Bush hog gouging

[apeckham]

I running 6 ft woods mower . When I am mowing and make a turn the sides dog into the ground and removes a strip of grass. I levaled it side to side . Haveam it pitched higher in the rear. I've tried raising the mower up thinking that maybe I'm mowing too low , but then it doesn't cut very well.
Anyone have any other ideas? Tia

 

[oldnslo]

Is the cut concerns the wheel tracks? If yes that is problem with most if not all single spindle mowers. You may have to play with tail wheel height to achieve best cut but ultimately suspect that you will need to carry the front on 3 point to prevent gouging when turning.

 

[apeckham]

Thanks for responding. On my brush cutter there are like runners that are welded to the bottom of the cutter. They run horizontal to the ground one on each side , that's digging in.

 

[deserteagle71]

That's how they work when turning sharp. My solution is to raise the 3 point hitch lever just a tab above its stop when initiating the turn, then dropping it back down to the stop after the turn.

 

[big bubba]

i find having a hyd top link helps fine tune bush hog height to avoid skid marks.
& yes of course tail wheel adj matters too

 

[5030]

Is it a finish mower or a slasher? If it's a slasher, they aren't designed to cut low in the first place and not designed to give a 'manicured' like cut.

 

[big bubba]

Is it a finish mower or a slasher? If it's a slasher, they aren't designed to cut low in the first place and not designed to give a 'manicured' like cut.

the OP question is regarding to the side skids digging into the surface, not quality of cut of a mower. it's a matter of adjustment of the deck height & top link to help correct the gouging problem. not if it's a finish or "slasher" mower

 

[Sportsman762]

the OP question is regarding to the side skids digging into the surface, not quality of cut of a mower. it's a matter of adjustment of the deck height & top link to help correct the gouging problem. not if it's a finish or "slasher" mower

I do think that 5030's post is applicable. (and most of the time I am arguing with 5030) Bush Hog does make finish mowers and they have 4 wheels and if the side of them is digging in there there is some other problem that needs addressed.

I have run lots of different makes of rotary cutters on lots of tractors from 5-10' wide behind 18-115hp tractors. The single spindle single tail wheel units do dig in in turns as they rock slightly. Units with twin rear wheels do not dig in as much as the twin rear wheels prevent the rocking. Also tractors with sloppy 3 point hitches will let the unit dig in more than a newer tractor with a tighter hitch.

That's how they work when turning sharp. My solution is to raise the 3 point hitch lever just a tab above its stop when initiating the turn, then dropping it back down to the stop after the turn.

Desert Eagle has summed it up well.

 

[big bubba]

good points. still feel it's a matter of deck height & top link adj regardless of design. just suggesting hyd top link to fine tune around each bend to avoid the problem, best regards

 

[RayIN]

Is the cut concerns the wheel tracks? If yes that is problem with most if not all single spindle mowers. You may have to play with tail wheel height to achieve best cut but ultimately suspect that you will need to carry the front on 3 point to prevent gouging when turning.

The skid plates on each side are not runners. Their purpose is to prevent gouging with the cutters sides.
I have mine set to cut 6-8" high and it still removes sod sometimes when making a U-turn, that depends on terrain at the moment.
I've gotta tell the man harvesting my hay crop he's cannot have the hay any more. He mows with a disc-mower and apparently has it set to cut 1-2" high. It's killing the good grasses and allowing trash to overtake my fields.

 

[5030]

the OP question is regarding to the side skids digging into the surface, not quality of cut of a mower. it's a matter of adjustment of the deck height & top link to help correct the gouging problem. not if it's a finish or "slasher" mower

Never seen a finish mower with slide shoes on the outside edges, only brush hog / slashers. Finish mower will have gauge wheels on the outside edge and elsewhere and why I posed that question, in as much as he never stated one way or another. My 'slasher - brush hog' has replaceable skids on the outside edges, my bat wing mower, has gage wheels.

When posting a question, any question, include ALL the pertinent facts, always.

 

[zzvyb6]

Put more air in the rear tractor tires. They deflect when turning for several reasons. The higher pressure will lower the roll angle due to deflection of the outer tire.

 

[5030]

Put more air in the rear tractor tires. They deflect when turning for several reasons. The higher pressure will lower the roll angle due to deflection of the outer tire.

Might work but probably not simply because at least in my case, I don't mow or slash at breakneck speed ever.

The the answer if you want to call it that is setting the top link suspension at the proper setting and that especially applies to a slasher and less to a rear mount finish mower becaue any mowing / slashing implement will have a top link susnension attached to the implement that allows that implement to 'float' over uneven terrian with minimal gouging in the first place. That and the trailing wheels on the implement itself. Slashers all come with top link adjustable suspension of the implement (mine both do) or in the cse of cheaper ones, a chain that serves to carry the inplement and keep it from digging it and / or gouging. If the top link syspension is set correctly, it picks up the mower / slasher and allows it to float over extreme irregularirtes. What it's there for in the first place.

