Is a Kubota L6060 (60hp) strong enough to run an 8' brush chopper?

[NonTypicalCPA]

I've got a hunting lease that I'm going to start to mow/spray on a rotational basis to keep the woody plants at bay. It's in a federal program for grasses/nesting cover. There are 6 different "fields" that I will rotate through, mowing each one every couple of years. This first cutting will have some areas with brush/small trees already growing, but I've found that my 6' chopper could handle it. Afterwards it will be mostly thick/tall grasses that I'll mow in the summer/fall. These fields total about 40 acres.

I just sold my 6' Land Pride to a neighbor and was going to pick up a 7' Land Pride from a local dealer. However, people here and online have said to consider an 8' twin blade chopper. Can my 60hp Kubota handle one? Should I look at 3 point or pull type? If I go with the 7', should I opt for the double tail wheel or the single?

 

[Mike1955]

I've got a hunting lease that I'm going to start to mow/spray on a rotational basis to keep the woody plants at bay. It's in a federal program for grasses/nesting cover. There are 6 different "fields" that I will rotate through, mowing each one every couple of years. This first cutting will have some areas with brush/small trees already growing, but I've found that my 6' chopper could handle it. Afterwards it will be mostly thick/tall grasses that I'll mow in the summer/fall. These fields total about 40 acres.

I just sold my 6' Land Pride to a neighbor and was going to pick up a 7' Land Pride from a local dealer. However, people here and online have said to consider an 8' twin blade chopper. Can my 60hp Kubota handle one? Should I look at 3 point or pull type? If I go with the 7', should I opt for the double tail wheel or the single?

Yes sir that machine is strong enough to handle that width. And the machine is heavy enough to handle the weight of the bush hog. So in my opinion you made a great choice!

 

[bnold]

Likely no problem with 8’ twin for power (I own a Grand L6060). It will pull a 12’ without much complaint in the right conditions (mowing more often than you)

3pt or pull depends on mower weight, L6060 lift capacity (understanding leverage effect) and if your 6060 has a front loader or weights to offset the mower weight for stability/steering.

 

[sea2summit]

I imagine you’d be fine with 10’ but 8 is gonna be better for having enough power if you’re doing anything that’s not flat.

 

[5030]

Whatever you get, you need to add an over running coupler to the end of the PTO stub shaft. I suggest a 75+ horsepower one. Reason is, no brush hog made has a built in over running coupler (I have both an 8 foot Land Pride flat top hog and a Land Pride Bat wing) and far as I know, no choppers come with them, they just have shear pins.

The reason why you want to add an over running coupler to the PTO stub shaft is simple. When you disengage the chopper, the chopper blades will continue to freewheel and impart motion to the PTO driveline. That motion will quickly destroy the internal PTO brake on a Kubota as the internal PTO brake is only 2 wet discs.

You don't want to destroy the PTO brake as the only way to replace it is splitting the tractor.

I run an over running coupler on all my tractor powered implements unless the implement has a built in over running clutch and again, far as I know, no brush hogs / choppers have them.

You will probably have to shorten the PTO driveline as the over running coupler will extend the stub shaft length about 6-8" depending on what you get.

 

[dusty3030]

An 8’ twin is a hell of a lot easier to run than a 7’ single. Your tractor would run a 8’ wonderfully. I personally prefer a pull type.

 

[5030]

On mine I have no issue with either and each have their best uses. My batwing is a trailer and the flat back is 3 point and both my tractors are heavy enough that I don't even know it's lifted. I tend to use the bat wing to mow ditch banks. One side is on the level and the other side is dropped to the bank angle.

 

[jeff9366]

However, people here and online have said to consider an 8' twin blade chopper. Can my 60hp Kubota handle one? Should I look at 3 point or pull type? If I go with the 7', should I opt for the double tail wheel or the single?

Does your L6060 have a 700 pound cab and air conditioning installed?

 

[5030]

I never run either of my shredders with my open station, always with the cab tractor, reason being is that at any time, you can get a UFO from under the mower coming forward at warp factor one. UFO= Unidentified FLYING object, as in a rock or a chunk of wood or whatever.

I do get that more with my disc hay mower however. In fact, both New Holland and Kubota advise the use of a cab tractor when mowing. Been zinged more than once but so far, just chipped glass.

 

[Smokeydog]

3 years without mowing will have 3-4” trees. That’s rough on any cutter. Some like walnut and hickory are partially tough. Been reclaiming wooded edges and trails with a brown tree cutter. New to me, the 25 year cutter has been a surprise to me how well it handles the woody stuff. Did the yearly mow off of the now fallow pastures did okay. Not the width of a rotary cutter.
Deer and turkeys love it.