Rotary Cutter setup questions

[Tony_V]

I just picked up a used 60" rotary cutter. I've used these in the past however I've never had to set one up. Do these get set up like finish mowers where the deck should be level or slightly higher in the front? The way it came is completely opposite for the height I want to mow at. There also seems to be a very wide adjustment for the top link. Is there a correct way to adjust this as well?

Thanks,
Tony

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm assuming by "rotary cutter" you're talking "bush hog" style cutter. The suggested set-up for them is to have the front about an inch LOWER than the rear. That keeps the blades from having to "cut everything 2 times", reducing the "load" on your tractors engine. It also gives a better cut. SOunds like the mower you got was set up correctly already.

 

[flusher]

I have a 4-ft KK brush hog that I use with my 21-hp B7510HST. After hitching it to the tractor and tightening the sway links, I lower the hog to the garage floor and use the top link adjustment to raise the rear of the mower about a inch off the floor. Then I lift the mower so the front is about 2 inches off the floor. The last step is to adjust the rear wheel so it just touches the floor.

When I mow, I lower the mower so the front is about 2 inches off the ground and then I close the hydraulic valve (on my Kubota, the knob under the seat between your knees) to keep the 3pt hitch from bleeding down while mowing. This method seems to work fine on my 10-acre parcel which is flat, rolling pasture land with some rough spots.

Your tractor may not have the bleed-down problem like B-series Kubotas seem to have, so you may be able to skip the last step. My tractor doesn't have position control on the 3-pt hitch (it has the stupid quarter-inching system that's pretty useless).

 

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum.
Finish mowers should also be slightly lower in the front to do the best job cutting. But there are differences in opinions, so you can do as you like with the cut that you get.

I float the Rotary cutter with chains replacing the brace bars that are between the rear of the cutter and the top link connection. The rear wheel then controls the height of the rear of the deck, and the 3pt controls the height of the front of the deck.

 

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum.
Finish mowers should also be slightly lower in the front to do the best job cutting. But there are differences in opinions, so you can do as you like with the cut that you get.

I float the Rotary cutter with chains replacing the brace bars that are between the rear of the cutter and the top link connection. The rear wheel then controls the height of the rear of the deck, and the 3pt controls the height of the front of the deck.

 

[Glenn9643]

Flusher,
You might be interested in a set of height limiting chains for your 3pt hitch.
There was a discussion recently on these forums; I don't remember if they were referred to as limit-chains, check-chains?
At any rate, I've got a set (from my MF dealer) for about $20. Install them along with the bush-hog and they automatically limit the height of the cutter at preselected level. I was having a problem with my tilt cylinder bleeding down on the right side and this solved it.

 

[Glenn9643]

Flusher,
You might be interested in a set of height limiting chains for your 3pt hitch.
There was a discussion recently on these forums; I don't remember if they were referred to as limit-chains, check-chains?
At any rate, I've got a set (from my MF dealer) for about $20. Install them along with the bush-hog and they automatically limit the height of the cutter at preselected level. I was having a problem with my tilt cylinder bleeding down on the right side and this solved it.

 

[flusher]

Glenn9643:

You're fortunate that MF had the foresight to provide some type of attach points for check chains on your tractor. Kubota, in another design slip, neglected to do that for my B7510HST. I've wanted to add check chains for quite a while, but without getting out the welder, there's no way to get them to work on my tractor.

Which is another reason why I'm in the market for a MF-135 or MF-150.

 

[flusher]

Glenn9643:

You're fortunate that MF had the foresight to provide some type of attach points for check chains on your tractor. Kubota, in another design slip, neglected to do that for my B7510HST. I've wanted to add check chains for quite a while, but without getting out the welder, there's no way to get them to work on my tractor.

Which is another reason why I'm in the market for a MF-135 or MF-150.