What Mower Should I Buy???

[jcmseven]

As many of you know, I bought a 2320 tractor last month. One duty which I might be doing a bit more this year is mowing. At my house, I have property but very little grass--it can be mowed with a pushmower easily. I have mowed intermittently for my parents. They live about two hours from me, and I mow for them twice per month on average, if we get rain. They have two places. My birthplace, which has about two to three acres of finished lawn and is not steep, and their "mountain house" which has about one acre of finished lawn and is steep in spots. I enjoy mowing; it is one of those things I really find relaxing, so part of my reason for doing it is that I enjoy using my machine to mow and the result. Analyzing cost, I cannot justify buying ANY mower for mowing their property as I could probably hire it out more easily. My father, who also likes mowing, is older and has become quite feeble and in my opinion is no longer safe to operate power equipment of any real size. I have looked at a Frontier RFM and a mid mount mower for my 2320, but both are quite expensive. In the past RFM's have been less expensive than mid mounts, but now seemingly not so much. I use an I match hitch, so switching away to another brand of RFM would prove challenging, unless I opted to remove the I match each time, IMO defeating the purpose. Transport is not an issue, and I might leave whichever I decide at my parents home. I wanted suggestions from those who might have just bought or have been actively looking for a mower as well as those who might be using either type (belly mount v. hitch mount) for their machines in this frame size to gather opinion.

John M

 

[farmboy12]

Why not try a tow behind with it's own motor? They're pretty cheap, come as big as 61", and are tow behind. The only problem is it has one more motor to maintain.

With this and the 3pt mower, you can use a different machine. Say, your machine was in the shop and you had to borrow your buddy's Kubota. These could be used for that.


Kyle

 

[GreenWannabe]

There are other manufacturers who make RFMs which are compatible with iMatch; it can also be called Quick Hitch, for example. Land Pride, Woods, BEFCO, and Bush Hog come to mind. It is also possible that a JD dealer has a used or stock MMM that they would sell for less. I would try JD's Machine Finder, Craigslist, and other dealers in your general area but perhaps outside your normal driving distance. Good luck, and have fun shopping.

 

[JiminGa]

ok, my opinion, just buy a dedicated rider to leave there, that way you don't have the liability of hauling your machine back and forth all the time, and for the same money as an attachment you have another toy!

 

[LBrown59]

ok, my opinion, just buy a dedicated rider to leave there, that way you don't have the liability of hauling your machine back and forth all the time, and for the same money as an attachment you have another toy!

Good Idea.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Aw, you guys are taking all the fun out of his new tractor!

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Assuming you have a good relationship with your Dad hire out the mowing and spend the two hours you would have been on the mower visiting with him.

 

[phyxer]

Assuming you have a good relationship with your Dad hire out the mowing and spend the two hours you would have been on the mower visiting with him.

Now that's the best idea you are gonna get pard!

Troy

 

[jcmseven]

All good ideas here. I have thought about hiring out my folks mowing, and have done that some this past year, but I really would like to be able to do some of this myself, and yes I can also visit with my mom and dad while there. I thought about buying a cheap mower to keep at my folks', but since I am the one who would use it I want something also that I would want to use. As for the liability of hauling my tractor down there, I haul it anyway to do other yardwork for them, so this would be a wash. Since my OP, I have been looking at some of the Woods RFMs which seem to be I match compatible. I generally like the RFMs but cannot justify the nearly 4K cost of some of the nice Frontier mowers. Has anyone recently bought one of the Woods heritage or Premium RFMs?? If so, how much do they cost?? My goal since I have the new 2320 is to use the heck out of it and this is one way to do it.

John M

 

[Birdmayon]

John,
I've got a 2520 with a Frontier 1072G or whatever it is (base model Frontier mower). Just as a price point, I picked it up used from a JD dealer for $1200, in great mechanical shape, a little bit of rust. I've never used a belly mower on a tractor of this size, but I've used them on lawn/garden tractors, and I much prefer a rear finish mower over the belly mowers. I think you get a better cut (ridges or windrows or whatever they are called are almost nonexistant), it's easier to get under shrubs and trees, etc, and you can get under the deck to service it much easier. They are a breaze to hook/unhook as well. Just an FYI, the base model Frontier RFM (like mine) is made by BEFCO, I don't remember the exact crossover model. The heavier duty Frontier RFMs are made by Woods. The Frontier RFMs, in stock form, will not work with any quick hitch (except Pat's), you need to get a quick hitch kit to make them work. I believe those kits usually run in the $200 range.

You can also take a look at Bush Hog RFMs, I'm not positive that they are QH compatable, but their rotary cutters are, so I'd be surprised if the RFMs are not.