Bush hogging is best without front loaders on

[two_bit_score]

I order the Boraxo from Amazon. Hard to find in stores.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

Since we're talking about poison ivy, the best way to get it off if you know you've got it on you is to use gel hand sanitizer composed of alcohol. That will disolve and remove the greasy urushiol. Trust me. This is not well known it seems, but it works better than anything else I've tried.

 

[Timm250]

I see it sometimes at Rural King.

I use to use it, it came in the round tube looking cardboard cans. BUT, it's hard to get around here now. The last store that carried it, went under years ago...

SR

 

[Ford850]

Dawn dish soap (or any dish detergent) and a cotton wash cloth with warm water. Lightly scrub all possible ivy exposed/infected areas and rise well. That was described on this site a year or so ago, with a link to a video. I tried it since I'm in ivy occasionally and react very bad to it. I've tried everything, and some of the ivy cleansers work well, but dish soap /wash cloth / warm water has not failed me for a couple years now. If I miss an area, I scrub it the next day when it starts to react with blisters.

 

[BrokenTrack]

The funny thing is, on my farm I ended up getting rid of all the poison ivy I had...because I had sheep.

Poison Ivy is a sheep's favorite food. They will mob graze it out of existence. Because of their greasy wool, it does not get on them and bother them, and sheep prefer weeds anyway.

But then, instead of dealing with plosion ivy, you have to deal with all the sheep farming jokes! (LOL)

 

[setxjeff]

I mow with my FEL grapple on also, good counter weight and it’s mostly see through. Handy for moving non mowable stuff out of the way quickly.

 

[jyoutz]

Many say they bush hog with their front loaders on. Sometimes they will use the bucket to push brush down in front of the tractor as they cut.

The first time with my new 1626, I bush hogged half of my 10 acre field where the brush was about 4' tall, I left the front bucket on. It was just getting dark and I cut into the night. After dark I could see a lot of dust and dirty air rolling over the bucket into the front grill of the tractor. The next morning I looked under the hood and the engine was covered in pollen and dust. The air filter was also really dirty and filled with dust. I cleaned the entire tractor up including the air filter.
I then remove the front loader bucket and frame. I went out and cut the other half of the same 10 acre field. When I was finished, I could plainly see that the tractor had very little dust on the outside of it and under the hood, the engine was still clean. I looked at the air filter and it was completely clean.
After bush hogging for 35 years with old 8Ns with no front loaders on them and seeing how much dust and pollen is kicked up by having the front loader on a tractor, I'd say for sure it's better not to cut with the front bucket on. I guess one could raise it up high enough to keep the bucket out of the weeds, but who needs the weight up that high. The 1526/1626 handles the 5' Mahindra bush hog just fine and certainly doesn't need the added weight up front.
Just my experience.......

If the bucket is causing the issuer you, why not just drop the bucket instead of removing the entire loader?

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Maybe dew was on the next morning.

 

[workinonit]

Unless I'm using the loader or forks I never have the loader on my tractor. I can't imagine running the bush hog with the loader on. It's so easy to remove there's no reason to leave it on anyway.

 

[ptsg]

Unless I'm using the loader or forks I never have the loader on my tractor. I can't imagine running the bush hog with the loader on. It's so easy to remove there's no reason to leave it on anyway.

Same here. The tractor is just so much more nimble and easy to maneuver around without the loader getting in the way, plus there is no need to carry a loader around if I'm not using it at all. Saves on the front axle bearings and tires.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

The funny thing is, on my farm I ended up getting rid of all the poison ivy I had...because I had sheep.

Poison Ivy is a sheep's favorite food. They will mob graze it out of existence. Because of their greasy wool, it does not get on them and bother them, and sheep prefer weeds anyway.

But then, instead of dealing with plosion ivy, you have to deal with all the sheep farming jokes! (LOL)

The deer and raccoons eat all of the poison ivy around here. Generally if you have a lot of poison ivy it’s because there isn’t much wildlife around. Lots of poison ivy in municipal parks and sprawling subdivisions.

 

[Smokeydog]

Have lots of deer, raccoons and other wildlife and still have lots of poison ivy. Goats love it too.

