Give me some insight, please

[GrayBeard]

I was intent on getting a sickle bar mower but now I'm not sure.
Should I maybe look at a "brush hog" ?
What are the pros and cons ? ( I know about the $'s)

I've got some rough areas to mow on the farm. They have been mowed in the "past". These are relatively level areas and need mowed about 2 or 3 times a year. ( about 15 ac. each time)
I'll put it on my 28 hp Cub.
"Good used" in my area is tough to find.
Appreciate the comments.
GrayBeard

 

[ronjhall]

I have owned a sickle bar mower. It is great for mowing grass and weed areas. But will require much more repair than a Rotary Mower. It will cut faster than a Rotary Cutter in heavy grass.
My 5' Rotary Cutter will cut just about anything up to 1 1/2" that gets in its way. But takes about 1 hour to cut an acre of heavy grass.
If I had a chance to get another sickle bar mower. I would get one to mow my Field. But still keep my Rotary Cutter to do brush clearing.

 

[RonR]

The other thing a sickle mower will outshine a rotary is DUST. If you are running a rotary, it is a huge dust generator.

Overall though, I'd take a rotary first since I think it is less maintenance. When a sickle gets dull, it doesn't cut worth a hoot. Even a dull,dinged rotary will still beat the stuff into submission. It might not look good, but it will chop it up.

Obviously, a sharp blade or sickle will still work much better on either.

ron

 

[Toolguy]

It depends on how heavy the grass is each time you cut and how long between cuts. A sickle bar mower is used for cutting hay that is removed from the field soon after it is cut. Then, the next time the field is cut there is only new grass and not the dead grass from the previous cutting. If there is a lot of dead grass still on the ground from the previous cutting the sickle bar will plug and not do a very good job. I would get the widest rotary cutter you can pull and use that. It may not be as fast as a sickle bar but you will be happier with the overall results.

Another thing about sickle bar mowers, they don't like dirt and rocks. Even a large ground mole "volcano" can cause them to plug. Rocks will bend the knife guards and cause problems. Knives in the the blade will break and need repair. A rotary cutter will just blast through the rough stuff. If you keep the blades sharp they will do a pretty good job of cutting and leave the field looking good. Good luck.

 

[RonR]

Ditto on the biggest you can pull.

If you plan to keep the grass cut more often, I'd even go a size or two larger that recommended (assuming your 3PH can lift it). It's easy if you get a trailing mower.

That way, once the rough stuff is cut, and you can take less than a full swath the first time, the following cuts can be full swath and not put much load on the mower/tractor.

I pulled a 6' trail mower with a 20HP tractor to cut our yard area monthly. It was never very thick/tall, and barely noticed the effort. It was a lot faster than going round and round with a 4ft as the "experts" recommended for the tractor.

ron

 

[KenPauling]

Hi Greybeard! I've owned both types of cutters, and I got rid of my sickle bar mower because of the maintance required. It is nothing but a pain replacing the cutters. If you bought a new one and only mowed grass and tall weeds, or needed it for grain and feed work, it would work be the thing to have. The sickle bar mower also allows you to mow stuff far off to the right of your tractor. In the long run, the rotary mower will be much less trouble and able to handle most brush and tall weeds. If you keep the blades sharp, it does a nice job on meadow and field grass. Buy both and have everything handled! As I said, I've owned both and for occasional field maintance the rotary mower chops everything up with the least equipment maintance required. Good Luck on your choice. Buy quality, you will forget the price long before your equipment wears out. Buy junk and it will not be worth it, no matter how cheap!

 

[GrayBeard]

Thanks for thr remarks.
A lot of good comments.
I may now be leaning toward the brush hog type. It may "fill the bill" for about half the cost . /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
GrayBeard

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue">I was intent on getting a sickle bar mower but now I'm not sure </font>

If you dont have the need to mow road banks, ditch lines, under fences, pond dams and general field mowing,etc. I would go with the Rotary type Brush Hogs. Call Toll Free 1-866-528-3323 with any questions and ask for our Operations Manager. Mr Melvin --Ken Sweet



sweet@scrtc.com

 

[dsutt]

One thing I'd like to add in support of the sickle is that if you are mowing any decent sized area, especially if the grass is thick, it will consume less fuel than running a 'hog. Also as previously mentioned, they are great for cutting places that you simply can't straddle with a tractor - like a deep/wide ditch. They do have their uses.....plus when it's hooked to your tractor and sitting on your front lawn it really impresses the neighbors /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[awander]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'll put it on my 28 hp Cub. )</font>

Just interested-what kind of Cub has 28 hp?

Have you modified it?

Andy Wander