Toro Groundsmaster 72" mowing deck - keep it or sell it?

[JohnBuffaloMN]

I bought the machine (325D) because it had 4wd and a snow thrower attached to it.

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I have a long drive with precious space on either side. When we get 3 foot drifts I need to throw it somewhere.

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I tested the mower deck when I brought the machine home to see if it was better than mowing about 8 acres of tree covered property with my John Deere 285 lawn tractor 18hp hydrostatic 42" deck - and no, it wasn't. I mow around a lot of trees and "as God delivered it" ground - bumpy. Riding in the "Cozy Cab" in the heat and hearing the metal on metal screeching as I traversed the bumpy terrain was just not a pleasant experience. So I think - sell the mower deck - I'll never use it. Are there any compelling reasons to keep it? I don't expect I'll ever mow with the 325D - Zero Turns are more comfortable.

I think it's probably worth whatever someone would pay for it

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If I keep it I'll have to find a place to store it. I just moved it from a spot it had been sitting for a couple years

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Two days after I moved it I noticed this 14" tree branch (on left on ground) fell on the spot it had been sitting. It would've squashed it!

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Storage space for me, unlike I'm sure most others, is at a premium.

 

[TractorGuy]

For mowing 8 acres I would try to level out the ground a little better and use the Toro. I would make some sort of ice bucket air conditioner for the cozy cab to escape the heat.

 

[Turbys_1700]

If I was closer to you I would buy it. I like mine and personally would keep it.

 

[Xfaxman]

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I tested the mower deck when I brought the machine home to see if it was better than mowing about 8 acres of tree covered property with my John Deere 285 lawn tractor 18hp hydrostatic 42" deck - and no, it wasn't. I mow around a lot of trees and "as God delivered it" ground - bumpy. Riding in the "Cozy Cab" in the heat and hearing the metal on metal screeching as I traversed the bumpy terrain was just not a pleasant experience. So I think - sell the mower deck - I'll never use it. Are there any compelling reasons to keep it? I don't expect I'll ever mow with the 325D - Zero Turns are more comfortable.

I think it's probably worth whatever someone would pay for it
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Where is the metal on metal screeching sound coming from?

 

[JohnBuffaloMN]

Where is the metal on metal screeching sound coming from?

The cab mounted to the frame I'm sure. It only did it when I mowed. I have a *really* bumpy yard, but my asphalt drive is smooth as a baby's bottom The tires are filled with foam, and one has a flat spot that I'm tiring of as well... bumpity.......bumpity.....

 

[JohnBuffaloMN]

If I was closer to you I would buy it. I like mine and personally would keep it.

I purchased a nice used Exmark zero turn mower (owner added a nice suspension seat!!) after mowing several (guessing around 7 or 8) acres with a 42" John Deere mower with hydrostatic drive for the past ten years. I can really fly on that Exmark - cut mowing time down significantly Mowing on the 325D without the cab would probably be just fine, except foam filled tires are too rigid for mowing a yard in my opinion. I've got to get those changed.

 

[JohnBuffaloMN]

For mowing 8 acres I would try to level out the ground a little better and use the Toro. I would make some sort of ice bucket air conditioner for the cozy cab to escape the heat.

That Toro is a nice machine, but my yard is going to wait a long time before I ever try to level things out - lately I'm thinking about a couple areas would look better covered with crushed concrete... I'll level that really well. I really appreciate the snow removal with the Toro and it has a heater Mowing on my Exmark has a "never going back" feeling which I like.