Is my 424 to small for a 5 foot brushog-

[bebop86]

Guys- I have a 2016 424 that I use to mow my Dads 10+ acres of very hilly and uneven terrain- It always feels like I am running out of power even with the engine revving past the PTO line also I run in 4WD-- I spoke to Yanmar and they said that my woods RC5 is rated at minimum of 18 Hp and since the 424 is only 18.1 at the PTO that it may be putting to much stress on the tractor- I have the R4 tires- Any thoughts- thinking I may need to upgrade toa 30 something Hp tractor but really do not want to spend the $$- The dealer said that the Woods that he sold me with the tractor is fine to use with the 424-

 

[Jam242ti]

I have a 2018 424 and a Yanmar/Woods medium duty 48 inch rotary cutter and the same hill/constant 4WD situation as you. My 424 runs the 48 inch like its not even working hard, no slow downs or bogging at all. I don't want to insult you but are you sure you are using the low transmission range? My dealer really pushed the 5 foot for me because it cuts slightly wider than the wheel track on a 424 but I went smaller because of the number of trees and tight spots on my 11 acres. I believed 5 ft. worked well on the 424 based on my dealer's advice but after your post now I am very curious what others have to say.

 

[YLee Kioti]

What is the weight of the cutter and what is the lifting capacity of the 3ph and the weight of FEL?
The FEL helps to counter balance the 3ph weight.
If cutter and engine are not getting bogged down then maybe dealer can advise on adding water to front wheels for added stability?

Regards.

 

[Tractorable]

18 PTO hp is barely enough to power a 5ft bush hog. The general recommendation on TBN is 5hp per foot of bush hog, so 25 PTO is recommended. Running my 5ft bush hog through very thick lush grass on my Ford 8N can stall it out and the 8N has 23 PTO hp. I ran my same bush hog on a Kubota L2501 once and it performed much better but I would not want any less hp than the L2501 puts out.

This is a good opportunity to trade up to a Yanmar YT235....

 

[bebop86]

thanks guys-Yes I run in low range- Hate to have to trade up after just having it 2 yrs- Do not think trade in would make up for the cost of not getting the bigger tractor tostart with- kind of just went with what my dealer rec.-

 

[Jam242ti]

18 PTO hp is barely enough to power a 5ft bush hog. The general recommendation on TBN is 5hp per foot of bush hog, so 25 PTO is recommended. Running my 5ft bush hog through very thick lush grass on my Ford 8N can stall it out and the 8N has 23 PTO hp. I ran my same bush hog on a Kubota L2501 once and it performed much better but I would not want any less hp than the L2501 puts out.

This is a good opportunity to trade up to a Yanmar YT235....

So my 4 Ft. bush hog shouldn't work on my 424 either? (4 X 5 = 20 hp at the PTO) the 424 is 18.1 hp. Anyone else running the 5 Ft. and is this your experience? Wait until my wife finds out I need a bigger tractor! Once I kick that hornets nest I might as well end up with say 47-59 hp.

 

[Jam242ti]

thanks guys-Yes I run in low range- Hate to have to trade up after just having it 2 yrs- Do not think trade in would make up for the cost of not getting the bigger tractor tostart with- kind of just went with what my dealer rec.-

I doubt you will only pay the difference, the fastest largest part of the depreciation is the day you take it home and it seems pretty close in value to the perceived market value of the warranty. Same way with all depreciating assets like cars, RV's, boats etc.... However I know nothing about the value of slightly used Yanmar 424s except I wish I could find a two year old one when I was looking because my expectation is I would've received a significant discount on a well maintained machine designed to last decades and two years or 150 hours is not even broke in yet. Maybe sell your 5ft and buy a 4 ft that upgrade might only cost you $1,000 depending on the condition of your Woods.

 

[popsie]

Have 1026r and runs 5ft bush hog fine. It is rated at 18pto hp.

 

[Jam242ti]

bebop86, after I read and responded to this post something didn't sit right with me so I decided to test my own notions of my 424's performance running a 48 inch rotary mower. Last week was pasture mowing time and instead of mowing across the incline I changed my approach to straight up and down the inclines. There is nothing unsafe about any of this and I haven't calculated the grade but I am guessing the steepest part is a two story climb within 50-60 yards. A John
Deere lawn tractor with a plastic cart trailer carrying chain saws, chains, and other tools goes up this grade easily. When mowing straight up the grade with my 424 all goes well until about 2/3rds of the way then the tractor starts to bog heading to a stall. If I let off the throttle and let the engine build rpms and then continue all is fine. The rpm loss/gain is not linear but comes on very quickly and if I don't stop and let the rpms build up to operating levels the tractor will definitely stall and once I let off the throttle rpms build quickly (almost instantaneously) and once under way the remaining climb is easy. My earlier report was based how I used the tractor to mow and I guess I naturally approach mowing hills using the method of least resistance. I have mowed uphill on another part of my property but due to safety concerns I creep very slowly and never experienced bogging even though it is a longer steeper hill. I hope this helps and sorry for the earlier exuberance in reporting my tractor's performance.

 

[Joedel25]

New to the forum, just received my 424 today with a 60” brush hog, I also got the FEL , front snowblower and pallet forks.Mowing the long wet grass didn’t phase the tractor in the slightest, going into the never mowed back hay field didn’t loose any power with the tractor. Only a couple spots with standing water did the tractor come out of the PTO range on the tac.