# Frontier disc mowers



## MDill (Feb 8, 2015)

Anyone know who makes the Frontier 50 series 3pt mowers? They have shear hubs and look fairly decent, unlike the 11 series mowers. I got quoted $8400 for a 5060, and can still get 0 percent through JD credit. Next closest mower is a Krone 243 for $9500, everything else is over $10k, most over $11k. 
All the Deere dealers up here sell Kuhn, Krone or Claas so they don't push Deere mowers at all unless it's their big mower conditioners. 
I'm still holding out hope for a decent used mower, a lot of auctions coming up, everything used I've found so far is on it's last leg or close to the price of a new one. I swear a few years ago nobody up here wanted a 3pt disc bar, now they are a hot commidity! And when did the new ones get so expensive?


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

It doesn't take long when they go up 5 to 6 hundred dollars each and every year.


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

They are most likely a Kuhn design. As who builds them, can't say. But I can tell you the money for the Krone will be well worth it, it's the best on the market. But it is your money, do what you feel comfortable with.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Pretty much anything in the Frontier line used to be manufactured by someone else, generally a lighter duty, and just painted green so it blends well with everything else at their dealers. I assume that is still the case. You can't go wrong with Krone. It's just different shade of green, but much higher quality.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Mike120 said:


> Pretty much anything in the Frontier line used to be manufactured by someone else, generally a lighter duty,


One exception to your statement are the hi-cap bi-fold rakes as they're built by H&S and are a far cry from light duty.


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## MDill (Feb 8, 2015)

Tx Jim said:


> One exception to your statement are the hi-cap bi-fold rakes as they're built by H&S and are a far cry from light duty.


That's why I was wondering if anyone knew what these 50 series were, the older 11 series look cheap, and flimsy. Wasn't sure if this was a painted up GMD66 or something like that.
And the price on the Krone is awesome for up here, it's on a 2014 demo unit. All the other Krone mowers I've priced have been closer to $11k, just trying to get the best bang for my buck! It is only one piece of equipment after all. I've never heard anything bad about Krone mowers.


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

And you won't. If you plan on doing this for sometime, buy the Krone and take care of it and it will last you a long, long time. Mine is 18 and still a ticking. There is an old saying you get what you pay for. Don't want new, keep looking for a good used one, the right one will come along one of there days.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

MDill said:


> That's why I was wondering if anyone knew what these 50 series were, the older 11 series look cheap, and flimsy. Wasn't sure if this was a painted up GMD66 or something like that.
> And the price on the Krone is awesome for up here, it's on a 2014 demo unit. All the other Krone mowers I've priced have been closer to $11k, just trying to get the best bang for my buck! It is only one piece of equipment after all. I've never heard anything bad about Krone mowers.


I think it is (old Kuhn, like GMD66 as you mentioned).

Dealers around here won't carry them... want to sell the actual "Deere brand" mowers. Won't carry the Frontier caddies either, which is puzzling... only one NH dealer in this region carries caddies, and he's got a bunch of them, both straight axle and the offsets. Course, the "Deere brand" mowers are just a repainted newer model Kuhn anyway-- it's exactly the same as the Kuhn's my NH dealer in Shiner carries except painted green... Curiously, the NH dealer in Shiner doesn't carry NH mowers-- only Kuhns... course I like the design of the NH's better, so if I get a mower in the next few years, it'll likely be from the "local" dealer, unless the Shiner dealer will order one for me and beat his price-- don't really want a Kuhn, especially with their "shear hub" design (MUCH more expensive to replace than NH shear hubs, like $200 higher!)

One local branch of the company that owns all the Deere stores in our region carries Krone mowers... I've looked at them and they look pretty good, but not crazy about gearbed type mowers... the shaft-driven modular-unit bars look much more durable to me-- if one goes out, it doesn't fill the entire bar with shavings and bits of bearing caging and loose balls and crap... and the cast housings on the modular bars look a lot more corrosion resistant than the thinner steel oil bath bars do-- heard and seen too many stories of rust holes eaten through bars causing irreparable oil leaks... at least with the modular bars, one module goes out, you're just replacing that one, not having to rebuild the entire bar...

