I am wondering if anyone out there has any pros/cons or suggestions to mowing with a quad. I have 5 acres of soon-to-be grass to mow, and already have a 450es to plow the driveway with. I really don't want to purchase a riding lawnmower if I don't have to, and I've seen a couple pull-behind, self-powered lawnmowerers, which I assume are meant to be pulled behind ATVs. Any recommendations on mower decks? Any overheating probs from putting along at 3mph for half a day? I worry about the 450es, because it's air-cooled, so I'm thinking about trading in for a Rubicon, or something else large and liquid-cooled.

 

You are right on about the cooling. An air-cooled machine will have trouble in 85-90 degree heat going that long at such low speeds. If you are serious about buying a pull behind mower, I would have a liquid cooled machine. Also, the mowers are very expensive. You can get a decent riding lawn tractor for the same cost as the pull behind self powered mowers. I've seen them as much as $2500.

 

I too have been contemplating getting a pull-behind mower for my Cat. I have about 7 acres to mow.

I know a couple of guys that have 450's and use them to spray crops. They haven't had any overheating problems. I'm sure some of the Honda guys could tell you some better first-hand experience.

I have priced a couple mowers made by Swisher. One was a 42" deck for about $800 and the other was a 60" deck for about $1200. They are made for mowing grass, not brush. The trail mowers I have seen are considerably higher. The Swisher mowers are sold in the Northern Tool catalog. Hope this helps.

 

Make sure you have turf tires and "not" a locked axle because that will wreck your grass.

 

Greetings,

I bought a flail mower to tow behind my 450ES to mow a few fields. While overheating hasn't been a problem, I have learned a few lessons.

First, a tractor has a trottle that holds a steady pace -- the ATV does not. Its OK, but you do have to watch your speed and adjust the thottle a lot, especially if you have hills. For an hour of towing, there should be better alternatives to the thumb throttle.

Second, don't expect to take the mower out of the box and snap it on like a Tonka toy. Check the hitch and make sure it will fit, and that the draw bar doesn't interfere with anything in the back of the quad. Watch for fittings that will shake loose -- these things really vibrate and I have had trouble with nuts dropping off, turnbuckles rotating, and parts shifting.

Third, check the tires -- they all look small to me. Everything I have seen looks ready for the golf course, not a real field. This not only makes for a slower, bumpier trip across the field, it can also make the cutting height too low. I replaced the original 12" tires on mine with 18" go cart tires/wheels (and then had a local guy make axels and weld them on). Then I reduced the air pressure so they wouldn't bounce as much. I'm lucky because I have some good old boys around who like to get into a project like this, but I wouldn't expect Home Depot to go very far with this.

Finally, we used to have a guy on the forum who mowed grass for a living and he thought all the popular models were built too light to last. That's one of the reasons I sought out a flail mower (it was built for professional use) along with its much smaller footprint and turning radius.

But sometines, I think a good riding mower would have been a better choice. You get what you pay for and you also want to use the right tool for the job. If money was no object and the fields were smooth, I'd look at a small tractor with an underbelly mower -- just simpler.

 

Greetings,

I had a few more thoughts on this.

First, if you do get a tow behind mower, get a couple of bike mirrors and mount them on your front racks. This will give you the angle you need to watch the mower and the track you are cutting. Without them, you will make yourself dizzy watching where you are going and where you have been at the same time.

Second, the speed thing again. These mowers make noise -- mine is louder than the ATV. So you lose some of the feedback cues you are used to when riding -- i.e. you can't use the rev sound of the ATV to judge speed as well. If you use hearing protection, it only adds to the problem. Plus hearing protection reduces your awareness of how things are going back there (like did something just break, or my favorite, did it just flip over). Its a trade-off.

Third, make sure you have a kill switch on the mower and run a cord to your belt. Its not that hard to make an ATV rear up when turning up a hill while dragging a 300 pound mower, and falling into a mower could ruin your whole day.

Finally, I don't want to be too discouraging here -- once set up properly, I have been able to zip through mowing chores that were literally impossible before. But just be aware that its more complicated than the catalogs would have you believe. And speaking of catalogs, you might want to branch out your search beyond Northern and Cycle Country (although there is nothing wrong with either). But I looked at a mower made by Rhino and it seemed a bit more serious than some of the others.

Let us know what you do and how it goes.

 

I would suggest a front-mounted mower. Cycle country makes a 40" cut, self-powered (B&S 8.5HP)unit that works very well. I believe you'll find visibility and maneuverability to be superior over tow-behind models. Also, you are cutting grass that hasn't been smashed down by your wide ATV tires. Hey- I know where you can get one of these units in great shape for about half the price of new. email dblkbn@netscape.net

 

DR_ROD: I definitely appreciate all the insight and tips. I won't be doing anything this fall (planting the seed at the end of the summer), but I'll keep all this in mind when I'm ready to buy.

Doug: Probably not interested... I am looking for a 60" cut; 40" would be too time consuming.

 

How do the mower decks run??? do they have their own motor?? or is it electric and you just hook it up to your battery??
Because quads don't have PTO's...that would be neat if they did.

 

Hey instead of one of the decks with its own motor. How about thinking about a Gang mower, they're the real mower that golf coarses use, I've been looking for one for myself, for the very same reason. Good luck

Bruce L. Hall
99 Sport 400