Woods, Bush Hog, or Kioti finish mower?

[Ira]

Tractor is a CX2510 cab. About eight acres to mow 50% St Augustine mixed with 50% weeds now. Nothing that a finish mower can't handle. I want it to ultimately have the "estate look". I have a 60" flail mower, but I'm not satisfied with the cut. I've mowed it with a MMM on my previous JD 4110, and the results were a lot better than the flail mower. I'm hoping a rear finish mower will be close to the same result as MMM. I'm not interested in ZTRs because the main reason I got the CX2510 was AC cab (SE Texas, it was 96 degrees today).

I'm looking at 60" mowers... Woods TK60.20, Bush Hog HDTH5, and Kioti FM2060. The FM2060 is actually a rebadged TK60.20, so I'm really down to two candidates. Both are about $4K, all in. The Woods was over $5K, which is odd since it the same mower as the Kioti. Maybe he was quoting the TKP60.40 or the TK72.20. I also looked at the Land Pride FDR1660. It finished a close 3rd in the cut quality report. Specs seem to be closer to the HDTH5, i.e., better than the Woods/Kioti.

I know Woods touts the "cut quality comparison". I read it, and the HDTH5 finished 2nd, not very far behind the Woods. I'm guessing I couldn't tell the difference between the two mowers' cut quality.

The HDTH5 seems to be a heavier duty mower than the others. It weighs 200 lbs more. Its deck is 7 gauge (.1793" thick) vs .141" for the Woods/Kioti. FDR1660 deck is .1875" thick. The HDTH5 and FDR1660 floating hitches seems more like the Woods Pro model (TKP60.40). Most of the HDTH5 specs are closer to or equal to the Woods Pro model. All of them have high blade tip speeds.

Any words of wisdom before I go drop another $4K on one of these.

 

[bigtiller]

I bought a heavy duty 72" RFM for my Deere 3039R.
It is the best mower deck I have ever used.

 

[leonz]

How fast are you mowing?

Are you using a finish flail mower
with a 4 row flail mower rotor with
side slicer knives?

What type of flail knife is your flail mower
equipped with?

Which brand of flail mower do you own?
How sharp are the knife edges?

Are you mowing at a 2 inch cutting height?

 

[Ira]

The flail mower is a Nova Tractor EF-155 light duty flail mower. It was shipped with 400 gram hammers (30 of them) and that's what I've been using. The hammers probably need sharpening, but I haven't been satisfied with the cut since it was new. I'm probably mowing at 2" cutting height, give or take a bit. I'm mowing pretty slow (low speed HST), but I don't know the exact speed. Probably about walking speed.

I have a set of Y-knives on order but haven't received them yet.

The disappointing cut quality could mostly be my fault, i.e., me not taking the time to learn how to get the best out of the mower. However, I keep remembering that even on flat ground, with only St. Augustine (that is less than 6" tall) being mowed, the cut isn't as good as my MMM's cut on the same ground and grass height.

 

[fishheadbob]

I cannot speak for the other models but I own an older Bush Hog RDTH 60, a 5 foot, rear discharge finish mower. I've had it 5 or 6 years; it gives a nice cut on my lawn, and has been trouble free. I like that it is heavier than off brands. I sometimes take it into some fields for light brush mowing and get away with that unwise move. I don't think any of the 3 you mention would be a bad choice but when I buy most any equipment I'm a sucker for heavier weight and gauge.