Mowing Mahindra 4110 - 5' or 6' Rotary Cutter?

[Dougster]

I'm back after 8 years away from TBN to ask one very important (to me) question: What size rotary cutter should I buy for my Mahindra 4110?

Here's the whole story: The good wife and I finally bought our retirement property... 6 acres of old, mostly cleared farmland an hour west of where we live now. Our new home and finished property will likely comprise just under 1 acre, leaving 5 cleared acres to care for with my 2004 Mahindra 4110 and a new rotary cutter.

I have only ever used a 5' rotary cutter on the Mahindra 4110 prior to this. It was a rental unit and the only one available from a nearby Kubota dealership. I believe it was a Land Pride. It worked fine for me... no issues at all. Even fit well on my trailer. That was about 7 years ago, give or take. I have not had any need to use one since... until now.

For the new property, I started out looking for a 6' rotary cutter to buy... wide enough to cover my rear track. Almost immediately, I ran into trouble when that same nearby Kubota dealer told me that my 4110 could not handle a 6' rotary cutter and that I should stick with the 5' cutter just like the one I had previously rented. Reinforcing that opinion, my old mentor (whom I totally respect) also felt the 4110 would work better for me on the new property with a 5' rotary cutter. Since he once owned a Mahindra 4110, I took his opinion very seriously and restarted my search totally focused on a 5-footer. Then the trouble started.

Mahindra dealer #1 in my area told me that my 4110 could indeed handle a 6-footer and that I would regret it later if I bought the 5-footer that he had for sale. Okay, fine. An alternate opinion.

Two weeks later, I had occasion to stop at Mahindra dealer #2 in my area. He gave me his price on a 5-footer (a little better than dealer #1)... but when he heard that I was putting it on a Mahindra 4110 he stopped everything. In his words, I was a "**** fool" if I was going to buy a 5-footer to do 5 acres just because I didn't think the 4110 could handle a 6-footer. Ouch. Double ouch, in fact.

Now, the good wife is giving me trouble. She knows I can only afford to do this once and I can't afford to make a mistake. Whatever I buy has got to work or my goose is cooked.

So here I am... back on TBN looking for opinions and experience from other 4110 owners. What did you buy and how is it working out for you? Would you buy the same size rotary cutter again? Or would you go bigger or smaller?

Thank you in advance for any and all help. This time I really need it!!!

 

[mcfarmall]

I only know the new Mahindra model numbers. What is your PTO horsepower of the 4110? Most folks say 5hp per foot of cutter width as a general guideline. If you're just clipping grass on a regular basis you can go a little bigger with a cutter. If it was me, I'd get the 6 footer and drop a gear in thick conditions, when growth is light, you'll save time with the wider cutter.

Don't go by the gearbox rating. Some of the 6' heavy duty cutters have 90hp gearboxes on them. Doesn't mean you need 90hp to run the cutter, just means the gearbox can handle what a 90hp tractor can put out.

 

[Dougster]

I only know the new Mahindra model numbers. What is your PTO horsepower of the 4110? Most folks say 5hp per foot of cutter width as a general guideline. If you're just clipping grass on a regular basis you can go a little bigger with a cutter. If it was me, I'd get the 6 footer and drop a gear in thick conditions, when growth is light, you'll save time with the wider cutter.

Don't go by the gearbox rating. Some of the 6' heavy duty cutters have 90hp gearboxes on them. Doesn't mean you need 90hp to run the cutter, just means the gearbox can handle what a 90hp tractor can put out.

Thanks for the reply. I understand the HP ratings, both for the tractor (33.6 PTO HP) and for the rotary cutters (both minimum HP requirement and gear box rating)... but my question goes somewhat beyond that and is very machine-specific to the 4110. The HP ratings would appear to say that my tractor can handle at least a standard-duty 6-footer... but the Kubota dealer and my old mentor both say that a 6-footer will be very hard on the tractor and very hard on me, in large part due to the weight of my tractor (about 4,000 pounds by spec w/o Loader) which they say is too low for handling a 6-footer. There are also some old lingering questions about the validity (accuracy) of the 33.6 PTO HP rating and the 4,000 pound tractor weight which may be on the minds of the 6-footer skeptics.

In regard to conditions, that first cut (which will be necessary ASAP) is going to be pretty darn tough whether I get a 6-footer or a 5-footer. The property is heavily overgrown with weeds from lack of care and the ground itself is in very tough shape, apparently from erosion. I'm trying to farm out that first cut to a pro with a much bigger tractor and rotary cutter, but no luck so far. Subsequent cuts at regular intervals should be much easier on me and the tractor I would think.

So in summary, my question is not so much about specs and guidelines as it is about my specific tractor. That's why I'd love to hear from some 4110 owners and see what they are using and whether they'd go bigger or smaller than what they've got right now.

There are two other complicating flies in the ointment:

1) There is the distinct possibility of a more powerful cabbed tractor in my future (~1-2 years away). The PTO HP of the cabbed tractor would be far more appropriate to a 6-footer than a 5-footer but the size and weight of the cabbed tractor isn't all that much greater than what I own now. So if the main issue is the weight of my current tractor, the cabbed tractor may not be much better.

2) What is in stock to buy, what I can afford to buy and how I would be able to transport the rotary cutter to my property (and onto my property) and be able to store it there safely this winter are not minor issues and may ultimately affect or even determine what I am able to buy just as much as the tractor itself. While that is entirely my problem to deal with, it may leave me with some less-than-ideal options this late in the year. My shopping continues tomorrow.

