brush hogging problems

[greenmule]

Well I'm glad your done with me,I was getting worried.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Farmwithjunk, what brand batwings do you run? If you don't mind.

Bush Hog 2715L's. I've got 5 of 'em now and will probably be adding a couple more very soon.

 

[Heavyduty]

Bush Hog 2715L's. I've got 5 of 'em now and will probably be adding a couple more very soon.

On the east coast, I see alot of Alamo's and JD HX-CX 15 and 20's. With the economy, DOT contracts are on hold and the state DOT has takin over. I reckon that's why the grass is 2 feet high.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

On the east coast, I see alot of Alamo's and JD HX-CX 15 and 20's. With the economy, DOT contracts are on hold and the state DOT has takin over. I reckon that's why the grass is 2 feet high.

A lot of Alamo/Shulte/Rhino's here too. JD's batwings are a little suspect as are Woods. Just not quite heavy duty enough for sustained commercial applications. Deere has issues with deck hinges and Woods has problems with gear box and drive shafts from what I'm hearing. I've been working with a factory rep from Bush Hog over the last 2 years. I get to demo a number of mowers each summer.

In Kentucky, we've scaled back from 4 cuts per year to 3 on many roads, and from 4 to 2 on others due to state budget cuts. I do mostly county roads and fortunately live in a county that isn't too seriously effected (yet) Our grass is 2' tall, but on account of a month and a half of nearly continuous rain.

 

[ComputerGuy]

Wow, who would have thought that questions about rotary mowers would generate such a spirited debate?

I was glad to get the tip about not mowing "flat" -- something not very intuitive to a city boy. I just bought a new Modern Competitior 5' mower (to replace a worn down Howse unit) and I am still "learning the ropes".

The manual that came with the Modern cautioned against putting much of a sharp edge on the blades -- they said that a leading edge thickness of 1/16 inch was good. At the risk of igniting more controversy -- does this sound reasonable?

 

[tommu56]

Before today I had never brush hoged before. Just bought a used 6ft bush hog. I didn't really know how to set everything up just tried to get the deck level. I wa cutting about waist high weeds and grass and it would do fine for a while then the deck would start shaking violently. I would stop and it would keep doing that for a few seconds then be fine for a while and start shaking again. Any ideas dull blades, adjustment problems, rpm, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I didn't read the whole thread but

Make sure the pto is up to speed (540) a lot of people think you can mow at idle it works better at rated speed and gear down the tractor to minimize the lugging

Take a 1/2 width cut if its loading tractor down (assuming the governor is working)

If its doing it in turns it might be pto shaft joints. if assembled wrong they (joints) can be out of time.

Check the level of oil in gear box too if you haven't yet.
tom

 

[jinman]

The manual that came with the Modern cautioned against putting much of a sharp edge on the blades -- they said that a leading edge thickness of 1/16 inch was good. At the risk of igniting more controversy -- does this sound reasonable?

This is my opinion only, but I think it depends on the environment where you will use the cutter. If you use it to cut "lawn" like areas, then you could probably sharpen the blades down to a knife edge and be just fine. However, if you cut in rough areas with a few rocks, high-center type rough dirt mounds, small trees and small stumps, and any unknown obstacles, then 1/16" edge sounds fine. It will do you no good to sharpen down to a knife edge and then wipe that edge out in the first hour of operation. You'll be back to that 1/16" edge in no time flat anyhow. If you constantly try to keep the very sharp edge in rough conditions, you will probably just grind away your blades from sharpening so many times. I probably oversharpen my blades, but I typically only sharpen once per year. At the end of the year, my edges are more like 1/4" than 1/16".

 

[AchingBack]

Would someone mind posting a picture of the grinder you use for sharpening brush hog blades while mounted to the cutter? Thanks, I need to buy something to dress mine.

 

[Heavyduty]

Would someone mind posting a picture of the grinder you use for sharpening brush hog blades while mounted to the cutter? Thanks, I need to buy something to dress mine.

Sorry, no pics but the grider I use is a small, 110v, uses 4"-6" grinding stones, and easly handled in one hand. It's made by dewalt and I got from Lowes.

 

[jinman]

Would someone mind posting a picture of the grinder you use for sharpening brush hog blades while mounted to the cutter? Thanks, I need to buy something to dress mine.

Here is a link to the Makita angle grinder I use to shrpen my blades. I take my cutter off and use my FEL to lean it up against a tree. It makes the job much easier and gives me a chance to do a really good inspection on the underside of the cutter. The Makita grinder is so lightweight that you can hold the blade with one hand and the grinder with the other. You don't need to block the blades so they don't move. I do caution you that you should wear gloves. This year, I was in a hurry and didn't bother putting on my gloves. The grinder slipped off the blade once and I ground a dime-size chunk of skin off my left wrist from the momentary contact with the grinder. If I had put my gloves on, that area would have been covered and I probably wouldn't even have noticed it.

Makita Grinder at Northern Tool