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Prestige 20hp 50" cut


B112_son

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There is a prestige listed locally pretty cheap I think. It is 20hp command and 50" deck. 450 hours. $800. I have a 23hp 54" prestige but doesn't look as good as this one. I have been a bit disappointed in mine. it really bogs down this time of year in the tall thick grass. I'm also not extremely happy with the cut of the 54" deck. It has brand new simplicity high lift blades and still on the LH side leaves uncut grass where the fron tire runs over it so I don't get full use of the 54" deck.

My question would 20/50 be under powered? I've read some people think the 50" cuts better. The 20hp worries me a little but only because of my current setup. I would also like a bagger and it seams they are more common for 50" decks.

What do you think ?

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20 HP should be more than enough to mow grass, even with a 60" deck, IMO. You look at 21-24" mowers with 4-5 horse engines on them, and they cut fine. I realize you have to push weight too, but nothing like a Sunstar as far as weight, and they ran 60" decks with the M18's and M20's, without any major issues.

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I've noticed a real increase in advertised HP over the years, but not an actual increase in power. I think they may be changing the way they rate engines...I know my 16 horse C/I Briggs single has WAY more power than what you think it would. Also, mulching takes more power to run. Most newer mowers have mulching decks (push ones anyway) and that may be consuming some extra power.

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After the fiasco that Briggs lost , quite a few million, over advertised HP a few years ago, their engines will produce the horsepower quoted under SAE conditions that it is applicable.

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Thanks guys. I know the 20 should be plenty. Maybe there is something wrong with my current set up I'm not seeing. My B112 mows with 42" deck 2nd gear full speed no problem. I haven't owned an 18hp sovereign but assume they do well. I just know the last machine I mowed with was a Deere L130 with 23hp command and 48" deck. Sold it when I moved and the lot size tripled. My 23hp prestige and 54" bogg down quite a bit more than the Deere did. I blamed it on the extra cutting width and extra weight etc of the machine. I am happy I switched to the prestige just comparing to what I had right before. i guess I just need to keep tinkering with the deck to see what I can do. I'd still like to try the 50" deck and see how it cuts in comparison.

Not sure if it matters but I typically mow with the deck set on 5. If I lower it around 4 I get a better cut but that's fairly short for my lawn.

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For $800 I don't think you could go wrong. I wouldn't want to put the 54" onto the 20hp but my 18hp Vanguard handles the 50" deck just fine so I think you'll be good with the 20/50 combination.

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I have owned a 20hp Prestige with a 50" deck since the first year it was introduced to the market. It handles the 50" deck with no problem. Simplicity has a manual called Attachment Interchangeability Guide. It states you can also run the 54" deck with the 20hp Prestige.

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Thats a steal...and my 20/50 with turbo vac never bogged at all. Toughest work I had for it was leaf duty and it had no trouble at all.

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  • 1 month later...

Cheap for a Prestige, I have two Conquests both 20 hp and would like a Prestige for the hydraulic lift and for faster speed, esp in reverse.

20 hp is a little light for heavy grass but will do the job. I have both the 50 and 54 inch decks and I never use the 50 inch anymore.

In fact my one Conquest was number 15 off the assembly line, and it was painted in Massey colors. It gave me a ton of grief until I discovered that the electric PTO was bad.

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quote:Originally posted by B112_son

Thanks guys. I know the 20 should be plenty. Maybe there is something wrong with my current set up I'm not seeing. My B112 mows with 42" deck 2nd gear full speed no problem. I haven't owned an 18hp sovereign but assume they do well. I just know the last machine I mowed with was a Deere L130 with 23hp command and 48" deck. Sold it when I moved and the lot size tripled. My 23hp prestige and 54" bogg down quite a bit more than the Deere did. I blamed it on the extra cutting width and extra weight etc of the machine. I am happy I switched to the prestige just comparing to what I had right before. i guess I just need to keep tinkering with the deck to see what I can do. I'd still like to try the 50" deck and see how it cuts in comparison. Not sure if it matters but I typically mow with the deck set on 5. If I lower it around 4 I get a better cut but that's fairly short for my lawn.


id="quote">
id="quote">I have a 23/54 and mow on a setting of around 3, and sometimes 2. Never a problem with wheel track grass or bogging down.I also have a Landlord that I swapped a 16 vanguard into from a Broadmoor and cut with a 50" deck. Never a problem with power or bogging down. Settings can vary from deck to deck a little due to sticker and bracket placement. The higher the cut and/or faster the ground speed the worse the grass sticking up in the wheel tracks is usually. When you say the 23/54 bogs down, is it the engine speed thats slowing down or the deck speed thats slowing down? I just repaired 2 decks that when you get into heavier grass the engine speed and sound pitch would stay the same but the deck speed and sound pitch would slow. Problem was that the tension on the belt was too loose because the spring was bad, or the hole the spring was mounted in got wallered out. Put more tension on the belt and now the deck flies right through the heavy grass...
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