 

[MMC]

The skid plates on each side are not runners. Their purpose is to prevent gouging with the cutters sides.
I have mine set to cut 6-8" high and it still removes sod sometimes when making a U-turn, that depends on terrain at the moment.
I've gotta tell the man harvesting my hay crop he's cannot have the hay any more. He mows with a disc-mower and apparently has it set to cut 1-2" high. It's killing the good grasses and allowing trash to overtake my fields.

At face value, I agree with your first comment. A bush hog is just never going to be a finish mower...

As to your hay issues, you are spot on. I love disc mowers, but they simply have to be adjusted well to accommodate each grass type. And never too low - the mower is not a plow, and simply put...it ain't worth the gain you get. But, if you like the guy you're working with, maybe he's trainable. Here's a good summary of what you are alluding to (and each year our KY extension agents try to drill this into our heads...):

Mowing hay low may cost money, time | MU Extension

GALENA, Mo. – There are many reasons to avoid cutting low when mowing hay, but money is the main one, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg. Schnakenberg recommends a height of 4 inches for cool-season grasses like tall fescue, bromegrass, orchardgrass and timothy and...

extension.missouri.edu

 

[RayIN]

At face value, I agree with your first comment. A bush hog is just never going to be a finish mower...

As to your hay issues, you are spot on. I love disc mowers, but they simply have to be adjusted well to accommodate each grass type. And never too low - the mower is not a plow, and simply put...it ain't worth the gain you get. But, if you like the guy you're working with, maybe he's trainable. Here's a good summary of what you are alluding to (and each year our KY extension agents try to drill this into our heads...):

Mowing hay low may cost money, time | MU Extension

GALENA, Mo. – There are many reasons to avoid cutting low when mowing hay, but money is the main one, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg. Schnakenberg recommends a height of 4 inches for cool-season grasses like tall fescue, bromegrass, orchardgrass and timothy and...

extension.missouri.edu

Thanks for the article; it reinforces my opinion.
I don't know the man well, so I'm just going to terminate our deal and begin mowing it on my own again.
After a few years it should recover. By then the new owner will deal with the hay situation.
Man, I had hand surgery today and typing is an actual pain.

 

[Runner]

Don't know what type of material you're mowing or how tall/thick it is, but you can sometimes get better looking results by mowing with the cutter either level or with the front slightly higher than the back. If you have the HP and the material is not too tall/thick, this makes the cutter cut the path twice, once when the blades hit it on the front side and again on the back side of the blade arc.

It also gives the cutter a chance to "mulch" the cut grass a little which cuts down on the windrows/clumping. By mowing with the front higher, it may eliminate the digging in problem with the side panels of the mower.

 

[Gord Baker]

I running 6 ft woods mower . When I am mowing and make a turn the sides dog into the ground and removes a strip of grass. I levaled it side to side . Haveam it pitched higher in the rear. I've tried raising the mower up thinking that maybe I'm mowing too low , but then it doesn't cut very well.
Anyone have any other ideas? Tia

Those are NOT 'slides' that are digging into the ground. They are part of the machine and are not meant to be digging into ground anywhere. The Rear should not be higher. Run the machine LEVEL and 4+ Inches above grade.
You are not mowing lawn.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I run a 48" Woods, single spindle mower behind my B2301. It took me several mowings to get the whole thing adjusted to the cut I want, but in order to get the cut I want, It does tend to gouge the ground occasionally. The solution is to run it higher, which wrecks the cut...it's not meant to be a finish mower, so I just deal with it.

 

[dannyojudd]

I running 6 ft woods mower . When I am mowing and make a turn the sides dog into the ground and removes a strip of grass. I levaled it side to side . Haveam it pitched higher in the rear. I've tried raising the mower up thinking that maybe I'm mowing too low , but then it doesn't cut very well.
Anyone have any other ideas? Tia

I found that I have to slow down and turn because of weight shifting and "play" in three point allows to much side to side movement and scalping or digging in results. Mowing on hill side makes it worse.

 

[MMM2]

I have a 60 in. Exmark. Whenever I turn it, it almost always gouges. The deck is so heavy, it does not lift. Especially when it comes to grass on sand base. My opinion: the wheels do nothing but dig, If you had a round shoe, like some snowplows do, the deck might skid over the ground rather then dig. The round shoe has to be big enough to disperse weight. Or the weight of the deck would have to be suspended by other means, so as to reduce weight contact to ground ratio.