Rear Finish vs Rotary

[JWR]

I mow 3-4 acre behind my pole barn with a RFM. It is always to wet to mow until around this time of year-so the first mowing is done with a rotary cutter. After that, I have no problem mowing every 2-3 weeks until fall with the RFM. It handles 6-8" grass as fast as the field allows me to go.

Will

As others said, it depends on a lot of things. One thing about finish mowers you need to know is that they do not work well in tall or heavy grass. I had grass that grew very high -- 18" or more -- in a month's time. NOT good for a finish mower. Since I have a a few acres that I can only mow once a month I found the finish mower was simply the wrong tool. It was a good solid 6ft Landpride bought new. Traded it off and found that a sharp bladed bush hog will leave a cleaner job than a finish mower under the circumstances just described. I also went thru some belts on the finish mower. Guy who uses my old finish mower says that as long as he cuts often and does not let the grass get more than ankle deep the finish mower does a great job.
Unless you can mow often (About like you would the lawn around a home) then the finish mower is not the right tool.

 

[9973720wb19]

when your rear finish mower starts to smoke (the belts)...the grass is too high. be on the lookout.

 

[Oldoak]

when your rear finish mower starts to smoke (the belts)...the grass is too high. be on the lookout.

Or you are traveling too fast in too tall of grass, your belt is worn out, belt tension isn't right, etc., etc. That is why a good quality finishing mower or any piece of machinery is well worth the higher cost if you can afford it. This will be my 20th year still with the original belt. Keeping the blades sharp is the key to a quality cut and less taxing on the mower itself.

The only problem I have if I let the orchard grass gets too high the the mower deck lays it down and a lot of it doesn't get cut clean off. Looks pretty ragged. I then must make a second pass, in the opposite direction to dress it up and make it look like a groomed field. If I don't let it go more than three weeks during the growing season, one pass is all it takes.