Pull behind type finish mower

   / Pull behind type finish mower #1  

LittleBittyBigJohn

Platinum Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2021
Messages
889
Location
Central Arkansas
Tractor
John Deere 1025R, Spartan SRT-XD 72" zero turn
Making plans for mowing season even though it's months away... I live on 11.5 acres and have been mowing about 4 acres of that. A neighbor has been cutting the rest for hay. I'm temporarily in a mobile home and will be starting to build my house this spring, as long as something major doesn't stop that plan. Between the work I did on my pond, spreading out fill on almost 2 acres, the upcoming new 400 foot dirveway and house construction, I don't think it's feasible to expect the neighbor to bale around all that. I'm considering buying a used trail mower, like below, to pull offset behind my current 60" mower to widen my mowing path out to almost 10 feet. They go for just about $1,000 to $1,200 around me.

Has anyone used one like that? Does it sound like a good idea? I don't have a tractor large enough for a wide finish mower, nor do I want to buy something that expensive at this point. I'm about to be committing to a not so small fortune on building a house. I don't see any glaring down sides, if 1 works maybe I can add a 2nd for 15 feet....


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   / Pull behind type finish mower #2  
Do you have a tractor? If so go with a 3pt finish mower. You will like better
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower #3  
I've seen someone using a riding mower with a bad transmission as a pull-behind.

Bruce
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower #4  
I had a Swisher 60" mower that I pulled with a 12 hp Wheel Horse. I set it off to the drivers side so that I could use the tow behind to trim and to mow under the trees. It worked very well for me.

I would do it again.

Make sure you have a place to store it out of the weather. They do not store well outside.
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower #5  
I had a similar finish mower. It worked o.k. if the grass wasn't very high. It would quickly either clog up or bog down. I sold it and probably wouldn't buy another.

I have a 7' Land Pride 3pt finish mower. It works like a champ and will mow pretty tall grass.
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I picked one up last weekend. By the comments I must not have described my plan very well. @Cataclysm this one has a 19.5 HP engine. Hopefully the bigger engine negates the bogging problem you had.

I am going to use the 60" deck on my 1025R AND the 60" tow behind mower at the same time. I should be able to get almost a 120" swath per pass. If it doesn't work how I think, I bought it cheap enough I should be able to get my money back. I'll post up some pictures when it gets to be mowing season here.
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower #7  
My neighbour was using one for a while towed behind his Club Cadet ZTR. I know he gave up on the CC due to constant breakdowns and only see him on his new JD ZTR. No more tow behind...

Personally I go with the "less grass is better use of my time and money" policy.
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower #8  
I picked one up last weekend. By the comments I must not have described my plan very well. @Cataclysm this one has a 19.5 HP engine. Hopefully the bigger engine negates the bogging problem you had.

I am going to use the 60" deck on my 1025R AND the 60" tow behind mower at the same time. I should be able to get almost a 120" swath per pass. If it doesn't work how I think, I bought it cheap enough I should be able to get my money back. I'll post up some pictures when it gets to be mowing season here.
No worries. I wasn't clear either. I had a tow behind (new DR Power). It bogged down and or clogged up the discharge chute constantly. The current model lists 14.5 hp.. Was glad to see it gone.

The tow behind did track well in the offset position, no issues there.

I briefly considered one of these to replace it. DR Brush Mower Tow Behind.

Considering the price of the tow behind ($3999) I bought the 7' 3 pt to replace the tow behind used for $1500.

Hopefully you have a better experience than I did. I do think the tow behinds would work under the right conditions.
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower
  • Thread Starter
#9  
If it doesn't work out we will just mark it as a learning experience.
 
   / Pull behind type finish mower
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Tried it yesterday. Worked really well. There are a few adjustments i need to make and a tire to replace but I'm happy overall.
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