Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Finishing mowers

Anyone have experience using a finishing/grooming mower with a compact tractor?

We have about 3 acres around our house that we are maintaining now. Ground has some slope but nothing severe, has some rough patches mixed with some smooth flat area. It has been cut before with a riding mower but it is rough on the mower (and my backside). Been looking at a new compact tractor that could run either a belly mower or finishing mower. Tractor would also be used for some food plot work. I’ve owned a Kubota B series with a belly mower in the past. It was fine tractor just a little on the small side for doing food plot work. Have also owned a larger L series Kubota. Great for doing food plots but a little bit heavy for working around the yard. Currently looking at a Kubota LX series which has the mid PTO but I’m torn between a getting the belly mower of finishing mower? As a side note the riding mower would still be used for the 1/2 acre or so right around the house.

Anyone have experience they can share using a finishing mower?

A good zero turn will run circles around a finishing mower

Belly mowers can be a bitch to unhook. Plus belts are always giving trouble. If I were going that route I’d get a 3 point hitch finishing mower

I can’t speak from experience, but I believe that would be true.

Had a 6’ King Cutter 3-point hitch on a Kubota L3130 that worked very well though - never had a single problem. Sold the tractor and all attachments to a friend several years ago and the finishing mower is still running like a champ. I believe the advantage of a 3-point attachment vs. belly mower or zero turn would be that you can back into tight spaces.

I used a finishing more for several years but bought a zero turn because it’s easier and faster to me.

Get a zero turn instead...especially if you have obstacles in the yard to mow around. The finishing mower will never get close enough to them to cut and you'll still have to break out a pushmower or weed eater to cut close to them. With a zero turn, you can cut right up next to them and not have near as much trimming to do. I have a finishing mower and can count on one hand the number of times I've used it

He said it’s too rough for a riding mower

Ground is fairly rough in some areas. My experience with a ZTM is they beat you to death on rough ground, but I’m also leaning towards a tractor so I can do other work with it as well (bush hogging roads, tilling a garden and food plots etc…).

I’ve ran a belly mower for 5-6 years at our old place however the ground was pretty flat and smooth. Never owned a finishing mower, and thought it might be a good option and as mentioned above not be such a pain to take on and off.

Thanks

Get the suspension seat. It smoothes the bumps out

Good commercial grade z-turn has good shock absorbing seats and wheels. Way faster and better cutting. Just go slow in rough patches or get the rough areas smoothed out. Once you mow it a few times with a zero-turn you will never go back to a tractor.

I cut ours with a 6' finish mower and then a 90' finish mower. Worked very well and I would do it again. My wife took over grass cutting last year and uses the zero turn for everything. Takes about the same amount of time to cut ours with a 52" Scag or the 90" finish mower, tractor is slower but much wider. I have a smaller cab tractor so cutting in the AC was nice, wife doesnt care. I still have the pull behinds, but I doubt I will ever use them again. Guess I should sell those. FYI mine were both side discharge bush hog brand mowers, they work a lot better for me than the one rear discharge I tried.

Jason

I cut about 3 acres with a 6' finish mower pulled by a Kubota L4701. I cut it one season with a 54" Ferris zero turn. I prefer the tractor and finish mower. Now this 3 acres is pretty flat and has very few obstacles.

If my tractor had a cab, I would have no complaints at all.

We cut 5acres, 7 neighbors, 5 with 5 acres (including us) all use ZTM, 1has 8 acres uses ZTM, 1with 5 and 1 with 10 acres use finish mowers at one time everyone used finish mowers, 5 of us still have tractors, flat for the most part but cut time in half using ZTM. We also have an additional 4 acres that is bush hogged for the horses it’s flat but rough spots and tractor will still beat you up but I get you wanting a tractor but forgot the belly mower

Lockjaw will be along shortly to school y’all on flail mowers.

I have a Kubota L2501 with a finishing mower for the smooth cut. Tractors don't have suspension either. They can be very rough. I wonder if you have a place around there that would let you try out a zero-turn first, with a suspension seat, to see how it would fit you?

We mow with a Kubota BX2360 with a belly mower. I use it to mow food plots as well. We have had it since 2012 with zero issues, and spend 60-80 hours a season mowing.

If it gets stolen tonight, I would buy another one just like it tomorrow. Have to say stolen, as I know it ain't going to quit. Until this season, we never paid for anything except blades, filters, and fluids. Battery died over the winter, and I pit a new Kubota branded battery in it, since the factory one lasted 13 years.

I used a King Cutter finish mower for years with a Kubota tractor and it worked great and it cut close as any other mower for me but I downsized and sold it also it was the best leaf mulcher for the fall I have ever used I do miss it for that job

I have a King Cutter 6 ft finishing mower on a Kubota L3800 and I like it. I wouldn't doubt a finishing mower is faster but my finishing mower was 1000 and I have that room in my garage now that I sold my lawnmower.

Load of Sand can work wonders, smooth that yard out, then use the Zero Turn.

Too add, had a 6’ king cutter finish mower did a good job but always airing up the tires swapped to solid but my biggest issue was spindles change them out regularly (bearing failure)and kept them greased, got a 54” jd ZTM has over 1500 hours and not a spindle failure so far