Rotary Cutter Stupid question: Proper way to use rotory cutter

amg280 · Mar 17, 2010

I know how to use it to knock down brush and such. But I want to clear out some light trees (less than 1" thick) in my woods area, to make a path. Should I reverse the cutter as best I can through there? OR, should I bolt on my belly mower, put it at its highest setting and drive strait over them, allowing the 3pt rotary cutter to get them last? I dont want to do any damage to the machine.

Thanks for the responses....

mchasal · Mar 17, 2010

I wouldn't use the belly mower, the ones I've seen aren't really built for heavy cutting like that. Just run the rotary mower normally, going forward should be fine. just make sure you don't have any vulnerable hoses or wires hanging down. You might need to make a couple of passes as some might bend over and hide from the blades.

amg280 · Mar 17, 2010

mchasal said:
I wouldn't use the belly mower, the ones I've seen aren't really built for heavy cutting like that. Just run the rotary mower normally, going forward should be fine. just make sure you don't have any vulnerable hoses or wires hanging down. You might need to make a couple of passes as some might bend over and hide from the blades.

Right. I didnt mean to engage the belly mower. I ment to put it on strictly for protection (hydro fan is vulnerable without mower).

Lunk · Mar 17, 2010

I guess it would depend on how long a trail you're cutting...Reverse would probably be easier (no messing with belly mower), but backing a half mile through the woods wouldn't be much of a treat either!

MMagis · Mar 17, 2010

This isn’t so much a question about the proper way to use a rotary cutter, as it is about your tractor I think. The proper way to mow would be in forward. It will cut much better and be easier on your neck. Out of curiosity, what tractor do you have that you have to worry about driving though brush?

amg280 · Mar 17, 2010

MMagis said:
This isn稚 so much a question about the proper way to use a rotary cutter, as it is about your tractor I think. The proper way to mow would be in forward. It will cut much better and be easier on your neck. Out of curiosity, what tractor do you have that you have to worry about driving though brush?

Its an 09 BX2660, as seen in my sig. I dont want to damage it up too bad drive forward over 1" tree's. I mean im sure I will reach that point where I dont care someday, just not today

MMagis · Mar 17, 2010

Whoops, I have signatures turned off. I forget about that sometimes.

ayelvington · Mar 17, 2010

I just did some sapling clean up today, and I would ask you to consider just walking through first with a pruning lopper and cutting the saplings down at the roots. That eliminates any of the nasty "punji stick" issues, and gets rid of the risk to your cutter and tractor. I have a chipper, so I just went back and made the saplings disappear.

I have skid plates, and I have a Woods brushhog, but I like the clean finish of lopping the saplings.

Just a thought.

gerard · Mar 17, 2010

Another option if you have a helper is to use a grabber and chain to yank them right out of the ground. It goes pretty quick if you have one person on the tractor and one on the ground to keep connecting/unconnecting the grabber. I pulled a bunch of sumac that way that I couldn't get to with the rotary cutter.