Slip clutch vs shear pin for bush hog

[DK35vince]

I have no experience with the modern apparently fragile bushogs I keep hearing about. What a pain. I have a 50yr old JD 127 Gyramor. Stored outside. Slip clutch is standard. I only adjust it when it slips. About 4 times in 50 yrs. Its a 600# bushog that Iv cut oaks with up to 6" - other trees up to 8" .
larry

I don't know how you are measuring trees, but I would have to see it to believe you are cutting 6 & 8" trees..

 

[Bird]

I'm sure the slip clutch is good for some people, but I never owned or used one and never wanted one. For me that would only have meant more maintenance. And the one and only time I sheared a shear bolt was on a Gehl round baler. I was baling 5' x 5' bales and when I dumped one and started on, I failed to notice that the bale starter had stuck instead of falling back into place, so it wrapped hay very tightly in the wrong place; sure was a loud pop when that shear bolt went.:laughing:

 

[PhysAssist]

You, with helper, and any chain saw would be hopelessly outclassed by a 45HP axe. Im not saying you go out planning on a lot of 6" stuf. But if you encounter a few among the standard 4" fare, dealing with each in less than a minute rolling over them forward and leaving them cut, delimbed and at least partially shredded gets the work done.
larry

?..and see, I told my wife we needed a bigger tractor and a bushhog....

 

[Guesseral]

Wouldn't even attempt a tree that large with a BH of any kind or age, not even with my 47HP just not gonna happen!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Regarding cutting larger trees, If you can ride it over with your tractor and ease the bush hog blades into the tree, just about any size can be cut down.. Just like bending a limb then cutting it with a pocket knife, real easy. Shredding it can be hard on the bush hog though.

 

[DK35vince]

Regarding cutting larger trees, If you can ride it over with your tractor and ease the bush hog blades into the tree, just about any size can be cut down.. Just like bending a limb then cutting it with a pocket knife, real easy. Shredding it can be hard on the bush hog though.

I seriously doubt you could drive over a 6 or 8" tree with a 45HP tractor and 600# cutter, let alone cut it.

 

[buck boost]

I seriously doubt you could drive over a 6 or 8" tree with a 45HP tractor and 600# cutter, let alone cut it.

And why would anyone want to?! Seems as if it would be an extremely violent procedure. Two inch is as big as I like to go, and three inch is absolute max.

Its a rotary cutter, not a hydro-ax! lol

 

[SPYDERLK]

I seriously doubt you could drive over a 6 or 8" tree with a 45HP tractor and 600# cutter, let alone cut it.

I described the large tree cutting with the 127Gyramor in another thread a while back. Here is the post:

The trick is to go forward ... And the truth is virtually anything the tractor can bend down so the bushog blades hit is history. Think of an ax wielded by several tens of HP. By far the greatest capability is forward so that the bh frame doesnt bear the brunt of bending the tree.

,,, When I was in my late 30s I did light woods clearing type mowing with the JD 2010 and 5' JD127 Gyramor. It had 1/2" thick 10" knives at the end of a 3'+ solid carrier arm - no stump jumper. I remember when my dad bought it that the dealer said it had a 125HP gearbox, but, judging from its frame, medium duty. The tractor was a tricycle type having rear axle case setting about 28 inches high. That would allow me to bend a pretty good sized oak tree [4"] and cutting was trivial as opposed to if tried backing up. I noted a set of 2" holes thru the bellhousing well forward of the axle and about 4 feet high. I put a 1-3/4" steel rod thru there and bushed it with plastic so the housing wouldnt be cracked if the rod bent. TREMENDOUS difference. I could push over awesome trees with this bigwheel 2wd tractor! ... Visualize 20' high trees falling forward right next to you. Literally anything 6" or less would bend over and get chopped by the 45HP ax. Many slightly larger would too. Some would stop the tractor as the ballasted AG on that side unweighted. I learned to stop there or the rod would bend. It was truly an adventure.
,,,I now have a pretty strong Rears flail. Much heavier. But truly pitiful at dealing with the stuff that 600 pound bushog did ... and still will.
larry

 

[DK35vince]

I just measured the telephone/utility pole in front of my house at 8".
It could stop a 50 MPH car dead in its tracks.
Yet you claim you could drive over a tree that size with your tractor and mow it down.
Simply Amazing

 

[SPYDERLK]

I just measured the telephone/utility pole in front of my house at 8".
It could stop a 50 MPH car dead in its tracks.
Yet you claim you could drive over a tree that size with your tractor and mow it down.
Simply Amazing

Iv never seen a telephone pole that was that small so just went out and measured 5. The tiniest I could find was 9" at ground level - others ranging up to 12". These are seasoned poles - all wood - and are sunk 5' into the ground. These dont compare with green trees. A tree is not as inherently stiff, and also has less wood because AFAIK bark is included in tree dia. Also, the root ball is shallow and will tip.

No 8" pole will stop anything but [maybe] a Smart car dead in its tracks from 50. A 4000lb car will chop a 5 foot section right out of an 10+" pole at that speed leaving the rest of the pole sitting on the dashboard held upright by the wires. Happened in front of my house where I used to live.
larry