Mowing Help on mower selection Belly or Rear

[millsnhills]

I will end up mowing probably two acres of lawn. I just purchased a JD 4110 and had planned on getting a 60MMM but due to their end run of manufacturing was told none were available until next year.

Tonight I spoke with a friend who has the same tractor just an older model and he suggested I reconsider the selection. He said that because the PTO height adjustment operates both the mid and rear PTO it was a pain because if he wanted to scrap his drive or plow snow etc., he had to take the belly mower off. When you lifted one it lifted both and vic-versa.

Is this correct and if so what is the opinion on which to go with. I had been leaning towards the MMM because it would get closer on the turns.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[thcri]

Jeff,

If I remember right on that 4110 you can buy a pin up kit for it. Runs around $75.00 if I remember previous conversations. Check it out.

If you do a lot of mowing with things to go around the MMM is much nicer. Pinning it up is fine for times when you want to do something quick without removing the deck. But if you are going to do a lot of one thing such as snow removal or moving dirt you will want to remove it. Also the MMM can be a pain to take on and off. If you have wide open spaces then the RMM is much better and quicker to put on and off. The RMM is cheaper on the pocket book.

I have the New Holland TC29D and I find that I do pin my MMM up a lot. Winter comes around or if I want to do a bunch of landscaping I take it off. I got it down to a science as far as removing and re-installing.


Just some suggestions I guess and welcome to TBN.


murph

 

[Molerj]

I vote for the mmm. In the winter I take my mower off. During the summer, I may have to remove it once or twice. On my 955 there is a device that I turn to keep the mower up when I lower the 3PH. Remember when you use the RFM that adds that much more to the length of the tractor. If you aren't careful you can wipe out a shrub with a sharp turn, backing up isn't as convenient. With that said, I'm sure there will be others that prefer the RFM to the MMM.

 

[kennyd]

I have a 4110 with a MMM, you can get the kit to keep it up, but I usaully just take it off. If you have a concrete floor to take it off on, it can be done in about 4 minutes. Turn the antiscalp wheels 90*, pull 2 pins, unhook the quick connect in the front, uhook the PTO shaft, then the deck rolls right out. If you try it on grass or gravel it is real hard to roll out.

I spent about 1 hour getting it nice and level after I recieved (the dealer just hung it there and did not adjust it very well) and get a very nice cut. It would be nice if the deck worked off an additional hydraulic circiut (like the 4210 and up series) but then the cost would be alot more.

Hope this helps...

 

[bebster]

I went throught this thought process and ended up buying a JD 18HP 48" lawn tractor for about $3000. Figured that way others in the family can cut the lawn if they want, and I can still have the tractor free. Also would save changing the tractor implements, and provide a better cut since the lawn tractor can turn a lot tighter and get a lot closer than my tractor can. It's also easier on the lawn because it's lighter. Glad I went this direction, because now the 4410 tractor is usually configured with FEL and BH for jobs other than mowing. I've realized this fall when the leaves fell that maybe I might want to add a rear bagger to the lawn tractor to pickup the leaves and compost them. That would be harder to do with a mower on the 4410 tractor.

 

[Bob_In_MN]

millsnhills,

I go with the MMM also. I have the 4010 with the 54 inch deck. As others have said, once you get the hang of it, the deck does on/off in 4-5 minutes.

I have left the deck on while doing light loader work, but to be honest anytime you're doing serious work with the loader or some 3 point attachment, you don't want the MMM. Even if you pin it up (with the attachment kit), you don't get much ground clearance.

Others have taken the $1600-$2000 and bought another lawn tractor. I justified the 4010 tractor (to myself and my wife) as the one piece of equipment that can take care of our property no matter what the need. BTW--I have 2 other riders I inherited over the years. They rarely get used.

Good Luck

Bob

 

[Soundguy]

Same here... I have lawn equipment that is 'lonely'.. as my IH cub now does lots of the mowing around the house.. and the other tractors / hog the pasture.. etc... I don't think my push mower has been started this year... and I even changed the oil in it .. go figure....( now that I've serviced it.. probably won't ever use it again. ) At least the rider does ocasionally get started... not much though..

