Mowing need advice on finish mower

[JOHNINMA]

Hi all,
I have a B5200 thats rated at (13HP engine) and (11HP P.T.O), and was wondering if this little tractor could run a P.T.O driven finish mower.
I also am not sure what a good mower would be for it size, weight, etc. and would appreciate any advise.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I bought a 6' RFM for my B7800. It was what the dealer referred to as a Jolle. He said French made. It was really pretty with welds so smooth you couldn't see them. They were so smooth they kept coming apart. My B7800 handled it well but it (mower) kept tearing up or falling apart. He gave me my money back ($1100)toward the purchase of a 6' Landpride ($1700) 2 years after my purchase. You can clearly see the welds on the Landpride and it's not pretty. Looks like a tank and has performed like one to date. Have bought 6 Kubotas from him in 4 years but I think he still would have traded decks with me. Barlows OK. Landpride is a solid deck that I've used for a few years and no falling apart. It would swing my B7800 (Landpride deck) when going down hill and making a turn. I traded B7800 to a L3240 and the tractor handles the deck but really slows down by the time I get to the top of a steep hill. I like the RFM myself and don't know that the HP requirement would be different for one over the other but a good deck is really heavy for either one. I use my 6' RFM on my L3240 and have a 60"MMM on my BX2350. Art White can tell you and maybe he will respond. I have rough terrain and hillside so my mowing deck has to be rugged. A flat lawn deck could probably be less sturdy and heavy. Just remember you have to have pulling HP for deck weight and turning HP for blades. I don't think you could handle a 6 footer. Any dealer should be able to tell you and I'm sure a bunch of people on this site can tell you.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I looked at two used B1700's yesterday that had 60" mmm decks on them. I think they were 17hp gross, and maybe 13, or so pto. I would think that your tractor would run a 48" mower at least, and probably a 54". I had a Simplicity 12.5 hp gas rider for years that ran a 42" deck just fine.

 

[art]

You can run a 48" finish mower with no trouble with that size tractor and no more then a 54".

 

[have_blue]

Hi all,
I have a B5200 thats rated at (13HP engine) and (11HP P.T.O), and was wondering if this little tractor could run a P.T.O driven finish mower.
I also am not sure what a good mower would be for it size, weight, etc. and would appreciate any advise.

Just thinking about it, 42" riding mowers usually have 14-18hp engines. Since RFM decks are practically identical to riding mower decks, they need similar power. So I think 42" would be the max, but I may be surprised.

 

[CumminsLuke]

I'd look at a landpride. I have two of them, a 60" and an 84", both good quality machines. Probably a 48" would be in order for you, maybe a 60"?

 

[MAG]

There are two 72" Kubota mowers on ebay for $800/$745. The one in Naples is new the other is out west. I'd buy one but to far away and they want pickup only.

 

[JOHNINMA]

Thankyou to everyone for the help. I think I will check into a landpride 48" finish mower at some local dealers now that some of my concerns have been addressed.
Also there is a TSC store about 1 hours ride from me that I might try as well. Does there equipment seem to be good quality I have never been there?

 

[CumminsLuke]

I'd say the tractor supply stuff is probably a pretty cheap grade of equipment. The LandPride is about the best brand of finish mower you can buy.

 

[JOHNINMA]

Thankyou CumminsLuke for helping me narrow my search even further. I think I will go with a Landpride mower as you suggested.
Thankyou to everyone again.
Johninma

 

[ampsucker]

i'll mention something no one else has yet. part of it has to do with the gear box on the mower, the blade length (tip speed) and belt and pulley system on the mower.

my little 42" deere/scotts has two blades and is driven by a 17 hp kohler engine that runs the mower as well as provides the forward motion for the tractor. it is very hard to bog down and has lots of power. gas engine runs at higher rpms. the blades length (lever arm) makes a big difference in heavy grass.

generally i would prefer to have fewer, longer blades to get faster tip speed, but of course, that takes more horsepower since you rapidly loose the leverage advantage. also fewer blades to sharpen and replace. beware of narrow three blade decks due to the shorter blades.

our kubota has a 60" belly and works great. it also runs off the mid pto which is about twice as fast as the rear. have never bogged it down, even in heavy grass. 17 pto hp, diesel engine. it does tend to lay down heavy wet grass as opposed to lifting it and cutting it.

i would see if you can test drive some different configurations on your tractor to see what works best for your combination of pto speeds, terrain, and mowing chores.

 

[brandoro]

I have a 60" wide Landpride rear discharge finish mower. I was always able to cut in 3rd gear low range with the B6200 I had before. It was working fairly hard in heavier grass but never had to gear down. It was rated 15 HP and I think 11 or 12 on the PTO. Not much difference from your tractor. I had a FEL on that tractor that helped control the mower weight.
Very happy with the mower overall, it's well built and so far problem free.