Considering best bang for the buck for acreage

   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #1  

TractorOnMyMind

New member
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Messages
11
Location
Roanoke,VA
Tractor
John Deere Lawn Tractor, but looking
Hi all,

We have 45 *hilly* acres in southwestern VA, of which about 25 acres is grass (former pasture). The remainder is wooded. I am looking for something(s) that will accomplish the following tasks (in no particular order)...

  • -keep the grass (20-25 acres worth) from getting out of control (rough rotary cut it is fine since it doesn't have to be pretty). Mowing is fine too. Unclear which is faster/cheaper (surprisingly, it seems that mowing might be?). NOTE - the grassland is very bumpy, and there are some good hills, so I think a Zero Turn would eventually fall apart and/or get stuck. VERY FEW OBSTACLES THOUGH, JUST BACK AND FORTH, ALL DAY LONG.
  • -possibly grading an old dirt road that is now washed out severely, some big rocks in there.
  • -occasional re-grading of a 1/4 mile long gravel driveway.
  • -occasional snow plowing of the same driveway.
  • -hauling firewood up to the house (I think a fel will be fine for this).
  • -hauling other stuff like rocks (again, a fel should do it).
  • -occasional light digging work (fel).
  • -clearing brush in the woods, keeping paths clear (fel, possible rotary cutter eventually).

My budget is a little bit flexible, but I do want to be careful.

Maybe most importantly - TIME isn't really an issue (to a point). If it takes me more time with a smaller machine (FOR ANYTHING ABOVE), then that's fine up *to a point* (for example, mowing everything in 12 hours, spread over a few days, 3-4 times a year, seems about right).


My current thinking (as of today, anyway) is to get a Kubota BX scut with a fel and a 60" belly mower. I wasn't going to bother with this kind of mower, but I saw that it allows you to raise it to 6", which should allow me to move at a good clip. The BX's move at 7-8mph, which should allow me to cut 3-4 acres an hour, which is GREAT!! I'd add a LandPride (or similar) box grader, and a front angle blade to plow (and chains), and I think I've accomplished everything I need for about the minimum cost (still pushing $20k new, but I don't really see a way to go cheaper without going used).

Thoughts? Suggestions? Laughter? ;p

Thank you!
 
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   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #2  
I don't know that a belly mower will get you to 3-4 times a year. I don't know the 'maximum height' that a belly mower can cut, but I would look into it and see.

I fear that you would be moving very slowly through some pretty tall grass with a very narrow mower... resulting in lots of colorful verbiage.
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks Dadnatron. You may be right about the verbiage. I guess for just the mowing part of my question, it boils down to...

What's the fastest way (within reason and within reasonable cost) to cut 20-some acres of (bumpy, hilly, but zero obstacle) grassland, IF I already had a scut that only puts out 18-19 hp at the pto shaft? (and IF I was going to be mowing pretty high stuff 3-4 times a year).

The problem I see with a rotary cutter is that, on a scut, I'd be stuck with something narrow like 42", and that will take me forever even if I'm moving at close to max speed.

Maybe a wider (i.e. 60") rear-finishing mower with rear-discharge and a high (5-6") cutting height?

Or goats? (just kidding, I hope)
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #4  
I would want a batwing or at least a twin spindle bushhog for realistically keeping that much acreage cut anything less is just going to be miserable.
 
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   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #5  
I would check the HP/PTO requirements for a flail mower. I'd rather use a flail than a belly mower for that sort of situation.

Or just buy a bigger, older tractor and make it a dedicated mower using a batwing. Or even a sickle if you don't mind it just laying down for a while.
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #6  
Pretty funny to think about using a SCUT for rough cutting 25 acres. Bad plan.

