Mowing Is mowing a pasture supposed to be this hard?

[theSeb]

Ah, ok, I was being honest when I asked about the 20-30' mower not sensitive. The dealer says 7' is lots and you guys say it's too small (I'll take your guys' word first any day cause experience takes over dealer knowledge on this stuff.)

So is it safe to say I should stick with 4hp/ft. for most attachments and 10hp/ft. for the heavy digging/ground engaging attachments? This is the type of info that's good to know cause I asked the dealer about harrows for the pasture and he said I could use any size I wanted, is that true? Cause (I would never use this big) that would mean I could pull a 50' or 70' harrow.

There are many factors that come into this like the type of soil, the gradient and so forth so trying to make some x hp / foot rule and sticking to it isn't always a good idea. You have a pretty powerful tractor and you should be using implements that match it correctly, otherwise you're just wasting diesel. I use a 5065e for mowing our horse pastures. I am using a flail mower that is just over 7 foot and it works perfectly fine (requires 50-55 HP according to specs). Bear in mind that a flail mower is a lot more heavy duty than a deck mower and requires more power. 100+ HP is plenty enough grunt for a decent sized topper, but what are you topping and what are the ground conditions like?

As for cultivators etc. I use a 10 foot spring tine cultivator and a 10 foot chain harrow (not a drag one) and could easily use a bigger one.

 

[Verticaltrx]

A 10' twin spindle pull-type cutter or a 15' batwing are what you are looking for.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Ah, ok, I was being honest when I asked about the 20-30' mower not sensitive. The dealer says 7' is lots and you guys say it's too small (I'll take your guys' word first any day cause experience takes over dealer knowledge on this stuff.)

So is it safe to say I should stick with 4hp/ft. for most attachments and 10hp/ft. for the heavy digging/ground engaging attachments? This is the type of info that's good to know cause I asked the dealer about harrows for the pasture and he said I could use any size I wanted, is that true? Cause (I would never use this big) that would mean I could pull a 50' or 70' harrow.

Actually I'm trying to say that you need 8-10hp per foot for your mower, but you also need a heavy duty mower. Bush Hog is a good brand. Don't think you need a 70' harrow. Maybe a 10' footer too. Depends on model and size of disk and weight. A heavy disk harrow for deep disking will take upwards of 10+ hp per foot or more.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Ah, ok, I was being honest when I asked about the 20-30' mower not sensitive. The dealer says 7' is lots and you guys say it's too small (I'll take your guys' word first any day cause experience takes over dealer knowledge on this stuff.)

You can certainly go bigger. It is obvious tho that whatever - you need more durable. From the looks of the meat in those failed yokes, that cutter you have would be safe on a 50horse tractor. If you like the 7' width it must be a true heavy duty cutter with a gearbox rated well over 100HP. Any cutter you get should have a gearbox of this capabiliy so it can accomodate torque spikes inherent to various situational mowing.
larry

 

[corey9212]

if you look at the picture the yoke spread out.this appears to be a stuck clutch problem.it could of broke the box or twisted the shaft .all of which has happened on my farm. about the 7 foot bush hog,it is plenty for his amout of acres.years ago i cut 200 acres of cotton stalks with a jd 709 cutter in a week.

When the mechanic was replacing the shaft he took apart the clutch and there was rust on the plates so I would think that it was ceased up.
Not only were they spread but one of them had a chunk missing.

Yes... but - there is no way that a Frontier 2084 is anywhere in the same league as a 709! It's not a good match with a 100hp tractor... have to always watch every little burp in the landscape for fear of blowin' the mower up.

AKfish

This pasture has a lot of bumps, it went without maintenance for quite a few years that gopher hills were everywhere and most were compacted really well putting the mower through its paces.

There are many factors that come into this like the type of soil, the gradient and so forth so trying to make some x hp / foot rule and sticking to it isn't always a good idea. You have a pretty powerful tractor and you should be using implements that match it correctly, otherwise you're just wasting diesel. I use a 5065e for mowing our horse pastures. I am using a flail mower that is just over 7 foot and it works perfectly fine (requires 50-55 HP according to specs). Bear in mind that a flail mower is a lot more heavy duty than a deck mower and requires more power. 100+ HP is plenty enough grunt for a decent sized topper, but what are you topping and what are the ground conditions like?

