If You Were To Get A New 6 Ft Finish Mower - What Would You get?

[JWR]

I know, more than you wanna read...

I had a Landpride FDR2572 six foot finish mower several years ago. It was very heavily built and probably as good as they come. That said, I am no fan of finish mowers no matter how solid/reliable. If you have a compatible tractor, get a belly mower instead. They do a nicer job in my opinion (Kubota experience) , are far more maneuverable & useful in tight spaces, and seem to take less HP that a finish mower takes (which puzzles me...) I ran the FDR 2572 on a JD 4700 for several years and it was more of a load on the tractor than a JDMX6 rotary cutter over the same terrain and grass/weeds. My Kubota MMM simply does a better job. I'm not talking a big open flat golf course type lawn -- I'm talking on areas cut once a month, often with grass let go too long, frequent small limbs, twigs, etc. It does depend an awful lot on what you will be mowing and individual facts of your terrain, surface, obstacles, etc.

Couple of pieces of advice:
Get the solid tires rather than pneumatic. The air filled tires I had on the Landpride were a constant PITA. I did make mistakes using the Landpride as if it were a bush hog but even so I detest those little air filled tires.
Another is be careful and keep the grease off the belts. Accidental grease on the belts equals burning up belts & they are expensive.

 

[check 6]

I have a 6’ land pride I pull behind a 37 hp grand L and I could not be happier

 

[big bubba]

I 'm wondering why if someone owns a tractor their yard is so rough.
Our yard was very rough when we first moved here.
I've spent a lot of time smoothing up our 8 acre lawn with the tractor.
Still has a few slightly rough spots, but night and day smooth compared to what it was.

apparently you don't have feral hogs in your area, lucky person. lots of talk here about what a beating one takes on rough ground....hog damage is by far chief culprit for me. fortunately the rough ride on the zero turn doesn't bother me, but feel for those who must endure those conditions.

 

[alpha&omega]

Get a Woods TK or TKP finish mower. They have the best cut quality and discharge pattern of any rear discharge 3-point mower in the industry. There is a study done by Penn State proving it.

I second this idea. I’ve owned an older Frontier GM2072R that was built well (originally built by Befco, just painted JD green and given “Frontier” stickers). It ran great but I sold it when I sold my tractor. I then purchased a Woods RD72 and now own a TKP84.20. The construction of the Woods model is top notch. As of yet, no complaints at all.

 

[stoillion]

Ok, I'll clarify a little.
Considering replacing my 6 foot finish mower.
The main thing I would like is not only a rear discharge but one with a good discharge pattern. Not one that discharges in clumps like mine does.
Mine has a "chute" type discharge at the rear so it restricts the discharge some and causes clumping. I first took the chains off and it was a little better then took the chute off and it is much better but it also blasts the left rear wheel with clippings turning it into a big green grass ball!
I've seen a few that look like they discharge across the whole back of the mower. Wondering how well these work?

It also needs to be a pretty heavy duty mower. Not so much blade wise but just overall construction.
The areas it will be used on are not perfectly smooth!

Thanks for suggestions. Used in great shape is also an option.

About 20 years ago I purchased a rear discharge LandPride Grooming Mower FDR2572. Excellent mower. The tractor that I used it on and most of the other smaller implements are all gone now but I've continued to hang on the mower. I mow with a zero turn mower now but the LandPride is there if I need it. I like to fabricate things so I've thought about modifying the zero turn deck to a rear discharge and modeling it after the LandPride design...maybe when I retire.

 

[Smokeydog]

Had a couple finish mowers. Woods rd7200 since 1999. Takes about 6 gallons of diesel to mow our many patches of grass and weeds. Been a good mower except for the caster wheels. Lot of back and forth for trimming. Solved that problem trailer spindles.

Found a few washers spacers under the rear casters to give a slight tilt to the deck really lowers the hp required and improves the cut quality. Gator G5 blades are also an improvement over OEM.

 

[CADplans]

I am DONE with Woods mowers.
I bought a PRD7200 brand new,,
EVERY decal fell off within 3 months,, Woods no longer offers all of the decals, only the safety ones.

Then, when the mower was about 6 months old, it started "SCREAMING"!
The selling dealer went out of business, I took it to the next closest dealer.

The service rep turned the pto shaft by hand, and said "some noise is to be expected",,

Well, two weeks ago my wife said;

"Get rid of the mower, the neighbors are complaining about the noise!!"

