Mikejeakins
Gold Member
How do you know what size Bushhog to get? Asfar as the PTO horse power.
Getting a bush hog.
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RedNeckRacin
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5hp/ft of brushhog is the general rule of thumb. Also, the weight of the cutter vs 3pt lift capacity comes in with the heavier duty mowers.
HEC
Veteran Member
It also depends some on what you plan to cut with it , as to if you get a light duty cutter or heavy duty cutter which will weigh more . I have a med. duty 5ft. on my 19 hp. pto tractor and it works fine as I only cut grass with it . I have weight on the front end to offset the cutter weight .
gsganzer
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If it's a new tractor, the manual will sometimes give you implement guidelines. The 5hp per foot rule is probably pretty accurate, but like others have said, weight is a big issue too.
I'm currently looking at rotary cutters for an L3800 and I'm waffling back and forth between a medium duty 5' or 6'. There's about a 125# weight difference between the two (for the brand I'm looking at). I've found the horsepower vs. width becomes more important with deep thick grass, as that seems to bog a mower down more than cutting brush or stem weeds.
The extra width helps with getting close to fence lines etc, but limits the maneuverability and the added weight might make the difference between having to leave the loader on or adding some suitcase weights. Everything has a trade-off.
In some cases, the time it takes to cut a field gets offset by the groundspeed you can cut at. Example: if you have to decrease your ground speed to keep from bogging down a 6' cutter, you probably didn't gain any time from running a 5' cutter at a faster ground speed.
I'm kind of in the mindset that I'd prefer a heavier gauge (weight) mower at the sacrifice of mower width, therefore I'm leaning towards the 5' in my case. The heavier mower should last longer and give me more versatility in cutting brush and clearing land.
I'm currently looking at rotary cutters for an L3800 and I'm waffling back and forth between a medium duty 5' or 6'. There's about a 125# weight difference between the two (for the brand I'm looking at). I've found the horsepower vs. width becomes more important with deep thick grass, as that seems to bog a mower down more than cutting brush or stem weeds.
The extra width helps with getting close to fence lines etc, but limits the maneuverability and the added weight might make the difference between having to leave the loader on or adding some suitcase weights. Everything has a trade-off.
In some cases, the time it takes to cut a field gets offset by the groundspeed you can cut at. Example: if you have to decrease your ground speed to keep from bogging down a 6' cutter, you probably didn't gain any time from running a 5' cutter at a faster ground speed.
I'm kind of in the mindset that I'd prefer a heavier gauge (weight) mower at the sacrifice of mower width, therefore I'm leaning towards the 5' in my case. The heavier mower should last longer and give me more versatility in cutting brush and clearing land.
tractorshopper
Veteran Member
I had a Landpride RCR1560 on my L3800 and it worked great. Could bust up anything I threw at it. Large tall weeds/grass and up to 3" privet and saplings.
Mike Wiles
New member
Here's a link to a video about bush hog selection that might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFma-zNARmI.
RedNeckRacin
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One other thing to consider, that 5hp/ft is very general, if you have an HST tranny, I would look for a little more oomph. I ran a woods RMC59?? behind our L3400 and had a very noticeable drop in engine rpms when trying to mow and turn up hill.
LD1
Epic Contributor
5HP per ft is a good average for mowing "average" conditions and expecting to go 4-5 MPH while doing so.
I am just under the 5HP/ft with a 6' cutter and 29 PTO HP. 90% of the time I am mowing between 4-7 MPH. And only in the thickest of thick do I need to bump down to my 2.5-3MPH gear.
I still have 2 lower gears on the tractor that I never use. Logic tells me I could pull a larger cutter, at a slower ground speed and get the same work done in the same amount of time. But going slower means a smoother ride and easier on the equipment.
A HST tractor can go infinitely slow. If you are planning on a tractor in the 20-30 HP range and looking to buy a used cutter, there is a slew of 5' mowers for sale used
I am just under the 5HP/ft with a 6' cutter and 29 PTO HP. 90% of the time I am mowing between 4-7 MPH. And only in the thickest of thick do I need to bump down to my 2.5-3MPH gear.
I still have 2 lower gears on the tractor that I never use. Logic tells me I could pull a larger cutter, at a slower ground speed and get the same work done in the same amount of time. But going slower means a smoother ride and easier on the equipment.
A HST tractor can go infinitely slow. If you are planning on a tractor in the 20-30 HP range and looking to buy a used cutter, there is a slew of 5' mowers for sale used
Creamer
Elite Member
I agree this is common and I have a 5' that covers the width of my tractor. But when I bush hog it is usually taller stuff and the single blade swinging the direction it does it rarely cuts anything on the right side that has been run over. Consequently a week after I mow it looks like I left strips all over. (The good thing is that nobody ever knows if I did actually miss some.)