Rotary Cutter bush hog etc...

[musselmark]

Is a rough cut mower and a bush hog the same thing? I want something to cut long grass, small trees, bushes 1-2" in diameter. Would a flail mower do this or is a bush hog more appropriate. Are there any brands, styles to avoid, there is a local auction coming up and they have some new 5' and 6' rough cut mowers such as the one pictured, what would it be worth brand new. My tractor a a TN75 75 hp.

 

[AchingBack]

Depending upon your conditions, flail mowers are less maneuverable if you have many trees to negotiate. They do a more thorough job of shredding than a rough cut mower, and they will cut a wider swath, too. Usually they are more expensive to buy, and might be more expensive to maintain. With a tractor of your size, I wouldn't bother with the small shredder in the picture. You would be more productive with a larger one matched to your tractor's PTO horsepower.

 

[Fawken]

Yes except Bush Hog is a name brand. Most people say brush hog for that reason. At auction $400 for a 6 foot sounds reasonable.

 

[jeff9366]

Is a rough cut mower and a bush hog the same thing?

Would a flail mower do this or is a bush hog more appropriate.

YES.

A Flail Mower has several times the number of parts relative to a Rotary Cutter.

Rotary Cutter is a more robust implement.

If you do a lot of brush cutting, the two blades in a Rotary Cutter will gradually blunt. You can still cut brush fine but you need fairly sharp blades to cut long grass. You sharpen Rotary Cutter blades with an angle grinder.

 

[musselmark]

can a rotary mower be offset to the side, ideally it would be nice if you could cut outside the tires track

 

[TerryR]

can a rotary mower be offset to the side, ideally it would be nice if you could cut outside the tires track

To some extent. I have my tractor wheels set as wide as possible because of our hilly terrain, so they are wider than my Bush Hog brand rotary cutter. I pull the cutter to one side with the sway links on the 3-point hitch, and that makes one side cut to the tire track.

Terry

 

[smstonypoint]

can a rotary mower be offset to the side, ideally it would be nice if you could cut outside the tires track

I would want a rotary cutter at least as wide as the tractor. My TN 55, a weaker sibling of your TN 75, is about 68" wide and my 6' rotary cutter covers my tire tracks. You have enough tractor HP and weight to handle a wider cutter, but prices begin to really climb when you get to 8' and wider cutters.

Do you know the brand of the cutter? I don't recognize its brand from your photo, but it appears to be relatively light duty.

Most manufacturers offer light-, medium-, and heavy-duty cutters. Woods, Land Pride, Bush Hog, Rhino, Brown, and others make quality machines. I would obtain quotes from local dealers in order to make an informed decision.

Steve

 

[mossdown]

Flail mower has more moving parts to replace ie cutter blades and bolts. if you can locate them. Buy a name brand BUSH HOG from your local dealer. these things can chop 2" diameter and keep on going. The blade thickness is 1/2'' thick , slip clutch and 65 hp gearbox .I just cut my woods and river bank and never had to look back.

 

[smstonypoint]

Flail mower has more moving parts to replace ie cutter blades and bolts. if you can locate them. Buy a name brand BUSH HOG from your local dealer. these things can chop 2" diameter and keep on going. The blade thickness is 1/2'' thick , slip clutch and 65 hp gearbox .I just cut my woods and river bank and never had to look back.

I defer to the experts on this matter, but I have heard that the cutter's gearbox HP should be greater than the tractor's PTO HP. The OP's TN75 has about 65 PTO HP, so I would be looking for a gearbox HP of 75 or above.

Steve

 

[jeff9366]

Grade of your land has not been mentioned. Rotary Cutters are way out back. The tailwheel on a six foot cutter will be about eight feet behind your tractor. They can just about take over your tractor on medium slopes.

I share SMSTONYPOINT's recommendation that your Rotary Cutter's gearbox be rated greater than your PTO horsepower. Both my former King Kutter and current Land Pride rate twice my PTO horsepower.

Rotary Cutters are useful implements but the blade tips are moving around 140 mph. The stress on the mower when it encounters an obstruction is tremendous.