Tractor Capabilities VS. Attachment

[CH4Ohio]

Morning,

I am in the market for a brush hog but do not know much about it. I have a Kubota B2910 (25 HP PTO??). Cutting about 5 acres of horse pasture. The pasture has been kind of neglected but does not have saplings (maybe a handful), just a bunch of random grasses and weeds. I plan to rehab it and plant fescue.

So my question is; can I get away with a 5ft light duty mower? Will this be to much strain on the tractor? If so, maybe a 4ft medium duty? Reasonably priced brand suggestions would be great too.

Thanks!

I have the same tractor. B2910 is 30 HP with 22HP (claimed) at the PTO. I primarily use the 6' (72") belly mower which I absolutely love. It's one heck of a mowing machine.

I have a 5' King Kutter brush hog that I haven't used for years, but it ran it perfectly and that covered the rear tires ok. I'd run it at wide open throttle, just like you would with any other mower. You can adjust your speed to whatever the tractor can handle without bogging down. I wouldn't consider a 4' mower mainly because you can handle more and it wouldn't cover your tire tracks. I'm sure I could handle a 6' brush hog, but as with all bush hogs, you'll have to adjust speed to account for the height of the crop you're cutting and how far down you drop the mower (how short you're cutting the crop).

Once you get that field cleaned up, you might prefer to use a finish mower instead of a brush hog if you plan to mow fairly often.

It's amazing how much work that little Kubota will do.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I have the same tractor. B2910 is 30 HP with 22HP (claimed) at the PTO. I primarily use the 6' (72") belly mower which I absolutely love. It's one heck of a mowing machine.

I have a 5' King Kutter brush hog that I haven't used for years, but it ran it perfectly and that covered the rear tires ok. I'd run it at wide open throttle, just like you would with any other mower. You can adjust your speed to whatever the tractor can handle without bogging down. I wouldn't consider a 4' mower mainly because you can handle more and it wouldn't cover your tire tracks. I'm sure I could handle a 6' brush hog, but as with all bush hogs, you'll have to adjust speed to account for the height of the crop you're cutting and how far down you drop the mower (how short you're cutting the crop).

Once you get that field cleaned up, you might prefer to use a finish mower instead of a brush hog if you plan to mow fairly often.

It's amazing how much work that little Kubota will do.

I should have added -- the reason I don't use my bush hog is because the belly mower is so heavy duty and does such a nice job. Plus I can raise it up a little in really heavy grass. Since you say you don't have any saplings, I'd suggest you see if you can't find the RC72 belly mower that came with the B2910. You won't find a better mower for that tractor. It'll handle really heavy stuff and it will do a finish job on shorter grass.

Hate to add this cause it will probably jinx me, but I'm constantly amazed that I've used mine to cut heavy overgrown fields as well as finish mowing for 16 years now and never had to replace the mower deck belt. Great design. (And it was 2 years old when I bought it.)

 

[alpha&omega]

Having owned both Orange and Green machines with several implements for both, I can say that you will have the best luck with one of two options.

First option would be to take the advice from “CH4Ohio” regarding the belly mower. I recently sold my B3200 and the RC72 I had on it mowed more than I would like to admit. I pushed the limits and it preformed incredibly. As other have mentioned, watch your radiator pre-screen and radiator fins. Keep them as clean as possible.

Your second best option would be to buy a 72” finish mower with rear chains (or 60” if your gates are too small or you are uncomfortable with that much machine behind you) as opposed to a rotary cutter. You’re mowing overgrown pasture not ditches, swampland, or wooded areas - therefore a rotary cutter would probably be overkill.

I have 10+ acres of hilly horse pasture and have used all three (rotary, finish and belly mowers) the latter being the best option. Granted when I let things get out of hand I had to mow it two or three times to get everything down where I wanted it, but that would have been the same with any of them. The final cut and ease of use with the belly mower is the reason why I still use one today on both my fields and my lawn.

A good set of Oregon mulching blades will make the job so much easier. I use Oregon’s G3 Gator blades. Don’t cheap out on this purchase or you will find out how quickly rocks and limbs will ruin a set of cheaply stamped blades.

