Need Advice on Finish Mower

[rangerfredbob]

I've been having decent luck with my King Kutter FM60 mower. It's not the new rear discharge model though, it's the older left discharge model... but for $200 I am not complaining . Not the heaviest duty deal with the 1/2"-20 left hand thread bolts being the only thing holding the blades on but I haven't had an issue with my 26hp tractor, it will bog the tractor down and or slip the belt if it gets jammed up. I don't use it anywhere where it would hit anything other than small branches, I have a 5' brush hog for the abuse...

This mower leaves as good of a cut as a riding mower but I can go 6mph and cover a 5' swath if conditions work out, but as stated above maneuverability of a tractor isn't quite the same as a riding mower...

 

[daugen]

I've owned a LP FDR2584 for about 7 years. I mostly mow roadsides with it (yes I get out and pick up the trash first) and part of my fields in the hot summer
when I want seat time in the a/c cab. The mow quality is exceptional. RD leaves very little clumps but if you mow in the right direction you will remow any clumping and my fields look great. I don't think the LP is any better built than the Italian competitors, but they sure have figured out the cut quality. One issue is LP uses one single long belt that in my case is almost laughably small for the size of the mower. I guess they use that as a slip clutch of sorts. I got 5 years out of my first belt so no complaints.
I have also mowed crop tops (collards) where I should have used a bush hog and it worked just fine if I went slowly. The oem mower blades on my LP are about twice the thickness of regular mower blades, very heavy duty and I am still on the first pair, sharpening them about twice a year. And yes, I like the fact the mower is built in Kansas.

If you have trees and obstacles, you really need to keep your thinking cap on when maneuvering with a finish mower.
Finish mowers just aren't made to run into things...not like a bush hog.

I would not worry about gearbox ratings unless you are far off, and you aren't.

 

[kthompson]

I have a 6 foot Bush Hog brand finish mower that is 18 or so years old. Used it totally for our 2 to 3 acres yard and it did great job. Did replace it with a 53 inch Bush Hog ztr mower and cut my lawn moving time by 25% due to making turns and working around trees. Bigger is not always better. If you land is not level wider may scalp and of course look at items you must drive around such as trees. I am still using that cutter but seldom mowing our yard unless having ztr issue. It now mows around family pond and the lawn there but for now second summer it is mowing about 13 acres of sprigged bermuda hay ground. This is NOT a lawn but is rolled smooth after sprigging and mower had the hard tires with no give on bumps and it runs fine. I mow just over 5 mph and has some kind of grass to be killed when bermuda is older not cutting very well and also some woody stalk weeds. Other words cutting rough vegation that is not typical lawn. It handles it fine. I am mowing about 3 inches high but cutting about 10 to 12 inches off of those weeds mentioned. The blades made for it heavy compared to a true lawn mower and hold up well but I need to sharpen more often than some have reported.

As to horsepower. think that may be given to protect the gear box. However on finish mower you are running a belt drive system that is the weak link. I am currently running my 6 foot on a M6800 kubota and have never had issue with it. I also use same mower with a B2710 and it does fine in reason lawn grass but in heavy grass not enough hp.

Mine is right side discharge, never used rear discharge on lawn quality mower but think it would be nice. Mine spread out the clippings very well. Not any issue with dust on my nor tractor even with my B2710 tractor which has me near and low to the ground.

My thoughts...rear finish mower are tougher than a Wal Mart mower...mind has hit the tree... leave stabilizers when it can mover.. lift when making fast tight turns like turning around. Grease, grease and oh be sure to grease it often and check gear box oil. I only grease mine with manual grease gun to be sure grease is being pumped into the bearings. You must judge the levelness of your land as to size and also you must know if you had stumps, rocks or roots the lower height with hit. Mow often and it will help make it more lawn quality. If you consider flair mower you will not be happy with the "V" type blades. You will want blades that cut the grass level. Flail mower can be harder in turns such as turning around and you really need to lift them and they to me are costly but they will handle ground and vegetation a rotary mower has hard time with. You will mow slower or again I do with them.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've got several acres of grass around my cabin that I mow with my 6' rotary cutter. Over the years these acres have become closer to a lawn than a pasture. I keep it cut short.

2 grand is a lot to drop on a mower that may or may not be right for the job. $3600 is even more to drop on a mower that might or might not be better for the job.

What about buying a used riding mower? My wife wants one to mow the back yard. It's about an acre of grass and I currently mow it with the zero turn, but she wants to help out and have her own mower. To save money, I'm considering buying a used riding mower, and see some that look to be in very good condition from $600 to $800 on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. In all honestly, I probably wont buy her a mower because I doubt that it will get used more then twice a year, but for a cabin that you don't live at, and you are just keeping the grass in good shape, this is what I would do.

 

[madhouse]

I have an older 6' LandPride FD2572. I bought it to mow the pasture after the horses have picked their way through the "best" greenery so I'm taking down 12" seeded-out grasses, weeds, etc. I have since started using it on the lawn and ditch. The biggest drawback is the single belt. I burnt through 2 belts in the first season alone. This last belt is holding up much better - but last night when I caught the hidden stump I scorched a spot in it. I replaced the pneumatic guide wheels with solid and am much happier. It is a solid unit - but i'm ogling a zero turn to do the same jobs.

No worries on the over-sized tractor with the finish mower. The belt is your week link and will slip long before you damage the gearbox.

 

[TractorGuy]

What about buying a used riding mower? My wife wants one to mow the back yard. It's about an acre of grass and I currently mow it with the zero turn, but she wants to help out and have her own mower. To save money, I'm considering buying a used riding mower, and see some that look to be in very good condition from $600 to $800 on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. In all honestly, I probably wont buy her a mower because I doubt that it will get used more then twice a year, but for a cabin that you don't live at, and you are just keeping the grass in good shape, this is what I would do.

HA HA HA! Mine wanted to help out too so I got my old lawn tractor back that I had given to my daughter. She ran it till it wouldn't go an parked it. I got that all serviced up and running good and the wife mowed the back yard one time and said she needed a mower with a larger deck. I bought a John Deere F725 because she wanted a steering wheel. What more could she want? A larger deck and power steering. It turned into a big project but I got it all sorted out. She hasn't mowed the yard with it one time but I like using it for close trimming.