Add-on flex deck mowers

[Who's on first]

What's the good, bad, and ugly with the flex decks you mount as an attachment to your existing decks? Is quality of cut still okay, power demands, maintenance requirements, longevity, overall performance, brands available?

We cut all large properties and the concept sounds good.

 

[gravedigger5]

Good: heavy duty commercial quality unit

Bad: Does require you to cut and modify your existing mower deck

Ugly: My unit is painted black and my mower is red. Wife says it is not color coordinated

Quality of cut: can't really tell a difference between the flex deck cut and the cut of my Toro 36"

Maint. Requirements: Sharpen blades and grease same as main deck on mower. (Flex deck easier to change blades/ flip deck up)

Longevity: Only had mine a year. Comes with warranty/spare parts

Overall Performance: Cut my trim time by about 25%. My setup mows 54" but fits thru gates around 37". And saved the day when my 62" z broke a belt, cause I was able to finish up mowing.

Brands available: I have Flex-Deck brand, probably the only add on brand (also carried by Dixie Chopper) and I think Howard Price Turf Equipment makes one that is permanently attached to their deck and only available in a 80" Z version

 

[PaulJ]

check www. flex-deck.com and call Brad.

 

[padude2004]

after speaking with a scag mower mechanic and flex-deck mechanic i have some questions about the longevity of the mower deck and the unit itself. the idea was brought to my attention which was," would cutting a hole on the left side of the mower enable the mower deck to worp on a fixed deck compared to a floating deck." i ask this question because i cant decide to put it on the 36" fixed deck scag or the 52" floating deck scag.

 

[padude2004]

secondly, does cutting a hole in the deck of my brand new mower void the 3 year warranty on the deck????

 

[gravedigger5]

padude2004 after speaking with a scag mower mechanic and flex-deck mechanic i have some questions about the longevity of the mower deck and the unit itself. the idea was brought to my attention which was," would cutting a hole on the left side of the mower enable the mower deck to worp on a fixed deck compared to a floating deck." i ask this question because i cant decide to put it on the 36" fixed deck scag or the 52" floating deck scag.

The bracket I welded on the mower deck after I cut the hole in it was as heavy as the deck material itself. I belive after welding it on, the deck is as strong or stronger than before.

secondly, does cutting a hole in the deck of my brand new mower void the 3 year warranty on the deck????

My dealer did not seem to have a problem with it, cause he will want any warrenty work he can get and wants to keep my business. (Dropped about $14,000 last 1 1/2 years there) Ask your dealer what he'll do for you.
Marc

 

[padude2004]

thanks gravedigger. how is the quality of cut and what do you use your flex deck on. as i mentioned before i have scag walk behinds.

 

[gravedigger5]

Quality of cut of the flex deck is as good as the main deck of my Toro it is mounted to. There is a little bit of a learning curve to the flex deck, the more you use it the more you learn to maximize it trimming potential. the first swath you mow around a yard, forget you have a large mower and just concentrate on the flex deck as if it were a 21" mower working it in and out of all the nooks and crannies (I realize my set up, 54", is bigger than a 21", but I am always amazed where I can actually get my mower to fit) after the 1st swath is done then resume mowing like it is a regular larger mower and you've already made (in my case) a 54" swath around the yard. My setup, the flexdeck folded up allows me to fit thru gates and tight places where my old 48" wb and 62" z would not fit and would have to use my 21" push With the FD on my 36" wb I have almost completely eliminated the need for my 21" mower Don't get me wrong, I am as lazy (or more) than the next guy and prefer to use my 62" Zmaster everywhere I can, probably about 65% of my mowing. but I figured up after I started using the FD on the 36" wb I have save (gained) appx 5hrs a week on a 25hr week route over what I was doing when I relied on the 21" and 48" for my smaller yards. And for the money, the flex deck has been one of better investments as far time and profits go. Marc

 

[padude2004]

how is the installation process? it sound a bit complicated especially trying to get it level with the other blades. once installed any maintanence involved like fixing welds or painting, rusting, or bending?

 

[gravedigger5]

Installation isn't bad, just take your time and make sure everything is level. I am not the words greatest welder, but I grew up on a farm doing quite a bit of maintenance and fabrication type welding, so tackling this project did not bother me. If you are not confortable with your own welding capabilities, get someone who is good at welding to help you. It only took me about 4 hours, taking my time and double checking everything as I went. You will need to at least paint the welds, I decided to paint the whole mounting bracket to match my mower. If you mount the flex deck on a good commercial quality deck such as your Scag, I would not think you would have any problem with bending or flexing. Marc