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Using a tractor as a mower

N

Nick167

Member
My dads lawnmower blew up this last summer and
I've thinking about trying to get him and older
farmall or allis chalmers with a belly mower to
replace it with and was wanting some thoughts on
how well this would work I found this farmall c and
wanted some opinions on it thanks

https://mansfield.craigslist.org/grd/5959711107.html
 
Just remember,those old tractors don't have live power and most steer like a lumber wagon.
 
That seems too cheap, and the mower must not come with it, they don't mention it. We have a C with a Woods mower and it works real well but it doesn't look like this one. The one in the picture looks like it has a gear box on the pto, never seen anything like that. A C is a little heavy for mowing a lawn and if it's the least bit soft those ag tires will make marks. We primarily use ours to mow between the rows at our tree farm.
 
The C isd a pretty big sized one for lawn mowing the A or B would be much better with a 6ft Woods That would make a nice set-up you can find them with mowers for less than 3000 ready to go mite need to drive some depending on where you live. I have two near me here in eastern IOWA for sale.
 
Nick, check out Akron/Canton CL, Two up here, 900 and 1,000...good little mowers
a150597.jpg
 
I own a Farmall c with a belly mower. Been using it for years. As with everything else it has its good and bad. The Farmall has plenty of power for a 6' mower. My folks had a allis chalmers c with the same mower and it was a little under powered. The Farmall is easier to get on and off of if someone is a little older. The allis is shorter then the Farmall. I have a muffler that lays down so it dont get caught on lower tree branches. The narrow front will cut into the grass if making a tight turn. I noticed if your trying to mow close to something the axles will rub being they stick out from the wheels. They both do the job and never had any major problems with either one. They did sell off the allis for a cub cadet lawn mower just cause it was easier to ge on for them. Good luck with your choice!
 
These make an easy powerful 5 foot mower tractor but would be harder to get off and on than the Cub. I have one on an Allis C as well. I like the narrow front better for mowing though. They both turn easy but the narrow turns sharper.

3rdCutting2007001-vi.jpg
 
We have a Farmall B with a Woods 59 belly mower that dad bought in 1975 and used for probably 35 or more years till he got too old to do it anymore. It has been the most economical and trouble free mowing rig I have ever seen. He put as many hours on it in a summer as the field tractors, maybe more. I overhauled the engine after the first year and since then the only repairs was a clutch, new voltage regulator and I rebuilt the starter. The old Farmall engine will last many, many more hours than any other mower engine and I'm sure the Allis engine will have the same trouble free longevity as the Farmall engine. We still use the B occasionally just to exercise it. I haven't run an Allis B or C with a mower but as I understand the Allis has only three speeds? Either too slow or too fast? Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. The other posters are right in saying a rig like this needs more open spaces. Our zero turn will mow circles around the B when it comes to close quarters but the B runs circles around the zero turn when it comes to economy and trouble free longevity.
 
(quoted from post at 09:38:25 02/04/17) 1550 oliver 6 ft bushhog and im not married .
Click to expand...

Wow, that's gotta rattle the windows when you mow close to the house. Maybe that explains the single part! :lol:
 
I second the loboy. Used one for years as a finish mower, but it rides high so low tree's can be a challenge. That was the only reason I got rid of it.

Virtually indestructible tractors, albeit very few optional accessories. However their price point makes them very attractive as mowers. 60" finish mower that will never fall short on power for under $1k.

Also used mine to pull felled tree's and heavy trailers. Even with 2wd and those balloon turf tires, I don't think I ever lost traction. I attempted to pull a shrub out with the tires on asphalt, and they dug a hole in the asphalt before I could push in the clutch when the shrub didn't move.
 
I use Farmall C with 6 ft belly mower . Modified mower to make it a finish mower. Typically the C Comes with a 5 ft mower off set to right.
a150606.jpg
 
Been using a 52 8N for the last 25 years to mow about 2 acres of lawn. The King Kutter mower I have now is over 15 years old.
And I can take it off the 3 point hitch and use the tractor for a dozen other jobs like hauling wood and dragging logs today.
Richard in NW SC
 
I was surprised how well it does sharp blades and keep the rpm up. Mine has a narrow front it makes for tighter triming . I used calves hot wire and rotational before and they did a nice job and I'm probably that guy in the neighborhood.
 
I think theres a lot of married men that are
jealous and there a lot of wives who think i
need a women to clean up my act.
 
A comment about rear tractor tires on a lawn mowing rig. We turned the tires around , so the tread is on 'backwards'. They do not dig near as bad when making sharp turns.
Fifteen yrs ago we started with an A-C B with hyds. and a 5 ft. belly mower. It was a very good setup for our 6 acres +. But it was very tough to get on and off.Actually hated it.
I was able to trade it two yrs. latter on a 1950 M-M 'R ' w/ hyd. and a 6 ft. belly mower. It is much easier to get on and off for this old 'geezzer'. I enjoy mowing now.
a150608.jpg
 
I agree with Richard G. I use an 8N with a 6ft King Cutter finish mower. Does an excellent job and I can have the mower off to do a different job in 5minutes. Make sure you use an overriding clutch.
 