I should have added -- the reason I don't use my bush hog is because the belly mower is so heavy duty and does such a nice job. Plus I can raise it up a little in really heavy grass. Since you say you don't have any saplings, I'd suggest you see if you can't find the RC72 belly mower that came with the B2910. You won't find a better mower for that tractor. It'll handle really heavy stuff and it will do a finish job on shorter grass.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Having owned both Orange and Green machines with several implements for both, I can say that you will have the best luck with one of two options.

First option would be to take the advice from “CH4Ohio” regarding the belly mower. I recently sold my B3200 and the RC72 I had on it mowed more than I would like to admit. I pushed the limits and it preformed incredibly. As other have mentioned, watch your radiator pre-screen and radiator fins. Keep them as clean as possible.

Your second best option would be to buy a 72” finish mower with rear chains (or 60” if your gates are too small or you are uncomfortable with that much machine behind you) as opposed to a rotary cutter. You’re mowing overgrown pasture not ditches, swampland, or wooded areas - therefore a rotary cutter would probably be overkill.

I have 10+ acres of hilly horse pasture and have used all three (rotary, finish and belly mowers) the latter being the best option. Granted when I let things get out of hand I had to mow it two or three times to get everything down where I wanted it, but that would have been the same with any of them. The final cut and ease of use with the belly mower is the reason why I still use one today on both my fields and my lawn.

A good set of Oregon mulching blades will make the job so much easier. I use Oregon’s G3 Gator blades. Don’t cheap out on this purchase or you will find out how quickly rocks and limbs will ruin a set of cheaply stamped blades.

The other nice thing about the belly mower -- you don't forget it's behind you and damage it or other stuff when you turn and it swings wide. It's really easy to mis-judge and snag fences, hit trees, etc. with rear-mounted mowers. Additionally, the belly mower extends out beyond your tires and let's you trim up close or even run up under evergreen limbs, etc. with perfect visibility of what you're mowing.
I haven't looked, but would expect that there are used ones or new/old stock units to be found at a decent price. Good luck!

 

[petemac14]

I have a similar tractor, b2710, and run a 48" Woods Brush Bull. My pasture was severely overgrown and the narrow cut combined with my slightly lower horsepower worked well together, mulching honeysuckle, small trees, and reed canary grass. Now that I have it under control I am considering selling the 48" to get a 60" and shorten my cutting time, although I will miss the ability to back over anything. My current 48" is around 475lbs, and I am not sure I'd go much heavier since I occasionally have trouble getting it to turn, and my property is far from flat. I have a finish mower and I brought it into the fields once when too lazy to swap them and quickly regretted it, as I wrapped some debris around the hubs and started smoking the belt.

 

[CobyRupert]

Having a bigger mower than the 5hp/ft rule of thumb is no problem, you can always go slower, or take more of an overlap in heavy conditions. In less than heavy conditions, you mow more ground without increasing ground speed and getting bounced around.
“Horsepower is just a measure of speed!”

Mowing grass takes more horsepower than dried stalks, twigs, and brush.

Some say to get a mower as wide, or wider, than your tractor width. IMO, it’s more important to get a mower your tractor can physically handle and lift without the tail wagging the dog, front end getting light, tippy when raised, etc... Especially in hilly conditions, or in tight spaces where big mowers can be cumbersome.
A wide mower is handy if you need to mow right up next to fence lines or buildings. Otherwise, if you think about it, a wide mower is trying to mow the grass 2 tire tracks has matted down, where a narrow mower is only trying to mow the 1 tire track you made on the previous pass.

 

[Tony H]

Thanks!

I know you said you had a "Rhino" for a while. Is there any other brands you may suggest that are in a moderate price range? The County Line at Tractor Supply is $1,400. Am I just paying for a cheap Chinese implement that is going to cause more headaches than good?

A lot of TSC County Line are made from good companies. Woods, etc. For what you say you are doing I think you will be fine using the County Line.

