Mowing CT235 as a mower

[amolaver]

anyone have a 225-230-235 with the belly mower? i know the week-in-week-out work will be finish mowing about 2 acres and bush hogging another 4, and am considering the CT235. however...the reason i'm thinking about the bobcat/kioti is that i'm going to be moving a LOT of dirt - probably 500 yds - to level an area for an outbuilding, AND building a mile or so of trails through some heavily wooded and overgrown land. i know moving that much dirt will take a LONG time, and probably will end up renting something to do the bulk of it and the CUT do the finish work. still, i like the heavier weight of the bobcat/kiotis vs kubota et al for the dirt work.

still, it has to be able to mow reasonably well. do folks with the MMM like the results? i'm not definately tied to the MMM - would consider using a 3pt finish mower, but more generally, are these CUTs really too heavy to mow with and tear up the lawn, or can i expect it to be alright?

ahm

 

[dfeck]

I decided against putting a MMM on my CT230 for a few reasons. First, the cost to outfit the tractor with a MMM is around $4200. This includes the mower, mid-PTO and rear valve. Second, I was concerned mowing on my septic and clay based land with such a heavy tractor. It wouldn't be a problem in the summer but early spring and late fall would be a mess when it gets a little softer. Plus I'm not sure what role compaction would play on my septic/field long term. I originally was going to sell my zero turn and consolidate into one solution (tractor) but I decided to stick with my zero turn for mowing.

Doug

 

[Johndeere3720]

Ive never used a bobcat tractor. See if the dealer would let you try one for a few days.

 

[amolaver]

I decided against putting a MMM on my CT230 for a few reasons. First, the cost to outfit the tractor with a MMM is around $4200. This includes the mower, mid-PTO and rear valve. Second, I was concerned mowing on my septic and clay based land with such a heavy tractor. It wouldn't be a problem in the summer but early spring and late fall would be a mess when it gets a little softer. Plus I'm not sure what role compaction would play on my septic/field long term. I originally was going to sell my zero turn and consolidate into one solution (tractor) but I decided to stick with my zero turn for mowing.

Doug

wow - $4200!?!?! maybe i'll get a RFM instead. is there any other use for the mid-pto? i don't foresee a need for a snowblower, anything else mid-pto driven?

for that much money, i'll be able to buy both a RFM and a medium duty bush hog.

ahm

 

[dfeck]

EXACTLY! The cost is staggering when you look at what it's being used for. The mid-PTO would be used for MMM, front mount snowblower and sweeper. The cost to increase from a standard option to deluxe was about $700. The deluxe option gave you the mid-PTO and rear valve. I once saw the MSRP on the MMM and I believe it was $3200. So, maybe $4200 was a tad high but still high in my opinion.

Doug

 

[650JD]

The CT225 that I mowed with had linkage that attached to the lower arms of the 3pt. so you don't need the augzilary rear hydraulics. I liked that it was a true floating deck, not ground engaging like the B3200 Kubota that I looked at. The cut quality was good, but the turning radius was a bit large for trimming. IMO the 225 was under powerd for the 66" deck but the 235 should play with it.

Hope this helps

 

[amolaver]

The CT225 that I mowed with had linkage that attached to the lower arms of the 3pt. so you don't need the augzilary rear hydraulics. I liked that it was a true floating deck, not ground engaging like the B3200 Kubota that I looked at. The cut quality was good, but the turning radius was a bit large for trimming. IMO the 225 was under powerd for the 66" deck but the 235 should play with it.

Hope this helps

great info folks - thanks a bunch.

650jd - what brand / model rear mower are you referring to? the floating MMM deck is one of the selling points of the new kubota B series which i like, but the ability to carry and use a medium duty bush hog favors the bobcat/kioti. the need to do a fair bit of trail cutting and earth moving also leans me towards the bobcat. i've played on the new B's, but haven't had a chance to test drive the bobcat. should be able to sometime next week, and looking forward to it!

ahm

 

[galaxie428]

I did not try the mmm for price reasons as dfeck stated, I too was quoted $3200. That made my decision for me. I ended up buying a used 72" finish mower for $400. I have the 230 and I can easily mow my yard in high gear with it. I mow my grass once a week so it doesn't get super thick and I mow it about 3" high. I suppose it would depend on how thick your grass was as to whether or not it would bog down. I don't fertilize as my yard is too big and it would cost me a fortune to do it.

My yard drains pretty well and fast but I do have a bit of a concern about mowing in the springtime when the ground is coming off the thaw from winter and it is also wet from rain. 3000+lbs is a lot of weight but I also have a ZTR I can use for that time of year if I need to.

Hope that helps.

 

[650JD]

great info folks - thanks a bunch.

650jd - what brand / model rear mower are you referring to? the floating MMM deck is one of the selling points of the new kubota B series which i like, but the ability to carry and use a medium duty bush hog favors the bobcat/kioti. the need to do a fair bit of trail cutting and earth moving also leans me towards the bobcat. i've played on the new B's, but haven't had a chance to test drive the bobcat. should be able to sometime next week, and looking forward to it!

ahm[/QUOTE


Both mowers I'm referring to are mid mount, 66" for the Bobcat & 72" for the Kubota. Kubota calls there deck mounting method "floating" but then says cutting height is ajusted buy guage wheels. This is confusing to me because I've seen both (see thumbnails) on Kubota tractors but neither the web site or my dealer could tell me much about it.

 

[amolaver]

the older kubota b-series were a 'traditional' MMM - when cutting, they rode on their own ground engaging guide wheels. the new (2009? 2008?) b-series use a floating deck supported by the tractor. there are anti-scalp wheels on them, but the weight of the deck does not rest on them in 'normal' operation. the BX's have been using the 'floating' design from the beginning so far as i understand it.

given the prices quoted for bobcat's MMM, if i like the layout/feel of the bobcat, and the current deals run through july, i will probably end up with one, and get a RFM for lawn cutting duty. i'll just be careful about running the tractor across the lawn after a rain. we have pretty sandy soil for the most part, and it seems to drain well.

unfortunately, i have to sell a house (should be on the market next week) before buying the tractor - part of the proceeds will be used to fund it

ahm