Rear Finish Mower Woods RD8400

[John0829]

I found a good deal on an older Woods RD8400 the original owner was selling because he had decided mowing with a zero turn was a better way to go. Same thing I thought a few years ago, it can be faster but it will BEAT you to death. The Woods is in really great shape except for the blades that are REALLY worn (new ones on order), paint very good, no rust, he claimed it was cleaned off after each mowing and always stored in a barn and it looks it. Plus it was only about 45 miles away verses others I was looking at that were over 130 miles and probably not in as great a shape.

The cut, even with the worn blades is WAY better than the Mott finish cut flail I bought thinking it would do what I wanted but to get the same cut using the flail I have to cut at half the ground speed and make two passes. Plus with all the grounds undulations it leaves a lot of deep grassy areas barely cut no matter what angle you take. But the more I have thought about it, that is just a fact of life with a 3 point hitch carrying half the implement vs having four caster wheels following the ground contour. Truth is I think the Woods actually might even cut better than the LandPride finish mower I sold to my neighbor after I bought the Mott.

I consider the finish flail a costly experiment gone wrong so the Mott is for sale with a lot of new and spare parts to make room for the new to me Woods. Not getting completely out of the flail business I am keeping the New Holland 918H flail (offset) for mowing the roadway the county can only seem to maybe do once a year

 

[Brown Dog]

It’s funny all the mowing varieties.
I mowed here for 20yrs with 6 7 & 9’ RFM’s & 66hp JD tractor.
Ride was great.
Finish was pretty good.
Trim & maneuvering sucked.

72” 4cyl Diesel Turbo Zero cuts this 15acres in same amount of time as the 9’ Befco RFM but like U say it BEATS YOUR BRAINS OUT

But I can trim way better so idk which is a better trade off.

I just bought a F3710 Kubota front deck mower so maybe it’ll ride better

 

[dieselscout80]

I found a good deal on an older Woods RD8400 the original owner was selling because he had decided mowing with a zero turn was a better way to go. Same thing I thought a few years ago, it can be faster but it will BEAT you to death. The Woods is in really great shape except for the blades that are REALLY worn (new ones on order), paint very good, no rust, he claimed it was cleaned off after each mowing and always stored in a barn and it looks it. Plus it was only about 45 miles away verses others I was looking at that were over 130 miles and probably not in as great a shape.

View attachment 871155

The cut, even with the worn blades is WAY better than the Mott finish cut flail I bought thinking it would do what I wanted but to get the same cut using the flail I have to cut at half the ground speed and make two passes. Plus with all the grounds undulations it leaves a lot of deep grassy areas barely cut no matter what angle you take. But the more I have thought about it, that is just a fact of life with a 3 point hitch carrying half the implement vs having four caster wheels following the ground contour. Truth is I think the Woods actually might even cut better than the LandPride finish mower I sold to my neighbor after I bought the Mott.

I consider the finish flail a costly experiment gone wrong so the Mott is for sale with a lot of new and spare parts to make room for the new to me Woods. Not getting completely out of the flail business I am keeping the New Holland 918H flail (offset) for mowing the roadway the county can only seem to maybe do once a year

Does that have fixed blades or swinging blades that fold back if you hit something like a bush hog does?

 

[Runner]

That mower looks like it's brand new! Nice find.

I have been mowing with a Frontier GM1072R for the last 17 years. It is actually a Woods RD7200 painted green and Frontier stickers, but underneath it is the 6 foot version of your mower. It has been an excellent mower. Very heavy duty, and never a single problem. Still using original blades, belts and wheels.

I also have a belly mower, but never use it because the GM1072R gives better cut and easier to remove when I don't want it on the machine. I think you will be happy with the purchase.

 

[John0829]

Does that have fixed blades or swinging blades that fold back if you hit something like a bush hog does?

They are fixed blades.

But I can trim way better so idk which is a better trade off.

Figure I'll take the ZT and make a quick trim around anything that needs it then switch to the tractor. Should reduce the beating on me.

Very heavy duty, and never a single problem. Still using original blades, belts and wheels.

The guy said he replaced the belt year before last after he broke the gearbox breather and it oil soaked the belt, other than that all of it is still OEM. I'll try to remember to take a pic of the blades when I change them out.

 

[Runner]

They are fixed blades.


Figure I'll take the ZT and make a quick trim around anything that needs it then switch to the tractor. Should reduce the beating on me.


The guy said he replaced the belt year before last after he broke the gearbox breather and it oil soaked the belt, other than that all of it is still OEM. I'll try to remember to take a pic of the blades when I change them out.

I'm going the other direction. I have lots of hills and things to trim around so I'm switching to a steering wheel zero turn to mow everything. Just too much work and time to be mowing in 4WD all the time and trying not to tear up the grass and cutting in with a lawn tractor. I'll just have to accept the beating of the ZTR ride, I guess.

Still keeping the 1072R in the "ready reserve line" as a backup mower though...

 

[John0829]

I know well what your mind set is, that was my thinking when I decided to go ZT for all things mowing but unlike the old joke "Beatings will continue until morale improves", morale (mine) went way, WAY down. Mainly due to all the added problems to my cervical hardware even though I wear a collar when mowing. I figure I can take the ZT and knock out the trimming then switch to the tractor.

Oh and when I was mowing with my 1025R (before I bought the ZT) I NEVER used 4WD, never saw a need for it and it never tore up the grass but it still beat me up worse than the big tractor with a finish mower. It all goes boils down to the 13.6x28 tires will roll over the rough where the 26" tires on both the ZT and 1025R go into the holes, dips and mole washouts. Plus on a ZT you tend to go faster (deliberate or not), that added speed makes the impact with the rough even more intense.

 

[Yander]

Great find! I love Woods products. What do you think? The highest grass you can cut with a rear finish mower is?

Anyone else have an opinion/experience on how tall of grass you can cut with a rear finish mower?

 

[Engineer42]

I've cut 2'+ high vegetation (wouldn't call it grass,lol) with my Woods RM 990.

 

[Yander]

I've cut 2'+ high vegetation (wouldn't call it grass,lol) with my Woods RM 990.

I have a guy that his yard got away from him when his mower broke down and we had steady rain for the 3 or 4 weeks it was broke down. It wouldn't be such a big deal except we're talking about 9 acres of 2 to 3 ft tall. Maybe 4 ft tall grass.

I have a 5-ft Bush hog for my small tractor but we also have an 8 ft bush hog for the larger tractor. I've been thinking about buying a rear finish mower for my small tractor but wasn't sure how tall of grass I can cut with that.