 

[Bentrim]

If you want a Bush Hog you will have to find a Bush Hog dealer www.bushhog.com Sorry don't mean to be picky but this is often a problem when a name brand becomes what everybody refers to something as. They are technically a rotary cutter. Many manufacturers make rotary cutters but only the above makes a Bush Hog. I work in the small engine industry and folks bring in units all day long and call them Honda just because they have a Honda engine on them. I have even told them when they come in and say "I have a Honda pressure washer" I will tell them not to use it as they have a one of unit because Honda has never built a pressure washer. Try to find parts for one.
Most all rotary cutter manufacturers make cheap units and well built units but of course the price usually sells the cheap units. As the old saying goes you get what you pay for. The determining factor as to what size and heavy duty or standard duty, or cheap unit is the size and power of your tractor. A 8 foot HD unit on a 8N ford just won't be usable. A light duty unit on 100 plus horsepower tractor mowing stumps and trees won't be behind the tractor long. Advise you to visit your tractor dealer and ask what they recommend as far as size goes. Or even visiting a manufactures site online and check what they recommend for tractors by HP. The correctly sized unit will make a happy user. To small and you will be mowing forever and possibly wind up with a destroyed. Too large and too heavy the mower will "drive the tractor" and possibly be dangerous for the operator.
Thank you for allowing me to get that off my chest. I hope in some way I have given some good advice.

 

[airbiscuit]

• Bush Hog
• Rotary Cutter
• Rough Cut Mower
• Shredder
• Brush Hog

All are used to describe a heavy duty rotary cutter with swinging blades. Calling one a Bush Hog is like calling an adjustable wrench a Crescent wrench, or groove joint pliers - Channel Locks, or gelatin - Jello. There is a difference between speaking to be accurate or speaking to be understood. Personally, I thing Brush Hog is the easiest/ most descriptive - most universally understood.
Tomato
Tomaaaato

 

[DieselBound]

To answer the OP's original question: YES. I ran a Rankin Light Duty 5' RC behind my B7800 for many years (40 overgrown, partially logged, acres). I beat the snot out of that light duty RC, and I mean BEAT it. Patches of grass that were over 10' tall (S L O W L E Y, of course!). Large pieces of tree debris. VW transaxles (at dusk it was like the 4th of July, sparks everywhere!): a previous owner had stored a bunch of junk cars on part of the property; most removed but a lot got hidden in blackberry vines. You name it, that mower managed it all perfectly fine.

Do a bit of research on buying a used RC. RCs aren't complicated. No reason to buy new: I bought a massively used/abused 6' Bush Hog for my Kioti for $800 and put in a few hundred more bucks for a new PTO shaft and to have the tail wheel assembly bracket welded up); have run for a few HARD seasons and it's worked great; a new one would have cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,500.

TIP: be sure to get an RC that has a floating top link (my 5' Rankin didn't have one; it's only down fall; I replaced that RC with a light duty 5' Landpride, also heavily used (had to replace the blades- they were extremely worn; blades on my Rankin were still good after all those many years of abuse; so, that's a statement as to how heavily used the Landpride was and I had zero concerns with buying it). Also, I prefer to have implements that are quick-hitch capable (for my B7800 I don't use a quick-hitch, but the implements are far easier to attach).

NOTE: Careful about anything stated as being above "light duty." This is especially true if someone is selling something. Deck thickness and gear box rating are the factors that really define duty rating. If something is truly "heavy duty" just know that it's likely far heavier duty than what you need (unless you're going to operate for business): my 6' Bush Hog is an absolute beast, but it's only "medium duty"- "heavy duty" cuts stuff in the 4" diameter size, which you can do with lighter duty but only limited amounts (and speed); cutting bigger stuff makes one heck of a racket (one reason why I'm thankful for getting a cabbed tractor).

Another option is a flail mower. More expensive and more complicated. Unlike with a belly mower, a flail with hydraulic side shift can get real close to fences and things with far less concern about snagging your tractor (been there, done that!). Also with a belly mower, you cannot get into corners like you can with an RC. I've got hundreds of hours on my B7800 running a 5' RC and I can operate that combo like it's an extension of my arm. Yes, you've got to be paying attention, but ANY TIME you're operating a tractor you MUST pay attention, RC, belly mower or what have you.