Rotary Cutter 6 ft rotary to big?

[rademamj1]

I honestly would ask if your dealer can let you switch to the 60" rotary cutter. Otherwise, any grass cutting over 18" high is going to cause some engine bogging and overheating issues at full width cutting. I actually prefer the more narrow rotary cutters anyway, for precision cutting and backing into tough mowing areas, like between and around trees and along fence lines. You might also consider mowing field grass at only 60" swaths with your 72" mower, resulting in much less problems and no overheating.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I don't understand what the issue is with overheating. More than once I've smoked through 5 gallons of diesel in 4-5 hours and never once had an overheating problem. For us a hot day is around 80F and this is working the tractor hard on a hot day. If you can't do something similar with your tractor then there is something wrong. The last thing I'm concerned about is overheating as it has never been a issue.

Rant over.

 

[MF243RedTop]

For us a hot day is around 80F and this is working the tractor hard on a hot day. If you can't do something similar with your tractor then there is something wrong. The last thing I'm concerned about is overheating as it has never been a issue.

80 degrees a hot day???
I'll take that over summer temps in the lower 48 especially the south... Anytime
Yes overheating is a concern down here.

 

[pmsmechanic]

80 degrees a hot day???
I'll take that over summer temps in the lower 48 especially the south... Anytime
Yes overheating is a concern down here.

I should have checked my conversions a bit closer. Let me correct to 89.6F to 100.4F is a hot day (32C-38C). Still no issues with overheating on most equipment. If it overheats there is something wrong.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Only time my "evil" hydro equipped CUT gets hot is when the radiator gets packed up with chaff.

That's up to a 100 F day.

That's also mowing hood height grass.

If I see the temp climbing, I just stop and blow the chaff out of the radiator and I'm back in business.

That's with the A/C blowing too (hurrah for cabbed tractors).

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I should have checked my conversions a bit closer. Let me correct to 89.6F to 100.4F is a hot day (32C-38C). Still no issues with overheating on most equipment. If it overheats there is something wrong.

You are right, there IS something wrong...

The tractor is overloaded!

When cutting tall grass, I've had it happen with a 6' cutter on a 28hp Kubota...

SR

 

[ptsg]

You are right, there IS something wrong...

The tractor is overloaded!

When cutting tall grass, I've had it happen with a 6' cutter on a 28hp Kubota...

SR

Exactly, along with not clearing the radiator often. Depending on what's being mowed, it can require a radiator cleaning between 5 or 6 passes.

The question is, will that extra foot of mower make that much difference versus the extra load it puts on the tractor? I really don't think so.

A mower just as wide as the tractor, or just a foot bigger is a nice way to size a mower where it won't overload the tractor.

 

[bearthebruce]

We mow 15 acres of high grass twice a summer with a Massey Ferguson 1533 - 33hp - and a 60" bush hog. Working in the Blue Ridge mountains of southwest Virginia where the temps are usually in the mid 80F... it has never overheated because of 2 things: cleaning the screen when the temp is seen rising, and slowing the travel speed for the same reason. We mow hills - some quite steep. Slow is the key. 15 acres at the fastest pace I ever took takes about 10 hours. With high thick grass, it takes 14-16 hours on the hills - largely owing to operator fatigue. When we get tired, we change operators or end the day.

Non Cab tractor - gear driven - operated in 4w drive the whole way - get out the sunscreen and good hat!

Never had a problem using the machine for trail work. Owing to the intermittent duty, it does not heat up. Besides, on the trails, we are cutting thicker brush and not grass. Property is 200+ acres if mostly wooded land. We are building trails to allow access to the inner parts of the "woods".

Our 2005 Massey Ferguson is a baby.. has only 300 hours on her. She sat for the better part of 10 years... We have put 200 hours on her in 2 years. Still not big use.

I don't feel a 6' mower would work on this tractor. The hills drop the RPM now. With a bigger mower, I think they would drop further and would strain the machine. Our dealer felt the 5' was the right size for our machine.

 

[rangerfredbob]

The tractor cooling system SHOULD be designed to handle the full load continuous that the tractor is rated for, it's a tractor... just like a boat, they're not ran unloaded! It's not like a car where they are ran at a partial load and most cannot physically be ran at full rpm WOT for long periods... At work I live in the boat and industrial equipment world... That's not saying that everything is designed to work like that, but it really should be...

 

[Tinhack]

:laughing: 80 degrees hot?

If I let my "front yard" go for too long, the radiator screen gets covered in stuff and I can see the temp go up. I always watch the temp meter when mowing. It can be 40 or 110 and my tractors still run in the normal range. I stay in the few days it gets below 40.

 

[pmsmechanic]

:laughing: 80 degrees hot?

If I let my "front yard" go for too long, the radiator screen gets covered in stuff and I can see the temp go up. I always watch the temp meter when mowing. It can be 40 or 110 and my tractors still run in the normal range. I stay in the few days it gets below 40.

You guys are spoiled. We can hit around 100F in the summer and colder than -40F in the winter. Those days are rare but we do get them.