Rotary Cutter bush hog etc...

[jeff9366]

can a rotary mower be offset to the side, ideally it would be nice if you could cut outside the tires track

Not really.

If you need to mow fence lines, buy a rotary cutter 12" wider than your tire track, so it sticks out 6" wider than your tire on each side.

This will limit your ability to mow between trees for clearance reasons.

 

[TripleR]

As mentioned "bush hog" has become synonymous with any rotary cutter due to the "Bush Hog" brand's early prominence.

We have rotary cutters from 4' to 10'6" rated from 1" to 3". If you want to cut 2" you will need at least a medium duty, good quality cutter. While you can offset a bit, not enough to really help that much along fences, you can quite easily get trapped against a fence if you get too close. We use the big, pull type when getting close to fences, pond edges etc.

You can spend a bit more money and get an off-set cutter, but as mentioned, it can be great for some things and not so much in others.

In cutters as in most things, in my experience anyway, you get what you pay for, so we no longer buy anything but top brands.

Good luck.

 

[1026mrg]

We use both a Bush Hog as well as a flail mower up at our place. Bush Hog is certainly less expensive to purchase. Flail mower more expensive, but in some instances does a nicer job. Flail is better for fields where we have thicker stalks & stems to cut. Also does a better job of mulching than a rotary cutter. In fact the rotary cutter has very little, if any, mulching action. We have a flail with offset, as well as ability to move mowing head from 90 degrees vertical to
65 degrees below horizontal. So it is handier for mowing ditch banks, pond banks and roadsides with drainage ditches.

Flail mower where we have really thick vegetation, where we want to mulch clippings, where we need offset capabilities and where we need to angle the cutting head. The offset capability also works very well around fences and trees. A flail mower will handle the kind of cutting that you described. The bush hog gets used on open fields where we don't need mulching action and we generally just cut twice a season.

Different tools with different capabilities. What do you need out of a mower??

 

[Baby Grand]

About cutting saplings: there's a big difference in how rotary cutter will react to a 2" willow vs. a 2" hickory.
If you are cutting the latter, then I'd be leaning toward heavy duty cutter, if you can stretch your budget that far.
A consideration is weight with respect to size for light/medium/heavy duty and cut width.
Another thing to consider is length: a 2 spindle machine will get you width without having a lot of length.
Length can become a tail wagging the dog issue on side hills, as mentioned by jeff9366.
As you go up in duty rating (& weight) of the unit, the effect on the CG of the tractor/implement system starts to become an issue.
A large diameter, heavy duty cutter is going to transfer weight onto the aft axle, and off of the front (steering) axle.
This can get exciting when hill climbing and trying to turn sharply.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

If you keep your tractor brakes spilt, you can always turn. I agree with the general consensus about getting a larger mower to atleast cover your tire tracks.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Don't bother with a light duty cutter like the one in your photo. Your tractor will overpower it, and I suspect the cutter would not last long unless it was really babied.

And, yes, get one that covers your tire tracks.

 

[GManBart]

Depending upon your conditions, flail mowers are less maneuverable if you have many trees to negotiate.

I'm having a hard time envisioning conditions that would make that true. I just switched from a 72" cut rotary mower to an 87" cut flail, and the flail is at least as maneuverable between trees because it is less than half the overall length, and only a bit wider. If I had gone with a 72" cut flail the flail would be much more maneuverable. If someone was trying to run between trees with the mower offset, that might make a bigger difference, but that's just a bad plan of attack from the start.

 

[CobyRupert]

I share SMSTONYPOINT's recommendation that your Rotary Cutter's gearbox be rated greater than your PTO horsepower. Both my former King Kutter and current Land Pride rate twice my PTO horsepower.

Rotary Cutters are useful implements but the blade tips are moving around 140 mph. The stress on the mower when it encounters an obstruction is tremendous.

Hmmm. Never thought about this. On one hand you want the mower gearbox to be rated larger than the tractor to handle all the power the tractor can put through it when mowing. On the other hand, if your slip clutch or shear bolt fails to do it's job (i.e. holds) when you hit an obstacle, I'd want the mower gearbox to blow up rather than the tractor's rear end.
I guess if you're running a small mower with a big tractor you should slow down proportionately to limit the power you're putting through it.
I guess I agree with your statement that mower should be rated larger, with a note that it's really, really important that shear bolts are properly sized and slip clutches are exercised (freed) before operating each season so that the tractor isn't then the weak link.

 

[sandman2234]

If you keep your tractor brakes spilt, you can always turn. I agree with the general consensus about getting a larger mower to atleast cover your tire tracks.

Apparently you have never gotten stuck up against a fence or wall while pulling a bush hog, I mean rotary mower... In order to steer the front end away from a wall or fence, the bush hog has to go in the opposite direction and if there is an immovable wall or fence there then the bush hog just slams against it and you truely are stuck. You will find the same thing true with articulated mowers, such as a Steiner 525.
David from jax

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Apparently you have never gotten stuck up against a fence or wall while pulling a bush hog, I mean rotary mower... In order to steer the front end away from a wall or fence, the bush hog has to go in the opposite direction and if there is an immovable wall or fence there then the bush hog just slams against it and you truely are stuck. You will find the same thing true with articulated mowers, such as a Steiner 525.
David from jax

Never had the displeasure but I'm willing to bet that by splitting the brakes I could get away from it unless I slid down into it it would be even easier with 4wd. My brushing sits atleast a foot outside my tire tracks so I have room to steer.