Soundguy

 

[tdenny]

I have a RFM and find that it is very easily put on and removed. With that being said if I had to do it over again I'd probably get the MMM. I have a First Choice 5 footer and it is a great tool. Really well built, easy to keep up and by far less expensive than the MMM. I never take off my loader as I use it by far more than anything so when I mow my real grass my maneuverability is not so good. When I mow the pastures this isn't a factor and I think the RFM is better in this area.

The only other advantage of a RFM that I notice is when you have trees with lower branches you can easily back in and get close whereas with a MMM you wouldn't likely even go there.

Hope this helps a little. Good luck

 

[JClark]

When I bought my 4110 this summer I got the 60" MMM with it. The kit to hold it up was $75 and works OK once it is adjusted properly and the turnbuckles fixed with a little Loktite. The ground clearance issue was a real problem as I got the turf tires. This I fixed by getting bigger rear turf tires. Now I can do most of my work with the MMM still attached. I remove it when I have some serious bushhogging or grading to do.

The MMM is very easy to remove and reinstall. I have a smooth concrete slab so I don't even bother to swivel the wheels, I just drag it out. Less than 2 minutes to remove using that method.

As someone said, the MMM makes a very nice cut once it is adjusted properly. Because it is fully floating it makes for a nice smooth cut. I used a 72" RMM on my previous tractor and it was not as convenient to use as the MMM. It was particularly difficult to cut close around bushed and trees. Plus it had 4 tires to keep inflated and lubed. I also use the MMM with my Trac-Vac, something a RMM doesn't do so well.

YMMV

 

[garchib]

I am a RMM guy.....I like how easy they are to work on and how easy
it is to work under the tractor without having to remove the mower.
RMM make good ballast boxes too ;-) If I am doing light loader work,
I just leave the RMM on and don't bother swapping it out with the ballast box.

 

[TerryinMD]

I have a 4100 with a 54" MMM and I use the lift locking kit (I think that is the name). It is a dealer supplied item and costs around $75.00.

There are pros and cons about the MMM and the locking kit. As others have stated, once you get used to taking the MMM on and off, it's a breeze. Once the MMM is removed, the locking kit does not interfer with the 3 pt hitch. However, the control arms for the MMM do get in the way sometimes because they can catch on things. That is pretty much the only con.

Hindsight being 20/20, I would have gotten the RMM. Why? Because it is cheaper and you do not have to worry about setting up the MMM to get a good cut.

The bottom line is that you have to decide what works best for you. If you do not have many contours, trees, etc. in the way for your mowing a RMM will work fine. If you have to do a lot of turning to manuver about, the MMM will probably work best.

Good Luck.

Terry

 

[millsnhills]

Great feedback guys as usual... It getting down to freezing tonight does not make me think about cutting grass to much but I also don't want to wait until spring to have a solution.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I have 2 tractors for mowing, but the primary mowing tractor is a Cub Cadet with a 54" deck. It mows about 70% of the lawn areas we have and it used to mow 100%. I added a rear finish mower a couple years ago and use it with my NH TC24D, but can't get next to the small trees with it. The one advantage to the RFM is that you can back up to trees and get under them, ditto along creeks and ditches. With many of the trees on our property (we have HUNDREDS of those nasty Hawthorn trees) you can't get a tractor close enough to them to use a MMM unless you cut the branches up to the point that you get the entire tractor UNDER the branches. And we do that with to get the Cub Cadet up close, but because even a full size Hawthorn is a small tree, there is no way to cut the branches up high enough to get close with a compact tractor unless you want your face to come in contact with those 1" long spikes on the branches. Also the Cub is used around the house, patio areas, and other places that a larger tractor simply can't get into, even if it had a MMM, I couldn't get the NH into some of the spots I get the Cub into and the NH is a small diesel by almost any standard.

 

[kennyd]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( However, the control arms for the MMM do get in the way sometimes because they can catch on things. That is pretty much the only con.

Terry )</font>


Terry, I use wire ties (cable ties, zip ties, whatever you know them by ties...) to hold up the MMM lift arms when I have the deck off, real simple to do.

 

[TerryinMD]

Nah... sometimes they must come off. Like when using my 16" single moldboard plow, grading new ground with a rear blade and the FEL, and occasionly when using the rotary cutter.

Later,
Terry