Avant/Multi-One Mower Decks

[butters]

Just get a compact tractor with a loader. 30-50 hp compact should have relatively good lifting power on the loader and the deck will be more than enough for what they would want.

[doobin]

13 minutes ago, butters said:

Just get a compact tractor with a loader. 30-50 hp compact should have relatively good lifting power on the loader and the deck will be more than enough for what they would want.

I was thinking similar but also- how much do they need to lift? A 50hp compact tractor is a big lump- too much for a large garden and mid mount decks are not that common.  
 

perhaps a 26hp hydrostatic compact or subcompact with a loader and rear pallet forks for heavy lifts might fill both roles? Certainly if they want to collect the grass then nothing really beats a mid mount and rear fan collector. 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

9 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

Has anyone got any first-hand experience of mulching mower decks on these little artic-steer loaders? Are they any good when compared to something like a Stiga park pro? Can they get enough power into the deck to do a decent job is essentially what I’m asking I suppose!!!
 

Yes

Yes and

Yes

 

specifically in answer to your questions above. 
 

I’ve had the 3 blade mulching mower for multione for about 4-5 years if memory serves. It’s an exceptional combo of speed across the ground, manoeuvrability, flexibility and quality of cut. It is an excellent addition to a suite of attachments for a MO but I’m not sure the numbers would stack up to support the acquisition of a MO and a mowing head if your main task was mowing - in that case, get a mower, it’s what they are designed for. 
 

If however, you need / want a mini-loader for general use then adding the mower head to the armoury for occasional use is a really cost effective way of covering the acreage. 
 

I did wor nippers school for a pair years - previous outfit (CORMAC) used to turn up with 2 vehicles, ride on, strimmer team, blower team bout 8 blokes in all, spend all morning dicking around.  I did it on my own in 2 hours with the MO / grass head and hedge finger bar and charged exactly the same as they were previously paying for a grossly inefficient performance that took much longer and delivered far inferior service. 

[monkeybusiness]

My thoughts and the feedback I’ve had from users is that an out-front mower with pivot steer is a much better option for obstacle-mowing than anything mid-mounted. 
The tool-carrier aspect of a loader would definitely be put to use by this potential owner - there are plenty of reasons for them to own one and cost isn’t a particular barrier(!)

How the quality and speed of cut compares to a stand-alone commercial out-front mulching mower is the crux of the question. 

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

20 minutes ago, monkeybusiness said:

My thoughts and the feedback I’ve had from users is that an out-front mower with pivot steer is a much better option for obstacle-mowing than anything mid-mounted. 
The tool-carrier aspect of a loader would definitely be put to use by this potential owner - there are plenty of reasons for them to own one and cost isn’t a particular barrier(!)

How the quality and speed of cut compares to a stand-alone commercial out-front mulching mower is the crux of the question. 

 

You ought to get in touch with Steve Hadfield and see if there is a demo unit nearby. 
 

I’d bet my old tall hat you’d be suitably impressed!

[scbk]

I think if you had a lot of your own grass to cut, the first thing to look at would be robotic, much cheaper to run?

[monkeybusiness]

3 minutes ago, scbk said:

I think if you had a lot of your own grass to cut, the first thing to look at would be robotic, much cheaper to run?

I’ve yet to see a robotically mowed lawn that doesn’t look crap - happy to be proven wrong though!

[Dbikeguy]

The latest husqvarna out front mowers get good reviews, they even offer an out front collected but it’s 7k… the mulchers are about half that.

[PeteB]

1 hour ago, monkeybusiness said:

I’ve yet to see a robotically mowed lawn that doesn’t look crap - happy to be proven wrong though!

Did ask about stripes with robo mowers and it transpires that the newer versions can be programmed for stripes in some areas. Sweet! Thank you GPS! Mind, signal has to be goodnfor the GPS....

[skyhuck]

8 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

I’ve yet to see a robotically mowed lawn that doesn’t look crap - happy to be proven wrong though!

Have you actually looked at many?