have to do it in ~20 minute increments as I will stiffen up to the point of having a hard time getting off the tractor if I do it for too long.

That brings a point also while you are looking at different style mowers is how hard or easy it is to mount and dismount. I have a hard time with my 2520 compared to the 757 zero turn.

I'm also a diesel fanatic, but the price on these mowers gets wild when you get into diesel territory. Don't discount a commercial gas engine. The 757 had a commercial Kawasaki engine on it with a full size canister air filter.

It looks like a front mower type with a steering wheel would be your best bet. Just wanted to say not to discount one with a commercial gas engine as it will really bring the cost down.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Even Forrest Gump gave up mowing for shrimping.

 

[daugen]

this is strange, I can't advance to page 4.
test test

 

[daugen]

again, can't go to page 4
hmmm

 

[hawkeye08]

Hope it works out for you.. I have been drooling over the Ferris zero turns but have not convinced the wife yet. I think if she drove one, it would seal the deal, but the dealer is ~200 miles away.

 

[Xfaxman]

this is strange, I can't advance to page 4.
test test

again, can't go to page 4
hmmm

I can see your posts, #34 and #35. They are on page one for me, because I changed the "Thread Display Options" in "General Settings" to display 40 posts per page.

 

[daugen]

thanks. It's still weird almost like the cache won't let go. I even turned the pc off and reboot, TBN helpdesk suggested trying another browser. Nothing worked.
but if I click on someone's name in this thread that has posted on page four, I can get here. Alice, I am in Wonderland...
could be worse...
I'll go back and change the thread display options, thanks.

update, yeah it worked, now I'm on page two.
we shall see...

back to our regular programming.

 

[boggen]

to much reading for this old fart. skimmed first half of your thread.

tow behind mower for like a 4 wheeler or simply attach it to rear of current mower, and use the "bending arm" i forget technical name of it. that side swings the mower clear out to one side of what ever is pulling it. basicly you have width of your current mower, and then some overlap between the 2 decks, and then extra length of rest of the pull behind / tow behind mower.

some of these mowers have self starting built on, but most i have seen are pull start. 5 to 8HP engines. been wanting one of these. so i can keep my smaller width mowing for trim work, and then add this tow behind on. so i can cut the large open areas on the farm.

==============
i would avoid "gang reel" mowers. or less you have time and know for sure you will always be out there to cut the grass before it gets just a little to tall for the reel mowers.

==============
i been hard up wanting a much wider cutting width over the years. and about only reason why i come up with not being able to find decks wider than 72 inch and a tad harder to find stuff over 60" inch decks. is because of how the decks float / roll over the yard. you get them to wide. and the sightless of dip in the yard or hole, and you end up scalping the yard right down into the dirt. and the dip could simply be from a tire sinking into the yard do to how wet everything is from the last rain.

==============
there are 2 builds i can clearly remember seeing pictures here on the forums folks have done for tow behind mowers. one was a complete custom job. and another was a old regular riding lawn mower. but was completely gutted only thing that was left was the frame, and the deck, a different engine, and raising lower setup was used for deck, and caster wheels were put onto it. ok i take that back 1 more tow behind setup. and someone was pulling 2 regular walk behind mowers behind a riding lawn mower. while it worked, there was alot of comments that rang out to me, of being rather risky, due to, how easy for the walk behind mowers to flip over and like. the frame work resembled something like a "gang reel" mowers spreading the mowers out for overlap both going straight and when turning.

==============
with above said, i think i am around 5 to 8 acres here on the farm that gets finished mowed. takes about 4 to 8 hours pending on how fast the bloody grass grows and time to get out there and get it cut.

 

[boggen]

if ya going with a zero turn that has a steering wheel. i do remember some options a couple years back for some of the higher priced proffesional sized zero turns for steering wheels vs the joy stick handles.

if you end up going with a regular tractor (SCUTS / CUTS) size tractors. might suggest going with a "split brake" a pedal side by side, each pedal is either for right or left rear tire. to make some sharper turns, to help with edge mowing