Buying Advice $600 difference between Land Pride and Countyline 5' finish mowers????

[Larro Darro]

I priced the Land Pride FDR 1660 finish mower at Sowell Tractor in Panama City last week. They will give me a discount equal to the tax, so the out the door price is $1990. When I mentioned it on one of the threads, someone said to look at the ones that Tractor Supply Co had. So today I went by there. The Countyline 5' rear discharge finish mower is 1399.99 + tax. I know the Land Pride is the better mower. But is it $600 better?

The deck on both mowers is 3/16th", but the frame and wheels are better on the LP.

Another question I have, is my B7500 strong enough to turn a 5' mower. The Cl said it needs at least 18 PTO HP, and the B7500 is only 17[claimed] and 16[tested]. The salesman at Sowell said it would turn it no problem, but I might feel safer with the 4'. If I do that, I would have to go with the LP. 5' is the smallest Cl mower they make. I don't have a price on the 4' LP, but the 5' was $300 cheaper than the 6'. So I would guess about $1750 or there about.

I would rather mow with the little tractor, but if I had too, I have a Ford 3930. If I decide to go with the Cl, I would get the 6', so it would match the wheel width. Those prices are, LP $2300, Cl $ 1599.99 + tax. $700 is a goodly amount of money.

If any of you have used or owned the Countyline mowers, any input you have will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I have not owned the Countyline but did run a Landpride for 14 years with no issues...
Your B7500 will run the 5' Landpride just fine...
I ran mine with a 1550# YM 1700 Yanmar that has 17 HP at the PTO so you should be OK...
I can attest to the fine quality of Landpride but $600 is a lot of coin...
Those prices are in line...
IMHO the 3930 and 6' cutter is the way to go if weight and maneuverability is not as important in your decision...
My mowing time was reduced considerably when I went from the 5' LandPride to the 6' Woods...

 

[Larro Darro]

Thanks for the input.
The 3930 with the 6' was the way I was leaning too. I was worried about more fuel use, but the added width would level that out somewhat.
I have used a 4' Woods behind a B1750 for 22 years at work, so I had thought about buying one of that brand. They are priced about like the LP. We bought a ZRM at work so I'm hoping for the chance to buy the old tractor and mower. But I still need a bigger one. I have seven acres that need cutting. Now all I do is cut the two acres right in front of the house, and bush hog the rest three or four times a summer.

 

[wolftree]

Larro Darro,

Consider using "tractohouse.com" and searching for a better price on the Land Pride cutter at other dealers. The Countyline products are not bad, but they do not have the long term durability of Land Pride, Bush Hog or Woods finish mowers.

 

[RickB]

A 3930 would easily run an 84" or 90" mower. I run my Woods RM990 handily with a 42 HP Case 885.

 

[chim]

I owned a B7500 for 10 years and it had a 5' side discharge RFM. I also have another older and smaller Ford 1210 that wears a 5' Caroni RFM. The Landpride is heavier than the Caroni and it makes a big difference when mowing taller grass and on sloped land. I swapped decks around to see how the different tractors would handle them.

The B7500 was maxed out with the Landpride deck on taller grass, especially dragging it uphill. It was impossible to maintain speed while going up some slopes. When hooked to the Caroni it drove almost like the deck wasn't back there.

The Ford and the Caroni are well-matched. Although the Ford has fewer horses than the B7500, it maintains speed uphill with the Caroni better than the B7500 did with the Landpride. When I hooked the Landpride deck to the Ford, the deck handled the tractor. Even with the two suitcase weights the Ford didn't have enough weight to control the Landpride the way the Kubota did.

The Caroni deck is now approaching 23 years of age. It has led a rough life. More than half of the time it has been stored outside. It has been used in some areas over the years that should have been bush-hogged. It ran into a few hidden things and I've replaced two "quills" (their term for the spindle assembly). Some of the support frame has been welded and re-welded. It still gives a nice cut and I use it occasionally. As a matter of fact if I can stand the heat tonight it will be used to mow weeds down on the ground we bought next to us. Some of the weeds are 18" tall and it will handle them fine. The field had barley harvested off of it about a month ago and the weeds are going nuts. I wanted to have grass planted by now but that didn't make it to the top of the list. Agri-Supply sells Caroni and any parts needed. If the Kubota dealer wouldn't have had a killer deal on a Landpride when I bought the last tractor I would have ordered a 6' Caroni from them.