As I was reading your first post, I thought 60 hp and a twin spindle cutter and FEL. 4wd of course. Based upon your budget, I would still get something of higher hp, certainly used. Around here, one can buy a nice older 4x4 tractor with loader in the 50 hp range for 15 to 18 grand. Add 3k for a good 8-foot cutter. That would be the minimum size I would consider to mow what you are looking at mowing. Using a SCUT to mow that much a few times a year would be like trying to do it with a weed whacker. Just the ground clearance and being low down in the grass would drive me crazy.

Good luck.
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #7  
:welcome: Tractoronmymind!
I completely agree with bspeedy above. Belly mowers are lawn mowers.
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thanks everybody, this is great information, and probably what I needed to hear. It sounds like the scut will do absolutely everything I want on my list, EXCEPT the mowing?

I may very well go used, but I still want to understand all my options, which leads me to another question...

What about a Kubota B or L, with a rotary cutter (say just 60"). There are no obstacles to speak of, so my math tells me that even if I'm going at ONLY HALF SPEED (on just the B), which is ~6.5mph, then it would only take me about 6 hours to mow everything. Am I missing something there? Is that speed doable through high-ish grass with a cutter of this width, at its max height?

Again, just forming an understanding at this point. Thanks.
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #9  
My limited experience in mowing with rough cut (brush hog) style mower is the you have to drive slow to get any type of semi decent cut. I have 24 HP tractor (similar to B series bota)and run a 5 foot brush hog through 2 foot grass 4 or 5 times a year. I cover around 1 acre per hour. Yes you could mow 25 acres just have to allow the time.

My BX also did not have an oil cooler for the tranny so it ran real hot doing continuous heavy PTO work.

If your ground is rough you will beat yourself and your equipment up at 8 MPH.

Belly mower will just plug on taller grass due to the side discharge being the limiting factor.
 
   / Considering best bang for the buck for acreage #10  
Hi all,

We have 45 *hilly* acres in southwestern VA, of which about 25 acres is grass (former pasture). The remainder is wooded. I am looking for something(s) that will accomplish the following tasks (in no particular order)...

  • -keep the grass (20-25 acres worth) from getting out of control (rough rotary cut it is fine since it doesn't have to be pretty). Mowing is fine too. Unclear which is faster/cheaper (surprisingly, it seems that mowing might be?). NOTE - the grassland is very bumpy, and there are some good hills, so I think a Zero Turn would eventually fall apart and/or get stuck. VERY FEW OBSTACLES THOUGH, JUST BACK AND FORTH, ALL DAY LONG.
  • -possibly grading an old dirt road that is now washed out severely, some big rocks in there.
  • -occasional re-grading of a 1/4 mile long gravel driveway.
  • -occasional snow plowing of the same driveway.
  • -hauling firewood up to the house (I think a fel will be fine for this).
  • -hauling other stuff like rocks (again, a fel should do it).
  • -occasional light digging work (fel).
  • -clearing brush in the woods, keeping paths clear (fel, possible rotary cutter eventually).

My budget is a little bit flexible, but I do want to be careful.

Maybe most importantly - TIME isn't really an issue (to a point). If it takes me more time with a smaller machine (FOR ANYTHING ABOVE), then that's fine up *to a point* (for example, mowing everything in 12 hours, spread over a few days, 3-4 times a year, seems about right).


My current thinking (as of today, anyway) is to get a Kubota BX scut with a fel and a 60" belly mower. I wasn't going to bother with this kind of mower, but I saw that it allows you to raise it to 6", which should allow me to move at a good clip. The BX's move at 7-8mph, which should allow me to cut 3-4 acres an hour, which is GREAT!! I'd add a LandPride (or similar) box grader, and a front angle blade to plow (and chains), and I think I've accomplished everything I need for about the minimum cost (still pushing $20k new, but I don't really see a way to go cheaper without going used).

Thoughts? Suggestions? Laughter? ;p

Thank you!

Mowing wise, my rotary cutter attached to my tractor will smoke my full suspension Ferris mower that has an air seat on it, but a rotary cutter is not a finish mower.

The question then becomes: how much do you like grass?
 
 
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