After reading rave reviews of the F mowers on TBN over the last few years, I finally took the plunge this last spring and purchased a F3990. John may not be a Kubota salesman, but he did a pretty good job on me. I’ve been thinking I should add a review to one of these F threads, and I guess this one is as good as any.
The thing is a real mowing machine! It has cut my mowing time in half at least. Some of my mowing is on very steep slopes, and it is an absolute billy goat on them. (*More to come about this below.*) With the side discharge, it will chow through tall and thick grass without a grunt. It will spin around nearly as tightly as a zero turn.
Having said all that, there are a few things to add.
I was impressed with the mulching kit testimonials, but I was so anxious to get it home and start mowing this spring that I had them deliver it right away without the kit - they had to order the mulching kit in. That is how I know it will cruise through tall thick grass with the side discharge. However, the mulching kit warned to slow down and overlap a bit and don’t let the grass get too long. When the kit came in and I added it, I found this to be VERY true. It only makes sense of course. It is awesome though to mow in any direction without grass flying out the side. It doesn’t just block the outlet, it is a real mulching kit. You remove a side-directional-plate-thing from under the deck, then mount in the new circular baffle parts.
Second, it is 4WD, and has the lever to put it in 4WD. However, when it not in 4WD, it’s not really in 2WD. They have some sort of clever system that engages the 4WD when it senses it’s needed. The brochure explains this (you can view it online) and it’s pretty cool. But I have found, I think, that the back wheels will engage when you turn very sharply - it must sense the inner front wheel slippage from turning the tight corner or something. The back wheel will tear up the lawn some on very tight turns and I’m guessing the 4WD is engaging. I end up doing more gentle turns, with some backing and forward, than I’d like to have to do.
Third, as has been mentioned by others, the rear steering takes some getting used to. I haven’t swung and hit it into anything yet but I’ve come pretty close a few times, and twice I’ve gotten myself stuck. Once, turning away from my pond I mow around, I let the back end swing down around and into the water and mud. It was just too slick to drive out of. The other was on a steep bank edge, and again turning away from the edge I let my back end hang up (down) over the edge. It takes some getting used to, and I’m pretty conscious anymore about what the back end is doing in close quarter situations.
BTW, you have the mower in float during normal mowing. But you can also not put it all the way into float. I’ve found this really nice for the pond - I mow forward up to the edge of the pond and slip it out of float and lift the deck just a little. Then I can mow out over the edge of the pond a bit to get the grass right on the edge, with the deck holding its height above the water. It’s time consuming because it’s a lot of back and forward (you’re hitting only six feet of the pond edge at a pass), but it sure beats weed whipping it all.
*This next thing is the only thing I’ve found so far that I really don’t like at all, and is a bit hard for me to explain. It seems to go into kind of a free-wheeling situation when backing down a slope and returning the peddle to the middle. I know that is the neutral pedal position, but every other HST I’ve driven will pretty much hold its position when the pedal returns to center. This will NOT hold you, and you can find yourself flying down the hill backwards until you just touch the pedal forward. This immediately stops the free-wheeling. The brake really won’t stop you, the front wheels just lock and slide. The first time was really frightening, and honestly I’m lucky it wasn’t a bad ending. Keep your foot ready to return the pedal to forward when backing down hill !!!
It has the “3990 emission system” that’s been denigrated in a few of these threads, but I haven’t had any issues with that at all. It’s gone into regen a few times over the summer, and I wouldn’t have known it if the little indicator light hadn’t come on. I guess time will tell if it develops issues in the years to come.
Overall, I’m super pleased with the mower and the job it does and the time it saves me mowing. I’d definitely buy it again.
