Rotary Cutter Right size rotary cutter for Kabota B3030

[kirklowj]

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase a rotary cutter for my Kabota B3030 tractor. I'm thinking of either a Woods or Landpride 5' medium duty. I have a front end loader for front weight on the tractor. I will be cutting grass/weeds on a sloped (10-15% grade). All the rocks/stumps have been cleared from the area (1 1/2 - 2 acres). I have already cut this hill with a walk behind DR field & brush mower several times over the last 3 years but it takes 2-3 days to cut. The DR cut the 1-2 ft grass/weeds without any problem. The DR has a 30" cut so at times I didn't cut the entire width because the grass was so high. Does anyone have any preference or recommendations with using a rotary cutter on this size tractor.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[RoyJackson]

Your Kubota has 23 PTO HP. You'll be fine with a 5' cutter...although in thick tall brush, you may have to slow occasionally, or take partial width passes.
I ran a 5' Landpride behind my Deere 790 (24 PTO HP)...worked quite well.
I think, based upon my experience, Land Pride makes great equipment. I own a beat up old Woods Bush Bull now...Woods is the heavier cutter.
So, between Woods and Land Pride, it's pretty much a coin flip to me.

 

[kirklowj]

Your Kubota has 23 PTO HP. You'll be fine with a 5' cutter...although in thick tall brush, you may have to slow occasionally, or take partial width passes.
I ran a 5' Landpride behind my Deere 790 (24 PTO HP)...worked quite well.
I think, based upon my experience, Land Pride makes great equipment. I own a beat up old Woods Bush Bull now...Woods is the heavier cutter.
So, between Woods and Land Pride, it's pretty much a coin flip to me.

I was thinking I should be fine with a 5' also but my concern is the slope of the terrain. I could cut on an angle rather than across or up/down and that should help. I have a 5' MMM for finish cutting on my lawn and a 5' Landpride landscape rake and it seems 5' implements work well on the B3030.

 

[buck boost]

Hello. I have a B2920 (21 PTO HP) and if your grass is anything like this grass (see photos), I would go with a 4' cutter. I have a land pride 1548 which is the medium duty cutter. I'm glad I went with the 1548 (4') vs the 1248. The 15 series is quite a bit stronger cutter that was only I think 200 dollars more.

21 hp or 23 for that matter is not enough to pull a 5' cutter through this type of grass with any wheel speed at all or so much over-lap it is not even funny. 23 hp is enough to pull a 5' through lighter, lower, less dense, or weedy areas though.


Just for reference, with the mower all the up on the 3pt, I could go wide open low range (tractor data says 3.7 mph) with only a little RPM fall off from FULL engine speed (2900 rpm) in that grass. The B3030 goes 3.3 mph full speed in low.

I know a B3030 is a little bigger frame size than the B2920. I'm not sure if a 4' cutter would cover the wheel tracks a 3030, which you really want it to do. A good alternative to 5' cutter is to go with the woods 54" cutter. Product Details

The HC54 is a beefy 487lbs, and I think it would be an ideal size for a B3030. I think a 5' cutter is too much for B3030.

The mighty B2920 in action!

 

[Nik]

I have a B3030 and have a 5 foot Woods Brush Bull rotary mower. Mow high weeds on slight slope and never felt underpowered. I think 5 foot is a good match for the B 3030 and quality of cut is good.

 

[bilrus61]

My mom has got a Landpride 1860 cutter BUT we've not had it on the tractor yet! The 1860 she chose is 4.75 feet wide so it is 3 inches narrower than a full 5 foot cutter. Sure is a cute cutter but sorry we can't give you any better experiance. Oh she has a Kubota 3030 also.

 

[buck boost]

Weeds, even 5' tall weeds, cut fairly easy. That 3' to 5' dense grass is the HP black hole. It all depends on what the OP is cutting. A 5 footer might be the right cutter for him. I was seriously on the fence for the 54", but went with the 48". I have no regrets, for what I do with mine.

 

[riptides]

I'd go with a five foot cutter. Good things about grasses, fields and pastures, you can keep them trimmed down before they get "out of control".

 

[kirklowj]

I have a B3030 and have a 5 foot Woods Brush Bull rotary mower. Mow high weeds on slight slope and never felt underpowered. I think 5 foot is a good match for the B 3030 and quality of cut is good.

It sounds like your situation is a lot like mine. My slope is not drastic but it would be considered more than slight. As I said in my original post, I have cut this field several times with a DR field & brush mower 30" cut. The grass/weeds in my field are not near as big as in "buck boost" pictures. Cutting a field of grass that size would present a real challenge, especially with a slope.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your helpful input. I will be going to a local dealership (I live in the Jim Thorpe / Lehighton Pa.) area and getting some price info on either a Woods or Landpride 5' rotary cutter. I know there are posts out there comparing the two and there is no clear favorite. It seems that no matter which brand someone went with they are happy with the attachment. I guess it will come down to price. I read a post somewhere that somebody was quoted a price of $1,400 for a new 5' Woods cutter (BB60 I think) and $1450 for the same size Landpride. I don't remember what part of the country they were from but I don't think I will see those prices in my area. If the price I'm quoted is too high for my budget I may consider a 5' "county line" brand from TSC. They are a spin-off of the KK brand for about $1,000.

Can anyone forward me input on prices for the Woods or Landpride brands. Also, does anyone have a strong opinion of the TSC brand.

 

[Rocky Hoffler]

Just a thought and didn't see it mentioned but I always try to stay with a mower that is no wider than my tractor unless I knew I was going to be mowing wide open areas. The reason for this is if your tractor will go between objects your mower will and not hang up on a tree as this can do serious damage to your equipment. happy mowing