Buying JD 997 Yanmar power 60 inch

[capt bob]

Hi , New to the forum here and looking for any input on this machine , I run a 52 Ex mark 28 hp
w/ mulch kit and a 36 Wright Stander 17 hp back yard machine both bought new here in the Tampabay area , The JD I am looking at has been stored for 5 years in a pole barn has 33 hours and is Mechanically
excellent , some stiffness from sitting but greased up all the spindles and visible zirks and she works and cuts fine , love the speed and quiet power but it is set up for side discharge and i must convert that quickly to a chambered mulcher or at least a mulching plate with hi lift blades that is one thing i need advise on and another is the hydro lift deck is their a locking up feature i can not seem to find one
seemed odd but will prob install an emulator to slow that feature down some i am pretty used to foot raising the deck on my ex going over obstacles , roots ect without raising the deck fully and leaving a high spot , The mower was exercised during storage so no fuel issues and obviously will be changing all fluids
I cut a couple yards today with it one tall Bahia and man i miss my mulch kit i had so much "cut on top
i had to run my little mower over it to mulch it , is their a good chambered system for the 60 or an equally good plate ? any quirks or known problems observations would be appreciated.
Thanks Capt Bob

 

[Rivets]

I would go to you local JD dealer with your questions, you'll be working with him anyway getting parts. He will be your best source.

 

[capt bob]

Plan to , Do enjoy owners real life experiences with their equipment though tends to be more realistic
I pulled the Trigger today on the 997 , Really a beast gobs of power and like the Shaft / Hydro
drive set up for the Blade drive only one belt on the mower, I went ahead and made a Mulch plate
this afternoon had some 10 ga steel plate will try that out tomorrow w / sharpened blades although they
are just regulars , If the plate works out good then will ask the dealer about Gators or Hi lifts on this deck
unless someone else here has some seat time with this Mower and blade preference , I tend to think the Gators might work good this is a pretty clean machine as far as blowout not so much with the Ex mark
and Gators , I would run Gators on the outside blades and a hi Lift in the center to run cleaner during leaf season.
Thanks for the Reply

 

[Rivets]

Something the landscapers here are starting to do on their larger equipment. They are having us install clean outs like the ones used on Toro tractors. They want two, one on each side, saying that when they use their mulcher, the cleaner deck does a better job cutting for them. Cuts down on the number of times they need to get under with a scraper. Just a thought.

 

[WelshRabbit]

I have a JD 997 with a 60" deck and mulch kit installed. I have used it 2 seasons and absolutely LOVE it. However, with the 60" deck and mulch kit, there are two downsides: (1) the 60" deck does not extend much beyond the width of the wheels so that cutting closely around obstacles means for more string trimmer time; and (2) the mulch kit means absolutely no cutting when the grass is the least bit damp.

But when the grass is dry, the mulch kit works wonderfully. As I mow, the cuttings just seem to disappear -- no raking, sweeping, vacuuming, etc. -- and no unsightly row of trimmings. That also means you can cut clockwise as well as counter-clockwise without clogging up the out feed -- there is no out feed with the mulcher.

If I had an extra $20K lying around, I would run out and buy another JD 997 with 72" deck without mulcher, but I would not give up my existing 997 in order to get it.

Donna
Passionate lover of my Big Green 997

Hi , New to the forum here and looking for any input on this machine , I run a 52 Ex mark 28 hp
w/ mulch kit and a 36 Wright Stander 17 hp back yard machine both bought new here in the Tampabay area , The JD I am looking at has been stored for 5 years in a pole barn has 33 hours and is Mechanically
excellent , some stiffness from sitting but greased up all the spindles and visible zirks and she works and cuts fine , love the speed and quiet power but it is set up for side discharge and i must convert that quickly to a chambered mulcher or at least a mulching plate with hi lift blades that is one thing i need advise on and another is the hydro lift deck is their a locking up feature i can not seem to find one
seemed odd but will prob install an emulator to slow that feature down some i am pretty used to foot raising the deck on my ex going over obstacles , roots ect without raising the deck fully and leaving a high spot , The mower was exercised during storage so no fuel issues and obviously will be changing all fluids
I cut a couple yards today with it one tall Bahia and man i miss my mulch kit i had so much "cut on top
i had to run my little mower over it to mulch it , is their a good chambered system for the 60 or an equally good plate ? any quirks or known problems observations would be appreciated.
Thanks Capt Bob