Price Check Adding a MMM to a TC24D? Help with Price...

Bob_Skurka · May 9, 2004

I've been using a Cub Cadet for mowing around the house and a TC24D for mowing with a 60" Befco RFM and have been very happy with it . . . until recentily.

I put the Cub into semi-retirement and bought a Ventrac articulated tractor with a 52" mowing deck. That little tractor is ruining all my fun. First, it cuts 50% faster, and second the quality of the cut is really amazing. Ventracs seem to be made for mowing.

And that is where the problem starts. The Ventrac does such as good job on mowing that my TC24 looks like it is hacking up the fields. The Befco is a quality unit and I never had a complaint before, but in comparision it really does a poor job . . . if only becuase the Ventrac does such a good job.

So that brings me to my question, does a MMM do a better job at mowing than a RFM? I am looking for a quality cut and have never used a MMM on a CUT.

SacandagaBrad · May 9, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( does a MMM do a better job at mowing than a RFM? )</font>

Bob - I sure hope so! I paid $2200 for my 60" 914A as part of the package last fall, but have not yet been able to try it. We are just coming out of mud season and I have my yard completely torn up after installing drain tile. Might get a chance to use it within the next month or so.

Brad

hazmat · May 10, 2004

Bob,

When I bought my TC18, the MMM wasn't in stock. The dealer loaned me a Landpride RFM while I waited 6 weeks for the MMM to come in. So I've used both mowers on a class I boomer. Both give a high quality cut.

During my younger days, I mowed lawns as a summer job. We used pro quality walk behind machines. I'd say both the Landpride & New Holland measure up to the pro lawn machines.

Unless you are itching to spend $2,500 on a new mower, I'd suggest troubleshooting your existing one.

1. Blades sharp?
2. Deck level?
-Left to Right
-Fore /Aft (you might want to play around with this a bit, try leading with the front a little)
3. Blade design? - high lift usually gives better cut
4. Logistics - how often do you mow the field? Do you follow the 1/3 rule (only cut 1/3 the length of the grass) For me to follow the 1/3 rule, I have to cut my lawn every 5 days in the spring
5. Field itself - quality of grass vs. weeds, even ground etc.
6. Soil conditions, pH, Fert etc.
7. height of cut - lower cuts tend to be more even (blade has more vacuum effect to lift the grass). If you mow your field higher than the lawn - it will look a bit more ragged. I notice a difference between 3 & 3.5" on my MMM.

Hope this helps

Bob_Skurka · May 10, 2004

Most of the issues are with scalping, not following the rought terrain, etc. On smooth spots, the Befco RFM does a great job, which is one reason I never complained about the cut before. But on the rough spots things get uneven or scalped. The Cub Cadet did the same thing. As did a John Deere 2xx series. As did a Craftsman. So I just figured my yard was destined to be scalped in the rough spots.

Then I bought the Ventrac tractor. I've only mowed with it 3 times (just got it a month ago) but it does NOT scalp the turf in the rough spots. And it doesn't leave clumps. And it makes a very smooth cut, and it does that everywhere including the field areas and the lawn area around the house. The deck seems to follow the contours of the ground better than anything I've ever seen.

So now if you look at my valley, you can see where the Ventrac was and you can see where the New Holland was. Both are set to the same approximate height, but both mow so much differently.

Any other suggestions?

hazmat · May 10, 2004

Does the Befco have wheels on the front & back? Some RFMs only have rear wheels & the front is held up by the three point hitch.

Is there a center anti-scalp roller on the befco? Does the top link connection have some freedom to move as you crest a hill or valley?

I'd expect the MMM with it's "cushion lift" and location between the tractor wheels would follow the terrain better than a RFM. My yard doesn't have much bumpy areas, so I don't have any data to back up my theory.

jwstewar · May 10, 2004

I've never used a RFM, but I will say that I've never scalped the ground with my MMM on my 24. Though with the rear discharge on my 24 it wants to bog and then leave huge clumps of chewed up grass slime. This is mainly a problem out in my field where it is "natural grass" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Where I've seeded it doesn't do that. Leaves a nice even layer of grass that usually disappears in a day or so.

Maybe Inspector will chime in here as he uses both with his TC18.

As far as cost, I'm not sure as it was a package deal. But I believe it was around $2500. Seems to be very well made though. I'm used to replacing the blades 2 - 3 times a season, now with the tractor I used them last year. Sharpened this and put them back on.

Bob_Skurka · May 10, 2004

The Befco has 4 large air filled tires, one on each corner. It also has a center anti-scalp roller. The toplink has a flexible connection at the top of the A-frame. Pretty much any deluxe type feature you could put onto a mower deck is standard equipment on the Befco units (which is probably why they are so darn expensive, but also why they are generally considered one of the better brands).

I think the real problem is my terrain. On the smooth fields, the Befco mows it like it was a fairway at Butler National golfcourse, but in the bumpy places in my valley it digs and gouges and scalps. What seems to happen is that one side of the deck will be in a low spot, or will be running in a long shallow depression, and the other side will be on flat ground and it will scalp in the middle or it will dig in along the low edge.

When I mowed with the Cub Cadet, it pretty much did the same. So mowing with the Cub and the New Holland we got similar results. But now the Ventrac is replacing the Cub and the results of the mowing are so strikingly different on some areas of the property that I wondered if a MMM might be the answer? I've never thought that there was a quality difference between a RFM and a MMM so maybe I'm grasping for answers? The real problem is that the Ventrac cuts the rough spots so nicely and follows the terrain so well that it makes a decent cut look like something my 9 year old could accomplish using mom's best vacuum cleaner! So as you drive by my property now you see some areas of nice lawn and some areas where it looks really bad.