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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-11          114716

Hello. 1st posting. I am considering a New Holland 72" 930B mower, used, in beautiful shape, for $1100; or a Bosh Hog RDTH-72, new, for $2000. NH is side discharge; Bush Hog is rear discharge. I'm a homeowner who needs to mow 5+ acres of "fields" and a 3/4 acre lawn. Use a Ford 2000 tractor (about 32 hp). Fields get high w/brambles. My rotary mower is finally shot. Couldn't use it on lawn, anyway, and it scalped hell out of the hilly fields. I need to tame this mowing, and don't mind mowing often. But I want it to look like it was worth the effort. Can I make a finish mower work for my purposes?

I like the 2-yr warranty on the bush Hog, and the price on the essentially new New Holland. Don't know about side vs. rear discharge. These two decks are what's easily available to me here and now. Need to make a quick decision. Wife's getting pissed about mowing, in-laws coming w/kids, and the grass is getting HIGH. Any help MOST appreciated.


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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-08-11          114734

You have to be a little more mindful when going around objects with a side discharge because of the deflector. Other than that I would say either one should suit you well. I would suggest however that if your field is really over grown I would rent a brush cutter and get it knocked down before you hit with a finish mower. ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-11          114736

Thanks for the quick reply. I think I will have to rent a rotary cutter to get this proccess going again. Things are about waist-high-plus out there. Do the real world prices I mention ($1100 used; $2000 new) seem reasonable? I'm in Northern Virginia-suburban Washington, DC, and the price of everything is inflated beyond reason here. A cup of coffee costs $2.00.

BTW, that tractor/excavator/mower combo is really cool. When my ship comes in . . . . ....

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JAZAK5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 276 coxsackie,ny
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2005-08-12          114745

sounds like you need a front mounted flail mower, runs off your rear pto or hydraulics.
very trick but pricy
no wind rows and it will handle any thing !!!!!! ....

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JAZAK5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 276 coxsackie,ny
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2005-08-12          114746

sounds like you need a front mounted flail mower, runs off your rear pto or hydraulics.
very trick but pricy
no wind rows and it will handle any thing !!!!!! ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-12          114752

Can't afford more than $1100-$2000, and need the front blade on my tractor. Current plan: rent a rotary cutter to get started; buy and mount the finishing deck; identify a skilled welder-fabricator to repair the disassembled parts of my present, broken, 5' rotary cutter (over however many months) so I'll have both machines on hand. Leaning toward used New Holland because of cost. All advice very welcome! ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-08-12          114770

I do believe the new Holland will suit you well. ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-08-12          114785

WELCOME! If you can afford a 2K bush hog, Why not buy that New Holland AND then go get you a $700 King kutter rotary cutter. Thats still less than 1 bush hog. Now you have your cake and can eat too (and still save bucks!) ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-08-14          114848

I have the 930B, I bought it used for 600 but it was not like new, not torn up a lot, but left out and roughed up a bit. The side discharge works fine, deflector is gone so no worry about that. Overall it is not to high a quailty. The gear box seal is bad and all oil ran out. It runs a belt so it is not like it took a lot of shock like a bush hog would. Many welds have cracked too. The properly tentioned single belt is not strong enough for the rated HP and instead of bogging a bit, it just slips and burns. ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-14          114853

That's interesting. Believe I've seen one of these in operation just recently. It's probably out of my price range, but just for yucks: what are the decent, lower-priced units to look at? Is it true that the knives need minimal sharpening? What happens if I hit a 3 inch stick or other obstruction?
Thanks- ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-14          114854

Thanks Denwood- That's thought provoking. My pasture is not in great shape now, though I did rotary mow most of it late winter. The more I read, the more clear it seems that I must definitely bush hog before using a finish mower, and then will really need to stay after it with the finisher. That means investing in both types of deck (or in an expensive & time-conuming fix on present rotary). Jazak5 suggested a flail mower. For someone who started w/a 2-K budget for further mowing equip aquisitions, can a flail mower even be an option?

