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King Kutter Finish Mower

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jonathanengr
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 100 Bostic, North Carolina
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2004-04-18          83549

I went to my local Tractor Supply and found that the finish mowers are "King Kutter" name brand. Can anyone give me an opinion on these? They are about $600 less than a comparably sized Bush Hog from my dealer and $800 less than a Woods. Also, they have a 3000 fpm higher tip speed than the Bush Hog and 2000 fpm high tip speed than the Woods.

Lastly, any opinions on side vs/ear discharge? I've heard that for wider finish mowers it's best to use a rear discharge (side discharges really clump). Thanks!


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jonathanengr
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 100 Bostic, North Carolina
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2004-04-18          83556

I just searched the site for all "King Kutter" messages and came up with some information. I've seen everything from "outstanding" to other people seeming to think it's the bottom of the totem pole. I'd love to hear from anyone who has a KK finish mower, how long they've had it and what they think. Same with other brands... how long it has been owned and what kind of cut, etc. ....

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2004-04-18          83558

I've used a 5' one behind my TC29 for about 3-1/2 years, probably have about 200-300 hours on it, and haven't had any problems. The cut quality is adequate, my yard is more like a field, so it works out fine. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, or any KK product as far as that goes. No, it is not commercial quality, but from all indications this mower will outlast me.
Good luck,
Bill ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2004-04-18          83563

with a rfm i'd recomend rear discharge do the the fact that it will be earyer to get around objects with out the chute getting in the way. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-04-19          83589

I have a KingKutter behind my 7800. It works fine. It isn't the best looking piece of machinery, but for the price it does what it is supposed to do, it mows a nice looking lawn. I have never had any problems with it, and at this point find no reason not to recommend it to someone else. ....

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tk_csa
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 28 western New York
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2004-04-19          83615

I've used a 72: KK finish mower for 4 years now and all in all, I'm pretty happy with it. For the money, they're tough to beat (from TSC). Side discharge will clump more but I remedied that for the most part by setting the cut heighth up one or two settings. Lawn looks great, is healthier and almost no clumps. Side discharge is nice for backing up to obstacle to trim close. ....

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jonathanengr
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 100 Bostic, North Carolina
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2004-04-19          83616

You say "pretty happy with it". Does this mean you've had some problems, bad cuts, etc? I'm not keeping a golf course manicured--just my lawn--but I'd like for it to look as good as it does now using my little 42" lawn tractor. ....

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tk_csa
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 28 western New York
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2004-04-19          83618

A couple of things to keep in mind; 1. A 3 point finish mower isn't going to do quite as nice a job as a belly mower. 2. The larger a mower you get the more you will "scalp" small hilly spots (even with center rollers). If your lawn is all quite flat, then it's not an issue. Mine is moderately so. All in all, considering inve$ment, the job it does, design, quality, productivity, etc.,I'd give it a 9 out of 10. Result; I mow a ton of lawn, fast, with a good result. (if it's flat, smooth & clear; 4 acres an hour)On price; You probably do better on price on a comparable piece of equipment than TSC. I gotten quotes from other KK dealers and its 25-40% more. TSC buys ALOT and saves on price and frieght. If service is a concern than you might look to a dealer because TSC won't be strong on that point. ....

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jonathanengr
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 100 Bostic, North Carolina
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2004-04-19          83619

TK--What do you mean by "not as good" as a belly mower cut? I think I'm getting lost on that point. You have 3 blades spinning **much** faster than my little belly-mower lawn tractor (based on the manual), the blades look exactly the same, they operate in the same way, etc. So how does it not give as good a cut as a belly mower? I do understand the wider deck will have a higher tendancy to scalp, but other than that why is the cut not as good? I'm not saying you're wrong--I'm just wanting to know how it's not as good a cut, etc. I don't want to pour in $1100 to find that my lawn looks hideous! If anything, my little belly mower leaves terrible rows and tends to "beat down" the grass in thicker areas (you can hear the blades being slowed down) only to pop up the next day leaving an uneven cut. I'm hoping that the much-increased HP and especially torque of the tractor and finishing mower will chop right through even the thick areas without a hiccup. (I'm pretty set on buying a Kubota 3430 HST--28.0 PTO HP I think). Any thoughts? BTW--thanks so much for all your input. ....

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kubotaguy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 360 Shepherdstown, WV
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2004-04-19          83622

You didn't say what type of lawnmower you have, but you can't compare that to a tractor with a belly mower. My tractor mid PTO is 2500 rpms so the blades are turning quite fast. If you are concerned about the little strips left by the lawnmower, wait until you see your lawn if you mow when the grass is still a little damp and mash it down with the big rear tires and then when the grass dries it stands back up. ....

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jonathanengr
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 100 Bostic, North Carolina
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2004-04-19          83632

Well, I'd think mid PTO speed has little to nothing to do with the blade speed--that depends on both the PTO speed AND gearbox--correct? I mean, the rear PTO might run at 540 compared to a mid PTO at 2500, but the blades of a finish mower will turn every bit as fast due to the gear reduction.

As for my grass--you have no idea how bad it is. If I hit thick grass my mower just about stops. The blades turn soooo slowly that they cut *nothing*--they just knock the grass down. I can't imagine anything being worse.