I checked the spindles with a mechanics stethoscope,, the excess noise came from the right spindle.

After an unbelievable amount of beating, I got the shaft out,,
Woods did not seat the race for the upper bearing properly, one side was "up" 1/8".

I sent Woods a couple emails since finding this,, they have not responded,, at all.
I have used the mower so little, I have never sharpened the blades once yet.

The owners manual says the spindles CAN NOT be rebuilt, simply replace the entire assembly,,
Yea, right,,

I installed two new TIMKIN made in France bearings,, after removing the made in China bearings.

The mower is quiet,, now,,,

Do not expect much as far as service,, if you buy a Woods,,

 

[rodneyn]

Ok, I'll clarify a little.
Considering replacing my 6 foot finish mower.
The main thing I would like is not only a rear discharge but one with a good discharge pattern. Not one that discharges in clumps like mine does.
Mine has a "chute" type discharge at the rear so it restricts the discharge some and causes clumping. I first took the chains off and it was a little better then took the chute off and it is much better but it also blasts the left rear wheel with clippings turning it into a big green grass ball!
I've seen a few that look like they discharge across the whole back of the mower. Wondering how well these work?

It also needs to be a pretty heavy duty mower. Not so much blade wise but just overall construction.
The areas it will be used on are not perfectly smooth!

Thanks for suggestions. Used in great shape is also an option.

Words of wisdom get rear discharge if going into taller grass. The taller the height of deck less horsepower required. Get high lift blades to allow good chopping of the grass with tall deck. Any brand with all these features will provide good mowed yard. If this is rear mounted 3pt deck make sure it’s floating on 3 pt mount to eliminate any issues

 

[Otgaugres]

the only mower that I REALLY WANT at this point is a Ventrac 4520 (not sure of the specific model yet)

Good choice. I love my 4520z. I’ve got a 72” finish mower for it that i’ve yet to try out. The tough cut deck is an amazing tool.

 

[Ginormous]

New recommendation: Taylor-way 3-pt finish mower. I have an older Taylor-way 60" finish mower, and it does a great job. Their customer support was great when I had to replace a wheel. They do have a 72" finish mower available through Rural King (and other places I'm sure.)

 

[OzarkChris]

I 'm wondering why if someone owns a tractor their yard is so rough.
Our yard was very rough when we first moved here.
I've spent a lot of time smoothing up our 8 acre lawn with the tractor.
Still has a few slightly rough spots, but night and day smooth compared to what it was.

My "yard"/pasture/etc is full of limestone, clay (very much like a rock when dry!), granite & other assorted "rocks" (which I must say I grow very well - must have a lime colored thumb! ). Most of these rock type structures are actually part of the bedrock so unless you are into pit mining, you probably aren't ever going to get rid of them.

As long as it's smooth enough to not mess up the hay saws, tedder & baler, it's smooth enough for me - but still pretty rough.

 

[SwingOak]

I bought a King Kutter 6ft rear discharge finish mower a couple of years ago, and it does a fine job mowing. I use it mostly to maintain horse pastures, it does a better job mulching and spreading out the clippings than a rotary mower. I've only burned up the belt once, and that's because I was mowing very tall and wet grass in an old hay field, which it is not meant to do.

King Kutter is the same company as Taylor-Way, with all the same products, just different model numbers and paint color options. Made in the USA, relatively inexpensive. Just make sure you read the signs and labels all over it (and in the manual) that say it's shipped without oil in the gearbox and bearings need to be greased and belt tightened before using.

 

[duffer]

... when the mower was about 6 months old, it started "SCREAMING"!
The selling dealer went out of business, I took it to the next closest dealer.

The service rep turned the pto shaft by hand, and said "some noise is to be expected",,

The owners manual says the spindles CAN NOT be rebuilt, simply replace the entire assembly,,
Yea, right,,

I installed two new TIMKIN made in France bearings,, after removing the made in China bearings.

The mower is quiet,, now,,,

Had a similar issue with my 7' rear discharge mower (gets used a LOT). mowed 10 acres of grass for 4 years, at least once a week.
Anyway, mower started to scream so loud I used ear protection. Checked into replacing the spindle assemblies and they were half the price of the whole mower.

