Is a HD SS Mower on Tractor Loader a Good Idea?

Rustyiron · Aug 2, 2016

Out of curosity, why is it that your interested in mowing with a hyd. mower out front on a tractor, instead of a conventional 3pt hitch mower & what will you be mowing (fields, tall brush/clearing, cleaning fence row's, etc)

Xfaxman · Aug 2, 2016

HenRut, if you haven't bought a mower, check this one: Tree Terminator - Rotary Brush Mower for Skid Steers

Note that it is hinged to the SSQA and has a nose wheel.

Good view from the seat. :thumbsup:

HenRut · Aug 5, 2016

Rustyiron said:
Out of curosity, why is it that your interested in mowing with a hyd. mower out front on a tractor, instead of a conventional 3pt hitch mower & what will you be mowing (fields, tall brush/clearing, cleaning fence row's, etc)

I've got 100 acres, about half of which is wooded that needs thinning. Also fence lines and pond edges. That's what the front mounted brush mower is for. The other half is pasture and hayfields. I plan to use a batwing for maintenance of the pastures and other open areas that are not hay. I tried maintaining the open areas with a rented CTL with brush mower and it took way too long.

HenRut · Aug 5, 2016

I like the "nose"wheel and hinge, which should help on my pond edges and any porpoising/scalping. I'll definitely give the Tree Terminator a look. Their website doesn't list any prices.

Rustyiron · Aug 5, 2016

:thumbsup: Sounds like a plan.

Xfaxman · Aug 5, 2016

HenRut said:
I like the "nose"wheel and hinge, which should help on my pond edges and any porpoising/scalping. I'll definitely give the Tree Terminator a look. Their website doesn't list any prices.

I bought it from Darwin Phifer, a sales rep for Grace Mfg.

His Website: Tree Terminator - Rotary Brush Mower for Skid Steers

His eBay Store: Rotary Brush Mower for Skid Steers | eBay

I bought it 6 years ago for 3K delivered.

JWR · Oct 26, 2016

Rustyiron said:
Out of curosity, why is it that your interested in mowing with a hyd. mower out front on a tractor, instead of a conventional 3pt hitch mower & what will you be mowing (fields, tall brush/clearing, cleaning fence row's, etc)

Interesting thread. I bought a FEL mounted, very heavy duty, skid-steer compatible, rotary cutter in 2011 along with a new-at-the-time MF2660 tractor. The cutter was a low-flow version CID 5ft with 5/8" thick bidirectional blades and capable of cutting about anything you can get it over top of. HOWEVER, the low-flow version of the CID cutter is said to need 14 to 20 gpm flow. The 17gpm flow of the tractor was NOT adequate at all. It was so easy to bog down on inch-thick material it was not really very useful. See enclosed photos. There is much to be learned from this experience.

It would be a great combo to run a bush hog in back and one of these FEL-mounted cutters in front. To answer the "Why?" question, these FEL mounted cutters can cut brush and unwanted growth from the top down in places you cannot get with the hog. Overhanging limbs, down over banks, up against hillsides, in tight places where you cannot otherwise reach, etc. It allows one to "clear a path" in front to be further cut/cleared by the hog in back. If you are cleaning up an old farm overgrown by autumn olives these SHOULD be great machines and a great combo. By using the FEL mounted unit you can avoid major effort necessary to mount one of the boom-arm cutters on the back which becomes mutually exclusive with your bush hog. Sad to report the front cutter was effectively useless. You need a lot more hydraulic flow than an 81 horse 17gpm tractor provides. I ended up trading the front cutter for a VMC (Orsi brand) rear boom cutter which is a big job to get on and off the tractor and precludes using the bush hog when it is on. I'd be glad to elaborate on pitfalls and benefits of the 3pt mounted VMC/Orsi cutter,maybe another thread.

Let me put aside the concerns about loader capacity, weight, etc. First, my 4-in-1 bucket weighs just over 1000lbs. and the front mower is no more than twice that. Tractors in the 70 hp and above classes will have no problem lifting and moving with these cutters. That is by far the LEAST of your problems. The manufacturers are in apoplectic fear of people trying aggressive mechanical combinations. Somehow the lawyers do not understand I am always responsible for me and they are not.

One surprise issue (which even many long-term dealers do not know) is that essentially all tractors under $50,000 have "one-track-mind hydraulics." You cannot raise the FEL while your remote is turning an hydraulic motor. Among your remotes and your FEL, ONE FUNCTION WORKS UNDER HYDRAULIC FORCE AT A TIME. What happens is that using one of the front cutters (even if you had adequate flow, which you don't) the minute you try to raise the cutter or change the angle of it the motor shuts off. Then the motor jerks back ON as soon as you stop changing the angle or stop lifting. This is berserk operational behavior which is not productive, very unnerving, and eventually harmful to the machinery I would think. One could pursue adding flow splitters and elaborate hydraulic flow manipulation devices at great expense but that is moot if you don't have enough flow in the first place.

Bottom line: You need an independent engine (crankshaft driven) or PTO driven hydraulic pump to power these cutters. Otherwise they are simply not practical on a farm tractor. They are much better for use with a skid steer.

Xfaxman · Oct 26, 2016

Originally Posted by JWR HOWEVER, the low-flow version of the CID cutter is said to need 14 to 20 gpm flow. The 17gpm flow of the tractor was NOT adequate at all. It was so easy to bog down on inch-thick material it was not really very useful.

I think the small diameter steel lines on the loader arms and the small hoses were a big part of it not working well.

JWR · Oct 26, 2016

No question, you are correct that the lines were on the small side for this task. I'm sure running bigger lines all the way from the remote at the back of the tractor to the loader attach point would have improved the flow but that is on the order of 12 or15 feet of lines. I know of one case where a large hydraulic motor driven snow blower at an airport was "back to the dealer" for exactly that change -- larger hoses. In that case they had to go back yet a second time for larger hose than anyone thought was needed. Combine that with "one track mind hydraulics" that stops the cutter motor every time you move the loader frame or tilt the cutter -- just too much in my case. It was a bad decision to get the thing in the first place. The PTO driven VMC hog on an articulated boom almost never bogs down, will cut darn near anything, is far more useful for cutting along fence rows and overhanging limbs, etc. The VMC/Orsi cutter solves the one track mind hydraulics problem by using two pumps. One for positioning and one for driving the cutter. That works and works right. Only down side is getting it on/off the tractor and being mutually exclusive with the bush hog.

HenRut · Oct 31, 2016

How do you like the Orsi? I'm looking at boom mowers to get at a pond and roadside ditches on my property. I know you have the rotary head, but my interest would favor the flail. What size brush can the rotary head cut? The sales guy said the flail can cut up to 3" and the rotary head 5-6". This sound right? Finally, does it appear the unit is quick hitch compatible?