Two Questions in Regards to Mid Mount mower.

[cdaigle430]

I would throw another mower into the equation, check out and try out one of the front deck mowers.
They are expensive. But they are a very manuverable and stable mower especially with 4wd.
I knowthat many people are quite proud of the ZT's I have never owned one, I had had them out and demo'ed them.
I had a lawn contractor come out with his a couple of times. For my steep and rough lawn I will not get a zero turn.
I will go with a 3 point or trailing mower behind my tractors, or a lawn/garden tractor with chains if needed.
The other option would be the Stiener or Ventrac lawn tractors.

Husqvarna has a front deck awd articulated steering mower I am looking at-checking to see if there is a bagger option for it....R322T AWD

 

[dieselscout80]

I had/have the cub cadet with the 54" deck and it was great until I purchased the MF gc1720 with the 54" deck and then I didn't use the cub again once I raised the tree limbs. I now have purchased the MF 1526 with the 60" deck, only have 10 hrs of cutting time on it, love it, cut is smooth. I have the turf tires, loaded, so not sure if it will damage the grass over time. A few more turns when it comes to cutting around tress, but quicker on total time

I'd like to here about your 1526 and its mid mount mower.

 

[Randy Gann]

For slopes another option is a used commercial front mount mower. You may need to spend a little more but would be better on slopes. A used grasshopper would be a good on the slopes.

 

[M J S]

I now have 50 hrs on the MF1526. with the mmm, 60".. The majority of the hours is cutting grass. I have a some residential lots and a few cabins with larger lots. I found that working around the smaller lots I remove the FEL and then on the larger lots (cabins) i just remove the bucket (quick attach, skid steer model). I have the rear tires loaded and it hasn't caused any problem(damage to lawns) to date, it is better on hills then my GC1720 was (I would need to put the GC in 4 wheel lock position). The 1526 has the weight so 4x4 isn't required in the normal operation cutting, but, if for some reason the 4x4 is used to get out of a situation, remember to remove from 4x4 before turning as it will cause minor damage to some well kept lawns.
The ROPS in my opinion is a poor design, too high and leans forward too much, then when in the down position, sticks out towards the back too far (my opinion).


Take care and enjoy.....

 

[RedGeminiPA]

My terrain is a little on the rough side, with lots of bumps, ruts (was mostly gardens years ago) and slopes. I remove the FEL and backhoe for mowing my usual 2 +/- acres. All tires are filled (recommended by dealer). I rarely use 4WD. I find the diff lock works wonders, and I’ve learned where and when to start stepping on the lever. Removing just the bucket might work, too. I’ll have to try it next mow.

About once per month, I mow about 5 +/- acres, as we try to take care of adjoining ground that belonged to my uncle who died in January. Our GC1725M does a great job. It’s much faster than our old Cub HDS2185 with a 48” MMM.

My complaints are few. 1: The left side deck pin/latch must be slightly bent, as it’s really hard to get it to release and latch. I’ve tried bending it a little, and added some grease. Seems to help. 2: I need to replace the blades already. Second mow, and I hit a steel banner flag post that was hidden in taller grass. It was enough to stall the tractor. Hasn’t cut quite right since then. 3: As others have done, I removed the discharge chute. Helps spread the clippings much nicer, and helps with maneuverability.

 

[M J S]

Hello...no problems yet with release pins (knock on wood)!!!!!!!! Blades are still good on my deck(funny how the blades will not cut pipe or rocks) and I have the wheels set at 3" (posit. C front Wheel and X and C rear wheel. I also have an area where it was a GARDEN (small) and the deck does a wonderful job floating over the hills. I still have my chute attached, but use a rubber band to adjust where I also cut near homes and windows and other breakable items... I will lower the cut later in the season, but for now it gave me room for error, if items were not seen hiding in the grass!!!!

 

[JWR]

RedGemini -- Just a quickie on the discharge chute removal -- I have found that most discharge chutes are spring loaded and tend to control throwing debris. I use any handy slice of wood (usually some triangular scrap of 2" lumber) under the base edge of the chute to hold it up at more of an angle. The spring holds it there, the result is retaining some debris control and the clippings are much less confined. Works for me and much less trouble than pulling the chute off entirely.

 

[Diggin It]

3: As others have done, I removed the discharge chute. Helps spread the clippings much nicer, and helps with maneuverability.

I still have my chute attached, but use a rubber band to adjust where I also cut near homes and windows and other breakable items...

RedGemini -- Just a quickie on the discharge chute removal -- I have found that most discharge chutes are spring loaded and tend to control throwing debris. I use any handy slice of wood (usually some triangular scrap of 2" lumber) under the base edge of the chute to hold it up at more of an angle. The spring holds it there, the result is retaining some debris control and the clippings are much less confined. Works for me and much less trouble than pulling the chute off entirely.

Too much stuff gets tossed to remove it. Even small sticks can do damage. I use a lanyard with breakable string. Allows me to raise and lower when I choose, but can break instead of catching and causing other problems.

 

[jjp8182]

Is there any reason a 3pt (or even pull behind) finish mower would be out of the question?

I ask as I've had riding mowers, and zero turns and reason I bought the tractor I currently have was to have a reliable long-term mower (that I could use for more than just mowing). While others may have different opinions and different situations, I've found that a 3pt finishing mower just works for me on my property. Enough so that after two years of mowing with it, I think someone would have to be paying me for me to go back to using either a zero-turn or mid-mount mower (especially on my own property).

However, I will say there is a bit of a learning curve to it as I've learned that trying to drive circles around trees is just inefficient, and it's much easier to flow around them like water does an obstacle in a steam or river (and just backing up, and turning slightly when the rear wheels are even with the tree/obstacle will generally get the areas that are missed by flowing around the object).

Once a person gets used to it having the mower cantilevered off the back can also be extremely handy as it can be lifted higher, or pushed/placed backward into an area where I don't want to drive through. It also means I don't lose ground clearance, and can lift the mower over an obstacle if needed.

As for having the mower-behind the operator seat, that's not much of an issue if there's space to turn and sit facing the side a bit - it doesn't have to be much, just enough that turning shoulders to be pointing parallel to direction of travel is comfortable. It's one of the thing I do frequently as half of my mowing in the yard is done in reverse (generally quicker to make one pass forward, and the next pass backwards), and I physically can't turn to see much over my shoulders.

I also like that the 3pt mowers tend to be rear discharge as it keeps the grass clippings spread evenly across the cutting width .....which seems to have helped my yard recover over the last couple years. Even with alternating directions & patterns of cut, it was becoming evident that the side discharge decks (and their lower maximum mowing height from being mounted under the mower's frame) where having a negative effect on the yard.

Just figured I'd add my two cents as I when I was looking I saw that once a person goes above 60"/72"-ish mowing widths a 3pt finish mower also becomes a cheaper option than either a mid-mount mower or a high-end dedicated mower.

 

[irvingj]

Thanks, nice input, you addressed some of the issues with a MMM; ground clearance is a big one for me, on occasion. (Just try to do some BH work with the MMM still on!) I always wondered about going around trees with a 3PH mower, thanks for explaining. Good point about the clippings being spread over the mowed area rather than thrown to the side.