Course, they sell a bazillion of them from most of the manufacturers, so what do I know?? LOL

Later! OL JR


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## MDill (Feb 8, 2015)

I'm not going to lie, it's a little overwhelming how many manufacturers there are. I've priced out all of them in my area except for a few. I do like the looks of the NH cutterbar,when I priced the H6740 it was the same money as the Kuhn GMD600. Better design in my opinion. I don't see how Kuhn hasn't caught up with the rebuildable hub, or a roll pin shear hub yet. I bought a hub for the FC353 at work last year, just to have a spare, if I remember right it was $280. 
I want to say 90% of the disc mowers around here are Kuhns, everyone and their brother sells Kuhn too. The NH dealer here doesn't push them too hard though, they told me they've sold more of their shock hub mowers. 
I might price out a CaseIH MD82, see if it's cheaper than the NH since it's the same damn thing. I priced Vermeer, they are rugged looking mowers but expensive, that dealer also sells MF and said that MF bought out Fella so their new mowers are rebadged Fellas. I haven't priced them yet, but even the economy MF/Fella has a roll pin hub. I couldn't tell if the Vermeer had a shear hub or not. 
I was originally just going to buy the Krone 243 until I found out the EZ cut cutterbar was a $1500 option. It's still up there on my list though. 
I'm going to look at a used GMD600 this weekend, then there are a couple 3pt mowers at an auction next weekend. If I don't end up with any of those I'll be buying a new one, leave it to the last minute!


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I owned a Vermeer M7030 for several yrs that I bought used. It's cut a lot of acres and has performed well. It has a modular cutterbar that's powered by a hex shaft similar to NH disc cutters


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

All disc mowers can trace their roots to two manufactures. All gear drives are of Kuhn origin, and all shaft drives from Lely, they have just evolved from there over the years. Kuhn introduced in 68 and Lely a few years later.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

M Dill, where is the MF/Vermeer dealer you referenced? Just wondering if it's the one just up the road from me? Dave


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## MDill (Feb 8, 2015)

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> M Dill, where is the MF/Vermeer dealer you referenced? Just wondering if it's the one just up the road from me? Dave


New Boston Truck, so I think it is that dealer. Wicked nice people.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

MDill said:


> New Boston Truck, so I think it is that dealer. Wicked nice people.


Ayup, I've been dealing with them for almost 15 years! I live about 1.5 miles from them! And, you're right, they're great folks! Dave


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

Wow you are lucky, the only one I had a couple miles away was Northwood power, and they sure were not good to deal with. The only complaint I have about New Boston is its a pain to get therefrom from here.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

Dill said:


> The only complaint I have about New Boston is its a pain to get there from here.


Sorta the same feeling I have about getting to Padula Brothers in Lancaster, MA.


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## Albertan (Jan 10, 2015)

MDill said:


> I'm not going to lie, it's a little overwhelming how many manufacturers there are. I've priced out all of them in my area except for a few. I do like the looks of the NH cutterbar,when I priced the H6740 it was the same money as the Kuhn GMD600. Better design in my opinion. I don't see how Kuhn hasn't caught up with the rebuildable hub, or a roll pin shear hub yet. I bought a hub for the FC353 at work last year, just to have a spare, if I remember right it was $280.
> I want to say 90% of the disc mowers around here are Kuhns, everyone and their brother sells Kuhn too. The NH dealer here doesn't push them too hard though, they told me they've sold more of their shock hub mowers.
> I might price out a CaseIH MD82, see if it's cheaper than the NH since it's the same damn thing. I priced Vermeer, they are rugged looking mowers but expensive, that dealer also sells MF and said that MF bought out Fella so their new mowers are rebadged Fellas. I haven't priced them yet, but even the economy MF/Fella has a roll pin hub. I couldn't tell if the Vermeer had a shear hub or not.
> I was originally just going to buy the Krone 243 until I found out the EZ cut cutterbar was a $1500 option. It's still up there on my list though.
> I'm going to look at a used GMD600 this weekend, then there are a couple 3pt mowers at an auction next weekend. If I don't end up with any of those I'll be buying a new one, leave it to the last minute!


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## Albertan (Jan 10, 2015)

You can buy the parts to re-build the Kuhn Protectadrive hub as it will break it down on the parts page, you can likely even source cheaper non OEM bearings..... The problem is the bearings are set with pre-load at the factory, in all the bearing stations, so you pay your money and take your chance on a home rebuild.

We have a pile of Kuhn GMD mowers running in Agricultural and Road Side mowing applications (which they were never designed to do) and lucky if we sell 4 replacement Protectadrive's per year.


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## MDill (Feb 8, 2015)

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Ended up going a much different route, my dad and I were picking up a NH252 rake hitch for him and two beat to snot NH256 rakes for someone else. The dealer had two trade in Kuhn GMD600s that both leaked grom under the gearbox. 
Just went and picked them up today, got the pair for $2950, they both work fine just need a crack welded in the upper gearbed. 
I'll run them for now and maybe upgrade to a new mower when I get a chance.


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