GeneV
Elite Member
So my dudes, anybody know the MSRP for the mulching deck for the ole GC? Considering my 60" drive-over is barely used, I wonder if some place will offer me something near an even exchange?
What have you done with/to your GC Series 2300, 2400, 1700 Tractor TODAY
- Thread starter MF RED in MT
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Dmacleo
Veteran Member
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- Etna, Maine
- Tractor
- 2010 MF GC2400 Owner, 2012 MF1532 User
I glanced around last year for a MF2315 and all I saw was call for quote everywhere I looked.
GeneV
Elite Member
Ok, I called a dealer. The 54" mulching deck: MSRP $2,588. The 60" drive-over MF2326 many of us got: MSRP $2,588.
I'm like hey, I got me a barely used 60", what you gonna give me for a trade-in? $600 lol. Uhhh, no.
I'm like hey, I got me a barely used 60", what you gonna give me for a trade-in? $600 lol. Uhhh, no.
Dmacleo
Veteran Member
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- Etna, Maine
- Tractor
- 2010 MF GC2400 Owner, 2012 MF1532 User
all week long people laughed at me when I said I was prepping my mower for storage and getting blower ready, many laughed even harder when I told then I was servicing a GC1725M as well as fixing an RC500 bush hog hooked to a MF1532 while dealing with VA appts at Togus ,ME 45 miles away.
so...41 deg when this pic took.my mower deck finished 0830 this morning.
the 1532 fixed other day and is gone.
my deck getting wrapped up today and my blizzard blower getting serviced.
and the GFC1725M getting oil/grease/fuel filter today as well as 60" mower deck clean,sharpen, service today.
so...41 deg when this pic took.my mower deck finished 0830 this morning.
the 1532 fixed other day and is gone.
my deck getting wrapped up today and my blizzard blower getting serviced.
and the GFC1725M getting oil/grease/fuel filter today as well as 60" mower deck clean,sharpen, service today.
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hube2
Veteran Member
It's that time of the year. Last weekend I took the deck off, move the blower into the shed and put on the FEL. It's never good to have the snow equipment too far away after mid october. Could get a freak 2 foot of snow any time.
I hope to get those forks I ordered today so I can load the broken deck onto my trailer and get that to the dealer tomorrow. Hopefully they get it done quick so I can get it back and put it away before snow makes that hard to do.
It's supposed to be warm and sunny this weekend, hopefully going to grease everything up, put the chains on and get the blower hooked up. Then it can sit and wait for the snow to start.
Dmacleo
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- 2010 MF GC2400 Owner, 2012 MF1532 User
My deck stored. just got to toss the heavyhitch garden hiller on it and flip tarp over.
MF1532 with 5ft bush hog gone from here.
neighbors GC1725M has the 60" deck half serviced. taking lunch break, then put new blades on deck, sharpen old blades , powerwash top and grease deck and its done. then oil and filters on the 1725M engine. about hour work, least its 51 out now.
MF1532 with 5ft bush hog gone from here.
neighbors GC1725M has the 60" deck half serviced. taking lunch break, then put new blades on deck, sharpen old blades , powerwash top and grease deck and its done. then oil and filters on the 1725M engine. about hour work, least its 51 out now.
And I'm still using my deck, with the DR Lawn & Leaf Vac. Leaves finally just about done, but at least one more round of pick-'em-up. Then the Lawn & Leaf Vac gets broken down & put away, MMM next. Then FEL back on to bring wood in, then MMM put away and the blower brought out so it's accessible....
Yep, a busy time of year. All this in the middle of a major renovation (2 large shed dormers) on the house, so wife & I have been sleeping in the RV. Gotta get THAT thing emptied, winterized & then put in storage. Never a dull moment.
Yep, a busy time of year. All this in the middle of a major renovation (2 large shed dormers) on the house, so wife & I have been sleeping in the RV. Gotta get THAT thing emptied, winterized & then put in storage. Never a dull moment.
GeneV
Elite Member
My neighbor has one of them DR Vac things he used to use with his Simplicity. He's fairly demented now, I think he's gonna be going into a nursing home sooner than later. I'm debating whether to hit up his son for that thing.
I've had mine since the fall of 2016 --6 seasons so far-- and I like it. I live "in the woods" more or less, so it gets a real workout every fall. It is, however, starting to show some wear & tear here & there:
1) The tires are total crap -- don't leave them outside exposed to the elements during off-season. I've replaced both of mine.
2) One of the wheel bearings simply disintegrated last year; replacement wheels, tires & bearings were relatively inexpensive ($45 each), so I now have two new ones. (I'll put the old ones back on for off-season storage outside.)
3) The extra wear patch on the inside (where stuff shoots in & hits the rear wall of the canvas box) is coming apart & will need to be repaired. Probably related to the sandy soil around my house.
4) Some other really minor stuff...
