# King Kutter 84" Mower Deck (stainless steel)



## Melensdad

Anyone have any experience with the King Kutter brand?  

I'm looking for a new mower deck for my tractor, something fairly large.  Mostly for mowing the open lawn areas.  Some of the lawn areas are a bit rough, its not like a suburban lawn, more like a reclaimed field.  I am looking for durability.  Not overly concerned about 'cut quality' for the areas where this will be used.

I found this available at Tractor Supply . . . its the first stainless steel implement I've seen for compact tractors.
LINK => http://www.kingkutter.com/store-product.aspx?id=3556

> 84" REAR DIS FM SS DK FLX HTCH
> 
> KING KUTTER'S FREE FLOATING FLEX HITCH REAR DISCHARGE FINISHING MOWERS lead the way in performance and quality. It is constructed of heavy 3/16" deck material, heavy-duty wheels, and heat-treated 1/4"-thick blades. The versatile machine mows on level or unleveled ground. Standard equipment on all King Kutter free floating finishing mowers includes a 40hp gearbox, shielded PTO shaft, gauge wheels and a self-tightening belt that reduces slippage. King Kutter's specially designed free floating flex hitch system allows the mower to follow the contour of the ground, thus mowing evenly on uneven ground. This Rear Discharge Mower has a totally open rear deck with belt guards, that allows the grass to be safely and smoothly discharged giving your lawn that rich, manicured look that will make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood. Also available in the 7' Stainless Steel model.


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## bczoom

Melensdad said:


> Anyone have any experience with the King Kutter brand?


My experience says to stay with their "Professional" line of products.  I have one of their "standard" 3ph rototillers and I'm regularly taking a torch or welder to it to get it back in shape.  A friend down the road has one of their better tillers and has had no issues.


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## rlk

It looks identical to my 72" except 1) mine is not SS; 2) mine discharges clippings to either side, not the rear.

The only problem I have with mine is it cuts too close.  I have it raised up as far as the bushings will allow and it still cuts the grass too short for the hot summer months.  

After a few years of use, I had to replace a spindle, belt, and idler pulley but KK sent replacements right away (at my expense).  They are easy to work with.

Bob


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## thcri RIP

I just wish someone would build a err pull type not 3 point hitch.  I have a lot of trees and the 3 point would not work well.  I have a 72" belly right now that as I age has gotten to be a pain in he ass to put on and take off.


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## bczoom

thcri said:


> I just wish someone would build a err pull type not 3 point hitch.


If I'm thinking of what you're looking for, they do.  They're made for ATV's.


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## thcri RIP

bczoom said:


> If I'm thinking of what you're looking for, they do.  They're made for ATV's.



Yeah I have seen them and found a real nice heavy duty one but not sure I want to mess with the extra motor.  I am thinking of buying the 3 point hitch one and converting it.


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## Doc

thcri said:


> I just wish someone would build a err pull type not 3 point hitch.  I have a lot of trees and the 3 point would not work well.  I have a 72" belly right now that as I age has gotten to be a pain in he ass to put on and take off.


Murph the ones that are not 3PH need engines to power them.  And still they would not do near as well as a ZTR would.  If you have to buy something with an engine go ZTR if you can.  You won't be sorry.  You'll zip around those trees.


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## thcri RIP

Doc said:


> Murph the ones that are not 3PH need engines to power them.  And still they would not do near as well as a ZTR would.  If you have to buy something with an engine go ZTR if you can.  You won't be sorry.  You'll zip around those trees.



I know the ZTR's are nice but my pocket book wouldn't handle it.


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## bczoom

thcri said:


> I know the ZTR's are nice but my pocket book wouldn't handle it.


Then use Doc's pocket book.

Sorry for the hijack Bob.


