Opinions Wanted - Brush Cutting

[HEC]

If you have the time why not give it a try , you are not going to hurt the tractor if you use some of the advice already given , like lowering your bucket etc. . If it doesn't work out go a different route . I keep 30 acres mowed once each year with a 6 ft bush hog .

 

[tmc_31]

A fair part of my annual income is from pasture mowing. I use a tractor mounted shredder (bush hog) for most of it. For those areas that are brushy and that may have hidden dangers such as rocks, stumps, old fence wire etc., I use my skid steer with a rented front mounted shredder. The ground where I live and work is generally pretty flat so the tractor works just fine but get it on much of a slope and it gets pretty tippy. The skid steer is much more stable on slopes due to it having a much lower center of gravity. I generally can figure on mowing about an acre per hour in heavy brush with the skid. With the tractor and shredder I can make 2.5 acres per hour or more and get a nicer cut to boot.

Given the height of your vegetation, the rolling hills and the possible hidden dangers I would be inclined to do the first mowing with a rented skid steer and shredder. Get the renters insurance if it is offered (it is usually pretty cheap and sometimes required). Use a skid steer with an enclosed cab and be careful.

From your pictures, your tractor and mower should be able to handle those slopes just fine as long as you don't hit a hidden rock , stump or errant piece of old farm equipment which could tip you over in a heart beat on those slopes. After you get the really rough stuff cut down with the skid, you should be able to see the hazards and eliminate them or at least know where they are.

best of luck,

Tim

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . .

We had a 21" push mower purchased new in 1955 and dad was always volunteering me to 'help' out the old folks in the community. I told him I could never keep that much grass mowed with that small of a push mower. He said NEVER is a mighty long time and that a small mower would mow it like a wide mower if I went around enough times.

That made me laugh, probably because it sounds so much like my own dad when he put me to plowing a quarter section of land (160 acres) with a 3 bottom moldboard plow.

 

[dave1949]

Like TripleR and others said, you will lose a lot of wildlife treating it like a big yard or park. You need some thickets, saplings and weeds for cover and food that will attract game. If you build there, clearing 1/2 an acre in one corner is better than out in the middle for game support purposes too.

If you want hunting ground I would evaluate what is growing there now, what game it supports, what is missing maybe, and be selective about what you do with it all. In other words, know why you are cutting or not cutting given growth. There are probably some plants better left, and others better gotten rid of. The rotational idea is a good one. You could treat it as four ~five-acre sections and rotate through those every couple of years.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Get it mowed the first time. Probably looking at $500 to $700. Then go in and mark or clear the rough stuff. Then start mowing. You could mow about 3 hours a week(every week)and stay on top of it. A small 4wd tractor and a 48" bushog can do a lot of work. It may not get much quicker, but it gets easier every time you mow.

 

[ultrarunner]

The last couple of Saturdays I was helping out family taming out of control vegetation and with California Fire season upon us... it was none too soon.

I would mow for a couple of minutes and then have to stop...

Wrapped up barb wire several times, horseshoes, various ground rods left over from electric fences, a few rocks and stumps and the worst so far is old T-posts and fence pipe laying the fields...

Slow and Careful and even so, I regret scrambling a nest full of turkey eggs.

The former owners kept goats and horses... my vote is we need goats and soon!

 

[Sterff]

I was in the same situation a year ago. Our new property has about 18 acres of overgrown pasture. It was last farmed 10 years ago. I have now mowed 15 acres and rented it out to a local farmer. He planted soybeans on the land and keeps the ground nice. The other 3 acres I mow. It will beat the crap out of your mower though. I hit many stumps, rocks, metal, etc. and Im on my third tail-wheel fork for the mower. If you keep after it the grass will come back as you can see in the last 2 pictures.

 

[buck boost]

Your B2620 can clear that. It will take a few days. A 4' medium duty rotory cutter and some fuel and time is all it will take. An air compressor is handy to keep the grill and radiator screen clean!

 

[Dillier23]

Well, I hope most of you are right about the little B. I upped my offer on the ground based on not buying a tractor larger than what I have. If I get it I'll take a few pictures and report back on how well the little guy does.

 

[texasjohn]

If you get it, I strongly recommend cutting just a few walking trails. Then, focus on all the other things that need to be done, and there will be many. They all take time. Live with the land for a while and understand it. Watch the wildlife and how heavy rain affects it. That's a pretty place as it is and wildlife needs cover to support the myriad of insects, birds, rodents, snakes, varmints that it takes to make for any kind of hunting. Cut all that down and you will loose a lot of the interesting things on the property...and it will take a long time for it to grow back the way it is, if it ever does. There are parks in town...people go to the country because it looks...like country!!! Damage from land clearing has been disastrous in terms of erosion and loss of habitat and wildlife. Yes, we need to eat and tractors can help that....If you plan to fence the property, why not spend your energy on that and get a couple of goats to do some clean up...you will be amazed at what they will do to 20 acres...and in short time, too. When they have finished, or you are tired of the goats, you can eat them.