How high to set rotary mower?

[oneillmj]

I live in western Virginia, have a new Rhino 160 rotary mower (bush hog) to be used with my Kioti CK35 to clear five acres of pasture that hasn't been mowed for at least ten years. There are lots of small cedars and wild blackberry brambles. How high should I be mowing, would you estimate, for my first pass over this mess? I'll avoid mowing anything much over an inch thick. Once it gets looking like pasture again what height would you recommend it be mowed and maintained at if I keep it mowed?

Mike

 

[bajabum]

I'd go as high as you can for the first pass, there will be rocks and such you can't see yet.

 

[vtsnowedin]

three inches in the front and four and a half in the back so you don't double cut stuff. Stay off the rocks if youv'e got um.

 

[LD1]

For the first cutting I'd go for 6-8". Following cuts, if terrain allow, 4-5".

3" is what finish mowers cut at. And that's too low IMO. Especially for first cutting.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Certainly a matter of personnel preference . I like the brush stumps as short as practical to reduce the amount of new shoots that try to sprout out of them. A late July or August cut works well as it is usually too dry for re sprouting.

 

[oneillmj]

Thanks for the replies and advice. Seems like a beautiful sunny day today and the ground has firmed up enough to give it a go.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Lucky you. I have two inches of fresh snow this morning and 25 degrees F.

 

[EddieWalker]

For the first cutting I'd go for 6-8". Following cuts, if terrain allow, 4-5".

3" is what finish mowers cut at. And that's too low IMO. Especially for first cutting.

I agree with this. Have it set for at least six inches for your first time out. There are things out there that you will never see until you hit them, and at 6 inches you will either go right over them, or hit them at a safe angle that you work with. Branches, stumps, rocks and garbage are always out there somewhere. This will also let you go faster and put less stress on everything. The deeper you cut, the more material you are dealing with, and the more HP and time it will take.

Then after you are done, give it a month to go and clean up everything by hand that you want to pick up, or mark it where it is and leave it. I personally like my mower set fairly low so I can see the snakes when I'm out for a walk and cut it at 3 inches.

Eddie

 

[flusher]

Walk your property and locate the large stuff. The weeds on my property when I first bought it were 3-4 ft tall. I found at least a dozen steel T-posts, several tires/rims, lengths of barbed wire, and a large steel bathtub in the weeds. Getting barbed wire wound around your brush hog is not a pleasant thing to get untangled. Once I got the large stuff removed, I mowed with the brush hog set at 4-5 inches.

Good luck.

 

[nybirdman]

First mow;run with the bucket low for unseen rocks ,stumps,car parts what-ever.First cut I would leave it a little high maybe 8-10inchs.