Finishing Mowers

[luoisz]

I need a new rear finishing mower. I will run it on a Ford 1220 17.5 hp. I have borrowed by neighbors farm king 550. It does a good job but is a little heavy. I have also looked at the Bushhog rdth 60 the Landpride 1660 and the First Choice. All of these mowers have their advandages and dis advandages. I like Bushhog equipment as I have a 14ft clipper but their finishing mowers have a poor paint job and I don't like all of the welding slag still on the deck before painting. I looked at new Bushhog RDTH still in the crate and it was already beginning to rust. Not a real problem as all mowers will rust with time but not the way to start.

My main requirement is quality of cut. I mow 2 yards of 2 acres each about every 5 days in the hot rainy days of southern Mississippi.

Given the prices listed for each mower give my your opinion as I just cannot make up my mind. I would also like feedback from any owners of these mowers telling me of what you like and what you think could be improved on.

First Choice 5ft $1100
Farm King Y 550R$1250
Land Pride FDR 1660 $1300
Bushhog RDTH 60 $1500

Thanks for your help, I need to make a swift decision as I don't want to keep asking my neighbor to use his.

Jeff

 

[chim]

I mowed 7.5 acres of wet tall grass yesterday. I have two mowers, a 5' Caroni side discharge and a Landpride AT2560 which is also a 5' side discharge. The Caroni has been beat around, and is not constructed as well as the Landpride. The plan is to sell it with my Ford 1210 when I get around to it. I have been using the Caroni on rougher areas to save wear and tear on the Landpride.

Due to the large discharge chute on the Caroni, it blows wet grass better, without spewing clumps of grass. The Landpride is a sturdier design, and the pneumatic tires allow it to roll along with less banging and clanging. Unless the grass is real wet, it does a fine job.

Don't rule out a cheaper deck - the Caroni was only around $900. I have abused it badly and stored it outside. The only problems I've had with it were a couple snapped bolts that hold the guage wheels (maybe wouldn't have happened with pneumatic tires) and I hit a pipe one time that messed up the right spindle (DUH). The spindle (called a "quill" by AgriEquipment) was around $100, and came within a couple of days after I called in the order..................chim

 

[machinedoc]

Jeff, The First Choice 5 ft at $1050 at sweettractors (270-528-3323) would be my pick for machine and dealer. The First Choice is Landpride quality or better. I bought a First Choice roto tiller from Ken and he is one of the few dealers that will take the time to walk you thru this and make a intelligent decision. Usually stocks all wholegoods and has probably the best stocked parts dept. in the "First Choice" dealer network.

 

[Yukon]

I've been mowing with the Farm King rear discharge for two years now and I couldn't be happier. It gives an excelent cut and is a very well built mower. The guage of the steel on the deck is thicker than some used on brush hogs. Farm King would be one to consider. Oh, I mow approximately 8 acres as finish lawn throughout the summer. Good luck.

 

[machinedoc]

Yukon, How thick is the decking on the Farm King--I was thinking 7 or 9 guage? If this is correct, the "First Choice" at a full 3/16" deck should be a lot sturdier built? Not to mention the nice powder coat finish on first choice instead of old time enamel paint?

 

[luoisz]

Can you pick up the Landpride 2560 with a Ford 1210 without front weights? The farm king that i have used weighs 550 and I don't think that I can handle anything any heavier than that. LP 2560 I believe is over 600# but the gearbox is located closer to the tractor.

Jeff

 

[machinedoc]

You hit the nail on the head, The First Choice is adjustable on its hitch assy, to let you move the mower closer to the tractor so you dont need the ballest on the front. This unique feature lets you maximize the weight on the 3 point of your tractor. 2-3 inches difference at the hitch makes a big difference at the front end! Most mowers dont have this unique adjustable hitching system.

 

[chim]

I haven't tried the LandPride on the 1210, but I doubt the 1210 would do it without the weights. Since I got the new tractor, the Ford hasn't seen much action. As stated, the LP is heavier, and the 1210 needs a pair of suitcase weights to handle the Caroni. I can feel a difference between the weight of the two decks on my B7500. The subframe for the FEL on the B7500 provides enough ballast for the LP without adding any other weight to the front..............chim

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>...I was thinking 7 or 9 guage? If this is correct, the "First Choice" at a full 3/16" deck should be a lot sturdier built?...</font color=blue>

7 gauge is the same as 3/16"...

Probably 95% of all finish mowers use 7 gauge steel for their decks... I don't believe a better finish or more expensive attachment will mow your lawn any better one way or the other ...

so it basically boils down to dollars and brand preference...

 

[machinedoc]

I was thinking 7 guage was .180 and 3/16 was .187 ? If particulars dont matter, then a Northern Hydraulic, Nortrac, Rhino, AgriCat, Allied, Jinma, etc. Chinese compact tractor has a drivetrain and 3 point hitch, Just like a JD or NH or Bota, only difference is, you have to constantly work on the Chinese products in order to stay in the field for at least a hour at a time. It is hard to overpay for quaity, features and peace of mind, when we are all doing this for a hobby and relaxation !

 

[frank_f15]

another thing u might want to take into consideration, is how u adjust or change the belt(s). on my old kk it was a real ordear to chage or adjust belt, but on the BEFCO evdery thing is done from the top and quite easy. most overlook that point, i know i did ./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>… I was thinking 7 guage was .180 and 3/16 was .187 ?...</font color=blue>

Using the US Standard- 7 gauge steel sheet = 0.1875 “
and 3/16th inch = 0.1875 “

However, using a different standard…7 gauge steel wire = 0.180 “

<font color=blue>… Don't rule out a cheaper deck…</font color=blue>

<font color=blue>… I've been mowing with the Farm King rear discharge for two years now and I couldn't be happier. It gives an excelent cut and is a very well built mower. The guage of the steel on the deck is thicker than some used on brush hogs….</font color=blue>

I agree, the Farm King by Buhler is top shelf for quality, North American made, and lots of bang for the buck…

As a rule, the names Bush Hog, Woods, LandPride, Befco, etc. are quality equipment manufacturers… but they also don’t make everything themselves… they market a number of implements made by someone else with their logo attached… with that higher price tag attached as well…

Just because you pay top dollar for “anything”… it doesn’t automatically give you the quality and longevity you would expect… there’s an awful lot of marketing going on… and guess what… that costs you, the buyer… money…

On the same token, there are a number of “sleeper & unknown companies” out there that offer excellent products at some great prices… /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Yukon]

Thank you for the technical response to some of the metal guage questions. All I could provide is that my mower hasn't broken down and for the money I paid, it works fantastic. Thanks again.

 

[chim]

I mowed for a while last evening. About a week ago, I related how the Caroni did better than my Landpride in the wet grass. Well, last night the wet tall grass was almost identical to the grass encountered last week. I decided to use the Landpride so as not to trust my faulty memory.

The clippings were not as nicely distributed with the Landpride. There are some small clumps here and there. I should note that neither of these decks have the discharge chute down in the proper location. That makes it worse and prevents getting close to posts and trees with the right side of the mower.

I should also note the heavier Landpride didn't leave tracks through the grass nealy as bad as the Caroni. I suppose the pneumatic tires on the LP are why...................chim