Bought 6 Timkin bearings, replaced them on all 3 spindles, and now I can't hear the mower run at all !! Cost me $50 for the bearings, and some elbow grease.

 

[Otgaugres]

Good choice. I love my 4520z. I’ve got a 72” finish mower for it that i’ve yet to try out. The tough cut deck is an amazing tool.

Update…ran the Ventrac 72” side discharge finish mower deck yesterday. Without question the best finish mower I’ve used. Excellent cut quality, no clumping ( and I was cutting tall, thick grass) and virtually no scalping. The large rear roller creates beautiful striping. Maneuverability doesn’t compare to a zero turn so that’s the downside. For comparison, I run multiple Scags, all with the 60” Velocity deck. In the past I’ve had a 72” Woods, side discharge, PTO driven rear deck, and a couple Woods Mowing Machines which were front mounted deck ZTR’s. Actually the Mowing Machines had very good cut quality but traction was terrible…they could get stuck in wet grass Lol.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Update…ran the Ventrac 72” side discharge finish mower deck yesterday. Without question the best finish mower I’ve used. Woods Mowing Machines which were front mounted deck ZTR’s. Actually the Mowing Machines had very good cut quality but traction was terrible…they could get stuck in wet grass Lol.

Put the right tires on those mowing machines, and traction is quite good.

Personally, the problem I see with those Ventrac's is, I keep tractors a long time, and the old Ventra's I see have waaay to many problems piling up. The just aren't reliable enough for me to buy one.

SR

 

[Otgaugres]

Put the right tires on those mowing machines, and traction is quite good.

Personally, the problem I see with those Ventrac's is, I keep tractors a long time, and the old Ventra's I see have waaay to many problems piling up. The just aren't reliable enough for me to buy one.

SR

Well, I hope that doesn't prove to be a problem. I'm impressed with the build quality and robustness of mine so far. Very impressed with the build quality of the implements. I love the Kubota gas engine too..it seems to have tons of power, but it's a thirsty devil.

 

[Jaeger]

I've run the Land Pride FDR1672 for years. It's durable and material wise same construction as the 2572 (only difference is the gearbox) I tried the solids and air filled tires w slime and they're terrible on my rough ground. Ended up with laminated rubber gauge wheels like my brush hog has. I change the gearbox fluid every other year w/ AMSOIL, sharpen the blades 2x a year and watch the belt tension. Solid piece of equipment and can handle the pto of the 5030.

 

[Hughman]

I've run the Land Pride FDR1672 for years. It's durable and material wise same construction as the 2572 (only difference is the gearbox) I tried the solids and air filled tires w slime and they're terrible on my rough ground. Ended up with laminated rubber gauge wheels like my brush hog has. I change the gearbox fluid every other year w/ AMSOIL, sharpen the blades 2x a year and watch the belt tension. Solid piece of equipment and can handle the pto of the 5030.

Same one that I have. Excellent machine

 

[sixdogs]

There's a lot of good options in these 78 replies and it's hard to go wrong with a any of the high end brand names mentioned. A three point rear mower made by someone that makes a lot of them and has a good name will likely mow great. Woods, Land Pride, Bush Hog, etc.

I've used them for decades and if I were to buy one today it would be either a new or older Woods mower. The newer ones are great but the ones 10 or 20 years old are made the same but with much thicker steel and those seem to mow better. If you were a Nigerian prince with money no object, buy a new one.

But I think the hidden gem is something like my Woods RD8400 (7'). I bought it new in 03? and took excellent care of it. Greased the wheels every time I used it. Even so, I'm going to sell it for $1600 and that's a far cry from the $5000 of a new one. Used ones, even if in sterling condition, bring less. My back forces the sale but not for that, I'd never sell. It's a great return for the $$. Sharpen and balance the blades frequently and mow high, like 4" or ma better look

That's my opinion.

 

[DKCDKC]

I hate spending money but wanted to get a finishing mower for the 4+ acres along and beside the beginning of my long driveway - former pasture. A rotary cutter works, but the area looks rough and I wanted a better look. Finally found an old Howse 5 foot finish mower for $300. It had flat tires, but remarkably little rust. It had been sitting under a farm tree for at least 10 years. Darn thing is heavy as the dickens but, amazingly, the belts are intact and have survived about 8 hours use so far. Surprisingly, I find that parts for this old mower are still available. They may cost a bit, but I can stand that better than paying thousands for a new one.