Thanks to all who answered my post about needing a new mower. I have a couple comments & questions for anyone.
First, when the RFM arrived, I was able to quickly get it on the tractor, start it up and start mowing immediately. I can mow the yard a LOT faster now with this 60" mower being pulled much faster over the ground than the old 48" mower on the L-120 ever could. I was done in close to half the time. After I cut the yard, I was able to cut the trails that run through our prairie acerage. The RFM is a vast improvement over the old garden tractor for this duty. The cutting was fast, level & even. I was even able to cut a small bit of tall prairie grass and it worked almost like a bush hog. I don't think I would do much this way, but it did a good job overall. Last on my list was to mow though my berry patch. My berry patch consists of several berry rows spaced about 12-15 feet apart. This was a place where I would be testing the maneuverability of the 2305 w/loader & RFM in narrow confines, and where a mistake means killing a plant that I have about 3 years invested and just about to bear fuit (no pun). Fortunately, lining up the tractor and mowing alongside the rows was simple and painless. All of the rows stayed nice and healthy while the paths between them got a nice haircut.
Generally, the RFM mowed very well--just as well as a dedicated lawn tractor. The cut was very even and level.
One downside--my yard is hilly and rolling. In about 5 places, the RFM scalped the yard. I am about to order an anti-scalping roller to help out onthis issue. Further, I raised up the cutting height by 1 inch, hoping that this solves the problem for good.
My one question is about a slip-clutch/shear pin. The dealer said that this mower did not have one because he said that the pulley and belt system would give away before there was any serious strain on the drivetrain. He cited the "fact" (I don't know if this is true or not) that MMM's, whether L-120's or 4720's don't have slip clutches either. At the time, this made sense to me, but a couple of times when the mower scalped, the engine did bog down more than I expected.
Thus far, the mower has been a good replacement for the old L-120 and I can hardly wait to get out to the lawn and mow again. But I am especially interested in the lack of a shear pin or slip clutch.
Thanks to all
SI2305
First, when the RFM arrived, I was able to quickly get it on the tractor, start it up and start mowing immediately. I can mow the yard a LOT faster now with this 60" mower being pulled much faster over the ground than the old 48" mower on the L-120 ever could. I was done in close to half the time. After I cut the yard, I was able to cut the trails that run through our prairie acerage. The RFM is a vast improvement over the old garden tractor for this duty. The cutting was fast, level & even. I was even able to cut a small bit of tall prairie grass and it worked almost like a bush hog. I don't think I would do much this way, but it did a good job overall. Last on my list was to mow though my berry patch. My berry patch consists of several berry rows spaced about 12-15 feet apart. This was a place where I would be testing the maneuverability of the 2305 w/loader & RFM in narrow confines, and where a mistake means killing a plant that I have about 3 years invested and just about to bear fuit (no pun). Fortunately, lining up the tractor and mowing alongside the rows was simple and painless. All of the rows stayed nice and healthy while the paths between them got a nice haircut.
Generally, the RFM mowed very well--just as well as a dedicated lawn tractor. The cut was very even and level.
One downside--my yard is hilly and rolling. In about 5 places, the RFM scalped the yard. I am about to order an anti-scalping roller to help out onthis issue. Further, I raised up the cutting height by 1 inch, hoping that this solves the problem for good.
My one question is about a slip-clutch/shear pin. The dealer said that this mower did not have one because he said that the pulley and belt system would give away before there was any serious strain on the drivetrain. He cited the "fact" (I don't know if this is true or not) that MMM's, whether L-120's or 4720's don't have slip clutches either. At the time, this made sense to me, but a couple of times when the mower scalped, the engine did bog down more than I expected.
Thus far, the mower has been a good replacement for the old L-120 and I can hardly wait to get out to the lawn and mow again. But I am especially interested in the lack of a shear pin or slip clutch.
Thanks to all
SI2305