Hypothetical situation

[JayC]

We have about 4 acres that are not cut. It has actually never been cut. I am just curious what kind of machine would it take to cut all this tall stuff? At the south and west edges the grass is REALLY tall. It is about 6 feet tall and THICK. There are also really big pricker plants and bur bushes mixed in. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif In the rest of the field is about 18-24" tall grass, weeds, and about 18-24" tall, 1-2" thick saplings. The ground is realtively flat but REALLY bumpy. There are ant hills all over the place and long little hills from when they tiled it a long time ago. It would be a real bugger to try and cut. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[DocHeb]

A HD brush hog/rotary mower/shredder would take care of that situation. The bigger units can even shred 2-3" trees. Heck, if the dirt sticks up it will even knock the tops off that! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif They're designed to handle that type work.

It won't be worthwhile to buy a HD rotary mower if you have limited use (i.e., you'll be keeping better control of the weeds in the future) - it may be prudent to hire somebody with a bad-a** shredder/rotary mower to do the first cut, and then buy a lighter mower (such as a rear-discharge finish mower) that you could use on your tractor for future cutting. Either way, walk the field before cutting looking for hidden suprises.

After the initial cut, if there are areas that need to be leveled, you could use a FEL with toothbar, a box blade, or rear blade to help smooth them out.

 

[JayC]

Thanks for the reply! So it is possible to cut through that jungle! lol Anywho, what kind of tractor would be best suited for the job HP wise?

 

[dieselsmoke1]

Mostly depends on how fast you want to cut and what size the implement.

If you're looking at a real 5' Bush Hog Stump Jumper, probably need to consider near 30 HP or above to have adequate power, lift and speed.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's some links to videos of my Power Trac PT425 with a 48" front mounted brush hog. It is a little beast that eats anything up to about 2". The videos are in Windows Media format and can take a few minutes to download over dial up, but are fun to watch.
http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425DeepWeeds1.WMV
http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425DeepWeeds2.WMV http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425FieldClearing.WMV
http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425MultiFloraRose.WMV

It does the job /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JayC]

Thanks for the videos! I enjoyed watching them! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I could watch things like that all day. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif That PowerTrac seems to be quite a capable machine. It's got me interested! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif It cut through all that stuff really well! How much horespower is it?

 

[MossRoad]

25HP Kohler, 8GPM @ 2500PSI hydraulic PTO runs all of the implements out front on the FEL arms. Hydraulically articulated tractor. Pretty fun and very capable machine.

If you want to see more, check out http://www.power-trac.com.

Or, to see more of our Power Trac, just click on my little tractor icon in my signature. It is a link to our website with lots of pictures and more videos.

Plus, there is a Power Trac forum right here on TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[dieselsmoke1]

MossRoad, I'm impressed. Never seen one of these units in action. Looks like it would be a hoot to operate.

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> Looks like it would be a hoot to operate. </font>

Every time I get on it, I get a big smile. All of the implements are out front right where I can keep an eye on them. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JayC]

Hmmm... a 25 hp Koehler? That is very impressive for a gas engine! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I saw the Power Trac forum, but never checked it out. I will have to see what other owners say. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I will check out your website and theirs more. I did check their website out rather briefly. Their history kinda surprised me. It was interesting. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif