Outmaneuver the competition with out-front mowers
1 Apr, 2008 By: Ken Krizner Landscape ManagementHigh-production mowing means cutting grass as quickly and as efficiently as possible. It's also a plus if the mower can be used for multiple tasks in other climates and conditions. Out-front mowers can do this. They're multi-dimensional units that have year-round uses.
Landscape contractors who have large properties to maintain, or a contract with municipalities and other governmental entities where there are several pieces of property to maintain, can benefit from using an out-front mower.
 Operators get a better view of what they're cutting with out-front decks. |
"The bigger the property, the more adaptable the out-front mower can be," says Gilbert Peña, commercial segment strategy manger for John Deere in Cary, NC. "If a contractor is geared toward more full-service capabilities, rather than just mowing, the better the likelihood that an investment in an out-front mower will give a better return because of its usability, flexibility and adaptability."
Out-front mower decks range in size but most landscape pros favor units with 60- or 72-in. decks. The out-front deck provides reach and sideways deck maneuvering, accessing more places without significantly reducing speed.
"You can swing the deck right under a shrub or fence and kind of 'sashay' sideways until the area is completely trimmed out," says R.A. Stucky, marketing director for The Grasshopper Co. of Moundridge, KS. "You can even take a 52- or 61-in. deck through a 48- or 50-in. gate if there are no obstacles on either side. Just approach at an oblique angle, and when the front corner of the deck clears the gate, just swing the other corner in and drive through."
 The tractor can drive many attachments. |
Closed-coupled implements
Because the front-mount deck is removable and interchangeable, contractors can use multiple cutting deck sizes with the same power unit.
The out-front mower operates implements much better than a mid-deck mower because they're close-coupled to the power unit and situated close to the drive wheels, preserving zero-turn maneuverability, Stucky says.
The configuration of the mower deck and tail wheels provides better balance and traction, even in reverse. It also lightens the footprint of the unit with better weight distribution, and it allows the use of a vacuum collection system without the addition of counterweights.
"A benefit is being able to see what you're mowing as you are coming up to it," Stucky says. "With the cutting action in front of you, there is unrestricted vision to monitor trimming and mowing."
This is especially beneficial when trimming or going around fence posts, flower beds and other obstacles, says Jerry Reineking, engineering leader, Commercial Ride-on Products, for Ariens Co. in Brillion, WI.
"When riding a mid-mount mower, you're always glancing down and losing track of where you're cutting," he says.
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