Opinions on bobcat mowers?

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chrismar
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Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 23rd, 2016, 10:43 am

I found a bobcat 36" walk behind on Craigslist and went to go see it this morning. Looks to be in great shape and it runs and sounds beautiful. Does anyone have any opinions on these mowers? I've never really heard of or seen a bobcat mower before. It's 6ish years old, has less than 500 hours and isn't used commercially. Asking price is $2250, which seems a little high to me, but I really have no idea.

Thanks for any input!

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by Tsmith » July 23rd, 2016, 11:08 am

Bobcats are good commercial mowers but their value really comes down to the engine on it IMO. The better models come with a Kawasaki engine which I don't think this has although I can't really tell for sure from the pic. They also come with Kohlers which are ok and Briggs and Stratton which I wouldn't recommend.

I think the asking price is high even if it has a Kawasaki on it. How big of an area are you planning on using it on? The problem with the 36" mowers is they are usually priced pretty close to the 48" models.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 23rd, 2016, 11:26 am

This does have a 15 hp Kawasaki. Mowing about 22k sq ft of turf. I don't want to get anything too big because I have a couple of 15° slopes.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by McLovin » July 23rd, 2016, 7:37 pm

Looks like it has belt drives on the wheels which are ok on smaller units but a lot of professionals swear by the hydro drives. Reversing the mower is more difficult with belts. But belts are less expensive to maintain.

I have a 33" Cub Cadet that I cut about 20 ksf with. Takes about 45 min to an hour to cut, lots of trees in the front yard.
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chrismar
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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 23rd, 2016, 7:44 pm

McLovin wrote:Looks like it has belt drives on the wheels which are ok on smaller units but a lot of professionals swear by the hydro drives. Reversing the mower is more difficult with belts. But belts are less expensive to maintain.
Yep. It's definitely a belt drive. I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay to step up to a hydro just yet. This is my first forray into a commercial mower.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by nclawnguy » July 23rd, 2016, 10:37 pm

I think thats overpriced. How much are other comparable mowers going for in your area?

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 23rd, 2016, 11:13 pm

It's hard to say. There's not much available in this condition. Most of the stuff is contractor owned and in really rough shape, which seems to go for $1,000 to $1,500.

I was able to get them down to $2k (so far). They said the dealer offered to buy it back for $1,600 to obviously resale, which was declined.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 24th, 2016, 5:19 pm

Got 'em down to $1,900. Think I'm gonna go for it. Not sure when another non-contractor mower in this condition is going to pop up. I'm somewhat desperate at this point because it's taking me 5 hours now (including trimming and blowing) to get my yard done.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by Pway » July 24th, 2016, 5:22 pm

chrismar wrote:Got 'em down to $1,900. Think I'm gonna go for it. Not sure when another non-contractor mower in this condition is going to pop up. I'm somewhat desperate at this point because it's taking me 5 hours now (including trimming and blowing) to get my yard done.

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One of the local lawn guys that does many yards has a bobcat and I know he loves it.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by ericgautier » July 24th, 2016, 7:09 pm

Looks like in excellent condition. If you test drove it and liked it, go for it. :good:

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 28th, 2016, 9:56 pm

I did it! I took it for an extended test drive yesterday and picked it up today!

... and now we're supposed to get rain for the next 4 days, so I can't even play with my new toy. :(

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by ericgautier » July 29th, 2016, 10:28 am

Congrats! :clapping:

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by HomerGuy » July 29th, 2016, 9:17 pm

You are going to enjoy it. A couple tips: Take it slow the first few times you use it and try to start off in an area that is free of obstacles. Belt drives don't reverse well (if at all) but you will learn how to cut to always be moving forward. It can be a bit of a paradigm shift but it will soon become second nature.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 29th, 2016, 10:29 pm

I took Bobbi for her inaugural run this afternoon. Things went fairly well. I spent most of my time in 1st and 2nd gear, just getting comfortable with the controls. I made it up to 3rd gear on a few of the longer straightaways.

I had two wipeouts: one trying to navigate around the kids playground. The chute got caught on the slide and up the cutting deck went. The previous owner drilled into me that if anything funky starts happening to just let go, so I did. Took me a min or two to figure out I needed to put it back in neutral to be able to back out and get myself unstuck. The second wipeout happened when I was trying to put her away in the shed. Getting the back wheels over the lip of the ramp was a bear. Especially when I was trying to use the wheels as a pivot point. Bad idea. Almost took out the shed door. I learned to get over the lip I need to lift the wheels up and over and in she went.

All and all, I'd give myself a solid C. I was able to get what used to take me 3.5 hours down to 2. No doubt that'll drop even further once I start getting comfortable in the higher gears and I learn how to navigate the yard more efficiently. Oh, and I learned to wear gloves next time. Got a pretty gnarly blister on the palm of my right hand.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by Kmartel » July 30th, 2016, 6:16 am

With practice it will become so much easier. Back when I ran one of those every day in high school for a landscaper it was 4th gear no matter what the terrain or situation. Now I think I would be dead after 10 minutes of 4th gear.


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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by ericgautier » July 30th, 2016, 7:59 am

Been there also. Most of the time I use 1 and just enjoy it. But glad to know that when I'm pressed for time that more gears are there.

I use my old mountain biking gloves and it keeps my hands fresh.

Enjoy it and let's see some more pics!


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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by McLovin » July 31st, 2016, 2:35 pm

Bobbi, that is awesome! Congrats.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » July 31st, 2016, 10:58 pm

Thanks, folks!

I definitely need to take some more pics of Bobbi and her handiwork! I would have on Friday, but shortly after the mow we got about 4 inches of rain over the span of 48 hours.

Here's a pic of the giant blister she gave me, though:

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » August 4th, 2016, 9:37 am

Bobbi got a little upgrade this morning: a digital tach and hour meter. Not the cleanest install, but any 45 minutes with me, Bobbi and a dremel is time well spent.

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Re: Opinions on bobcat mowers?

Post by chrismar » August 4th, 2016, 7:29 pm

Stripes? Maybe?

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