Are all of you guys rich? Is this a rich guys' forum? Or are my financial priorities mixed up? Might have to put my wife online so she can see how bad I need this stuff.
....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-08-14          114855

Well I am no where near rich. ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-14          114856


Nah, I'm kidding. Kidding, and nearly broke, which is why I'm trying to be careful about any purchase. I appreciate the advice I've been getting. Thanks again. ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2005-08-14          114862

My question revolves around the grass in the field vs the lawn. I have baha and fescue in the field. I had a side discharge and now have a rear discharge. When I cut the field with the side discharge (Land Pride), if I hit a long grass it would plug and not easily clear. I would need to lift the mower and turn it off and on. Like someone else mentioned the belt would slip (although a new belt). The rear discharge handles the longer grass better. I have to work to stop the blades. It does not cut well in high grass but it still cuts and rolls the hay out the back. The rear discharge finish mower does better with the baja than the long fescue or the odd bunch grass. Unfortunately the grass grows differently over 16 acres of field and stream. ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-08-14          114875

If you were serious about spending 2K on the new bush hog then what I suggested IMO is the way to go. If you really like th New holland finish mower and it is in great shape then buy it. From your description of the rest of your property (5 acres) the King Kutter brush cutter will last you the rest of your life and still look like new. About 700 for one of those new (give or take depending on your options. That STILL leaves you will plenty of money left over (from the original 2 K) to take your bride out for supper and buy her a new power washer for the deck) LOL ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
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2005-08-15          114877

Okay. I'm following, I guess. I was asking about the flail mower in all seriousness. I am hoping for a better, cleaner cut than what I've been used to with my nearly retired 5' rotary mower (and thus, am considering a finish mower). But if I will need both types, anyway, is a flail mower (or something else altogether) an option for me? One unit instead of two? Or are these units just way too expensive for a guy who's having trouble swallowing $1100-$2000 -- bearing in mind that I already have a 32 hp tractor that is useful to me in several other ways.

It would be awfully nice not to have to switch things around behind my tractor too often. But perhaps the best use of my limited funds would be to go with a 5' rotary and a 6' finish. Or, just learn to be satisfied with the cut I get from the rotary cutter and save the $1100 I would have spent on the finish mower altogether.
....

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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2005-08-18          115059

Flailmowers: I need input from experienced users. I have a KK 5' rotary cutter on a NH TC33D. I use it commercially to cut vacant lots for developers. The ground is clay---anything from bone dry to mud (being under 6" of standing water where cattails and reeds grow). The ground is rutted out as much as 12" deep and as wide from cement trucks sinking in the soft clay when it's wet. Then there's the building debris everywhere--cement truck chute wash-outs, bricks, wood. My rotary cutter has cracks everywhere from the abuse. Not to mention when it does hit something it goes flying 50 feet or more, and in a new sub that's not good for people or homes. (Maybe that's why the "other guy" wouldn't come back a second time)

So my question are: Should I get a flail mower? And will it hold up to abuse from hitting things? And what is a reasonable price fo a good, used one? ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-08-20          115180

Smallfields
Now your thinking! get that rotary mower for about 700 and use a push mower on your little 3/4 acre lawn (or buy a used $200 rider). IMO The rotary cutter if kept up nice will give you a very nice cut on the 5+ acres. Nice enough to be proud of but maybe not nice enough to call your back yard lawn. Then all you have to do is cut your little 3/4 acre lawn area. Again IMO The 32hp tractor may not be your best option in wet weather for cutting your lawn anyway?
Good luck and let us know what you decide? ....

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taheide
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 127 Capron IL
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2005-08-25          115415

I have a 6' KK Finish mower on my B2410 Bota. It does an excellent job cutting my fields and lawn. I have a LOT of trees aound the house, and it took me a while to learn how to navigate the mower off the back of the tractor, and hit the trees quite a few times and the deck has held up well. The only complaint I have about KK, is the paint job sucks. If my grass exceeds a foot in height, it usually takes two passes to cut, the first pass with the deck raised to where the wheels barely touch the ground, and the second with the deck fully down. It is a side discharge, and I removed the chute on it because it does get clogged easily. Another factor is when the grass is heavy or damp, I will get a line of taller grass where two blades meet close to the discharge side. It is belt driven and you do need to adjust the tension everyso often or the belt slips and burns up. Happened to me once. A new 6' KK goes for about the same price as the used NH, and they make a rear discharge for a little more. So far the deck is still looking good after 3 years of hard use other than where the paint flaked off. I havent done any sharpening to the blades yet, but they are easy to get off to sharpen. ....

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smallfields
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 13 Northern Virginia
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2005-08-26          115468

Thank you, gents. These comments have been enlightening and I appreciate your good counsel. I found a fabricator who's rebuilt the A-frame for my old rotary cutter at a very reasonable price. So that machine is back online. (My next questions will be about getting the blades off that thing for sharpening, and about the leaky seal on the rear end/hydraulic resevoir of my Ford tractor.)

I've driven the price on the 6 foot NH finish deck down now, to a figure I think I can justify. I will take a chance on that implement, too, and see if it makes my life easier or more difficult. If it's a bust, I guess I'll try to sell it here, right? Will let you know how it works out.
Thanks again -sdf ....

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