 

[skipmarcy]

Have been running my 4110 for 14 years with a 6' and some extremely heavy stuff at times. I cut a small forest of poplar saplings in the 2"-3" range once without a whimper from the tractor although the noise was rough on me ... My 4110 is 41 engine hp and 38 hp at the shaft. I always have my FEL on the tractor and it really helps balance-out the weight of a rotary cutter, some can't maneuver with the loader sticking out front but I've had no problems. That loader comes in handy a lot while cutting out in the field. My rear tires are loaded too, each with 55 gal. methanol mix. I just turned over 2700 hours on my tractor last week and was bushogging just fine with it. In fact I even run a little lower rpms with no problems, my engine does fine in the 2200 range while rated rpm is around 2500. I wouldn't be happy at all with a 5 footer that won't cover the rear track.

 

[Dougster]

Have been running my 4110 for 14 years with a 6' and some extremely heavy stuff at times. I cut a small forest of poplar saplings in the 2"-3" range once without a whimper from the tractor although the noise was rough on me ... My 4110 is 41 engine hp and 38 hp at the shaft. I always have my FEL on the tractor and it really helps balance-out the weight of a rotary cutter, some can't maneuver with the loader sticking out front but I've had no problems. That loader comes in handy a lot while cutting out in the field. My rear tires are loaded too, each with 55 gal. methanol mix. I just turned over 2700 hours on my tractor last week and was bushogging just fine with it. In fact I even run a little lower rpms with no problems, my engine does fine in the 2200 range while rated rpm is around 2500. I wouldn't be happy at all with a 5 footer that won't cover the rear track.

Excellent report... thank you! I hadn't mentioned the tires but I had planned to widen the track once I don't have to transport the tractor on my trailer any longer. Filling the tires might be a problem as I have a micro-leak in one rear tire (I top it off once a year). Wherever that micro-leak is, I don't want it spewing anti-freeze! :laughing: But perhaps the added weight of loaded tires would help with the expected rough ride.

I expect to leave the FEL in place as I always have. No plans to take that off for mowing. In fact, I want it on there for certain with my widest bucket (or possibly my heaviest bucket if that helps).

Again, thanks for the report!

 

[Eddievalleytrailer]

I'd go with the 6 footer for sure. You'll want to cover the width of the tractor. I use a 5 footer on my 2538, which has less power that your tractor, and it doesn't even know it's back there. I'd feel fine running 6' on the 2538. It doesn't really take a ton of power to run a bush hog once it's spinning. As far as weight goes, get a standard duty and it'll do just fine. According to Tractor Supply, a 6' is only 79 lbs heavier than a 5'.

 

[Dougster]

I'd go with the 6 footer for sure. You'll want to cover the width of the tractor. I use a 5 footer on my 2538, which has less power that your tractor, and it doesn't even know it's back there. I'd feel fine running 6' on the 2538. It doesn't really take a ton of power to run a bush hog once it's spinning. As far as weight goes, get a standard duty and it'll do just fine. According to Tractor Supply, a 6' is only 79 lbs heavier than a 5'.

Thanks for the reply. In my continuing shopping today, I finally found a Mahindra dealer who frowns upon me buying a 6-footer for the 4110. In fact, he even tried to discourage me from considering a medium duty 5-footer. The only one he said he'd recommend "without reservation" was the "standard duty" 5-footer.

A lot of this thumbs up/thumbs down nonsense seems to relate to the weight or duty class of the rotary cutter(s) in question... but I am starting to understand where the Kubota dealer was coming from. Put another way, it seems to be more about weight or mass (of both the cutter and the tractor) than horsepower. And, of course, it doesn't help that my first cut on this property is probably going to be a nasty tough one. I think some of the dealers are afraid I'll be back looking for a refund right after that first cut! :laughing:

Anyway, I deeply appreciate your report along with the others. My options are dwindling fast as the selling season draws to a close. I tried again today to farm out the first cut to a third party so I could wait until spring to buy... but no luck. Can't do much more this week due to other pressing obligations so hopefully my luck will improve next week.

 

[Eddievalleytrailer]

Check this out. No problem!!!
Mahindra 411 and new 6ft Kodiak rotary cutter...wiping out a garden. - YouTube

 

[Dougster]

Check this out. No problem!!!
Mahindra 411 and new 6ft Kodiak rotary cutter...wiping out a garden. - YouTube

Oh, I know. That was one of the first videos I watched when I started this whole cutter shopping thing. :laughing: And they tell me the Mahindra cutters are made by Kodiak. Sure looks the same as the ones I've been seeing at the Mahindra dealerships.

So why do you figure am I encountering so much resistance to the 6-footer? Are these dealers and friends just being ultra-conservative? One would think that the dealers would LOVE to sell me a 6-footer instead of a 5-footer just for the extra profit! :dance1:

Is it a long-term thing? Extra wear on the tractor PTO or the machine in general maybe? Or extra wear on me? Or both? :confused3:

Am I scaring them with my extra nasty "first cut" scenario? :laughing:

The visual evidence looks pretty convincing in that video. So why are the dealers giving me such firm yet conflicting opinions?

 

[oldpilgrim]

They probably only have 5 footers in stock and don't want you to go elsewhere to get a 6.