Rear Finish Mower Comparing 3 Point Finish Mower Options

[strodj07]

I have a Massey Ferguson 2706e and have been using a 5' finish mower behind it that my dad had sitting around for a while. I am looking to get something bigger/ more appropriate size for the machine so am looking at 7'-8'. I already have a 7' twin spindle rotary cutter i use for rougher uses but am looking for an actual finish mower for finer yard work. I'm not interested in a flail mower. There are several companies out there making a 7' finish mower with pretty much the same design although certainly different build qualities. Here is what I've been comparing and would like to hear others thoughts:

Caroni TC910- 93" cut, $2,900
https://www.agrisupply.com/caroni-estate-mower-rear-discharge-lift-type/p/29234/
This is the outlier to all the other options. It runs 5 blades instead of 3 which means more parts and spindles but parts are very easy to come by and very affordable when needed. Most info i have read on them, people have been very happy and gotten a quality cut and good service life from them.

Agmate 7'- 83" Cut, $3,050
https://www.agrisupply.com/finishing-mower/p/72506/
This is the 7' model Agrisupply carries. Before purchasing this, i would probably look a little harder into Woods, RhinoAg,... all the other locally repped brands since the 7' mowers all tend to be pretty much the same in design.

Phoenix M84S- 84" Cut, $3,369
https://www.everythingattachments.com/Farmtrac-Tractor-Finish-Mower-84-Rear-Discharge-p/far-mower-fin-84-ptorear-m84-s.htm
Again, another 7' mower with very similar design to all the others. People with the Phoenix, Sicma products seem to be very happy with them. I have looked around a bit and part availability does not appear to be very good, atleast from online sources. Any experiences there? I dont want to have to fight to find parts or pay an arm and leg for them when something breaks.

I keep leaning towards the Caroni due to the different design. I like that parts are so available and for a reasonable amount. I was looking at a Bush Hog 7' finish mower a while back that needed a side spindle which were close to $500 a piece and the wheel forks were not in great shape and the price for them just seemed ridiculous too so i bowed out of that deal. That is influencing my decision a fair amount while looking for what i want to buy now and pushing me towards the Caroni. I am not brand loyal and shake my head at those that go that way. I want a decent quality product at a reasonable price that wont make me choke when it comes time to work on it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Halftrack]

I have the twin to the 5 blade Caroni, and have been using it for about 8 years. It was used when I purchased and I have replaced the blades once and the belts once, and a bearing in one of the idler pulleys, otherwise trouble free. If your model has the nylon idler pulleys, duct tape the top of the pulley to keep the dirt out of the bearings. I have fairly smooth, level ground but I would caution you if you don't, it will scalp, due to the wheels being so far apart. Also, with the small hard wheels, rough ground is going to take a toll on the mower in bent wheel forks and support hangers. It does leave a large and a small windrow in heavier grass.

My neighbor had the Phoenix 84" with the larger hard tires on it. He pulled it behind a TC33D with no problems as far as horsepower. His yard was much less than smooth and if you notice how the wheels are supported from the deck, can you imagine the beating those deck supports took and they eventually bent from the torque from the beating. He took it to a welding shop and they reinforced the deck supports. Otherwise I am not aware of any other issues.

Another neighbor had a 7' Woods 3 blade finish mower (8400). Again, less than smooth ground and his small air tires took a beating and suffered. He probably replaced a dozen tires on that mower.

Recurring theme here. Wheels and forks take the punishment from a heavier mower. Have you considered a trifold in the 11 to 15 ft. range, your tractor would handle it. Less deck weight per wheel and less storage space when folded. A few negatives in more belts, spindles and wheels. My 2 cents, good luck.

 

[workinonit]

I had the Caroni 92" I think it was. I cut 7 acres for years with it. Bought it new for $1200 and sold it for $500 when I got my Frontier 2120 FM. That Caroni cut really well. It was 5 blade, 2 belt. The only issue I ever had with it was scalping because of the width if you got in the wrong position. Of course I cut really low, propably 1.5". I can't speak to their quality now but the one I had was a good mower. It was just as good when I sold it. The guy still uses it.

 

[DK35vince]

My neighbor had the Phoenix 84" with the larger hard tires on it. He pulled it behind a TC33D with no problems as far as horsepower. His yard was much less than smooth and if you notice how the wheels are supported from the deck, can you imagine the beating those deck supports took and they eventually bent from the torque from the beating. He took it to a welding shop and they reinforced the deck supports. Otherwise I am not aware of any other issues.

