Cutting Corners

Excited about the growing season, you’ve already sent your offspring out rolling the old self-propelled, walk-behind mower to cut the green stuff. For years, you’ve endured his seasonal complaints of sore muscles and dehydration from pushing that rusty mower over 10 acres. You remind him that in your day, you cut 20 acres, walking mostly uphill.

But the times have changed, he retorts, and maybe it’s time to invest in a mower attachment for your compact tractor to minimize mowing time and give your grunt workers a much needed break.

Like most tractor attachments, he explains, a mower implement can hook up to the machine’s power take off (PTO) system. You even have two options: hook your mower up to a mid-mounted or rear-mounted PTO. Mid-mounted tractor mowers are often used for finish cutting, slicing finely manicured lawns with care and precision. Rear-mounted mowers can be both finishing mowers and rough cut or brush mowers. Rough cut (a.k.a. rotary) mowers are typically utility cutters, with the ability to cut through tall grass and brush up to 3 in. in diameter and 2 ft tall.

The mid-mount mowers will need to be fitted to a mid-mount PTO, which is optional on most compact tractors and spins at a faster 2,000 rpm (compared to the rear PTO’s average 540 rpm). However, if an easy-on/easy-off attachment is more your speed, a rear-mounted finish mower is a better fit, as a mid-mounted mower will take a professional to install and often stays on as a permanent implement.

“To match a mower to the tractor, look at the rpm, most [mowers] are rated at 540. Look at the tractor’s horsepower drive to make sure it can run the finish mower and check on the load and bearing rating,” says David Hulka, operations manager for Farm Pro Tractors. “Manufacturers take all that info and detail the horsepower range of tractors that can run that attachment.”

Also be sure to take the weight rating of your rear three-point hitch into consideration before slapping a mower attachment on your tractor. Although you don’t want to buy a mower that is too heavy, much of the mower’s weight can be compensated by adding weight onto the front of the tractor, using something like a loader. And most compact tractor mowers will fall into the Category 1 three-point hitches, which are usually covered by most compact tractors.

Mulling Over Mowers

Grass is the ultimate competitor; it never gives up and it never surrenders. Just as soon as you give your acreage a good mow, it needs another shave. So, making sure that you are going to get what you want out of your mower depends on the options you spring for.

The first major choice is obviously a finish or rough cut mower. Once that decision is made, there are a handful of important options to consider. For finish mowers that give your lawn a golf course-like sheen and range from 60- to 70-in. wide, the major consideration is how the mower discharges its spoils. Most finish cut mowers offer a standard rear discharge, while a side discharge is an available option. A rear discharge will allow you to get closer to objects.

Given that a finish cut mower is typically used on lawn grass, you might want to consider turf tires for your compact tractor to prevent ripping into your well-combed Kentucky bluegrass. A significant investment, turf tires mounted on rims range from $700 to $1,700 from manufacturers such as Titan, Goodyear, Michelin and Firestone.

For a rear-mounted rough cut mower that you plan on dragging through the crud, safety for both the machine and driver is paramount. A stump jumper, shear bolt and slip clutch all serve to protect the driveline and gearbox on the tractor from damage. Additionally, chain shielding is a must for cutting grass and brush that can unpredictably rocket air born.

“Look for quality, low profile wheels, chains on the rear discharge, 40-hp gear rating, durable paint finish, a breaking pin and a stump jumper on rough cut mowers,” says Hulka. “Also check for the dealer’s replacement parts availability.”

For a rear-mounted mower, you want to be sure that you add a free-floating hitch to the mix; this will allow the mower to follow the ground’s contours and provide a more uniform cut. Reversible blades, 3/8 and 1/2 in., are also available.

The durability of the attachment is also important. The two major mower deck materials are stamped and welded steel. The benefit of stamped steel is that the deck’s underside is a single solid surface, so the grass that is blowing through the mower won’t get stuck under the deck. This creates a better air flow, provides a better cut and saves you the trouble of scraping out the gummed up grass at the end of a long mowing day.

Depending on your given set of options, you can expect a finish cut mower to run between $1,500 and $1,800; a rough cut mower will likely sport a price tag of $1,200 to $1,600.

Less Work, Mow Play

Before you set out, you’ll want to make sure that you follow the proper mowing procedures. As always, reading the owner’s manual before putting the attachment to work is a must.

“Be sure to disengage the PTO before approaching the mower and always keep the mower down on the ground at all times. And check the alignment on the tail wheel guides or tail wheel,” says Hulka. “Those are the major operational guidelines aside from making sure you have the proper oil levels in the mower’s gear box, keeping the mower clean by scraping out old grass and sharpening the blades. Some dealers can sharpen blades. If they don’t, people can look up a blade sharpener, but most people who live on a farm do it themselves.”

Although you might be an avid do-it-yourselfer, anything beyond changing the blades, cleaning out the deck and lubing the moving parts of the mower is best left up to a professional repair service. So, buying from a dealer with an impeccable reputation — offering reliable machine service and available replacement parts — is of the utmost importance. Rockhound Attachments, U.S. Mower and Loftness U.S. Attachments are OEM bigwigs that stand along John Deere, Kubota, Farm Pro Tractors, New Holland and KIOTI as top mower manufacturers.

After a bit of research and attachment investigation, you can be sure that you have the right mower for the job. Instead of pushing a mower in the dog days of summer, you’ll have time to finally get to all those side estate projects like putting in a water feature or new driveway, and that might call for heading back to the dealer to find another attachment to keep your mower company.

Jason Morgan is assistant editor of Compact Equipment.