I have the younger sister to the 8N, Jubilee with a 6 foot woods finish mower. It does a great job too.

If you have the right soil, a tractor works great. I have 2.25 acres I mow with the Jubilee. When dry, it doesn't leave ruts in yard. When wet, another story. I really don't care, I can roll yard with 5000# 5 ft lawn roller. My other yards are sandy and no rut problem like the stick to your boots clay.

If the clay is wet, the roller will squeeze the water out and it will be in front of the roller.
geo
 

I've mowed for several years now with a Farmall H, equipped with a Woods L306 belly mower. Excellent combination and it does an excellent job.
 
I'd like to have a narrow front on a 1650 someday. I've been thinking about an MC rotary scythe or New Idea cutditioner for the pasture. I had an MC rotary scythe back in the 80's and was almost bulletproof. Made the old Super 88 snort though. On being married I'm on #2 and she hasn't got me broke to lead yet. lol My brother whose your age went through 2 wives and it's just him and his dog. I'll have to call him brother with mutt.
 
Tractor mowers are OK, sort of. I have a Farmall Cub with turf tires and a 42-inch belly mower. It does OK but is underpowered if grass gets too long. I also have an 8N with a 60-inch Woods belly mower, and it does a good job when it's not down for repairs. I have a 5-foot brush cutter on the rear of another 8N that I use in taller grass and weeds, and it works well. Full-size tractors are not as maneuverable as I sometimes need. My favorite mowers are John Deere 212 and 214 garden tractors with 47-inch mowers. They'll handle all lawn-mowing jobs.
 
Looks good, from her the sheet metal looks like it would be worth over half his asking price. I used to mow abut 3/4 of an acre with my Super C along one side of my yard. By the time I spent dodging tree limbs and trimming closer to the trees with a garden tractor and the steep road bank it was just easier and faster using the garden tractor.
 
You still need another mower to mow corners and trim.There OK for large areas,but not much use for yards.Used zero turn mowers are pretty cheap,a lot safer and an older guy can get on and off pretty easy.
 
Ya,a neighbor says their John Deere with a 54 inch deck will mow circles around an Allis C with a deck too.
 
You need to bolt that battery box back in, it supports the gauge box/ light stand. Wouldn't be a bad job on that tractor, fast hitch tractor with hoses and linkage in the way is a different story.
 
When I was a kid on the farm our yard was about five acres. We had an Oliver 66 with Hydra-Lectric and a 6 foot Woods belly mower. Grandpa would use a push mower to trim and the Oliver did the rest. The mower was mounted on the cultivator bars and you could move a pin and raise the mower up to almost the belly of the tractor, if you wanted to use the tractor for something other than mowing. We still used the tractor to rake hay and haul in wagons. You had to be careful not to snag the mower on a fence or something, but it was a dandy mowing tractor. I don't remember it steering hard. It had plenty of power and lots of gears. And an umbrella. I thought I was cock of the roost driving that tractor. I don't see why a rig like that would not work just fine today.
 
I've got a Farmall A I've been known to mow the yard with. It has an L59 mower in it and mows just as nice as an rider. My complaint is that first gear is a little fast. I do pop the muffler off to mow the yard as I have lots of trees. I always intended on putting on an elbow to run the exhaust along the hood, but I rarely mow with it anymore.

I quit using it as much when I got my newest Deines zero turn. There's no better mower than those.
 
Thanks for all the input I tried to contact the selller but haven't heard back yet. Thanks Ray il have to check them out I will post back with what we end up with.
 
Have to admit, the pictures here are great - some really nice looking "this isn't suburbia" lawnmowers. :)

If budget isn't a consideration, go get a zero-turn. When it gets too troublesome to fix in a few years, go get another one. Repeat as necessary. I know a guy doing just that (more money than brains). If you want something that will still be working long after you want to, or can:

First choice: Cub Lowboy.
2nd: Farmall Cub with a belly mower
3rd: Super A with a belly mower

I've used my SA with a Rhino 3pt finish mower, and it does a really nice job. I've also used the SA with the mid-mount A-22 sickle bar to mow the lawn - no problem getting close to trees, fences, or mowing the road ditch. Sure beats the push mower, or Craftsman rider (mower spindle been broken for 2 years, deck rusting out, and no good reason to fix it).

And unless you have no trees, firm soil that a narrow front won't cut up, and a tall garage or shed door to clear the muffler, a Farmall C is probably too tall. Definitely overkill as just a lawnmower. Then again, Tim the Tool Man would probably disagree. (Ollie 1855... no, JD 4850... go big or go home: CaseIH 9370, 360hp with duals all the way around, yeah, for the lawn... de-thatch, fertilize, cut, bag, compost, roll, and all in a single 50' swath).

Now watch someone post a picture.
 
My dad cut for years with a lowboy cub with a woods 59 inch belly mower. It was underpowered and no live pto was a killer. It had hyd lift so you could keep popping it up a little when it bogged down. but starting and stopping was a killer.
 
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