As for cutting when the lawn is wet, I'm not sure who would want to do that nor why they'd want to do it. If you think a finishing mower would do a bad job on wet days, imagine how badly my little lawn tractor would do--it has trouble (as mentioned above) when its dry!!

Anyway, I'm already sold on a RFM. Now I just want to know what exactly this "difference" in cut is between a high-quality and low-quality mower. ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2004-04-19          83640

Speaking to the mowing-when-wet issue, if you lived in western Oregon you'd either have to cut when wet or not cut at all! ....

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jonathanengr
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 100 Bostic, North Carolina
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2004-04-19          83641

LOL! Good point! We'd love to have that problem here in NC. We had a record drought in 2002 (in the foothills) and it's shaping up to be a low-rainfall year again.... ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-04-19          83642

Sorry, I meant in my last post as to NOT have any reason to recommend against the KingKutter RFM. Mine works fine, and am very happy with it. ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2004-04-19          83657

you will be fine with a king kutter they are a good mower for the money. as far as cut gose with a mmm tey tend to float with the terain. a rfm sit on the ground with no floating witch will cause more scalbing and more blade damage. as far a mid vs. rear pto a mmm normally has a 1to1 ratio which means more torqe to the blades. rear pto mower generally have a 1 to 5 ratio to get the blade speed up which means it will tend to bog down faster than a mmm. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-04-19          83678

This discussion has been started before. Although the gearing at the deck would influence the torque, the output torque at the shaft of the rear pto has 5 times the torque as the mid shaft, (540rpm vs. 2200 or 2400rpm ). Does the blade know the difference? Would net torque at the blade, and load on the engine, be the same for both situations? ....

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deersg
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 3 Michigan
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2004-04-21          83830

Have used KK 72" finish mower for 2.5 seasons behind J.D. 790. Had to modify floating hitch so that I could use my "quick hitch", but it is now very quick to attach/detach.
Had to replace bearings in one spindle after 1.5 seasons of mowing(probably a bad bearing from new as the mower is quieter now than it was new). No other complaints. I would buy another one but this one will probably outlast me, seems pretty solid. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-04-21          83834

Oneace, how exactly do you figure that RFM's "sit on the ground with no floating"?

Any RFM I have seen has the hitch pins in a floating bar, likewise the upper link is floating, add to this that the 3pth itself can rise and fall with any implement I don't understand how your statement makes any sense.

Scalping is more dependant on terrain, the distance between the wheels, and whether or not the deck is equipped with anti-scalping rollers than anything else.

Certain types of RFM's, flail (Mott-type) mowers for instance are usually equipped with a continous rear roller, you really have to work at it to get one of those to scalp anything.

Best of luck. ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2004-04-21          83841

ok on a mmm when proporly adjusted the whells will not touch the ground until you hit uneven terrain, and most are supported to the tractor with springs which in turns allow the mower to move with less effort. murf you are right with how most rfm are set up but they do not float as well as mmm sorry for any confusion. ....

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galfarmer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1 Ma
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2004-04-21          83858

new to this discusion. I am in the process of finally buying my tractor and I am torn as to whether to get a finish mower or brush hog. I have several acres of pasture which ajoin my yard. It is rolling hill to flat, some rocks. Am I kidding myself to think I can use a finish mower? Should I just get a brush hog and continue to mow the yard area with my hand push mower? Some advise would be welcomed.

Galfarmer ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-04-22          83903

Galfarmer; If you only have a small lawn that is'nt a problem with a push mower I think you'd be on the right trail to get the Bushog and forget the finish mower. Mid mount finish mowere do a fine job, but are pricey and a real pain to put on and take off. A good quality rear mount finish mower will cost about the same as good quality single blade Bushog type machine. If you have rocks to deal with the finish mower is'nt your answer, the bushog will handle the rough stuff better, be sure you get one with a "Stump Jumper". A stump jumper is simply a saucer shaped pan with the blades fastened to the outside of it instead of directly to the gearbox shaft. the blades are free to swing from the point where they attach to the edge of the pan so they are better able to stand the shock of hitting a rock, stump or whatever you may run over. It's still best to remove as many rocks as possible, rocks are hard on blades no matter what kind of cutter your using. Have a great day, Frank. ....

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BigBob
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 27 ohio
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2004-04-22          83904

Gal,
cutting brush with a finish mower is a real drag. It is hard on the mower, plus the brush cutter will cost alot less. Good luck! ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-04-22          83915

Unless you want (need) the lawn to look like a putting green I don't see why you couldn't use a bush-hog to cut the lawn. A lot of rural properties around here are maintained that way. If the blades are sharp, it's set up properly and the ground is pretty flat it will do a very respectable job.

No, you will not like cutting a pasture with a finish mower, besides, as has already been mentioned, a bush-hog is a LOT less money.

The other option is to buy a flail (Mott) type mower with a continous tail roller, it will cutr the pasture just fine, but watch out for the rocks, and will make your lawn look terrific. It is a lot more money than a bush-hog, but less than buying a bush-hog AND a finish mower.

Best of luck. ....

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