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## Doc

Bob,
The KK stainless steel 3ph mower looks good; but (judging just by looks in the pic) it does not look as heavy duty as the Bush Hog brand 3ph mower deck I bought years ago.  Mine is a 72" and works great.   However since I bought the ZTR I do not use it any longer.  I never envisioned that at all.  I have plenty of open mowing areas where the 3ph mower would get the job done, but the ZTR gets it done quicker and easier; plus it is more versatile for all the other mowing I do (around the house, flower beds, trees etc).   Like the area you are talking about mowing, mine is more like a reclaimed field.  It used to be used for farming / growing tomatoes.   Even though the ground is rough with lots of bumps, I still get the job done quicker with the ZTR even though I am not going full speed.  Some ZTR models even come with shock absorbers which would probably be a good feature.   A ZTR would be more expensive than a 3ph mower but in the long run I think it would be the better tool for the job at hand, and then some.   
ps: if you find a two for one deal Murph might be interested.


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## Cowboy

That looks a little to perty to me to be using in a pasture, i cant help but think the deck would be much easier to clean the underside though, allthough they make no mention of that in their ad. 

  Also the belt guard looks to be plastic to me, which i am not a big fan of.  I have had new KK, Caroni and landpride finish mowers, and the Landpride is by far the best and more maintenance free IMHO, and the only one I use on a weekly basis now. 

  I was able to get almost all of my money back on the Caroni, but the KK just wouldn't bring much more then half of the original price and they were both in near new condition when I sold them.


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## rlk

Cowboy said:


> Also the belt guard looks to be plastic to me, which i am not a big fan of.  I have had new KK, Caroni and landpride finish mowers, and the Landpride is by far the best and more maintenance free IMHO, and the only one I use on a weekly basis now.



The belt guard is plastic, but mine has held up well.  It doesn't do anything other than keeping debris and body parts from getting caught in the belts.

Bob


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## Melensdad

rlk said:


> The belt guard is plastic...


Bob, it appears to be thick thermoplastic, possibly ABS, which is what they make Kayaks and Canoes out of so I don't see a real problem with 'plastic' of that type.  If the plastic is that type of plastic then I'm totally fine with it.


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## Melensdad

Doc said:


> Bob,
> . . . However since I bought the ZTR I do not use it any longer. . .  the ZTR gets it done quicker and easier. . .  Even though the ground is rough with lots of bumps, I still get the job done quicker with the ZTR even though I am not going full speed.  Some ZTR models even come with shock absorbers which would probably be a good feature.   A ZTR would . . .


Given the sloped areas on my a couple places on my property I'd never try a ZTR but if I was inclined to go that route I'd simply buy another Ventrac.  I had a Befco rear finish mower and it was great.  I rarely used it, but when it needed to be put into action it helped a lot.  That is why I'm looking at another 3pt deck, simply to use periodically.  I find that when the grass gets too long in some areas the Ventrac slows down but the big tractor seems to manage better.  I figure that any 3pt deck I buy will probably be used a half dozen times a year?  The Ventrac does most of the mowing and does it quickly and does a great job . . . until the grass gets too tall.


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## Doc

I have slopes.  I run the standard tires on the ZTR and they do okay.  They also have mini Ag1 like tires you can put on the rear for traction.   Some of the landscaping companies around here run those tires.   For high grass I can set my deck at 6", which has always done okay for me.
Note: I do stay off the slopes if they are damp as I have slid some, but not much.


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## Dargo

After building lots of things with steel and fabricating tons of things out of stainless for pool areas and boats, a SS mower deck seems to be a gimick IMHO.  Any decent deck is going to be thick enough to never rust through in your lifetime unless you park it in salt water.  Stainless is more expensive to repair and is definitely NOT more resistant to bending or denting as compared to most steel.  Unless they have quite a few baffles to direct the air under that deck, it will be clogged with grass in short order.

Based on what you said your needs would be, a Woods RM990 would be your best bet.  It is still the only 'hybrid' that is between a finish mower an a brush hog.  IMHO, I consider KK in about the same as Tractor King tractors and the like.  I don't think it would be something you'd be happy with it unless you are one of the guys like the 90% or so on another site who thinks Horrible Freight sells top quality items.


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## squerly

FWIW, I have the Woods72 and it's been great.  About 5 years old now and no repairs or maintenance beyond grease.  I mow (bushhog) 12 - 15 acres with it twice a month.


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## Melensdad

Well I spoke with the folks at the local Tractor Supply, they don't have ANY finish mower decks in stock.  Roughly a 3 week wait to get one via special order.

The local Kubota dealer has some Land Pride decks on their lot.  Land Pride has some 72" mower decks, I'm going to go take a look at them and see what I can find out.