As for cultivators etc. I use a 10 foot spring tine cultivator and a 10 foot chain harrow (not a drag one) and could easily use a bigger one.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=317129"/>

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=317130"/>

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=317131"/>

A 10' twin spindle pull-type cutter or a 15' batwing are what you are looking for.

Well the soil would be regular soil in the pasture with for the most part flat (besides the bumps.) there is one hill that I wasn't sure of but it looks worse when looking at it but when your on it it isn't that bad. The mowers manual says it can be used with a 45-90 pto hp tractor. It's mostly weeds and overgrown dead grass that I mow, when the good grass gets high enough I plan on cutting it with a haybine and bailing it.

Actually I'm trying to say that you need 8-10hp per foot for your mower, but you also need a heavy duty mower. Bush Hog is a good brand. Don't think you need a 70' harrow. Maybe a 10' footer too. Depends on model and size of disk and weight. A heavy disk harrow for deep disking will take upwards of 10+ hp per foot or more.

It will be a drag harrow for spreading things around and breaking up the clumps of manure.

 

[Grateful11]

They run a 7' Bush Hog 307 here on the farm but it weighs 1700 lbs. and is rated for up to 125hp.

http://www.bushhog.com/joomla_1_5_15/images/stories/documents/manuals/307.pdf

 

[corey9212]

They run a 7' Bush Hog 307 here on the farm but it weighs 1700 lbs. and is rated for up to 125hp.

http://www.bushhog.com/joomla_1_5_15/images/stories/documents/manuals/307.pdf

That is one heavy duty mower.

 

[pharmer phred]

I run an MX8 on my JD 5325 (55hp @ PTO). That is about as much as I want for that tractor. When the grass is high and thick, I mow in B2. The dual blades provide a cleaner cut than the single blade on a 7' mower (if that is a concern).

 

[AKfish]

There are many factors that come into this like the type of soil, the gradient and so forth so trying to make some x hp / foot rule and sticking to it isn't always a good idea. You have a pretty powerful tractor and you should be using implements that match it correctly, otherwise you're just wasting diesel. I use a 5065e for mowing our horse pastures. I am using a flail mower that is just over 7 foot and it works perfectly fine (requires 50-55 HP according to specs). Bear in mind that a flail mower is a lot more heavy duty than a deck mower and requires more power. 100+ HP is plenty enough grunt for a decent sized topper, but what are you topping and what are the ground conditions like?

As for cultivators etc. I use a 10 foot spring tine cultivator and a 10 foot chain harrow (not a drag one) and could easily use a bigger one.

Very nice pictures! Thanks for posting. You have a good looking farm.

Is your loader a 553 with the self-leveling feature? I don't believe I've ever seen that model before. The rear fenders on your e are shaped differently than the North American model, too. You've got some pretty wide front tires there as well. Were they an optional add-on?

It's not very often that other farmers, ranchers and tractor owner's from other parts of the world post photos on TBN. So, it's always a treat to see other places around the planet!

AKfish

 

[theSeb]

Very nice pictures! Thanks for posting. You have a good looking farm.

Is your loader a 553 with the self-leveling feature? I don't believe I've ever seen that model before. The rear fenders on your e are shaped differently than the North American model, too. You've got some pretty wide front tires there as well. Were they an optional add-on?

It's not very often that other farmers, ranchers and tractor owner's from other parts of the world post photos on TBN. So, it's always a treat to see other places around the planet!

AKfish

Thanks A lot of hard work has gone into it in the last couple of years and it's starting to come together.

The tractor is "Euro spec" so it's a bit different to what you're used to. The front load is a 533 with self levelling and they replaced the standard joystick with the fancier and more ergonomic version. The front tyres were standard. I am pretty sure that they are 320/85 R20 (12.4 R20), but I'll double check tomorrow.

Here are some more pictures





One thing that I forgot to change when I ordered was the standard lift arms with the ball type attachments. They are a pain so I have ordered the telescopic versions. They should be here next week. You can see the pick up hitch which was also an option. It's the best thing ever if you're hooking up trailers or trailed implements.



Sorry for hijacking your thread a bit Corey.