brush hog size

[grey wolves farm]

i am going to purchase a brush hog this spring and I need some input on the size. I mow pastures on hillsides, about 10 - 20 degrees slope, I have a New Holland/Ford 1725 and I was using my 6 ft finish mower to mow pastures and yard. The pasture growth gets to be a little too much for a finish mower. I think the 4 ft brush hog may be safer to use but some people think the 5 ft would be a better choice. Most available brush hog seems to be the King Kutter and I have heard mixed reviews about them. Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Bird]

Obviously, the smaller (narrower) the brush hog, the less power it takes to run it, but for me personally, I would not consider buying one that was not just one size wider than the outside tread of the rear tires. That enabled me to get close to trees, fences, and buildings. And if the brush gets too thick for it to mow easily, just cut half (or some other fraction) of a swath at a time.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Like Bird says, or don't cut as short on the first pass, then re-cut shorter a little later.

 

[jbrumberg]

grey wolves farm:

Welcome to TBN ! If I remember correctly the Ford 1725 HP "specs" are similar to my NH TC29DA (29/23+PTO HP). I would recommend that you use a rotary cutter that is slightly wider than your rear tire width as recommended by Bird. I have had no problems with my 60" RC mowing ~7+A's of rough and sloped field with brambles and an occassional sapling or two ~1.5+ thick. My field used to be much worse, and I did sacrifice a heavy duty RC in the 20 year process. Be CAREFUL mowing on your slope . I does not take much (~15 degrees) to roll your tractor with the right conditions. I would recommend that you mow up and down slope, mow slow, and you keep your weight (i.e. FEL, weighted rears, etc.) low. I have weighted R-1's for traction. I installed a Lev-O-Gage Clinometer from West Marine (~$14.00) on my tractor to quantify the "Pucker Factor" , but I really read my "seat". My avatar is a picture of me mowing up from my lower field. The "grass" was 5' - 6' high in spots. I cut my field at ~ 7" high due to the wet year possibly bringing up more hidden "surprises". I have a Tebben Medium Duty Rotary Cutter (TC94-500). The readership seems to like the KK brand. I have looked at a lot of their attachments. Most of the KK attachments appear to be made of sufficient thickness steel with average welds and poor paint finish. (I wish the KK HD Box Blade did not have a hinged rear back blade ). Whatever RC you get, get one that has a "stump jumper" and a slip clutch. They will save you a lot of aggravation in the long run. Good luck on your research and attachment acquisition. The membership of TBN loves to spend everyone's money . Jay

 

[Soundguy]

I would think a 1725 should run a medium or light duty 5' cutter like a KK or howse just fine.

My ex-1920 ran a 6' cutter fine, and would spinn a 5' cutter like an airplane taking off.

Soundguy

 

[LoneCowboy]

Get a five footer

 

[drm]

I have a TC33DA and hilly terrain. I use a Southern 5' medium duty cutter. On the level stuff (<10 degree slope) it is hardly noticed but >15 degrees it will pull you around if your are not carefull on the slopes. I have filled rears and keep the FEL low and as recommended up and down appreciable slopes and not across.

A 6 foot would be too heavy on slopes.

 

[mjcbluridg]

Based on my experience with a small Ford 1210 and 4' KK BH (3.3 PTO HP per foot of cut) and a new TC34 and 5' KK BH (6 PTO HP per ft), I think you'll have enough power for the 5' rotary cutter, but not by a huge margin. You may have to develop certain techniques to maximize the usefulness of the power available. I think the KKs are built a little stouter than most other bush hogs in their price range, with comparable gearboxes and equal or slightly thicker blades, generally thicker decks, decent bracing, etc. - the worst part is having to assemble the lifting brackets. They are not nearly as nice as a $1800 Bush Hog brand cutter, but ...... Good luck.

 

[mathey]

I have a TC33D and a light duty 72" rotary (NH 914B)...it works fine, but my land is very flat, and we generally stay on top of the mowing

 

[fire72]

The usual rule of thumb is 5 PTO horsepower per foot of rotary cutter width. This gets you in the ballpark you were already looking at anyway. From there, it's your call based on weight, cost, type of mowing, etc. Longer and/or heavier brush does not necessarily mean harder going; I have several spots near seeps on my back hill where the grass is maybe a foot high when I mow it, but it is so lush and thick that it bogs the tractor down far more than taller brush. Sharp blades made a noticeable difference, so plan to put a grinder on them from time to time.

As far as brand, KK won't lead you too far wrong for general maintenance cutting. It's far from the best brand available, but it gets the job done. I've had my 5' KK for five years, and it was used when I bought it. Ive mostly done routine field cutting with it, but it's taken down everything up through sumac, blackberries, and rose taller than my ROPS.

After size is considered, it just comes down to how much you want to spend. I'd love to upgrade to a better built model, but the KK was what I could afford at the time and it's still getting the job done. KK doesn't usually come with a slip clutch, but I recommend adding one if you go that route. It eliminates the hassle of broken shear pins; if you put in one stout enough that it doesn't break every time you look at it, you worry that it's allowing too much shock load on the PTO driveline. Depending on your level of comfort/risk tolerance, you may want to consider a model with chain guards available. From time to time, as debris is hitting me in the back of the head, I think they might be a good idea...