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## Cowboy

Melensdad said:


> Well I spoke with the folks at the local Tractor Supply, they don't have ANY finish mower decks in stock. Roughly a 3 week wait to get one via special order.
> 
> The local Kubota dealer has some Land Pride decks on their lot. Land Pride has some 72" mower decks, I'm going to go take a look at them and see what I can find out.


 Thats what I have MD, model 2572 side discharge its about the best one for the money in my opinion. I have mowed about 10 acres at least 3 times a month depending on how much moisture we have had, for the last 3 years and I haven't had one single problem with it. 


 Just FYI, I am perty sure most all new LP 3 point mowers DO NOT come with grease in the gearbox when they are new.


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## Melensdad

Just got back from the local Kubota dealer.  They are delivering the new deck tomorrow afternoon.  Had 1 of last years model and 2 of this years model.  Looked to be identical.  But last years model was $300 less so I bought that one.


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## Doc

Is there such a thing as a Kubota RFM?   Did you go with the 84" deck?


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## Melensdad

Doc said:


> Is there such a thing as a Kubota RFM?   Did you go with the 84" deck?



I bought a Land Pride from the Kubota dealership. . . .bought a 72" deck because they had it in stock and nobody around here has an 84" deck.


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## Doc

Congrats. I bet you'll like it.  It will eat through the grass with ease.  My RFM is a 72" and that seems plenty big to get the job done in not to much time.


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## Melensdad

Got the deck today at lunchtime.  Just got in from mowing a little while ago.  Did the lower part of the property and it did not only a fine job on the previously mowed areas, but also did a good job knocking down some of the knee high grass/weeds _(nothing woody)_ without even slowing down the tractor.  Could have easily gone up to an 84" deck if I could have found one.  There were a couple places where the grass is very thick and was a little too tall that slowed down the engine but never came close to bogging it down.  Having 2 mowing machines again will really speed up the chores around the house.  There are lots of places the larger tractor won't go/mow under/get into but doing the wide open areas with the bigger deck and not bogging down will certainly help.

We are re-claiming about 2 more acres from the farmer that had previously been planted.  That is now going to become lawn area and having a second mowing tractor will make it easier to keep up with the added mowing chores.


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## Cowboy

> Could have easily gone up to an 84" deck if I could have found one.


 
 I wouldnt be so sure of that MD, after 72 inches of width it takes a lot more HP for every foot of cut from my experience, but glad you got what works for you.


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## Jack Ryan

Melensdad said:


> Anyone have any experience with the King Kutter brand?
> 
> I'm looking for a new mower deck for my tractor, something fairly large.   Mostly for mowing the open lawn areas.  Some of the lawn areas are a  bit rough, its not like a suburban lawn, more like a reclaimed field.  I  am looking for durability.  Not overly concerned about 'cut quality'  for the areas where this will be used.
> 
> I found this available at Tractor Supply . . . its the first stainless steel implement I've seen for compact tractors.LINK => http://www.kingkutter.com/store-product.aspx?id=3556​



If I get another one, that's the one I'll get. Searching for a deal on it is how I found these forums.

I've  owned the 72" one someone else posted about and have about worn it out  in 10 years. Replaced every wheel on it at least once now and one  spindle. The steel tubing that sets the wheels out from the deck is  bending and breaking from metal fatigue now and I've straightened and  welded cracks in a couple of those this year.

Bigger is better. 

I wouldn't buy another side discharge at any price. 

Hard wheels, not pneumatic.

Grease in every fitting at least every other week.

That's most of what I've learned about this in owning one for 10 years.

I  mow 5 acres every week for about 5 months out of the year. I used my  finish mower quite a bit where I should have been using a bush hog.


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## Jack Ryan

Doc said:


> I have slopes.  I run the standard tires on the ZTR and they do okay.  They also have mini Ag1 like tires you can put on the rear for traction.   Some of the landscaping companies around here run those tires.   For high grass I can set my deck at 6", which has always done okay for me.
> Note: I do stay off the slopes if they are damp as I have slid some, but not much.



Fill those tires half full of water and you'll never slip another tire. You can cut the pressure a little bit as well with it half water, to get the softer ride.


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