 

[jyoutz]

I always keep my loader bucket attached while rotary cutting. There always seems to be things that I find that I want to pick up: ancient or wind blown trash, limbs, etc… The bucket makes a nice trash can.

 

[Xfaxman]

I have to have the front loader on to use the brush hog:

The view from the seat:

 

[3gunr]

Unless I'm using the loader or forks I never have the loader on my tractor. I can't imagine running the bush hog with the loader on. It's so easy to remove there's no reason to leave it on anyway.

I cant imagine not having my loaders on , if i am using a tractor their will always be a use for the loader, the only time i could take it off would be while finish mowing around the structures which only takes a few minutes .

 

[big bubba]

If the bucket is causing the issuer you, why not just drop the bucket instead of removing the entire loader?

yes to this. can't imagine dropping the fel, i need the counter weight to balance the 8' 3hp hog (2k lbs). i do agree with you that smaller tractors are close to the ground & prone to debris on the radiator & air filter, one of the many reasons i stay with the utility M series. never a problem even with sedge in bloom
one potential problem w/removing only the bucket is that the loader arms could be at risk if you hit something solid, like a tree.

glad you had the eye to notice it before causing trouble. your set up is prob quite easy to remove, etc, & therefore has solved your problem, good work. but i disagree in general with the idea of removing the fel just for brush hogging in most cases.
btw welcome to this forum & continue your good work

 

[Hay Dude]

Today, I cleared about 8 acres. Some of the brush included 10-15’ tall bradford pear and they were 3” caliper. The loader easily pushed them over. I could then grind them up with the bush hog. With no loader, I would have to use the mower itself, which will do it, but only in reverse.
The loader is terrific for pushing through heavy brush and small trees while going forward. Its an extra layer of protection for the front.
I also use my loader and bucket extensively to break off low hanging branches jutting into fields.

 

[LouNY]

I have never routinely removed the loader from any tractor I have owned.
Of course on the older ones that would have taken a couple of hours,
my Branson is supposed to be quick and easy as are the Puma and New Holland at the farm,
the New Holland has never been off, the Puma was Once to work on the loader.
Oh almost forgot the Kubota it's never been off.

 

[Cougsfan]

I mow both ways, with the FEL on and with it off. If it is a field I don't know I like the bucket for alerting me of rocks. I have a very hilly, rock free 20 acre fallow section that I mow a couple times a year, and I prefer to mow it with the FEL off. With no FEL the ride is better (less bumpy) and my particular tractor is just a little easier to drive for 10 or 12 long hours it takes to mow it. Also the bucket bounces around a bit and makes not a lot, but significant, noise.
My Branson's FEL comes off and goes on in a couple of minutes. It is not much harder to remove the entire FEL compared to dropping the bucket alone. FEL or no FEL is not that big of deal one way or the other, and is probably affected significantly by the characteristics of your individual tractor (size, weight, ease of FEL removal) .

 

[LD1]

Old thread.....

But, I mow close to 500 acres a year. And its mostly with the loader off.

Alot of it depends on the job. Quite a bit of my mowing is 4-5 acre lots that were a corn or bean field the year prior and it got split up and sold and the owner just wants the weeds knocked down to survey the land and stake out for a home. Little to no risk of hitting rocks, fence, tires, stumps, etc in a lot that was a farm field for the past 50 years.

Sometimes I leave it on. Thats usually if its just a small job or something that comes up and I am in the middle of another project that requires the loader. I wont take it off to mow just an acre or two just to put it back on.

But my loader is 6' and mower is 8'. So even using it to try and detect stumps/rocks is no guarantee.

But by and large no loader is much more pleasant mowing. Its not in the way in tight corners, it isnt obstructing my view, easier on the machine without the weight, I can brake steer easier cause I can leave it in 2wd....whereas the loader sometimes requires 4wd if its damp and hilly, and its less weight to carry around on both the tractor and trailer. Which equates to fuel savings.

Keeping the radiator screen clean is always a must. Watch the temp gauge. Fall mowings suck but in general I try and always get an early start and be done by noon. Its cooler and with the dew on....makes a difference of cleaning the screen at the end of the day vs every 30 min,