Rotary Cutter Looking for a New Brush Cutter

[Soundguy]

I use my BB840 behind a 60 (+) HP 2440 Deere.(6 suitecase weights and weight bracket on front too) It's more a matter of handling the WEIGHT than HP to turn the blades. It's somewhere in the 1400lb range. 7' mowers extend back so far from the tractor, that weight is amplified. Takes a HEAVY tractor to use a BB840.

Does it not have tail wheels to take some of that weight?

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Sure! I will pull any attachment that does the job. Sorry to break the secret, but not all "branded" attachments are made by the company with the name of the side....shhhh....

jb


Uhh, was that the soft rustle of rope sliding over a tree branch?

I pull a jd 1517 batwing behind my NH 7610s... havn't been hit with any tomatoes yet...

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Does it not have tail wheels to take some of that weight?

Soundguy

Yep.....When they're on the ground. That Woods BB840 is stretched out a good bit behind the tractor. In addition to being heavy, the weight is far enough back to get that dreaded leverage. Also, the 2440 is short wheelbase for the weight of the tractor. It's a lot safer with all the weights.

MF 150 with an 1100 lb mower will keep th efront end glued to the ground with no more than a brush guard on it's front end.

3000 Ford with same mower needs front weights.

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.....When they're on the ground. That Woods BB840 is stretched out a good bit behind the tractor. In addition to being heavy, the weight is far enough back to get that dreaded leverage. Also, the 2440 is short wheelbase for the weight of the tractor. It's a lot safer with all the weights.

MF 150 with an 1100 lb mower will keep th efront end glued to the ground with no more than a brush guard on it's front end.

3000 Ford with same mower needs front weights.

You don't have the mower off the ground alot do you?

My 10' 3pt mower stays on the ground unless I'm clearing an obstacle...

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

When we were at the old place, I needed to run up and down a county road quite a bit. At low speeds, while mowing, I don't get much front wheel bounce. At 20 MPH going down a rough road, it was "Joey Chitwood" stuff sometimes without the weights.

Isn't that 10" Howse a double-spindle mower? The Woods BB840 is a single. That pushes the weight back a few more feet, compounding the problem.

One more issue. We have a lot of hilly ground here. Going up a hill with a heavy mower on the back end will make about any tractor have a tendency to lift the front wheels.

AND... There's a creek running through the new place. I have to back out over the bank, lower the mower, and pull forward to mow some of it. Kind of a "cheap thrill" when the mower is 10' off the creek bed and the front end starts getting light.

Lastly, the 2440 is light on the front end without weights. I'm contemplating buying a new loader, as the one I have for the 3000 Ford is from the Flintstone era. The 2440 would benefit greatly from the weight of a loader. Not to mention I'd have a better set-up with the loader on a more powerful tractor)

 

[Highbeam]

"There's a creek running through the new place. I have to back out over the bank, lower the mower, and pull forward to mow some of it. Kind of a "cheap thrill" when the mower is 10' off the creek bed and the front end starts getting light."

That right there is what I call pucker factor. If you try and move the tractor forward the front end is lighter yet. Ugh, plus the blades spinning it would be like falling into a blender.

 

[Soundguy]

You are missing my point entirely.... If the mower has tail wheels... the weight is divided between the tail wheels and the lower draft links.. I.E... if the tail wheels are on the ground.. the front end ain't coming up.. unless the mower is just too plain heavy for the tractor, and the fact that it is hitched makes the front end come up. IMHO.. if that is the case.. the tractor is too small for the duties.

All of the situations you illustrate below should only come into play if the tail wheel is not on the ground.. thus making the tractor carry the entire load...

How much does that BB840 weigh?

Again.. going up a hill with a heavy moer on back should not be an issue IF.. the tail wheel(s) are on the ground, dividing the weight the rear of the tractor sees. Imagine a person standing on either side of a heavy box and both lifting.. each person only percieves a portion of the weight... Now.. take one person , and lift that load from one side.. that person percieves the whole weight.. plus has mechanical advantage against him as he is lifting from one edge and ALL the weight is away from him... Same issue here... with tailwheels onthe ground.. you have '2 people' carrying the weight..

Soundguy

When we were at the old place, I needed to run up and down a county road quite a bit. At low speeds, while mowing, I don't get much front wheel bounce. At 20 MPH going down a rough road, it was "Joey Chitwood" stuff sometimes without the weights.

