What size brush hog do I need?

[RobJ]

as big as you can afford!

but how many acres you are mowing would be a help to know.

Rob

 

[hotchkiss]

First, we do really need to know how many acres you will be mowing and the topography of the terrain you will be mowing. A 15 foot batwing will not do you any good if you are mowing several small fields where overall width is a concern. I have a 90 hp New Holland. I use to use a six foot medium duty Woods with my 57 hp and it worked just fine. It also worked fine with the New Holland. However, with the larger tractor, I decided to sell the Woods and bought a 8 foot double spindle Bushhog. I did so simply to save time, but understand that saving time comes at a cost. The 8 foot Bushhog is a much better mower, but it also cost a little more.

Most importantly, if you are not use to operating equipment - - - take your time and be safe. Bigger is often better when it comes to mowers, but it isn't always safer.

 

[AndyMA]

I would not want to buy a hog with a lower hp rated gear box than the tractor can put out! In fact, you typically want much more than the tractor can put out for reliabity. An 85 pto hp tractor can bugger up a 60 hp gear box pretty quick!

.

Do not run an underrated gear box unless you do not mind changing it out often when you blow it's gears, bearings or pto up. A slip clutch will not protect it unless you just happen to set it right. Something with out a dino I'm not sure you could do. It is just not the way to force an incorrect attachment to work. I'd go at least 7 if not 8, 9, or 10 or the batwing with a 100 hp gearbox min.

Andy

 

[have_blue]

My only advice: Keep in mind that every additional foot of mower width speeds up mowing a great deal.

Going from a 5 footer to a 6 footer sped up my mowing from ~7 hours to ~5 hours on only 7 acres. Scale that up to 10, 15, 20 acres, and the time savings could be huge.

 

[TerryJ]

If I was you, I'd be looking for a 3pt. hitch 10' rotary. You have more than enough tractor to run a 10' and the 3pt hitch would make it very easy to get around with. Just my opinion.

 

[rbargeron]

If you spend a little time looking at the Rotary Cutter Section of the Woods website, you'll notice that the gearbox HP ratings go up with duty rating more than with size. For example a lighter duty 7' rotary may have a 90 hp gearbox where the heavy duty 7' has a 200 hp box. Gearbox power rating is all about ruggedness and design margin - which translates to machine life and survivabilty of the occasional insult (read large rock). If your place is machine-friendly then a light duty will be ok. If it has more hazards you'll want more beef.

 

[bill in ny]

jjrennie, i also have a 85hp kubota and i just bought a landpride rcr25 8' twin spindle rotary cutter. it has a 120hp main gearbox and two 60hp outboard gearboxes. it is a perfect match for that tractor. my tractor has 4x4 and i put front weights on. i bought the one that goes on the 3pth.

 

[JoeinTX]

"jjrennie, i also have a 85hp kubota and i just bought a landpride rcr25 8' twin spindle rotary cutter. it has a 120hp main gearbox and two 60hp outboard gearboxes. it is a perfect match for that tractor. my tractor has 4x4 and i put front weights on. i bought the one that goes on the 3pth."

Refer to my previous post and while not knowing all of your particulars this is just about where you should be.


An 85hp PTO tractor can run a lot of shredders along the sides of the highways but what are you going to ultimately do with it? In MANY cases you won't want more than an 8'er behind it as your sawing through vines and shrub/tree overgrowth.


A 40hp tractor can lug a 15' bat-wing cutting highways but can't handle a 6' mounted rig slashing through serious pasture growth or young Mesquites overtaking an old field.

It's all experience..

 

[Soundguy]

I agree with the others.. I'd like my hogs gearbox to be rated at or above my pto hp.. preferably much above.

my 10' mower has 120 hp main box.. and 90hp side boxes. Not sure of the setup on my jd batwing.. but believe it is similar setup.. HD divider box and slightly less rated blade boxes.

Also as stated.. that's alot of tractor.. what implement you get should match your land. if you are cutting super HD stuff.. you might actually stick to 10'.. though you have plenty of hp to drive 12' and 15' under decent conditions.

If you have sloped or hilly/uneven land.. do consider a folding, flex, or v-wing mower deck vs a fixed deck.. otherwise you can scalp some areas.

Many of these larger mowers will come with a torque limiting clutch.. make sure you buy a unit that matches your pto speed... some of the larger mowers want 1000 rpm pto's.. etc. ( some tractors have selectable pto speed.. or swapable shafts too! )

soundguy

 

[bill in ny]

the eight footer also covers my tracks.