Belly mount deck or 3 point?

[rkcr]

Woe is me. My wife says I must buy a new tractor or she's packing up.
I've never had anything bigger than a Gravely rider (but that 72" deck sure is nice), so I don't know which deck to go for.
I mow3 to 4 acres depending on how ambitious I am, and close to 2 more a couple of times a year.
This is not a golfer's dream. Anything green that grows has permission to live here as long as it doesn't mind being mowed.
Maybe half of the four acres is pretty smooth. The rest has the kind of small irregularities that shake a floating mower deck enough to force me to mow slower than I want to. Does a rear-mount mower help in such a situation? Does it tend to skip or anything? Does one let the hitch float with a rear mount?
Whichever it is, it's gonna be 60", I'm nearly certain.
I'd sure like to hear pros and cons from people who are further up the learning curve.
Thanks much
rr

[JDFANATIC]

rkcr,

Mid mount mowers tend to be finish mowers and have the best cut. They also tend to be more expensive and require a mid-PTO. They have the advantage that you can see what you are cutting with your peripheral vision, while your eyes are on the road ahead. Some are easier than others to attach/detach. Rear mowers come in finish and brush hog cuts (the rear finish mowers don't cut quite as nicely as a MMM, but come close). They are very easy to attach and detach. They can be backed under a tree or obstacle. They are very easy to catch on things if you aren't paying attention and using them will require the attention of masseuses several times a year as well as a chiropractor every so often.

[itsgottobegreen]

Trust me a MMM it way better than any 3point mower. Way better cut and control.

[mark777]

Trust me a MMM it way better than any 3point mower. Way better cut and control.

:ditto:, and finish mowers, even used tend to be quite pricey....bush hogs, on the other hand, are about the next best thing to a control burn :).

[johndeereL100]

Then there is the ultimate solution. Mid mount for the good areas and rear mount for the seldom mowed areas. I use my MMM for the yard area and my LX4 for the roadsides and waterway areas. :fing32:

[rkcr]

Actually the 3 point finish mower this dealer wants to sell me is $100 less that the belly mount. Not sure why -- our last conversation was when he woke me up with a callback and I was pretty foggy.
Your responses are helpful but I will probably base my decision on whether the 3 point mower can handle the little ripples, holes and lumps all over my property at a higher speed than a belly mount. (Although the concern about catching them on things may trump that -- I tend to bash things with a mid-mount, so I'm sure I'd be worse with the 3-point mower.)
Thanks
rr

[BruceR]

You lucky dog. My wife says if I buy a another tractor ( doesn't even have to be new ) she's packing.
Bruce

[jdkubotamurray]

MMM is much easier to manuver. Large rear finish mower is good if large flat area with not many turns. I had a 7' for awhile. Also had a Kubota BX2200 with 60", best mower I have had, but $$ for low use.

[BruceR]

Rude on my part, maybe, but I do commend your wife for at least having knowledge of both you needing a tractor, and having an open line of communication.

As an interjection, and maybe pissed wife of what was thrown out about my packing if another tractor is purchased, it simply might have been nice to have any knowledge of this I guess. Not that there was any knowledge of of the initial Yanmar that was purchased, this one comes as a surprise too of course. Not a pot to piss in literally, yet again, I guess I have been told and put in my place.

A lot to be said for them yes, but if the walls and roof over your head are falling in, it might be best to have that line of communication and priorities straight wouldn't one think?


SR

[rkcr]

Hey BruceR:
My wife wanted to get me away from wrenching old iron -- which gets harder as the years go by.
She was thinking well, and I was lucky. You're surely right about communication.
Best of luck to you.

About the choice of mowers: Thanks to those advising a MMM; nevertheless, I bought a 3-point mower -- a Bush Hog RDTH, partly because I have open spaces with long runs and that mower floats on four swiveling casters so it will turn pretty well anyway. It also works out better as a counterweight for the loader when the backhoe is off, and it can be raised enough more than the MMM that I can cut my couple of rough acres with it.
Thanks to all.
rr

[glenn27]

Rude on my part, maybe, but I do commend your wife for at least having knowledge of both you needing a tractor, and having an open line of communication.

As an interjection, and maybe pissed wife of what was thrown out about my packing if another tractor is purchased, it simply might have been nice to have any knowledge of this I guess. Not that there was any knowledge of of the initial Yanmar that was purchased, this one comes as a surprise too of course. Not a pot to piss in literally, yet again, I guess I have been told and put in my place.

A lot to be said for them yes, but if the walls and roof over your head are falling in, it might be best to have that line of communication and priorities straight wouldn't one think?


SR

Funny, my bride said the same thing, I think after the th up....third/fourth little G/T showed up-she said, If one more shows...I'm out of here----

I looked @ the dog laying in the corner, and remarked-I'm going to miss her!!! :bannana: :bannana:

[BruceR]

Funny, my bride said the same thing, I think after the th up....third/fourth little G/T showed up-she said, If one more shows...I'm out of here----

I looked @ the dog laying in the corner, and remarked-I'm going to miss her!!! :bannana: :bannana:


Ahh yes, but does it make much sense to have an immaculate manacured piece of land, but no home to live in ask yourself!!! Even the dog might relish more than a 2x4. Cheers to your wife, maybe she'll take the dog on a more productive journey. Hey, nothing wrong with toys at all, as long as they are truly able to be afforded, both financially and logistically.

SR