Large field mowing jobs

   / Large field mowing jobs #11  
   / Large field mowing jobs #12  
One advantage I can see with a disc mower for roadside mowing is the fact that it extends far to one side of the tractor. That may well be the reason why a road dept. or county maint. crew would use one. My first disc mower was bought used. The original owner used it like a bush hog. It was 3 years old when I got it, and was for the most part, junk. Maybe I just have a bad impression of disc mowers for anything other than cutting hay (in a clean field)

You are correct in your appraisal of single vs. double spindle WIDE mowers. Once upon a time, I had a 10.5' Bush Hog 2-spindle 3-point mower. I now have a 7' Woods single spindle that I WISH someone else had. It grabs up rocks, scalps on uneven terrain, and is in general, just too awkward for most of my cutting. I recently bought a new Bush Hog 6' (286) cutter and let the Woods sit unless I'm mowing pastures. The 6'er works MUCH better.

Mowing rough, rocky, and hilly ground is a beast all it's own. Any advantage you gain usually nets a liability in another way. Fast is out of the equasion.

I'd still recommend looking at Rhino/Alamo/Shulte products or Bush Hog for their extreme duty mowers. Here in Kentucky, where rocks and hills are the norm, I see most highway dept. or commercial mowing contractors using one of those 2 brands for the most part.
 
   / Large field mowing jobs #13  
Check out the Woods RM990. I have mowed 3 foot high thick weeds (slowly) and lawn grass three inches high with excellent results. It is well made and cuts a 7.5 foot path. I'm cutting 10 inch high weeds at about 6-7 mph. They run about $3500+
 
   / Large field mowing jobs
  • Thread Starter
#14  
keving said:
Check out the Woods RM990. I have mowed 3 foot high thick weeds (slowly) and lawn grass three inches high with excellent results. It is well made and cuts a 7.5 foot path. I'm cutting 10 inch high weeds at about 6-7 mph. They run about $3500+


Thanks,

I never knew they made a heavy duty finish mower with swinging blades.
 
   / Large field mowing jobs #16  
Hi Derek,

My name is James Tyree II and I own and operate Oregon Field and Brush Mowing. I have been doing this for over 10 years now. People have mentioned zero turn mowers to me also.I had a customer who said that his previous mowing contractor used one to mow his 4 acre property. Unfortunately, the guy was killed when it rolled over on him. I say, use the right machine for the job. Zero turn mowers are great for slopes less than 20 degrees and for turf. Maybe an occasional tall grass mowing, but definitely NOT field and brush mowing. That is NOT what they are designed for and it will wear out their PTO clutch and the machine. 2.5 mph seems to be about as fast as I want to go on most fields, just for the fact of the roughness of the terrain, and that @2.5 mph, the volume of grass doesn't tend to overwhelm the tractor. 27pto hp minimum is what I find is necessary to run a 60"rotary cutter (bush hog) and some of the 72" rotary cutters are doable with less. I once used a Kubota L3010 and an Agri Tec 6 ft rotary cutter in 3-4' tall grass no sweat. Usually though, I am working in 5'6ft tall thick wet grass and the Reed Canary grass is some of the most power robbing vegetation I mow. Scotch broom requires a good bit of power too, but it can explode apart and one can clean up with a second pass small spots as needed. I would follow these guidelines to start. Woods Cadet 72" rotary cutters from the 1990's are some of the best, as are the Rhino rotary cutters. Those would be what I would use. Otherwise, a John Deere 609 or 709 is THE BEST you'll find for quality of cut and durability from what videos I have seen and what used ones look like in terms of how they hold up. I hope this helps!

Oregon Field & Brush Mowing
"Short or Tall, We Mow It All!"
 
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