Rotary Cutter 3 Point or draw hitch on a bush hog.

[What do I know]

Hey all, new here and new at the whole tractor thing. Fast and steep learning curve in progress. Lucky I did not kill my self yet. LOL. So my question is, I am going to buy a brush cutter. Looking at a 7 foot wide 3 point Bush Hog and also a 6.6 foot wide WOODS D80 hitch type cutter. My property is some what hilly and some off camber. Sort of like rolling hill golf course. Will be making walking trails around the perimeter of my fields and towing through the woods to clear trails. Good amount of up and down action on hills. So which one is better, easier to use and some pros and cons of each. Both are used and around the same price. Thanx few picks of my rig.

 

[Areeves08]

My first thought after seeing your tractor is Go Bigger! With the amount of power that you've got on tap, you could power a much larger cutter and cover a lot more ground in the same amount of time. But, that's not your question.

As far as 3pt vs pull-type, the 3pt will typically put a little more strain on the tractor because it is connected to the 3pt arms instead of the drawbar and it will allow you to turn around quicker. The pull-type typically requires less tractor (which is no problem for you) and is less manueverable. If you're cutting in tighter areas, you'll be doing lots of 3-point turns or the PTO shaft and joints will make a racket.

I'd recommend something like a BH 2010/3210 of Woods MDS 10.50. A 12' or 14' cutter would still be an easy task for a 100HP tractor.

 

[joeu235]

From my experience, a draw bar shredder is much better over hilly land

 

[bcp]

Will be making walking trails around the perimeter of my fields and towing through the woods to clear trails.

A 12' or 14' cutter would still be an easy task for a 100HP tractor.

Maybe he needs two cutters.

Bruce

 

[Catchad81]

If you go hitch go wider. Not worth the effort with the 6.6 foot listed. 12' min in my opinion.

 

[What do I know]

Holly smokes a 12 footer!! Thats major size. The place I was looking at has a big 9 foot Bush Hog. They want $5000 Canadian used for it. its a 3 point unit with 2 gear boxes on top and the pto shafts split to power the 2 gear boxes on top of the unit. Very robust looking tool. I dont know if 5k is to much though.

 

[Catchad81]

Holly smokes a 12 footer!! Thats major size. The place I was looking at has a big 9 foot Bush Hog. They want $5000 Canadian used for it. its a 3 point unit with 2 gear boxes on top and the pto shafts split to power the 2 gear boxes on top of the unit. Very robust looking tool. I dont know if 5k is to much though.

You have the tractor for it. Ha. The bushhog price may be good. Depends on the condition it is in. I just priced a bushhog 3308 which is 8' lift type for around 5200.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I'd say get a 10' or 12' pull type. I'd lean towards the 12' because it will be a batwing and will fold up to a much narrower width for trailering or getting through gates, barn doors, etc. The 10' are all fixed deck.

Most people will typically say to get a 3 point cutter, but for hilly land a pull type will allow you to follow the contours of the property much easier. And you can set the height of the pull type cutter with the hydraulic cylinder and forget it. It cuts at the same height regardless of whether the rear of your tractor is going up and/or down.

You can buy some stroke control donuts at your local farm store for the hydraulic cylinder that controls the height of cut of the pull type mower. When you find the height you want to run the cutter at, just extend the cylinder and put enough donuts on it to keep it from retracting past the desired height and you never have to worry about getting the cylinder back to that setting when you lower the cutter after raising it.

People talk about the maneuverability of a 3 point vs. a pull type, but if you can back a trailer up you can back a pull type cutter up.

 

[MF283]

I like the pull type myself, as other's have stated, it's less strain on the tractor & the over all cut is better. In a perfect world, we'll have both with a smaller 3 pt for those real tight areas.

Ronnie

 

[RedNeckRacin]

You guys can keep those 3pt PITA mowers. I mowed for years with a 6' behind a JD 850 and I'd never go back unless it was for a batwing with wide open spaces. I'll take my 3pt everyday of the week. I mow some hills that are steep enough that I would easily roll going across. Yes the 3pt takes some more tractor to handle, but that MX10 (10 footer) and the 5083E is a decent match except in the tallest vegetation I'd take some more HP.

OP, I would look at a twin spindle mower for your tractor. That 7 footer is probably not the best idea and a 6 footer is almost silly. it won't even cover your tire tracks will it? By getting a 100hp tractor, your implements are going to be painful to buy the first time, but they will far and away outlast the smaller tractor supply implements.