I've had the same 84" mower for the past 18+ years with a different name (First Choice, same mower as the Phoenix, made by Sicma)
I had the same issue, the deck supports ( where the wheel arms bolt to the deck) cracked and bent after a few hundred hours.
I welded 1/2" plating on all 4 mount points (never going to bend again)
Overall I like the mower.
Never had any problem getting parts. Parts are easy to get.

 

[Halftrack]

Wondering what you ended up with and if you are satisfied?

 

[workinonit]

I had the 93" Coroni and never had an issue with it. It cut great and did everything I expected of it. I think I put 1set of belts on it and would replace the blades every other year. I ran that thing for 10 years or so. Bought it for $1295 and sold it for $500. Replaced it with a 20' Frontier to cut down on mow time. BTW, the Coroni had built in float which I liked a lot.

 

[TractorGuy]

Wondering what you ended up with and if you are satisfied?

Doesn't look like the OP has been back. Only made 3 posts.

I have owned the 6' version of the Agmate for several years and have been happy with it. I have abused it by mowing areas it wasn't intended for. The first year I didn't grease the wheels as often as I should have. I had to replace all the wheels after the first year. I grease them every other mowing now and they have held up. One of the bolts came loose that held the wheel tube on and caused it to chafe the paint. Last year I pulled both wheel tubes off and repainted the whole mower. I store it outside.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Yes, but you can buy a used zero turn ooff Craigslist and tear the world up with it. They claim 9 acres an hour. Tractor won't touch that. Much less all the backing and turning around. A wide finish mower will cost more than a used zero turn.

 

[TractorGuy]

Yes, but you can buy a used zero turn ooff Craigslist and tear the world up with it. They claim 9 acres an hour. Tractor won't touch that. Much less all the backing and turning around. A wide finish mower will cost more than a used zero turn.

What kind of zero turn is claiming 9 acres an hour. Years ago I worked at a JD dealer that sold Dixie Choppers. They were claiming the 72" would do 7 acres an hour but that had to be a flat smooth field. Not many of us have land you can run flat out on even if the mower would cut at that speed.

My one and only zero turn beat me to death and covered me in dirt blowing out the front and back on me. I wouldn't trade my finish mower for three of them.

 

[strodj07]

I have not purchased yet. I think I am going to go with the sicma/Phoenix though. Life gets busy and I hadn’t gotten back on in a while. I appreciate everyone’s input. My yard is certainly too rough to run a zero turn at any kind of speed. I like the look off the all flex mowers mentioned but I just don’t have enough need to justify that kinda money. Would be nice to get my mowing done in less than an hour though.

 

[Cataclysm]

I have a 7' Land Pride I mow 6 acers with. Fairly heavy built. Cuts great. I bought it used. I grease it every time I use it. Zero issues. The best feature it has is the whole back part of the deck is open to let the cut grass out.

I run it with a cab tractor so no grass-nados swirling over me. It may or may not be as fast as a zero turn but who cares with the a/c running.

 

[TractorGuy]

Just looked back at the prices posted by the OP. They don't match the prices listed at Agri Supply so I assume he has added shipping.

Blade speed will have a direct correlation to cut quality. Out of the Agri Supply mowers the Caroni has the highest blade speed. They are showing 2 in Greenville NC and 1 in Valdosta Ga.

Looks like they are out of stock on the 7' Agmate.

They also list a 7' Bellonmit with 4 in their mail center and 1 in Petersburg Va. Base price is showing $1699.88 making it the lowest price 7 footer.

Estate Mower, Finish Mower, Caroni Mower, Grooming Mower

We carry estate mowers in cutting widths of 48, 59, 71 and 93 in and they are used for a smooth quality cut.

www.agrisupply.com

 

[Smokeydog]

Woods RD7200 has been a good performer. With double taper roller bearings and two bolt blade spindles have been durable. Much less maintenance than other brands I have used. Don’t know if other manufacturers have caught up with this improvement. Our property is rough on mowers. 22 years, 100-130hours per year, 1 belt, dozen blade sets. Had to improve the design of the gauge wheels spindles to handle trimming behind a 4x4 scut.

 

[TractorGuy]

I have a homemade ground powered mower I built in the early 90s. I made all the spindles from 1" trailer hubs with tapered bearings. Still has the original bearings in all 3 and the transfer shaft. Seems like that would be as cheap and durable as you could ask for.

Most of these mowers today just use sealed ball bearings. I can't figure why the finish mowers have grease fittings in the spindles when they use sealed bearings? They are easy to replace though and you can buy bearings cheap on eBay.