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5FT ROTORY MOWER VS 6 FT ROTORY MOWER

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RON M
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2002-02-05          35325

HELLO, I AM LOOKING TO PURCHASE A ROTORY MOWER. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A 6FT MODEL SINCE I HAVE SO MUCH FIELD TO CUT AND WOULD LIKE TO CUT IT FASTER THAN A SMALLER MODEL WOULD. I AM WONDERING ABOUT SIZE. IS 6FT VERY DIFFICULT TO MANUEVER? WILL THE MOWER "SWING" TOO MUCH WHEN I TURN? I DON'T HAVE ALOT OF CLOSE TREES, ETC. I HAVE MOSTLY OPEN FIELD. I NOTICE THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE 5FT MODELS. I HAVE THE TRACTOR POWER WITH A JD950. DOES A 5FT MODEL CUT BETTER THAN A 6FT MODEL?

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John Mc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 98 Vermont
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2002-02-05          35327

Ron -
I own a 5 ft rotary mower, have only used a 6 footer once. Your tractor will handle a 6 ft unit easily, and if you don't have the obstacles then a 6 foot mower is definitely the way to go. If I had the tractor to handle it, and didn't have the obstacles I do, I'd have bought a 6 ft unit in a heartbeat.

Another consideration: what is the tread width on your rear tires? I don't think a 5 ft mower will cover your tracks. It's nice to have a bit extra hanging out to the side for when you want to mow right up close to something.

On the quality of cut: I don't have much experience with 5 ft vs 6 ft on this, but I would think the bigger issue on quality of cut is blade condition, grass condition (wet/dry), speed over the ground, how high you've let it grow since the last mowing, etc. There is a bit of difference in quality of cut from one brand to another as well.

Hope this helps some. ....

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5FT ROTORY MOWER VS 6 FT ROTORY MOWER

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RON M
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2002-02-05          35329

John, thank you for the advise and comments. One of my concerns is the weight of the 6ft mower causing more "swing" when you turn corners. I don't plan on racing around corners at 50mph, but is it an issue at slow speeds? Since you have a larger "mass" than a 5ft held by the 3pt hitch, does the extra "mass" present a particular problem? Probably making something out of nothing but just an issue before I lay out the bucks. Thank you. ....

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5FT ROTORY MOWER VS 6 FT ROTORY MOWER

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BillBass
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 190 North Texas
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2002-02-05          35337

I run a 6' rotary cutter on a JD 950. I have not had any problems with it. I don't notice any "swing" caused by the mower. It is fairly heavy though. I have a FEL to help offset the weight on the rear.
I can mow in 2H in clean pasture if I don't let it grow up too much. However, if I get into heavy green grass taller than about a foot and half, I have to drop down, sometimes as far as 2L if it is really thick. On the other hand, I have mowed weeds taller than the hood with little problem. The weeds are not as heavy as the grass and actually cut easier. ....

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5FT ROTORY MOWER VS 6 FT ROTORY MOWER

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RON M
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2002-02-06          35349

Thank you for the information Bill. Does anyone have any suggestions about which brands of Rotory Mower to stay away from? Howse seem to be very inexpensive but I have read alot about welding seem problems. Which brand would you suggest? ....

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BillBass
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 190 North Texas
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2002-02-06          35356

Ron-As it would happen, I have a Howse. The welds on mine are straight, clean, and appear to have good penetration. I have heard that the bolts that hold the gear box to the deck are often not tightened properly. I tightened mine when I got it. I did not feel that I needed a $1000+ cutter. The Howse was $500. Most of my mowing is clean pasture although I occasionally knock down a small sapling or two, less than 1". I have no complaints with the Howse. I am sure it is not as high quality as the bigger names, but it does what I need at the right price. ....

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5FT ROTORY MOWER VS 6 FT ROTORY MOWER

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Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 962
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2002-02-07          35357

I have a Howse 500 (5') rotary cutter; been using it for 2 years and have no complaints, except that I checked the blade bolts and found they were not very tight, so I tightened them. And I have a neighbor who has a 7' Howse (don't know the model). He had it when I moved here 7 years ago and told me it was an old used one when he bought it sometime before that. ....

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timbo
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2002-02-07          35360

Take a look at a 66" thrifty cutter. It might be a good compromise in size, I paid $575 for mine. ....


Link:   thrifty cutter

 
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5FT ROTORY MOWER VS 6 FT ROTORY MOWER

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John Mc
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 98 Vermont
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2002-02-07          35385

Bird -

If you have decent blades on your Howse cutter (and decent grass conditions), can you do a passable job as a finish mower? This was one of the big selling points for me on the Woods cutter... several people in my area have said they have a good quality of cut.

I'm happy with mine, and I'm not exactly looking for a manicured lawn anyway, but I've often wondered if there really was much difference from brand to brand. The Woods sales guy claimed their higher deck design creates a better flow pattern of the cut clippings (he also sells Brush Hog). I've seen mowers some that cut lousy, but I never thought to look at the blade condition when I saw them.

John Mc ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2002-02-07          35392

It appears no one has addressed the question of size and cut quality. A cutter that is wider than you wheels will do a nicer job on field mowing.
Grass flattened by the tires is easier to pick up if it has only been run over once.
On the down side the mower wider than the tires is difficult to manuver between trees and you can easily hang up.
As far as brands go look at the transmission and the deck. Some mowers use light transmissions which can couse problems. The deck will warp on some, the larger the deck the harder it is to make rigid.
For strickly field mowing and ocassional use something like the Howse should suffice. You may be able to find a better mower at a similar price if you look around. A heavy duty Bushhog or Woods might be too heavy for the tractor.
I can lift the front end of my Massey 65 with my 7 ft Hog. ....

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Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 962
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2002-02-08          35395

John, brush hogs, regardless of brand, use much bigger, thicker, heavier blades than a finish mower and the blades are not as sharp (usually about 1/8" flat surface on the leading edge) so they can shatter or tear brush, saplings, etc. without getting little dings or notches in that edge. However, if you know that you are only going to be cutting weeds and grass, you can certainly sharpen them to a finer edge and get a near finish mower quality of cut. I know 'cause I've done it. I had a 4' Bush Hog rotary cutter when I had a B7100 and mowed the yard with a Cub Cadet riding mower. Now I have a 5' Howse rotary cutter for the B2710 and a 5' Bush Hog finish mower for the yard, but have often thought I wasted a lot of money buying the finish mower. The rotary cutter would have done just fine on the yard with sharp blades. ....

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