As much as I like Landpride I'd use a cheaper, lighter deck on the B7500 if I had the chance. Landpride makes a real quality deck and I have a 6 footer on the L3200 and it's a perfect setup for me. The 3200 has enough power to use high range where the B7500 struggled to maintain speed.

 

[Larro Darro]

I owned a B7500 for 10 years and it had a 5' side discharge RFM. I also have another older and smaller Ford 1210 that wears a 5' Caroni RFM. The Landpride is heavier than the Caroni and it makes a big difference when mowing taller grass and on sloped land. I swapped decks around to see how the different tractors would handle them.

The B7500 was maxed out with the Landpride deck on taller grass, especially dragging it uphill. It was impossible to maintain speed while going up some slopes. When hooked to the Caroni it drove almost like the deck wasn't back there.

The Ford and the Caroni are well-matched. Although the Ford has fewer horses than the B7500, it maintains speed uphill with the Caroni better than the B7500 did with the Landpride. When I hooked the Landpride deck to the Ford, the deck handled the tractor. Even with the two suitcase weights the Ford didn't have enough weight to control the Landpride the way the Kubota did.

The Caroni deck is now approaching 23 years of age. It has led a rough life. More than half of the time it has been stored outside. It has been used in some areas over the years that should have been bush-hogged. It ran into a few hidden things and I've replaced two "quills" (their term for the spindle assembly). Some of the support frame has been welded and re-welded. It still gives a nice cut and I use it occasionally. As a matter of fact if I can stand the heat tonight it will be used to mow weeds down on the ground we bought next to us. Some of the weeds are 18" tall and it will handle them fine. The field had barley harvested off of it about a month ago and the weeds are going nuts. I wanted to have grass planted by now but that didn't make it to the top of the list. Agri-Supply sells Caroni and any parts needed. If the Kubota dealer wouldn't have had a killer deal on a Landpride when I bought the last tractor I would have ordered a 6' Caroni from them.

As much as I like Landpride I'd use a cheaper, lighter deck on the B7500 if I had the chance. Landpride makes a real quality deck and I have a 6 footer on the L3200 and it's a perfect setup for me. The 3200 has enough power to use high range where the B7500 struggled to maintain speed.

Thanks Chim. I looked at the 71" Caroni this morning. It's $1525 online. The freight cost is $148.80. The closest stores are in Valdosta [125 miles] and Tifton [140 miles] Ga. The $150 for shipping would be better than a trip to Valdosta, so I will call the price, 1525 + tax + 150. That makes the Caroni and the Countyline almost a wash price wise. With 23 years of use, the Caroni stands the test of time. So far I haven't heard from a Cl user. That tells me they haven't been around very long. Location is the main appeal of the Cl. The TSC is 20 miles away in Marianna. I could run up there this morning and be mowing this afternoon. But if I had the Caroni shipped, that would be even easier.

So the question is, is the LP 6' worth $700 more than the Cl or Caroni. I found out last night my brother in law has a LP 6' at his parents' sod farm in Kinard. [they live a quarter mile away, just across the road, but as we all work, hardly ever see them] They use it to dress the sod before they cut it. He said it would be worth the extra $ to get the LP. But from where I'm at, hoping to buy the B1750 and Woods mower from my work, that money would go a long way toward paying for the old equipment. As soon as we have a board meeting at work, I will find out if, and for how much, I can get the B1750 w/ 48" Woods mower. If I get it, I will pull the mower with the B7500, using it for the trim work, and get a 6' for the 3930.

 

[aczlan]

We have a B7500 and it came with a 60" MMM. We also use it with a 60" bushhog, so I dont see any problem with a 60" rear finish mower.
You will have to go slow in heavy grass, but it works.

Aaron Z

 

[RunninOnEmpty]

So far I haven't heard from a Cl user. That tells me they haven't been around very long.

Tractor Supply's "County Line" finish mower is made by King Kutter, which has been around for quite some time. I checked out the 60" KK "CountyLine" at my (SW, PA) Tractor Supply & it's $1499. The mower was still in a crate, making it hard for me to inspect. I like the large, solid rubber tires & anti-scalp roller.

 

[mudcat47537]

I have an old6' King Kutter side discharge finish mower it had set outside for 6 years in a fence row and seems to of had a rough life before that, I got it for free. I replaced an output seal put a tube in a tire, greased it and started mowing with it. This week I rebuilt 2 of the spindles and sharpened the blades. Cost to replace bearings and seals in the spindles was $28 each. It mows great now, if may get a paint job this winter. Just a testament that parts are available out there.