 

[LD1]

I like the 3PH mowers. Easier to maneuver, easier to trailer. And with a swinging toplink (or a hydraulic TL in float), they follow the ground just as well as a pull type.

But agree with others. You need bigger than 7'.

 

[jdtractor]

Hi I have 1 of each a 3pth 7 ' pull type 10' pull type 15'batwing. I have mowed very steep rough hillsides and rows with all 3. A lot depends on your tractor size and horsepower. A 3pth is good for mowing hills that are steep to the point that you cant pull it back to the top to make another pass. I have used all 3 to do the same work but the 3pth can be lifted to put extra weight on the rear tires. I have done this and do this to the point the front tires clear the ground and float .... You can also pull a mower and put weight on the drawbar but you are limited to the amount and height. With a 3pth you can also back through and over heavy trees brush what have you. You can also back a pull type over the same but the batwing is a little more work for this process. I use a log chain for the top link so as to gain all the flex I can get. As far as width a lot has to do with your wallet and wants etc... I do not like or care for twin spindle 3pth mowers but evey1 has there opinion. Ive never had any luck with them so I run only single 3pth mowers.I run a JD 5115m mfd rated at 115 engine hp according to the specs but it was dynode at more. No brag just fact.It takes more hp to mow heavy grass then brush the grass being thick like the hair on a dogs back the brush having a little less thickness.You have enough tractor to run what ever you choose as far as size . The hills and material you are mowing will help you make your final decision. 1 thing more it takes power a lot more power to mow filth up hill then on flat ground . Been there done that!!!! Just my.02cts Have a good 1

 

[sweettractors]

Hey all, new here and new at the whole tractor thing. Fast and steep learning curve in progress. Lucky I did not kill my self yet. LOL. So my question is, I am going to buy a brush cutter. Looking at a 7 foot wide 3 point Bush Hog and also a 6.6 foot wide WOODS D80 hitch type cutter. My property is some what hilly and some off camber. Sort of like rolling hill golf course. Will be making walking trails around the perimeter of my fields and towing through the woods to clear trails. Good amount of up and down action on hills. So which one is better, easier to use and some pros and cons of each. Both are used and around the same price. Thanx few picks of my rig.

7 ft lift type seems about right for conditions you describe and maybe 10 ft pull type on the drawbar. The 3 point would more maneuverable in corners and backing under tree limbs and such. Ken Sweet

 

[What do I know]

OK, can a swinging top link be added to any 3 point brush hog? Or does it have to be built with the swinging top link already in place?

 

[kthompson]

Think what they are doing with the chain is using a length of chain to replace the top link which you can do with any 3 pth implement. To me two issues, one is unless you use chain that is large enough link to allow the pin through the link you may loose the ability to adjust the length of the chain as conditions may change or you use a turnbuckle in combo with the chain. The other issue is it can allow a lot of up movement with the cutter, not always a good idea. I ran a cutter without a third arm for full float and in the process backed up the side of the and jammed my pto shaft and some of the pto gears in the tractor's transmission. So me, I use the ridged top link with the normally linkage set up on most cutters to allow for limited UP movement of the cutter while limiting it. kt

 

[sweettractors]

OK, can a swinging top link be added to any 3 point brush hog? Or does it have to be built with the swinging top link already in place?

I have a neighbor that swears a toplink, mounted to a traditional 3 point hitch rotary cutter, saved his life. He said he was mowing up a steep hill and the tractor front end slowly started to come up and the toplink stopped the upward movement for a few seconds until he was back under control of the situation. Ken Sweet

 

[bcp]

OK, can a swinging top link be added to any 3 point brush hog? Or does it have to be built with the swinging top link already in place?

I'll bet it had one when new. If you have bars going down to the rear from the top of the hitch, you can cut and add a link or put a link in front like the style mine has. It can be in two different positions, depending on your hitch.



Bruce

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have a neighbor that swears a toplink, mounted to a traditional 3 point hitch rotary cutter, saved his life. He said he was mowing up a steep hill and the tractor front end slowly started to come up and the toplink stopped the upward movement for a few seconds until he was back under control of the situation. Ken Sweet

I have heard of this and if your tractor is light in the front end, it is best to be careful. The flip side is bent mower linkage if you cross a severe dip and you don't have some kind of slack. I have bent the linkage several times when using a rigid top link. I use a swivel link as well as a foot of chain on the end of my lift straps which I shorten. A short length of chain in place of the top link works very well.