Rear Finish Mower King Kutter RFM-72-YK good deal?

[bp fick]

I was in the same place last spring. KK?, buy used off Craigs?, Chinese knock offs everywhere?

I ended up buying an Italian RFM from Ken Sweet, a regular here on TBN for less than a KK purchased locally. It is a far superior machine.
Everything Attachments also sells them. Kioti OEM, Sicma, Phoenix, First Choice are some of the decal names. I'd do it again in a heart beat!!!

 

[jcliburn]

The "YK" stands for Yellow color. Raise the deck up and see if the bottom still has paint under it. Take off the plastic black cover and look at the belt. Look at the grease fittings and check to see if the unit has been greased and if the fittings are still on the wheel fork arms.:thumbsup:

Jim1764,

The above advice provided by McGeesEquip is spot on. And he should know: He sells tractor equipment for a living, including KK implements.

Last spring I bought the same mower you're looking at, except mine is red, not yellow. I haven't had a shred of a problem with it. I pull it behind a Kubota MX5100.

Jay

 

[Ordite]

I bought a new 72" KK finish mower a couple years ago. It had also set outside the farm store for a year or more and the paint was faded. It is a side discharge which the company may have discontinued for the rear discharge machines. I purchased it for about 1/2 of regular price and repainted it to match my JD 3320 tractor. I have been very satisfied with the way it performs. A bearing went out on one of the idler pulleys, otherwise no other problems.

 

[Jim1764]

Well I feel a little better now hearing some good experiences with King Kutter. Thanks Jay and Ordite. I'm thinking it's like anything else, if you use it for what it was intended for it'll be fine with normal wear and tear. If you use it hard and make it do something it was not designed for then you run into problems. I have two or three acres of open area grass to mow with my 33 HP PTO Kubota L3710.

Jim

 

[Jim1764]

Turns out the guy I'm dealing with has two 6' rear finish mowers. A Befco and a King Kutter. Is one better than the other? Anyone with experience on the Befco?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[jcliburn]

I have no experience with Befco, but judging from the pictures only, it appears to be sturdier than the KK. Note the pair of stiff metal straps running from the 3ph A-frame to the rear of the mower. The KK you're looking at has a chain and single strap arrangement to make the connection between A-frame and mower deck. (Newer KK RFMs have solid straps instead of the chain.)

The KK chain feature means the mower will float better over bumpy terrain, but you could probably accomplish much the same with the Befco by lengthening the top link. (The newer KK mowers have a "flexible link" apparatus that allows mower floating, while still providing the sturdier two-strap connection.)

Jay

 

[RoyJackson]

Is one better than the other? Anyone with experience on the Befco?

Thanks,

Jim

I've had two Befco mowers. My first was a 60" unit purchased with a Deere 670 ten years ago. I ran it for about 9 years (kept it when I traded the 670 for a 790). Other then the paint faded a bit, it looked and ran just as good as the day I bought it (which, BTW, was a used mower...my guess it was 5 years old when I bought it).
Other then one belt, greasing and seasonal blade sharpening, no problems.
My current mower is the second Befco. This one is a beast: 84" width, almost 800 lbs. Also came with the tractor I bought(when I traded the 790).
I've only mowed one season with the 84" mower. It does fine and I expect the same great service from this mower. My only issue is it's almost too wide for my garage.

Both mowers are well made and I would expect a Befco to last decades. As far as is a Befco a better mower? Well, definitely a higher quality build (I looked at a KK years ago) and my opinion is Befco is more durable.

There ya go...a personal reference from a happy owner.

 

[Jim1764]

Roy, I really appreciate your feed back on the Befco. I just heard back from the seller and the Befco is a C30-RD6 used mower. Even though it's used and the King Kutter is new I'm leaning towards the Befco. My son and I are going look at it tomorrow morning. I'll let ya know how it turns out.

Jim

 

[Jim1764]

I was just looking at the Befco website and the C30-RD6 model is only good up to 30 HP. My tractor is 33 HP PTO, 37 HP tractor. I think I have too much tractor for this model mower. Now I may have to go with the King Kutter.

Jim

 

[kemary]

I would go with the Befco anyway. As long as you are just mowing normal grass your tractor will not hurt it.. I bought a used (2 years old) Woods Rd7200 finish mower at an auction for $600 three and a half years ago. It has been flawless mowing 2.5 acres of yard for the last 3 summers. Quality counts and I believe the Befco is a better product than the KK.