new 84" finishing mower

[jd2210]

new 84\" finishing mower

I picked up my new 84" Buhler finishing mower last night. After using it for 2 hours I can safely say it will save me an unbelievable amount of time. I thought a 72" would be the max for my 2210 but it takes the 84 with no problems. The loader is more than sufficient for a counter weight and I went through some thick stuff with no real issues. It bogged a bit in 10"+, but so would a 60".

 

[gcrabb]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

I have had a King Kutter 84" finishing mower behind a JD 4600 for 3 years, it cuts a lot of grass very fast. My only regret is that it is not a rear discharge.

 

[timb]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

That's a lot of mower on a 2210! Any pictures?

 

[jd2210]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

now that I know how to do it I'll try to post an "action shot" of it in motion. I used it again last night for a few hours and am still very impressed.

 

[JimMorrissey]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

JD2210,

Wow...That is a lot of mower.

What kind of lawn do you have....Is it somewhat rough/hilly or smooth? I'd be worried about scalping the lawn with such a thing. The smaller size rfm take the contours of the land a bit better from what I understand.

I'm waiting for my 72" to come in next week...(Woods RD7200). Can't wait.

Jim

 

[Dargo]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

I've read about some of the new finish mowers being rear discharge. Do they not leave the wind rows of grass like the side discharge? I've had a 72" Land Pride finish mower for 12 years. I've mowed 12 acres weekly with it for all 12 years and have never changed a belt on it! For that matter, all I've done is change the blades once and keep it greased. When I bought it all I had was a 20 hp tractor. If I missed a week, it not only bogged down my tractor, but left heavy rows of the grass trimmings that could, if thick enough, kill the grass it was covering. I now have a 50 hp tractor and, as you may guess, it does not bog down with my 72" finish mower. However, it still can make a mess with the trimmings if I don't mow every single week. Does a rear discharge mower do a better job at dispursing the trimmings, or does it just prevent you from firing golf balls out the side if you hit them?

 

[Bird]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

Brent, I liked the rear discharge mower for a couple of reasons. With no discharge chute on one side, I could mow close to buildings, fences, etc. on either side. And the rear discharge mower does not leave a windrow like a side discharge one does, but that's not to say that you won't have some windrowing or clumping if the grass is too tall or wet.

 

[BobCorazza]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

I run an 84" rear discharge BefCo on my L3410. Mine doesn't windrow - but it will leave seemingly random clumps if the grass is wet or unusually high. The big benefit of RD IMHO is the underside of the deck does not clog up with grass. I HATE scraping mower decks!

 

[_RaT_]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

I use a 84" mower and often wish I had got he 96" instead. I only have about 32 HP PTO with my HST but it does quite well on medium and slightly wet grass. It will easily cut tall and dry grass. I don't need the loader as a counter weight to carry the mower in the raised position and find that with the mower in cutting position (all 4 wheels on the ground) the loader is a hindrance on rear end traction since you now have less weight on the rear and a considerable amount up front even with the bucket empty. That doesn't address the issue of having the cumbersomeness of the loader hanging out front diminishing visibility and mobility and the extra jounce you get when the rears hit a bump/hole. I mow exclusively with the loader off now, it's just that much nicer. The other bonus is, I can have it off in well under 30 seconds.

 

[kuby]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

Whats the HP of a 2210?

 

[thcri]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

I still wished someone would make a rear pull type finish mower not 3 point. My uncle had one maybe 20 years ago and when he went around trees the mower pulled in close instead of moving away. Yes he had to have a rear hydraulic link but it worked great. I think I would get rid of my MMM in a second flat for a pull type finish.

murph

 

[jd2210]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

My yard is mostly flat. The areas that aren't will soon be, since I'm still finishing my landscaping (built a new house on a previously not established lot). I think if I had any kind of hills this tractor wouldn't do it. There are a couple of areas around my ditches where it would scalp if I let it but you have be careful. My 216 with a 48" scalps in the same place.

 

[jd2210]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

Dargo

I could havenever bought such a big mower if it had not been for thwe rear discharge. A side dis takes all the clipping from one side, sends them through the middle and outside blades, and then out, whereas the rear just sends them out the back.

 

[jd2210]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

For those of you that wanted to see my 84" Buhler on my 2210 here is a couple of pics I shot between rain storms.

 

[jd2210]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

pic 2

 

[MicroPilot]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

Can your tractor lift that mower? Looks like it's way oversized for your tractor.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

MicroPilot, I was wondering the very same thing you asked, only I wondered if the mower deck could lift the tractor!!!

JD only rates the 2210 with a maximum 17.7 PTO hp, using the generally bantered about numbers of needed 3-to-5 PTO hp for every 12 inches of mower deck, that 84" deck would require nothing less than 21 PTO hp, and then that would be for lawns in more arrid areas of the country where the grass does not grow fast or thick. JD recommends 2 decks with that tractor, a 54" or a 60". I would be seriously worried about engine damage due to overloading the PTO and bogging down the powerplant, which certainly has the potential to decrease the life of the engine pretty substantially.

I know on my 24hp tractor the manufacturer recommends nothing larger than a 60" deck, on my 30hp tractor the manufacture recommends a 72" deck.

I know he wrote that he doesn't have any problems, even in thick grass, but personally that would scare the heck out of me to run something that large on my tractors. I guess that maybe I am on the cautious side, but I like have more power than I need, not less. I hope it all works out long term. But like I said, it is not for me.

 

[jd2210]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

It's very important to note that our grass here, although sometimes long is never thick. On all of my lawn you can see dirt through the grass.

I have a 2130 that I ran a 16' moco on for 8 years. The moco is rated for 80-hp minimum and the tractor now has 11000hours on it and is still running fine.

I also have a F935 with a 76" deck that is 3 hp less than my 2210 and it has 7500 hours on it. I did rebuild the engine at 7000 hours but that was an unrelated issue (block cracked in winter from poor antifreeze)

I have basically the absolute best setup for maximizing implement size: no hills, 2 week intervals for mowing, thin easy cut grass.

I am certainly not recommending this set up for everyone. In fact I would go so far as to argue that my setup is easier on the tractor in my mowing conditions than someone with a 60" in thick wet grass on hills. I did quite a bit of hill cutting in my college days and was shocked at the bog effect on the slopes, not to mention the shift of weight and stress on the driveline and 3 point.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

When I use my 84" finish mower on grass as you describe, I notice no load on my engine (PTO 30.5 HP). I would say in your situation, your mower width is not as much an issue. It all depends on just how much the material you are cutting loads the blades. If it's as slight as your condition, I think your fine. Picking up a heavy load on the rear end is up to you. If it can pick up a heavy load, your on flat ground and you go slowly so as not to bounce or jounce the 3 pt hitch, I think you will again be fine.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: new 84\" finishing mower

<font color="green"> It's very important to note that our grass here, although sometimes long is never thick. On all of my lawn you can see dirt through the grass.
</font>

I think that eliminates a lot of my concerns. I rarely bog down my 60" deck on my lawn, but it does happen in the areas where we have lots of clover mixed in with the grass and I have more PTO hp available than you do.