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855 good for mowing rough land?

2529 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  scottman1027
I currently have an X495 that I'm using to cut a few rough acres of land around my barn. I use my 4600 with a bush hog to cut the big fields, but I like having a smaller tractor with a belly mower for the land around the barn with the well, poles, etc. to mow around.

I'm getting beat to death on the X495 which is really a riding mower I even added the deluxe suspension seat, but still getting beat to death.

Have my eye on a nice 855 with a belly mower.

Will the 855 with the longer wheel base, bigger rear tires and greater weight be a significantly better ride on rough land than an X495 riding mower with a deluxe suspension seat?

Thanks for your input.

Mad Dog
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I kind of doubt that the 855 will ride any better but it will take a larger deck and so your bodies beating on it will not be as long. I know that my pasture is rough and I use my 2305 and MMM on it and I am not as beat up as bad as when I did the pasture with my L-120.

I still get bounced around on the 2305 once in a while but no where as long and hard as the L-120
I kind of doubt that the 855 will ride any better but it will take a larger deck and so your bodies beating on it will not be as long. I know that my pasture is rough and I use my 2305 and MMM on it and I am not as beat up as bad as when I did the pasture with my L-120.

I still get bounced around on the 2305 once in a while but no where as long and hard as the L-120

Thanks. Actually the X495 has a pretty good deck on it...62 inches. Not sure if you're familiar with the 855's, but they stopped making them back in 1998. They're a good sized compact tractor and weigh 1,890 lbs. That's about twice the weight of an X495 and about 500 lbs more than a 2305.

Does anyone have some good insights on the older 855's?

Many thanks.
I currently have an X495 that I'm using to cut a few rough acres of land around my barn. I use my 4600 with a bush hog to cut the big fields, but I like having a smaller tractor with a belly mower for the land around the barn with the well, poles, etc. to mow around.

I'm getting beat to death on the X495 which is really a riding mower I even added the deluxe suspension seat, but still getting beat to death.

Have my eye on a nice 855 with a belly mower.

Will the 855 with the longer wheel base, bigger rear tires and greater weight be a significantly better ride on rough land than an X495 riding mower with a deluxe suspension seat?

Thanks for your input.

Mad Dog
Well...I have been pinned UP against my seat belt when I hit some bumps raking a hay field with my 855...:(
I can tell you, for sure, that the seat suspension is NOT an air ride...:D
It's not a very smooth riding tractor. I have places I take it fairly slow so it doesn't beat me around too bad. I run the minimum air pressure in the rears when mowing. Seems to help quite a bit. I think it would be smoother than what you have now though. If you had a good seat on the 855 it would help a lot. They have a suspension seat on them, but they aren't that great.
The back 2 acres of our yard is old pasture that we have been finish mowing for 3 years now. I have used a neighbor's 3500lb (full of water) roller, its huge, and it is still rough, bumpy. I am using our 2320 to cut it and it beats us up terrible. I have lowered the tire pressure in our turfs, but to no avail. I am actually having an x720 brought out this week to see how it compares. The yard isn't an ankle breaker to walk on, we are even thinking of putting a soccer field out there for the kids and their friends. I am thinking with the better seat and lower center of gravity, the ride should be improved on the x720 or x720se.
The ride of my slightly larger, older cousin of the 855 rides a bit rough on rough ground, but it isn't too bad if you keep the ground speed down. Of course, the 950 is a bit heavier too.

As was said, the seat suspension is there, but not an air ride by any means. Mine is adjustable, but I don't know about the 855's, but I couldn't imagine that it wouldn't be.
MadDog.. just what kinda land are you talking bout??? Lots of little bumps in a row? four inch bumps that are 6 inches long or 4 inch bumps that are 2 feet long? some bumps will always be rough on a tractor...
I have 3 acres of old cow pasture that we built our house on and it was never smoothed out properly when the house was finished. My first mower was a Craftsman GT5000 with a 50" deck and I took a beating on that thing, took at least 3 hours to mow all 3 acres. Then I found a nice 855 with a 72" belly mower, its still not a smooth ride by any means but it cut my mowing time in half. Now that I have the 855 I am finally getting around to leveling and grading out the rough stuff!
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