OTOH, the thing is very effective, picking up about 95% (or better) of leaves in one pass. It also has teeth on the impeller, so leaves are really quite well chewed up after passing through both the MMM and the vacuum's impeller. So far, the Chinese-clone OHV engine has started and run very well every year, with no issues at all. I have had a couple of splits in the 8" hose, which I was able to repair, but it'll probably need to be replaced in a few more years.
1) The tires are total crap -- don't leave them outside exposed to the elements during off-season. I've replaced both of mine.
2) One of the wheel bearings simply disintegrated last year; replacement wheels, tires & bearings were relatively inexpensive ($45 each), so I now have two new ones. (I'll put the old ones back on for off-season storage outside.)
3) The extra wear patch on the inside (where stuff shoots in & hits the rear wall of the canvas box) is coming apart & will need to be repaired. Probably related to the sandy soil around my house.
4) Some other really minor stuff...
OTOH, the thing is very effective, picking up about 95% (or better) of leaves in one pass. It also has teeth on the impeller, so leaves are really quite well chewed up after passing through both the MMM and the vacuum's impeller. So far, the Chinese-clone OHV engine has started and run very well every year, with no issues at all. I have had a couple of splits in the 8" hose, which I was able to repair, but it'll probably need to be replaced in a few more years.
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lpakiz
Gold Member
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- 416
- Location
- Greenwood, WI
- Tractor
- MF1754 HST, Cab, 6 foot Front Mount Snowblower
I have an Agri-Fab, which is a box trailer with an 8-Horsepower motor on the tongue, running about a 16" blower, which is connected to the deck with a 6" hose.
Its also very effective, getting the aforementioned 95% of the leaves in one pass, provided you go slow enough. In heavy leaves, I need to raise the deck enough that leaves will go under it and into the mower blades. Otherwise, it starts pushing the whole pile, until nothing is going under the deck. Hi-lift blades would definitely help to pull the leaves up from being tangled up in the grass.
I pull it with a Zero-Turn, which works WONDERFULLY to maneuver both the trailer and to swing side to side to work thick piles into the deck. (If you have never backed up a trailer with a ZT, you have an amazing experience ahead of you) If the deck blades can dislodge the leaf, it ends up in the trailer bin.
The bin is HUGE, so I can go 30-40 minutes before dumping, which is the worst part of the operation, as the compacted leaves need to be dug out with a fork or flat shovel. The self-dump doesn't work good at all, unless you are dumping over a ditch, hole, or gully--someplace lower than the trailer wheels, to produce a steeper dump angle AND to provide a place for the leaves to fall. Even then, you'll need to loosen the packed leaves before they will dump. If you're dumping in a spot where it doesn't matter how they fall out, you might be able to keep pulling ahead as you dig the packed leaves out, but I need to actually remove them from the property, so I dump them in a compact pile, then load them with my MF FEL and dump them into a dumpster-type container I made, put on the forks and carry the dumpster to a remote site for final disposal.
The 8-HP Briggs starts very good, but the impeller is really heavy, so it takes a mighty and sustained pull on the 5-foot rope to start it. I'm 73, so I don't know how many more years I'll be able to start it. An electric start would be a great option. I may modify the recoil and adapt it so I can use a 19.2 volt Craftsman cordless drill to spin it, if and when things get to that point.
Its also very effective, getting the aforementioned 95% of the leaves in one pass, provided you go slow enough. In heavy leaves, I need to raise the deck enough that leaves will go under it and into the mower blades. Otherwise, it starts pushing the whole pile, until nothing is going under the deck. Hi-lift blades would definitely help to pull the leaves up from being tangled up in the grass.
I pull it with a Zero-Turn, which works WONDERFULLY to maneuver both the trailer and to swing side to side to work thick piles into the deck. (If you have never backed up a trailer with a ZT, you have an amazing experience ahead of you) If the deck blades can dislodge the leaf, it ends up in the trailer bin.
The bin is HUGE, so I can go 30-40 minutes before dumping, which is the worst part of the operation, as the compacted leaves need to be dug out with a fork or flat shovel. The self-dump doesn't work good at all, unless you are dumping over a ditch, hole, or gully--someplace lower than the trailer wheels, to produce a steeper dump angle AND to provide a place for the leaves to fall. Even then, you'll need to loosen the packed leaves before they will dump. If you're dumping in a spot where it doesn't matter how they fall out, you might be able to keep pulling ahead as you dig the packed leaves out, but I need to actually remove them from the property, so I dump them in a compact pile, then load them with my MF FEL and dump them into a dumpster-type container I made, put on the forks and carry the dumpster to a remote site for final disposal.
The 8-HP Briggs starts very good, but the impeller is really heavy, so it takes a mighty and sustained pull on the 5-foot rope to start it. I'm 73, so I don't know how many more years I'll be able to start it. An electric start would be a great option. I may modify the recoil and adapt it so I can use a 19.2 volt Craftsman cordless drill to spin it, if and when things get to that point.