What attachment?

[queen of spades]

I have to mow a neglected field with hundreds of 1/2" to 3/4" saplings. I have a 1601d yanmar.. will a 4' bush hog handle this if taken slowly?

[8934]

Not sure how many hp your tractor has. However, if you can do it will depend on several factors.

What kind of saplings, some are denser than others and thus harder to cut.

Assuming you have a bushog, and not a finish mower, how heavy duty is your bushog? Many companys that make them state how big of tree they will cut.

How bushy are saplings? A stick will go right thru a radiatior, or will rip hydraulic lines, or wiring off.

What kind of tires do you have? If you cut off saplings with a sharp mower, they will form spears, and will punch right thru thin tires like some of the turf tires. - Some say that dull blades going at less than full throttle, will shatter sapling making this less likely, and less likely to resprout after mowing.

The only way to tell for sure is to try it. Take it slow and see how it goes.

Good luck!

[rhett]

Not sure how many hp your tractor has. However, if you can do it will depend on several factors.

What kind of saplings, some are denser than others and thus harder to cut.

Assuming you have a bushog, and not a finish mower, how heavy duty is your bushog? Many companys that make them state how big of tree they will cut.

How bushy are saplings? A stick will go right thru a radiatior, or will rip hydraulic lines, or wiring off.

What kind of tires do you have? If you cut off saplings with a sharp mower, they will form spears, and will punch right thru thin tires like some of the turf tires. - Some say that dull blades going at less than full throttle, will shatter sapling making this less likely, and less likely to resprout after mowing.

The only way to tell for sure is to try it. Take it slow and see how it goes.

Good luck!

Ditto, very good advice

now a FYI, my little YM1600 with a 4' rotary cutter takes out 1" to 1 1/2" saplings with no problem. She only strains when the saplings fall and the cutter goes into mulching mode.

[queen of spades]

now a FYI, my little YM1600 with a 4' rotary cutter takes out 1" to 1 1/2" saplings with no problem. She only strains when the saplings fall and the cutter goes into mulching mode.

Rhett, have you had any trouble with flats from the sharp sticks left behind?

[rhett]

Nope, my blades are dull as "8934" suggests. I cut as close the ground as possible too, keeping the stubs very short. just go slow at first, then find the best cutting speed.

Good Luck

[E_Sanborn]

QoS,

Your 1610D should handle just fine. I had one of these YM16010Ds for awhile, with a 4' Howse RC. No problem handling up to 1.5" saplings, although if the density of the saplings is very high (a lot, close together.) you may experience some loading and occasional lugging.

My RC would leave some very ragged split stumps, although there may be some dangerous spikes if your RC has very sharp blades - unlikely.

I'd start with a high pass - 1' or so, then a cleanup pass - but let the density of saplings be your guide.

One thing I'd flag for caution - verify the engine RPM required for the PTO speed at 540 RPM- You're going to use PTO Gear 1 only, and the rated RPM for 540 (in PTO 1) will be stamped on the engine's ID tag, If I recall this is on the right side of the valve cover, if you're looking from the front. Maybe painted over, but readable with a light held at a steep angle. It will be the first 4-digit number, the second 4-digit will be max RPM for the engine. I mention this because there's not a lot of reliable info on these tractors, especially in the widely available manuals - mine was off by 300 RPM.