10' Pull-type mower

[Soundguy]

One more thought for ya.
a pull type throws a lot less crap on you/your tractor than a 3 point.
Mostly because it's further back.

I've found that once you are mowing in the 10-12-15 range with mowers.. pull/3pt don't matter.. the operator is on a much larger tractor and not in a direct 'fireing line' with the mower front like a 30hp tractor and a 5' mower is.


soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

When you're on a schedule like mine (2 younger kids in 4 sports of which 2 I coach, 2 businesses, and now possibly 15-20 acres of pasture to cut and a small farm to maintain) "big enough" is too small.

I want to get the mowing done fast. I have other things to do than sit on a tractor all weekend pulling a "big enough" mower.

I'm not sure i catch your point. I'm an advocate of using a large mower/tractor to mow a acerage on the 'fast' side.. vs sitting out all day.

I have 13ac... my 15' mower will handle that in less than3 hours.. without rushing..


????

I also don't have the time to spend mowing for 5-6+ hours.. For smaller cuts I'll use the 5000 and 10' mower.. like if I am just cutting a single paddock or two.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

My 5000 and 7610s are both open platform.. and i stay clean except for residual dust.. whether using my 10' fixed deck 3pt.. or my 15' batwing.

now.. if I mow on my 8n and 5' mower.. it will throw some dust.. but I have front guards on ALL my mowers. some metal.. some rubber.

soundguy

so, when you are cutting on an open platform, are you covered in dust/grass/weeds/seeds/bugs/etc after a full day or not?

certainly
and with a pull type, that stuff is further behind you, so less of it gets on you/the tractor.

That's all i was saying.

 

[Soundguy]

A folding wing mower will cover irregualr contour without scalping as much as a fixed deck.. etc.

soundguy

Advantages to pull type

I would think that a pull type mower would let you mow closer to obstacles such as trees since the pull type tends to follow the tractor around the obstacle instead of swinging away from the obstacle like a three point mower would. Know matter how you turn with a three point mower you can not mow in one complete circle around a tree and stay close to that tree with the mower.

Follows ground contours better if you have alot of uneven ground with small swales.

Disadvantages:

Moving them from lot to lot unless the tires are rated or big enough for tractor road speed.

Backing is not as easy but still can be done with out much problem. This is assuming the back wheels on a pull type mower do not swivel.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

so, when you are cutting on an open platform, are you covered in dust/grass/weeds/seeds/bugs/etc after a full day or not?

certainly
and with a pull type, that stuff is further behind you, so less of it gets on you/the tractor.

That's all i was saying.

Dust? If it's really dry and dusty yes, no MORE or no LESS with mounted vs. drawn mowers though. Grass/weeds/seeds, not really an issue unless it's EXTREMELY dry. Since all three batwings are hooked to cab tractors and the open station tractors all have mounted mowers, no real comparison, other than the open station tractors don't seem any too objectionable to operate.

From all I've ever seen, there isn't any significant difference in dust/dirt flying with a batwing vs. mounted mower. Consider the batwing is USUALLY quite a bit larger and stirs more dust, if anything at all, it would be WORSE in simular conditions. Moving along at 4 or 5 MPH, the 3 or 4 feet difference is relatively insignificant.

 

[oliver28472]

My brother had a 10' pull type Bush Hog and pulled it for years with a 42 hp Case IH 485 without any problems. I used it to cut the pastures at my house and it did fine. He sold the Bush Hog and got a 15' Rhino batwing but pulls it with either his Oliver 1650 or the 1655 which have around 70 hp. We get finished a lot faster now.

 

[Builder]

I'm not sure i catch your point. I'm an advocate of using a large mower/tractor to mow a acerage on the 'fast' side.. vs sitting out all day.

I have 13ac... my 15' mower will handle that in less than3 hours.. without rushing..


????

I also don't have the time to spend mowing for 5-6+ hours.. For smaller cuts I'll use the 5000 and 10' mower.. like if I am just cutting a single paddock or two.

soundguy

My point is "big enough" to me infers "just enough to get the job done". I like "overkill" these days to save more of my precious time, which is in great shoratge these days.

I'm in my early 40's and I have a lot to get done before I get too old to do it.

If I can cut 15 acres in 3 hours instead of 6 hours, I'll spend a few grand more on a piece of equipment that can do it. Those 3 hours could make me hundreds, if not thousands at work, or give me 3 more hours with my family.

How long does it take you to cut 10 acres with a 15', 10' or 8' cutter respectively if you had to guess? Just tall grass, no bushog stuff.

 

[Soundguy]

My 'best' time on 10ac of plain grass, using my NH 7610s ( ~95hp ) and a jd 1517 15' batwing mower was 1hr 45m. though i can reliable do it in 2hrs. My ford 5000 ( 70hp ) and 10' mower kicks that to 2hr 45m to 3hr.. variables depending.

That same job used to take me in the 5.5hr range with a 32hp tractor and 5' mower. i simply didn't have the time to devote that much mowing time to it.. thus the tractor and mower upgrade. The first upgrade was the 5000/10' mower.. got that package put together for about 9000$.. that's not alot of cash for a good amount of mowing machine.. 7610s and the 15'er were nearly 20k$.. but I traded int he newish 32hp tractor to knock about half that off...

soundguy

My point is "big enough" to me infers "just enough to get the job done". I like "overkill" these days to save more of my precious time, which is in great shoratge these days.

I'm in my early 40's and I have a lot to get done before I get too old to do it.

If I can cut 15 acres in 3 hours instead of 6 hours, I'll spend a few grand more on a piece of equipment that can do it. Those 3 hours could make me hundreds, if not thousands at work, or give me 3 more hours with my family.

How long does it take you to cut 10 acres with a 15', 10' or 8' cutter respectively if you had to guess? Just tall grass, no bushog stuff.

 

[Builder]

So I guess a 12' batwing on 15 acres should take no more than 3-4 hrs....it has very few trees/obstacles.

 

[Soundguy]

Sounds about right. Will depend on the speed you mow as well. I'm in a flat area.. and I mow pretty briskly.. that is.. 5th gear out of 8 ( fords classic 8spd crashbox )

soundguy