Go BottomF2680E front deck mower
 | JOHNWTHOMAS
Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 48 SOMERSET, KY 
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2008-05-17 153749
Tried to find owner info/experience on front deck mowers and it doesn't seem to exist. Tried Dogpile search and other tractor forums. Where are you owners? Ordered a Kubota ZT mower one day and in one obscure thread someone stated the Front deck mowers are better ride on rough ground than ZT's so the next day (yesterday) I went back to dealer and changed the order to a F2680E with 60" rear discharge deck. My 6th Kubota purchase from him in 4 years. Want to use both sides of deck for close cutting therefore rear discharge deck plus my 6' RFM that I use for home mowing with L3240HST lays mowed grass down more even than side discharge deck did/do. Have side discharge deck on BX1500. F2680E is supposed to be here in a week. I mow a mobile home park and the ground is some what rough but level plus working between the mobile homes. I also believe I can handle a steering wheel better than 2 levers. Got 45 years experience with steering wheels. I can either dribble a basketball or run. I can't do both at the same time. Any advice from Front deck mower owners that I need to be aware of?
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 | auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto 
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2008-05-17 153754
I hesitate to offer advice to someone as experienced as John, but here goes.
The advantage of the frontmount (compared to a midmount) is that you can get it under overhangs like trees or trailers. Also, you can see where you're mowing, and it's easier to service. The disadvantage is that it increases the length of your rig.
Advantage of rear discharge is that it's more even; disadvantage is that the chaff gets over everything. Advantage of side is that you can usually direct where you want the clippings to go, and if you want to mow the clippings to mulch them, you can do it on the adjacent mowing path with no wasted runs; disadvantage is that it usually increases the width of the mower.
Advantage of wheel-steer is there's no learning curve. Advantage of lever-steer is better manoeverability once you get onto it; you can spin a 360 in place. If you'll be going up hills on an angle, check that the lever-steer model has a drive-wheel locking feature; otherwise the potential loss of traction can be a bit greater than you get with a regular differential.
If there was one ideal configuration, all rigs would have it, right?
....
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| JOHNWTHOMAS
Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 48 SOMERSET, KY
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2008-05-17 153756
Can't or shouldn't ever be to experienced or knowledgable to learn more. Appreciate everyones sharing their experience and knowledge. Saves me money some times and skin some times. Sometimes I say "John, you should have listened". I tell people often that education costs. It's not free usually but these forums can help offset that "cost". I use an air powered framing nailer. Some carpenters stay with hammers. I built my home with nail guns and a young man next door was building a house at the same time. He used a hammer. I asked him why. He said the nail gun didn't pull the wood tight. I don't agree from my experience but that's his opinion and I respect it. Also it destroys my elbow swinging a hammer for extended periods of time so even if it didn't draw it as tight I would still use the nail gun. Appreciated his opinion but I still use air powered and electric equipment. Some people want to determine one as right and the other as wrong. It ain't so. They are just different ways of getting the same job done. One person prefers one way and the other prefers another way. I'm willing to change when I find a better way for me of doing a job. I don't usually try a different way of doing something that works for me until I see or hear of how someone else is doing it. I constantly ask and search how others are "doing it". Hope I don't ever give up on learning new ways of doing things. So, I don't care if you got your first one a week ago, offer your experience and insight. I want to hear it and thank you for giving your time, insight and experience. At almost 61 I may be getting old but I don't think I am so still have time to learn more and put it to use. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2008-05-18 153767
John, I sell mowers with suspension and without, can demo both to customers and most go without suspension. The reasons are noise and by having a better class seat the one without the suspension rides just as well.
The front decks do like some extra room to manuver but I do like the rear discharge decks for trimming. The visibility is great having the deck in front of you while mowing and the ground speed of the F-series makes mowing large areas easy. We have the F-series at golf coarses where they put a lot of hours on them all summer and have some of the older F-series out with over 9,000 hours still at work but retired to home owners with just normal mower deck repairs of blades and a belt or two. ....
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| JOHNWTHOMAS
Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 48 SOMERSET, KY
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2008-05-18 153777
Art: What do you mean "noise"? Are front mounts noticeably louder than zero turns? Mowing deck noise or engine noise? ....
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 | nosteiner4me
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 113 ohio
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2008-05-18 153779
John...Yes you did make the right choice of front mounted deck vs a zero turn for a better ride on bumpy ground. The zero turn has very small tires upfront and you will feel all the bumps. A suspension seat will reduce some of the bumps but not all. Just remember the larger the tires the better the ride. I almost went with an F series mower but needed bucket/loader. Your F-series is a long machine so if you are in open spaces you will love it. I always prefered side discharge, thats just my preferece.....Not too many rear discharged zero turns either!!! Whatever deck you get.. its a great ,fast, cutting machine for sure!!! ....
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2008-05-19 153787
The noise I was refering to is engine noise. Some are loader on the engine then the decks. I like to listen to the decks. Thats how you can gauge the performance of the combination of power and cut. ....
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| JOHNWTHOMAS
Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 48 SOMERSET, KY
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2008-06-13 154576
Finally rec'd the F2680E. Before getting it I traded my BX1500 54"MMM to a BX2350 60"MMM and had it delivered to the mobile home park level property I mow because grass had gotten really high. I had sold my gas Kubota mower before ordering the F. That is the property I ordered the F2680E for. The BX1500 and L3240HST is what I use at home for hillside and rough terrain mowing. Will have to move F2680E to the level property and bring the BX2350 home to the hillside. The F2680E is a great riding, manuvering mowing machine but it "ain't no tractor". Best riding model of all I own or owned. Course it has the best seat with the most adjustments. My BX2200(former), BX1500(former), B7800(former) and L3240 all climb my hills mostly without engaging differential. One spot is almost straight up so usually have to engage differential on it on the BX's. The F2680E is not the 4wd model and would not go up some hills even with the differential locked. Don't seem to be experiencing any problems with RFM but did notice after mowing that the outside screen behind the drivers seat had a bit of chaff on it. The discharge is under the driver seat so it doesn't bother me while driving. Course my BX's with side discharge mower also get chaff and dust on intake screen. Just wipe it off with hand into the wind when I stop. Get alot of wind on my hillside which blows dust and cut grass all over. So, I recommend highly the F2680E 60"RFM for level to rolling ground mowing. If it's steep get 4wd or tractor. ....
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