Kubota advice maybe not running right, maybe me, maybe disapointed

[nards444]

Ok bought a B2650, HST 4WD, fluid filled rears. Had it dropped off Friday and proceeded to clear some grass. Just grass no brush. Borrowed my buddies finish mower to do so. Being up front the grass was probably 3ft tall and the finish mower was a 72in finish mower, according the book it can handle it, but probably upwards of being to big.

With that said ran it mostly in mid range and 2wd at full RPM. Couldn't drop the mower down all the way, had to keep up 3/4 up the first pass and the second pass was maybe half way. To drop it all the way down probably would have to make two more runs with it.

Other disclaimer here is im used to running my buddies 47hp Kubota which is somewhat beefier. Just trying to figure out if it was just to much grass for the finish mower and the size of the implement was to much, or was there a way to run this thing that I should have been doing better. been looking around for a cheat sheet on how to run the machine in various scenarios.


Before people say you didnt get a big enough machine, the property is 4 acres that I am building on with all grass. I have brushed hogged it continually for the last two years with the 47hp Kubota, I was just knocking it down one more time before construction started, so the machine I bought will most likely never do this task again. With that said was sort of disappointed in the performance, just dont know if it was me operating, any of the wrong machinery, or it is what it is kind of a thing.

 

[jeff9366]

Finish mowers have less inertia to carry light blades through tall grass, relative to Bush Hogs.

Final drive on Finish Mowers is via belts. You may have had some slippage. Or intermittent belt stretch may have decreased power to blades. Bush Hogs are gear drive all the way through.

Were the light mower blades SHARP?

Your experience seems normal to me. You were operating out of the design parameters for a Finish Mower.



Enter your new Kubota B2650 into your T-B-N PROFILE or you will confuse readers.

 

[RickB]

3 foot grass is too much to expect any finish mower to cut well in one pass under any circumstances. Your available HP will do far better with the 6 foot finish mower working within its design parameters.

 

[widefat]

Finish mowers have less inertia to carry light blades through tall grass, relative to Bush Hogs.

Final drive on Finish Mowers is via belts. You may have had some slippage. Or intermittent belt stretch may have decreased power to blades. Bush Hogs are gear drive all the way through.

Were the light mower blades SHARP?

Your experience seems normal to me.

I concur - finish mowers are not designed to cope with 3' tall grass. Even if you would have had more power, and even if that power did not cause the belts to slip - the cut would have been horrendous.
For 3' feet grass, knock it down with a bush hog, and then it will still take 3 o r 4 cuts to get it looking nice.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

At that height you will need 3 passes at least. I just mowed my 3' high field, mower wheels didnt touch the ground. Will make a 2nd pass a little lower this week.

Finish mowers are made for lawns, not fields. But mine is old and i loaned dad my rotary mower, so making do.

 

[nards444]

thanks thus far, kind of what figured wrong tool for the job, kind of what I thought. Its what I had and it did the job. I figure d brush hog would have done better as well. Just wanted to confirm what I thought the issue was.

 

[skipperbrown]

3' high grass and a 6' wide brush hog will work your tractor. If you are going to routinely cut grass higher than the front axle, I recommend putting another boot over you front axle boots before they catch on a stick or something and you rip a boot open on a turn when they are very exposed. They are a real pita to replace. I slit radiator hose and put the appropriate length/diameter on mine. You can use a hose clamp or zip ties to hold it in place.

 

[DieselnHooters]

i am no expert on mower so I could be wrong but a 72 inch seems a little much on such a little tractor.

 

[nards444]

i am no expert on mower so I could be wrong but a 72 inch seems a little much on such a little tractor.

book says it can run it, and it did. 60in probably would be better. Like I said this was a one time deal, got to borrow the implement for free. Not to worried about it in the future.

 

[crashz]

I have a 72" Landpride finish mower that does a great job on my lawn. Yesterday I did a small mowing job with it and cut grass like you did (~3ft tall). Our tractors are approximately the same power, though yours may have 1HP more at the PTO. I raised my gauge wheels as high as I could go, used low range and mowed at a crawl and at full power. It cut pretty well, but its a heck of a load on the tractor.

A 5' bush hog with dull blades will perform about the same.

I don't think you have anything wrong but I do think its a mistake to compare a tractor with twice the size and power, using the same implement.