i went for the biggest deck available at the time which was a 50". i should have paid the few dollars more for the smaller 48" deck. the larger deck is thinner gauge steel and you cannot install mulching blades to it.

live and learn.

rick315-8, Dude, you need to spend more time on your mower and less time on the computer second guessing your purchase.

rdaystrom:

With all the rain we are getting up here I don't have a choice but to stay inside! It's driving nuts to see all the work I have yet to do before the snow fly's and I can't get to it.

BTW, I'm very happy with the tractor itself.......just wish I would have gotten a bigger deck....oh well...

California CARB restrictions which prevent you from adjusting the carb---and costs $100 more than one in AZ, Nev, or Ore.

I've has nothing but rain this year so I know what you mean. We are 20" of rain over the average for this area. Anyway, a 48" deck will not cut quite as smooth as a 42" deck. The larger deck will only give you a very slight speed advantage because it is only 6 inches wider. That means that every 7 rows you cut with your 42" you would be only one row ahead with a 48". So in a typical yard you might actually gain a minute or two. Also many 48" decks have three blades instead of 2 like most 42" decks have. That's an extra blade to buy and an extra set of deck bearings to worry about. If I were you I'd be glad I had a 42" deck. They are more maneuverable as well.

I wish I would have bought mine a year earlier, I push mowed my half acre for a year before I decided I needed to upgrade. I have a small deck (38") but am told it is not the size of your deck that counts.

Rick,

I don't know if you knew this at the time, but one of the advantages of going with a modern version of a classic like the Wheel Horse or Ingersol is the availability of spare parts new and used.

If you watch Ebay and Craig's list you will eventually find a 48 inch deck that will fit your machine. You can then sell the 42 inch deck and you should come out fairly close to breaking even!

metal said: "I have a small deck (38") but am told it is not the size of your deck that counts."

In all seriousness I have to agree with this statement to some extent anyway. It seems intuitive that a smaller deck should give a better more even cut, but my present 48"C JD deck (3-blade) cuts at least as even as my old MTD 2-blade 38" deck. Really, they both cut my lawn nice and even. I do have a pretty flat lawn tho and that may contribute to the evenness.

As further evidence, I was reading many of the posts in one of the Wheel Horse owners forums (way back when I was considering buying a Wheel Horse Classic) and it was the general consensus of the owners that the WH 60" deck had a better cut than the 48". I'm only relaying what I read and have no actual experience with either one. Apparently deck design has a lot to do with quality of cut.

>>Apparently deck design has a lot to do with quality of cut.I recall a poster here that had a deck on a cheap newer machine (I can't recall the details) and had poor quality of cut. I remember folks here gave him quite a few tricks and none worked. I think the conclusion was that no matter how carefully you adjust it, the design of the deck in it entirety has a significant effect on the QOC.

if you mean my CURRENT machien, then i am very happy with it. i might would bump up to the X540 just for the hydraulic lift so i could use the bigger tiller, but heck i even bought the 30" tiller for my X500 yet!

but if you mean my 1st tractor, i would NOT buy it again. i got a L130 in 2004 thinking it was identical to the higher end Deere LTs, but at least a grand cheaper. after countless spindles(deck and steering), 2 front axles(yes the "heavy duty CAST IRON), 5-6 deck belts, and all sorts of other minor odds and ends, there is no way i would buy a box store machine again for MY needs.

i do have to say tha tpart of teh problems i had with the L130 were due to trailering it a few hundred miles multiple times a month and using it like a GT, even had an electric sleeve hitch installed for a while. plus i cut my 4 acres and a couple more acres on a weekly basis, as well as another 6 acres or more at least 1x a month with it.

As pointed out, the width versus time is not a linear relationship.

In fact, the reason zero turning radius mowers are so efficient is because they save on turning time, not because of deck size.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Effects of Width and Speed on Mower Productivity

The OP is correct regarding tractor enthusiasts. Forums like this are a great tool in learning how things work in the real world. There are good dealers in the world that won't just encourage you to by a certain tractor or deck because it is the one he has in stock. It would be naive to think you can always count on the local dealer being that guy.
Larger decks are the ones that knock a lot of grass down at once, but many times have their limitations. Sometimes it is best to step up and get a commercial unit if that is main objective and budget allows. I have 2 customers w/ Cub Cadet 50" decks that bag. 1 loves the way it bags , the other can't stand theirs. So I guess people's opinions are really just that.
I used to sell Toro tractors in another life. The 48 did fine. Liked the 52" recycler better than just about anything for a large, good cutting tractor deck- either recycling or discharging. Unusual for a 3 blade to do everything well. The 44" 3 blade was an example of a deck that had lots more QOC issues. In my opinion, the blades and cutting chamber were too small to recycle effectively. You couldn't easily go from one mode to the other easily either.

Wheelhorse of course: " The effects of width and speed........."

That's a really good article......very informative. Thanks!

davidandkasie:

Sounds to me like you put that poor little box store JD through quite an acid test! ha ha!

That was a good article about deck width vs mowing speed. For years the American mower market has been possessed with wide cut and horsepower. Many wide deck mowers do not have the horsepower to drive the wider deck at the same speeds as a smaller deck. Another point is that even though a mower is rated to mow at 10 or 12 mph doesn't mean you can really do that. On many yards there are places that would through you on your head if you mowed faster than 3 mph.
One thing to remember about wider and wider decks. All decks cut on a flat plane. Yards are not flat. Extremely wide decks will either gouge, scalp off the top, or cut too high on even slightly uneven terrain. There's no getting around it. This is the very reason golf courses use multiple deck reel mowers. They cut in width only, do not scalp, and they follow the terrain precisely for an almost perfect cut. I have limited my deck width to 60 inches on my largest rotary mower. Even with deck wheels all adjusted properly the cut suffers somewhat from width alone as compared to much smaller decks.