ATV field cutting

[natem]

Just catching up on this post. I do not own the tow behind model, I also have the walk behind model and love it. I also have there leaf vac, and chipper, They have all been really good machines, and a great company to deal with. I figured that the tow behind model would live up to the reputation that the rest of there line has. But you have used it first hand, and found it not to be very good.

 

[ddivinia]

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone cuts fields with their ATV. I have a somewhat hilly 5 acres of goldenrod, milkweed, small saplings , etc., that needs to be cut once or twice a year. The terrain is a liitle steep for the tractor but a 4X4 atv would not be a problem. I just am concerned with the ability of self powered brush cutters to do the job. I'd appreciate any feedback befor I buy. Thanks

Do you have a tractor now?

D.

 

[tommu56]

I just cought this thread

I have swisher trail mower behind my Polaris 330 it cuts fine it dosen't follow the same track as the 4 wheeler so on curves it misses some till you get the feel for how it tracks.
The tires on the atv will press the grass down so you don't get a finish cut (but mine isn't a finish mower any way) so I don't care.

I would rather have a brush hog but my wife will cut with this and not the tractor so it saves me some work.

tom

 

[Ken45101]

I would rather have a brush hog but my wife will cut with this and not the tractor so it saves me some work.

tom

Hmmm....good idea, I may have to try that on my wife

Ken

 

[ddivinia]

Hmmm....good idea, I may have to try that on my wife

Ken

I thought a Swisher mower would get the job done. What PITA - not very good for rough cut. Also, you have saplings, etc - I think you should look at other options.

D.

 

[Ken45101]

I thought a Swisher mower would get the job done. What PITA - not very good for rough cut. Also, you have saplings, etc - I think you should look at other options.

D.

Yeah, agree. The DR tow behind doesn't do nearly as nice a job in the pasture as the bush hog. But still it would be a way to get my wife to help out. The way things are growing this year, I can't keep up. I assume the DR would do better at lower towing speed.

 

[tommu56]

Speed is a real issue I think the manual says don't go over 5 mph and it will cut better if you go slower my wife runs it at about 2-3 mph she feels it is fast enough

tom

 

[Ken45101]

Speed is a real issue I think the manual says don't go over 5 mph and it will cut better if you go slower my wife runs it at about 2-3 mph she feels it is fast enough

tom

The manual for my Woods 6' rotary cutter (e.g. "bush hog") recommends 1-5 mph. I suspect I usually mow at 3-4 mph.

Ken

 

[MNBobcat]

The Swisher rough cut is a real animal. It will tackle most everything that you throw at it. I've cut grass/weeds/brush that was 5 - 6 feet tall. When cutting something like this, don't expect it to make a perfect cut in one pass. You'll need to go over the area a couple of times if you want a really clean looking cut.

It does track directly behind the ATV when going straight, but like ALL tow-behind mowers it will move to the inside on a turn. I don't like the design of the hitch on this mower. It has a height-adjustable hitch where the adjustment is made at the ATV end and not where the hitch hooks to the front of the mower deck. Therefore, the vertical square tubing, which provides the means of adjustment, tends to hit the "trunk" on the back of the Honda ATV. They should have made the height adjustment occur where the hitch attaches to the deck. The swisher is almost indestructible. It will take the tops off gopher mounds and handles hitting logs with aplomb.

The Cycle Country rough cut is a 3-wheel unit. The front wheel articulates similar to the front wheels on a zero turn mower. Its much nicer to tow than the Swisher and is easier to move around the garage by hand. It has a very tiny gas tank, however. You will fill this unit 3 times to every one time that you fill the Swisher. The Cycle Country doesn't handle the heavy brush as well as the Swisher and tends to bog in heavy grass.

You can flip the hitch over on the Cycle Country mower and off-set the mower behind the ATV. I've done this and then dropped the mower over the side of a 4 foot ditch and mowed the sides of ditches that are too steep to walk on (the ATV stayed above on flat ground). The Swisher also allows you to off-set the mover via the hitch. However, when you drop the Swisher over the side of a ditch the front of the mower gets hung up on clumps because it doesn't have a front wheel and depends on the ATV and the hitch to hold the front of the mower up off the ground. The Cycle Country mower is the mower of choice for ditch mowing.

I've not tested the Kunz. They were too cheap to send a test unit. I don't consider any company legitimate that doesn't provide test units.

I'd recommend the Swisher for brute force cutting. If you're mowing less brush and more grass than the cycle country would be a good choice.

 

[vanb]

I had the swisher 44 inch pull behind before I got my bx2350. I mowed 3 acres for 3 years and kept up atv trails on 200 other acres. I sold it once I got my tractor, I wish I still had it for the trail cutting. It cut 3-4 foot weeds fine and pulling it behind my polaris sportsman, I never worried about getting stuck in some of the swampy areas. I wanted to buy a KK rotary cutter for my tractor, but my wife shot that down, just to cut the atv trails. (she thinks the neighborhood association should pay for it) I'm still trying to figure out if she would notice it in the garage if I just went and bought one.