Inexpensive John Deere WAM?

[Hay Dude]

I don’t know if this is an “opportunity“ or not. I could use a large area mower. Looks like an older model. Can’t find much info on it.
90” cut is impressive, but don’t know much about it. Visually, the mower looks kinda “light-weight”, but that’s just a guess.

Seller says 1150 hours. Yanmar diesel. Wants $3500. Says it’s ready to mow grass and nothing broken.

 

[LouNY]

Interesting mower, similar to the Kubota F series with a couple of differences.
I see it looks like hydraulic drive for the mower decks. I would want to see how much that pump was and if it's rebuildable or not. Is it 4wd, without 4wd they will get stuck easily with all that weight hanging out front.
But for that price it would be hard to pass up if it sounds good and starts good.
I would expect that for a new one all you would have to do is add a zero to the end of the price tag, and a zero is nothing

 

[dodge man]

I don’t know a lot about them but have read about them and my son mowed with them when he worked on a golf course. They are really expensive new, I think they can run as high as $30k. The hydraulics are where you can get into money in repairs. That price seems too low and I would expect it to be 3 times that much. I think they are great cutting machines.

 

[RjCorazza]

That's pretty low hours for the price. I've never seen a mower deck that much offset.
Most of the sub $6-8k wam's I've looked at are 4000 + hours and beat up.

 

[Topzide]

Price is worth it for the engine alone as long as no smoking or blow by noticeable. Hard to believe the hours. Think the hour meter may have been replaced at some point. If it runs and cuts, fills the need, get it and don't look back. The drive wheels right by the deck give great traction and takes a bit to get used to the swing in back like a forklift!

 

[Hay Dude]

The seat is covered, but that’s not really an indication of high hours. The owner only has 3 pictures. More are forthcoming.

 

[bigtiller]

If it "is ready to mow and nothing broken" I would ask why. I can't help but think something is fishy.

I priced them in December of 2021, they are stupid expensive.

 

[2manyrocks]

I haven't seen any Kubota or JD front mount diesel mower like that in Middle Tennessee anywhere near $3,500 with 1150 hours. The closest ad to that locally was a F3680 with about 1300 hours for $13,500 a few weeks ago.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Haydude, how far away is it from you ? Is there any grass to cut with it where it is at, so you could try it out for a couple of hours ?

 

[Hay Dude]

Haydude, how far away is it from you ? Is there any grass to cut with it where it is at, so you could try it out for a couple of hours ?

As usual, it’s pretty far, like 4 hours. It’s in upstate NY, so probably little to no grass. I’d have to buy on pictures & trust. Of course I can test it when I pick it up, but after cobbling together $3,500 $300 in fuel and a trip permit to drive into NY, it’s a bi@tch to turn around and come home empty.

 

[LouNY]

As usual, it’s pretty far, like 4 hours. It’s in upstate NY, so probably little to no grass. I’d have to buy on pictures & trust. Of course I can test it when I pick it up, but after cobbling together $3,500 $300 in fuel and a trip permit to drive into NY, it’s a bi@tch to turn around and come home empty.

Just for the heck of it I looked it up, I would offer to go look at it but, then I see it's over 4 hours from me.
Interesting mower especially at that price.

 

[Hay Dude]

Thanks, Lou. It would be GREAT if someone would look at it for me that lives closeby.

 

[George2615]

Where is it in upstate NY?

 

[Hay Dude]

George, check your PM.

 

[George2615]

Its 150 miles SW from me. A little too far for me to drive in winter. We just got a foot of snow last night. I'd go if it was a lot closer

 

[workinonit]

I've seen tons of those mowers around here and never seen one exactly like that. Unless that pic is an optical illusion that's a left hand deck only. Those things usually have matching decks. I don't think I've ever seen an offset one like that.

 

[Hay Dude]

Funny, I have never seen that model of mower.

 

[sklunk]

Deere definitely made a 1620 WAM with 90" offset deck from 2000-2002. The deck was called a "single Lastec 90-inch deck" that was actually made by a third-party company named Lastec. I have seen them and they look weird for a WAM (as others have said most have "symmetric" wing decks on both sides).

The company is still in business and you can buy their articulating decks for some of the current JD front mowers here:

Out Front Mower Decks | Lastec Mowers

Lastec articulating decks specially engineered for out front applications for multiple manufacturers and models.

www.lastec.com

They are articulating decks that "flex" with the terrain but they don't fold the whole way up like the wing decks on a WAM do (they only raise/lower by a couple of inches).

That being said, I have never seen one of these 1620's for sale at less than around $7500, and that is with high hours. I would be worried there is something fishy with this one ...

Just for fun -- poke around their website. They also make pull-behinds, golf course models, and even their own zero-turns. How about a high-power zero-turn with a 10-foot articulating deck?!?!

 

[CliffordK]

I've never seen a mower deck that much offset.

Ahh, I missed that. I was thinking it was a pure batwing like the Toro Groundsmaster 455D which seems to be larger, although perhaps the engines are relatively close, so they may be similar.

Are the Deere side blades hydraulic or belt driven? Pure hydraulic might be nice if one could convince it to do hedge trimming.

The half batwing might be handy for mowing around fruit trees.

 

[YanmarFever]

The roll bar does not fold
The last deck can fold up
They are only for cutting grass and not tall grass either.
For 35 bills, its a steal, I use to mow a golf course with one many years ago.
Go there on your day off and try it out, if you don't like it, you can always sell it after its cleaned up and make some $$