12' Bat Wing With L6060

[SDT]

Still shopping for a BW mower and one alternative that I'm considering is a 12' BW so that I could use it with my L6060 if I sell my M9960 at some time in the future.

I've seen the Woods BW 12, the Land Pride RC2512 and have a brochure for the Bush Hog 1812 but will not see one for a couple more weeks.

Yesterday, I learned that the RC2512 is available with the optional self leveling hitch, often specified on 15' BWs. It is my understanding that this feature allows the BW to follow uneven ground better while also making hitching easier for one man. I do not believe that this feature is available on the BW 12 or the 1812 but am not certain.

When I asked one of the nearby Kubota dealers to quote the RC2512 with the optional self leveling hitch, I was told that only the standard swiveling clevis hitch could be used with the L6060 because the vertical distance between the PTO shaft and the draw bar was insufficient and the hitch would interfere with the PTO shaft. I have not been told this by the other nearby Kubota dealer but will ask.

Does anyone have experience with this?

Also, I would like to hear owner's experiences with the so-called self leveling BW hitch in general. Such hitches are universally available on 15' BWs and I may buy one of these. Sometimes the self leveling hitch is an extra cost option.

SDT

 

[EddieWalker]

Sorry, no help on the mowers, but I am curious why you want to get rid of your bigger tractor and keep the smaller one? Both are bigger then what I have, and my goal is to get a bigger tractor so I can pull a 15 foot batwing mower. You seem to be the only person on TBN who wants a smaller tractor that has experience with both.

 

[Old Red]

Good morning Edie and SDT. No make that 2 people. Please see my post about swapping a M6800 for a Grand L5740.....I just made that trade last week. I traded the larger tractor and 15 foot batwing for the smaller tractor and 12 foot batwing. I really wanted a hydrostatic drive.

SDT....I have absolutely zero problems hooking up my Landpride 3615 batwing or my little landprind 2512 batwing. Actually the 12 is much easier. My opinion is that option IS NOT needed.

 

[majorwager]

SDT,
Tractor envy here. M9960 very desirable machine, would take very high interest rate or family emergency to consider downsizing. Is HST a significant advantage using a batwing mower?

At any rate , Kodiak offers a 15' mower with a 50 hp requirement. Just a FYI for comparison.

 

[Old Red]

SDT,
Is HST a significant advantage using a batwing mower?

Absolutely not.

 

[SDT]

Sorry, no help on the mowers, but I am curious why you want to get rid of your bigger tractor and keep the smaller one? Both are bigger then what I have, and my goal is to get a bigger tractor so I can pull a 15 foot batwing mower. You seem to be the only person on TBN who wants a smaller tractor that has experience with both.

I'm 68 years old and will downsize in the foreseeable future.

I use my L6060 with a 6' rotary cutter, which is as large as I can use to mow much of my area due to obstacles and terrain. Indeed, I still keep a VERY good 8N with Sherman combination transmission for use with a 5' rotary cutter in some areas where even the 6' cutter does not do a job good enough to suit me.

The M9960 was purchased to make mowing of my larger parcels without obstacles less time consuming, which will help enable me to stay here longer. I do not need a 90 PTO HP tractor, nor a BW but a 6' mower and comparably sized tractor is needed. When I went shopping for a more user friendly 60-65 PTO HP tractor to replace my MF 2635 (don't get me started) for use with a 7' Woods BB840X mower that I already had, I was planning to buy a 7060 but thought the 9960 to be a better deal.

Having bought, the 9960, I decided to replace the 7' mower, which I never really liked with a mounted, 8' twin spindle cutter, not yet knowing that 12' BW mowers were available. This was attractive as the transport width was small enough to easily move into and out of my barns. I once owned a 10.5' mounted cutter that was both HEAVY, awkward, and did not follow the ground as well as does a BW. I didn't like it much either and sold it last summer.

Once I started looking at 12' BW mowers, which are light weight, I looked also at the much more common 15' BWs because some of them were not too much more expensive than the 12' versions and will likely sell much easier in the future. It seems that everyone wants a 15' BW.

That's how I got here, and am considering a 12' BW only because I could use it with my L6060 in the future after selling my M9960, so long as I do not plan to move too fast.

No, a HST it not an advantage when using a BW. Indeed, it is a disadvantage because it is inefficient.

FWIW: My L6060 uses nearly three times as much fuel to mow the same parcels as my, previously sold, MF 533 (2007 version of the 135) used using the same mower. The HST, FWA and other creature comforts, do, however allow me to finish in less time and with less wear and tear on me. The L6060 also uses much more (probably, twice as much) fuel to mow the same parcels with my 6' mower as does my M9960 uses using the 7' mower in EPTO. Hydrostats are wonderful but inefficient and expensive. They are also not at all tolerant of improper maintenance.

SDT

 

[SDT]

Good morning Edie and SDT. No make that 2 people. Please see my post about swapping a M6800 for a Grand L5740.....I just made that trade last week. I traded the larger tractor and 15 foot batwing for the smaller tractor and 12 foot batwing. I really wanted a hydrostatic drive.

SDT....I have absolutely zero problems hooking up my Landpride 3615 batwing or my little landprind 2512 batwing. Actually the 12 is much easier. My opinion is that option IS NOT needed.

Does your 2512 have the optional self leveling hitch?

There is no issue using the 2512 with standard equipment swivel clevis hitch with the L6060 (or 5740). It appears that the issue is interference between the self leveling hitch and the PTO shaft due to insufficient vertical clearance between the PTO shaft and the drawbar, and then only when cresting rises, etc.

SDT

 

[Old Red]

Does your 2512 have the optional self leveling hitch?

There is no issue using the 2512 with standard equipment swivel clevis hitch with the L6060 (or 5740). It appears that the issue is interference between the self leveling hitch and the PTO shaft due to insufficient vertical clearance between the PTO shaft and the drawbar, and then only when cresting rises, etc.

SDT

Sorry, that was over my head I am not sure I understand........but I do not think mine has the optional self leveling hitch. It has trailer lights that I did not ask for.

 

[Rustyiron]

I wasn't familiar with a "self leveling hitch" (Land pride call's it a "performance hitch") so I just had to look it up. https://www.landpride.com/ari/attach/lp/public/manuals/330-725m.pdf

The bottom diagram show's it requires 8" to the c/l of the PTO shaft to the top of the drawbar. There is also a 14" dimension from the end of the PTO to the c/l of the drawbar hole.

 

[sandman2234]

I am thinking that your L6060 would pull a 15 foot batwing, but doing so would be all that it could handle, not something that I would do to a good tractor. My M7040 is slightly (very slightly) more HP and the previous owner had a Rhino 15 foot BW that he said he pulled with it. I am not sure that he did, because the hydraulics on the M7040 were not set up to run the BW. I put it behind my JD2555 which is 2wd, and a couple more HP, and it handles it, but knows it is back there. The JD would probably handle it better if it didn't have so many rough hours on it. (70 Hp). Point of all this, stick with the 12 foot if you are going to pull it with the L6060.
David from jax