Isn't that 10" Howse a double-spindle mower? The Woods BB840 is a single. That pushes the weight back a few more feet, compounding the problem.

One more issue. We have a lot of hilly ground here. Going up a hill with a heavy mower on the back end will make about any tractor have a tendency to lift the front wheels.

AND... There's a creek running through the new place. I have to back out over the bank, lower the mower, and pull forward to mow some of it. Kind of a "cheap thrill" when the mower is 10' off the creek bed and the front end starts getting light.

Lastly, the 2440 is light on the front end without weights. I'm contemplating buying a new loader, as the one I have for the 3000 Ford is from the Flintstone era. The 2440 would benefit greatly from the weight of a loader. Not to mention I'd have a better set-up with the loader on a more powerful tractor)

 

[Soundguy]

"There's a creek running through the new place. I have to back out over the bank, lower the mower, and pull forward to mow some of it. Kind of a "cheap thrill" when the mower is 10' off the creek bed and the front end starts getting light."

That right there is what I call pucker factor. If you try and move the tractor forward the front end is lighter yet. Ugh, plus the blades spinning it would be like falling into a blender.

I'm having a hard time picturing this geometry. The mower deck is 10' off the ground.. yet it can be lowered far enough to mow the bank... That sure is some huge amount of swing on that toplink.. and I'll bet there is a huge angle on the u-joints too... Sounds foolish.. if at all possible, given the variables mentioned.

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

You are missing my point entirely.... If the mower has tail wheels... the weight is divided between the tail wheels and the lower draft links.. I.E... if the tail wheels are on the ground.. the front end ain't coming up.. unless the mower is just too plain heavy for the tractor, and the fact that it is hitched makes the front end come up. IMHO.. if that is the case.. the tractor is too small for the duties.

All of the situations you illustrate below should only come into play if the tail wheel is not on the ground.. thus making the tractor carry the entire load...

How much does that BB840 weigh?

Again.. going up a hill with a heavy moer on back should not be an issue IF.. the tail wheel(s) are on the ground, dividing the weight the rear of the tractor sees. Imagine a person standing on either side of a heavy box and both lifting.. each person only percieves a portion of the weight... Now.. take one person , and lift that load from one side.. that person percieves the whole weight.. plus has mechanical advantage against him as he is lifting from one edge and ALL the weight is away from him... Same issue here... with tailwheels onthe ground.. you have '2 people' carrying the weight..

Soundguy

Not missing any point, entirely or not.

I'm weighting the tractor for carring the mower RAISED. My 3000 Ford could lug the mower around with the tailwheel ALWAYS on the ground. I'm not running around on a square, flat field. Most of the TIME SPENT mowing for me is cleaning up around the edges of a woods, a creek bank, and a couple hillsides. While I'm on those hills, I have to turn around in a couple rocky areas. That DEMANDS raising the mower and it's tailwheel off the ground. I'm cutting around rock edges of a creek bank. I HAVE to hold the weight of the mower off the ground because sometimes the tailwheel is 8 or 10' in the air when sticking over the bank.

In short, I'm not mowing the same way you are., I have to set up things so they're safe and able to get a job done.

The BB840, with chain gaurds front and back, along with double tail wheels
is a tad over 1500 lbs. The tractor EASILY handle 2500 lb loads on the hitch. NOT when backing over banks, turning on steep hillsides with the mower raised, or a great deal of the mowing it has to do. At least not 100% safe, 100% of the time.

The 2440 weighs in at 7400lbs, weights, fluid, ROPS, ect incl. It isn't overloaded, not even close. (Cousin had a 2440 too. He ran a 10' 3-point mower (on more reasonably "flat ground"))

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm having a hard time picturing this geometry. The mower deck is 10' off the ground.. yet it can be lowered far enough to mow the bank... That sure is some huge amount of swing on that toplink.. and I'll bet there is a huge angle on the u-joints too... Sounds foolish.. if at all possible, given the variables mentioned.

Soundguy

Sounds foolish or is PERCIEVED as foolish by someone who doesn't have a very good picture of what's actually happening?

The mower isn't dropping 10'. It just ends up stuck over the edge of a 10' drop into a creek bank.

Simply because you don't understand something doesn't make it wrong.