Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower

   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #1  

Iplayfarmer

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Joined
Jul 11, 2005
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Idaho
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Massey Ferguson 1215, Case 801B
I'm sure this has been discussed already, but I have two excuses for asking again...1) I'm too lazy to go look it up, and 2) I like getting the fresh input. That's the point of a forum anyway isn't it? ...to discuss?

I'm expecting my tax return soon thanks to the pitter patter of little tax credits. I'm planning to get a rear mower for my small (18 HP gross) tractor. I think that I want a rough cut mower, but I'm not sure yet.

I'm getting it primarily to mow my two pastures after the horses have selectively grazed leaving only the weeds. I may do some custom jobs in the area (more as favors to friends than anything), and some of these places have some pretty high weeds. I may use it on my lawn occasionally when I am in a hurry or just looking for some extra seat time, but the main purpose is to mow the pasture.

I know that a rough cut mower will be cheaper. I know that a finish mower will make things look nicer. Here's what I still don't know...

Will a 4 foot finish mower require the same amount of PTO power as a 4 foot rough cut mower? Will one need more power that the other?

Are there things I can do with a rough cut that I can't do with the finish mower? (mow taller weeds? thicker brush?)

Are there other advantages/disadvantages to either that could help in making the decision?
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #2  
Don't have the info. on what HP you would need, but when I bought my tractor I wanted a finish mower. The dealer talked me out of it. He said the finish mower is nothing more than a larger lawnmower deck , is not very durable and strong, where the Dale Phillips shedder is very strong and durable, cuts almost as good, as far as clean cutting goes, and the price tag is cheaper. Bought the shedder instead, and it does cut very clean for something with a 4" wide blade on it. Have St. Augustine (or carpet grass) around the house, have cut it, cannot tell that great of a difference vs. my push lawnmower. If in the pasture, the shedder will take care of almost anything ( prickly pear, bushes, small trees, rocks) where the finish mower cannot or probably be damaged. Glad I took the dealers advise.
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks Grunewald!

Pardon my ignoronce, but is the "Dale Phillips shedder" any different than other rough cut mowers?
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #4  
A tractor will usually run the next size up finish mower to whatever rotary rough cut mower it is rated for. A brush mower lets you cut tough woody and thick brush.. that would pretty much doom a finish mower.

A brush mower, with some patience and blade care.. will make a near finish cut.. but not as good as a finish mower.

Soundguy
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #5  
Finish mowers are for manicured lawns. I found that out the hard way when I decided to mow my lower pasture with a LandPride 2572 finish mower. I thought hitting the occasional patch of brush or a small stone pushed up by the freeze/thaw cycle would only dull the blade. Wrong! My baffles have been completely destroyed, the blades cracked and threw off a nasty chunk that could have killed a pet or family member, and the sealed bearing seized. Sure wish I'd gotten the right implement for the job!

Pete
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #6  
To me, if you want things to look nice, you need both. A shredder with mow more pasture type land better. A finish mower will bog down easily and mine snaps the shear pin when I hit brush or ant mounds, so it's not very usefull for rough stuff. It does however give a fine finish to grass making it look nicer. I mow all the area along the road, house and edge of the pasture with a finish mower for looks.

If I could only have one, it would be a shredder. Just my .02
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #7  
A finish mower will take much more power to run than the bush hog type mower as it still has the gearbox and turns several blades much faster through a belt system.
For field mowing use the bush hog, the finish mower is not designed for grass much over 6 inches. It will bog down and burn up the belts. I have both and they both are great for what they are designed for.
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #8  
I sure wish I'd gotten a brush (rough) mower rather than my finish mower. We have rocks come up every Spring, and I end up beating up my finish mower something awful. It needed a new pulley and belt just a few months ago. I need to mow roughly a couple acres, and I don't care if it looks like a golf course when I get done.. but having it look like it's had a "recent haircut" is good. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I believe I'd have been far better off without the finish mower and with something more rugged.

I guess it's like everthing else.. live and learn. If I had it all to do over again, I'd do a lot of things differently!

Bob
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #9  
"A finish mower will take much more power to run than the bush hog type mower as it still has the gearbox and turns several blades much faster through a belt system."

I believe you have that backwards. The rotary cutters require more PTO power then the finishing mowers.

Just check out the minimum HP requirements for a 5' cutter vs. mower on any of the implement manufacturer web sites...Land Pride or Befco, for example.
 
   / Rough cut mower vs. finish Mower #10  
I agree with Roy. I think all tractors are rated for larger finish mowers than brush hogs. It's not the number of blades/belts but rather the mass that needs turning. Grass blades are lighter. While you can certainly bog down a finish mower in high grass, with a brush mower you are trying to cut through and mulch saplings etc which takes more power.
 
 
 
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